g;
you're a queer fellow; you're capital company, Dennis, and quite a
character!"

He sat in this way for some minutes, while the four men in the cells,
certain that somebody had entered the gallery but unable to see who,
gave vent to such piteous entreaties as wretches in their miserable
condition may be supposed to have been inspired with; urging whoever it
was to set them at liberty, for the love of Heaven; and protesting with
great fervor, and truly enough perhaps for the time, that if they
escaped they would amend their ways, and would never, never, never again
do wrong before God or man, but would lead penitent and sober lives,
and sorrowfully repent the crimes they had committed. The terrible
energy with which they spoke would have moved any person, no matter how
good or just (if any good or just person could have strayed into that
sad place that night), to set them at liberty, and while he would have
left any other punishment to its free course, to save them from this
last dreadful and repulsive penalty; which never turned a man inclined
to evil, and has hardened thousands who were half inclined to good.

Mr. Dennis, who had been bred and nurtured in the good old school, and
had administered the good old laws on the good old plan, always once and
sometimes twice every six weeks, for a long time bore these appeals with
a deal of philosophy. Being at last, however, rather disturbed in his
pleasant reflection by their repetition, he rapped at one of the doors
with his stick, and cried,--

"Hold your noise there, will you?"...

Mr. Dennis resumed in a sort of coaxing tone:--

"Now look'ee here, you four. I'm come here to take care of you, and see
that you ain't burnt, instead of the other thing. It's no use you making
any noise, for you won't be found out by them as has broken in, and
you'll only be hoarse when you come to the speeches,--which is a pity.
What I say in respect to the speeches always is, 'Give it mouth.' That's
my maxim. Give it mouth. I've heerd," said the hangman, pulling off his
hat to take his handkerchief from the crown and wipe his face, and then
putting it on again a little more on one side than before, "I've heerd a
eloquence on them boards,--you know what boards I mean,--and have heerd
a degree of mouth given to them speeches, that they was as clear as a
bell, and as good as a play. There's a pattern! And always, when a thing
of this natur's to come off, what I stand up for is a proper f