Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of 'Eighty

by Charles Dickens

  Chapter 74

  Mr Dennis, having been made prisoner late in the evening, was removed toa neighbouring round-house for that night, and carried before a justicefor examination on the next day, Saturday. The charges against himbeing numerous and weighty, and it being in particular proved, by thetestimony of Gabriel Varden, that he had shown a special desire to takehis life, he was committed for trial. Moreover he was honoured withthe distinction of being considered a chief among the insurgents, andreceived from the magistrate's lips the complimentary assurance thathe was in a position of imminent danger, and would do well to preparehimself for the worst.

  To say that Mr Dennis's modesty was not somewhat startled by thesehonours, or that he was altogether prepared for so flattering areception, would be to claim for him a greater amount of stoicalphilosophy than even he possessed. Indeed this gentleman's stoicism wasof that not uncommon kind, which enables a man to bear with exemplaryfortitude the afflictions of his friends, but renders him, by way ofcounterpoise, rather selfish and sensitive in respect of any that happento befall himself. It is therefore no disparagement to the great officerin question to state, without disguise or concealment, that he was atfirst very much alarmed, and that he betrayed divers emotions of fear,until his reasoning powers came to his relief, and set before him a morehopeful prospect.

  In proportion as Mr Dennis exercised these intellectual qualitieswith which he was gifted, in reviewing his best chances of coming offhandsomely and with small personal inconvenience, his spirits rose, andhis confidence increased. When he remembered the great estimation inwhich his office was held, and the constant demand for his services;when he bethought himself, how the Statute Book regarded him as a kindof Universal Medicine applicable to men, women, and children, of everyage and variety of criminal constitution; and how high he stood, inhis official capacity, in the favour of the Crown, and both Houses ofParliament, the Mint, the Bank of England, and the Judges of the land;when he recollected that whatever Ministry was in or out, he remainedtheir peculiar pet and panacea, and that for his sake England stoodsingle and conspicuous among the civilised nations of the earth: whenhe called these things to mind and dwelt upon them, he felt certain thatthe national gratitude MUST relieve him from the consequences of hislate proceedings, and would certainly restore him to his old place inthe happy social system.

  With these crumbs, or as one may say, with these whole loaves of comfortto regale upon, Mr Dennis took his place among the escort that awaitedhim, and repaired to jail with a manly indifference. Arriving atNewgate, where some of the ruined cells had been hastily fitted up forthe safe keeping of rioters, he was warmly received by the turnkeys,as an unusual and interesting case, which agreeably relieved theirmonotonous duties. In this spirit, he was fettered with great care, andconveyed into the interior of the prison.

  'Brother,' cried the hangman, as, following an officer, he traversedunder these novel circumstances the remains of passages with which hewas well acquainted, 'am I going to be along with anybody?'

  'If you'd have left more walls standing, you'd have been alone,' was thereply. 'As it is, we're cramped for room, and you'll have company.'

  'Well,' returned Dennis, 'I don't object to company, brother. I ratherlike company. I was formed for society, I was.'

  'That's rather a pity, an't it?' said the man.

  'No,' answered Dennis, 'I'm not aware that it is. Why should it be apity, brother?'

  'Oh! I don't know,' said the man carelessly. 'I thought that was whatyou meant. Being formed for society, and being cut off in your flower,you know--'

  'I say,' interposed the other quickly, 'what are you talking of? Don't.Who's a-going to be cut off in their flowers?'

  'Oh, nobody particular. I thought you was, perhaps,' said the man.

  Mr Dennis wiped his face, which had suddenly grown very hot, andremarking in a tremulous voice to his conductor that he had always beenfond of his joke, followed him in silence until he stopped at a door.

  'This is my quarters, is it?' he asked facetiously.

  'This is the shop, sir,' replied his friend.

  He was walking in, but not with the best possible grace, when hesuddenly stopped, and started back.

  'Halloa!' said the officer. 'You're nervous.'

  'Nervous!' whispered Dennis in great alarm. 'Well I may be. Shut thedoor.'

