Wall-Eyes' money!" The madwoman turned
back to the middle of the kitchen, leapt up at the gas-burner, and set
fire to the bank-notes. She scattered them flaming all round her on the
kitchen floor. "Away with you!" she shouted, shaking her fists at the
visionary multitude of cats. "Away with you, up the chimney! Away with
you, out of the window!" She sprang back to the window, with her crooked
fingers twisted in her hair! "The snakes!" she shrieked; "the snakes are
hissing again in my hair! the beetles are crawling over my face!"
She tore at her hair; she scraped her face with long black nails that
lacerated the flesh. Amelius turned away, unable to endure the sight of
her. Morcross took his place, eyed her steadily for a moment, and saw
the way to end it. "A quarter of gin!" he shouted. "Quick! before she
leaves the window!" In a minute he had the pewter measure in his hand,
and tapped at the window. "Gin, Mother Sowler! Break the window,
and have a drop of gin!" For a moment, the drunkard mastered her own
dreadful visions at the sight of the liquor. She broke a pane of
glass with her clenched fist. "The door!" cried Morcross, to the
panic-stricken women, barricaded behind the table. "The door!" he
reiterated, as he handed the gin in through the bars. The elder woman
was too terrified to understand him; her bolder daughter crawled
under the table, rushed across the kitchen, and drew the bolts. As the
madwoman turned to attack her, the room was filled with men, headed by
the sergeant. Three of them were barely enough to control the frantic
wretch, and bind her hand and foot. When Amelius entered the kitchen,
after she had been conveyed to the hospital, a five-pound note on
the press (secured by one of the police), and a few frail black ashes
scattered thinly on the kitchen floor, were the only relics left of the
ill-gotten money.

After-inquiry, patiently pursued in more than one direction, failed to
throw any light on the mystery of Jervy's death. Morcross's report to
Amelius, towards the close of the investigation, was little more than
ingenious guess-work.

"It seems pretty clear, sir, in the first place, that Mother Sowler must
have overtaken Wall-Eyes, after he had left the letter at Mrs. Farnaby's
lodgings. In the second place, we are justified (as I shall show
you directly) in assuming that she told him of the money in Jervy's
possession, and that the two succeeded in discovering Jervy--no doubt
through Wall-E