  'I will, when you're in,' returned the man.

  'But I can't go in there,' whispered Dennis. 'I can't be shut up withthat man. Do you want me to be throttled, brother?'

  The officer seemed to entertain no particular desire on the subject oneway or other, but briefly remarking that he had his orders, and intendedto obey them, pushed him in, turned the key, and retired.

  Dennis stood trembling with his back against the door, and involuntarilyraising his arm to defend himself, stared at a man, the only othertenant of the cell, who lay, stretched at his fall length, upon a stonebench, and who paused in his deep breathing as if he were about to wake.But he rolled over on one side, let his arm fall negligently down, drewa long sigh, and murmuring indistinctly, fell fast asleep again.

  Relieved in some degree by this, the hangman took his eyes for aninstant from the slumbering figure, and glanced round the cell in searchof some 'vantage-ground or weapon of defence. There was nothing moveablewithin it, but a clumsy table which could not be displaced withoutnoise, and a heavy chair. Stealing on tiptoe towards this latterpiece of furniture, he retired with it into the remotest corner,and intrenching himself behind it, watched the enemy with the utmostvigilance and caution.

  The sleeping man was Hugh; and perhaps it was not unnatural for Dennisto feel in a state of very uncomfortable suspense, and to wish withhis whole soul that he might never wake again. Tired of standing, hecrouched down in his corner after some time, and rested on the coldpavement; but although Hugh's breathing still proclaimed that hewas sleeping soundly, he could not trust him out of his sight for aninstant. He was so afraid of him, and of some sudden onslaught, that hewas not content to see his closed eyes through the chair-back, butevery now and then, rose stealthily to his feet, and peered at him withoutstretched neck, to assure himself that he really was still asleep,and was not about to spring upon him when he was off his guard.

  He slept so long and so soundly, that Mr Dennis began to think he mightsleep on until the turnkey visited them. He was congratulating himselfupon these promising appearances, and blessing his stars with muchfervour, when one or two unpleasant symptoms manifested themselves: suchas another motion of the arm, another sigh, a restless tossing of thehead. Then, just as it seemed that he was about to fall heavily to theground from his narrow bed, Hugh's eyes opened.

  It happened that his face was turned directly towards his unexpectedvisitor. He looked lazily at him for some half-dozen seconds without anyaspect of surprise or recognition; then suddenly jumped up, and with agreat oath pronounced his name.

  'Keep off, brother, keep off!' cried Dennis, dodging behind the chair.'Don't do me a mischief. I'm a prisoner like you. I haven't the free useof my limbs. I'm quite an old man. Don't hurt me!'

  He whined out the last three words in such piteous accents, that Hugh,who had dragged away the chair, and aimed a blow at him with it, checkedhimself, and bade him get up.

  'I'll get up certainly, brother,' cried Dennis, anxious to propitiatehim by any means in his power. 'I'll comply with any request of yours,I'm sure. There--I'm up now. What can I do for you? Only say the word,and I'll do it.'

  'What can you do for me!' cried Hugh, clutching him by the collar withboth hands, and shaking him as though he were bent on stopping hisbreath by that means. 'What have you done for me?'

  'The best. The best that could be done,' returned the hangman.

  Hugh made him no answer, but shaking him in his strong grip until histeeth chattered in his head, cast him down upon the floor, and flunghimself on the bench again.

  'If it wasn't for the comfort it is to me, to see you here,' hemuttered, 'I'd have crushed yo
ur head against it; I would.'

  It was some time before Dennis had breath enough to speak, but as soonas he could resume his propitiatory strain, he did so.

  'I did the best that could be done, brother,' he whined; 'I did indeed.I was forced with two bayonets and I don't know how many bullets on eachside of me, to point you out. If you hadn't been taken, you'd have beenshot; and what a sight that would have been--a fine young man like you!'

  'Will it be a better sight now?' asked Hugh, raising his head, with sucha fierce expression, that the other durst not answer him just then.

  'A deal better,' said Dennis meekly, after a pause. 'First, there's allthe chances of the law, and they're five hundred strong. We may get offscot-free. Unlikelier things than that have come to pass. Even if weshouldn't, and the chances fail, we can but be worked off once: and whenit's well done, it's so neat, so skilful, so captiwating, if that don'tseem too strong a word, that you'd hardly believe it could be broughtto sich perfection. Kill one's fellow-creeturs off, with muskets!--Pah!'and his nature so revolted at the bare idea, that he spat upon thedungeon pavement.

  His warming on this topic, which to one unacquainted with his pursuitsand tastes appeared like courage; together with his artful suppressionof his own secret hopes, and mention of himself as being in the samecondition with Hugh; did more to soothe that ruffian than the mostelaborate arguments could have done, or the most abject submission.He rested his arms upon his knees, and stooping forward, looked frombeneath his shaggy hair at Dennis, with something of a smile upon hisface.

  'The fact is, brother,' said the hangman, in a tone of greaterconfidence, 'that you got into bad company. The man that was with youwas looked after more than you, and it was him I wanted. As to me, whathave I got by it? Here we are, in one and the same plight.'

  'Lookee, rascal,' said Hugh, contracting his brows, 'I'm not altogethersuch a shallow blade but I know you expected to get something by it, oryou wouldn't have done it. But it's done, and you're here, and it willsoon be all over with you and me; and I'd as soon die as live, or liveas die. Why should I trouble myself to have revenge on you? To eat, anddrink, and go to sleep, as long as I stay here, is all I care for. Ifthere was but a little more sun to bask in, than can find its way intothis cursed place, I'd lie in it all day, and not trouble myself to sitor stand up once. That's all the care I have for myself. Why should Icare for YOU?'

  Finishing this speech with a growl like the yawn of a wild beast, hestretched himself upon the bench again, and closed his eyes once more.

  After looking at him in silence for some moments, Dennis, who wasgreatly relieved to find him in this mood, drew the chair towards hisrough couch and sat down near him--taking the precaution, however, tokeep out of the range of his brawny arm.

  'Well said, brother; nothing could be better said,' he ventured toobserve. 'We'll eat and drink of the best, and sleep our best, and makethe best of it every way. Anything can be got for money. Let's spend itmerrily.'

  'Ay,' said Hugh, coiling himself into a new position.--'Where is it?'

  'Why, they took mine from me at the lodge,' said Mr Dennis; 'but mine'sa peculiar case.'

  'Is it? They took mine too.'

  'Why then, I tell you what, brother,' Dennis began. 'You must look upyour friends--'

  'My friends!' cried Hugh, starting up and resting on his hands. 'Whereare my friends?'

  'Your relations then,' said Dennis.

  'Ha ha ha!' laughed Hugh, waving one arm above his head. 'He talks offriends to me--talks of relations to a man whose mother died the deathin store for her son, and left him, a hungry brat, without a face heknew in all the world! He talks of this to me!'

  'Brother,' cried the hangman, whose features underwent a sudden change,'you don't mean to say--'

  'I mean to say,' Hugh interposed, 'that they hung her up at Tyburn. Whatwas good enough for her, is good enough for me. Let them do the like byme as soon as they please--the sooner the better. Say no more to me. I'mgoing to sleep.'

  'But I want to speak to you; I want to hear more about that,' saidDennis, changing colour.

  'If you're a wise man,' growled Hugh, raising his head to look at himwith a frown, 'you'll hold your tongue. I tell you I'm going to sleep.'

  Dennis venturing to say something more in spite of this caution, thedesperate fellow struck at him with all his force, and missing him, laydown again with many muttered oaths and imprecations, and turned hisface towards the wall. After two or three ineffectual twitches at hisdress, which he was hardy enough to venture upon, notwithstanding hisdangerous humour, Mr Dennis, who burnt, for reasons of his own, topursue the conversation, had no alternative but to sit as patiently ashe could: waiting his further pleasure.