'Come,' said the young guide--'you have only seen the wretched portion of the Dark Vaults. You are sick of such miseries, and well you may be--but we will now pay a visit to a quarter where there are no sickening sights. We will go to the _Infernal Regions_!' Saying this, he led the way thro' a long, narrow passage, which was partially illumined by a bright light at the further end. As they advanced loud bursts of laughter greeted their ears; and finally they emerged into a large cavern, brilliantly illuminated by a multitude of candles, and furnished with a huge round table. Seated around this were about twenty men, whose appearance denoted them to be the most desperate and villainous characters which can infest a city. Not any of them were positively ragged or dirty; on the contrary, some of them were dressed richly and expensively; but there was no mistaking their true characters, for villain was written in their faces as plainly as though the word was branded on their faces with a hot iron. Seated upon a stool in the centre of the table was a man of frightful appearance: his long, tangled hair hung over two eyes that gleamed with savage ferocity; his face was the most awful that can be imagined--long, lean, cadaverous and livid, it resembled that of a corpse. No stranger could view it without a shudder; it caused the spectator to recoil with horror. His form was tall and bony, and he was gifted with prodigious strength. This man, on account of his corpse-like appearance was known as 'the Dead Man.' He never went by any other title; and his real name was unknown. The stupendous villainy and depravity of this man's character will appear hereafter. Upon the occasion of his first introduction in this narrative, he was acting as president of the carousals; he was the first one to notice the entrance of the boy and the stranger; and addressing the former, he said-- 'How now, _Kinchen_--who have you brought with you? Is the cove _cross_ or _square_--and what does he want in our _ken_?' 'He is a _cross cove_,' answered the boy--'he is just from _quay_; and wishes to make the acquaintance of the knights of the Round Table.' 'That being the case,' rejoined the Dead Man, 'he is welcome, provided he has the blunt to pay for the _lush_ all round.' The stranger, understanding the import of these words, threw upon the table a handful of money; this generosity instantly raised him high in the estimation of all present. He was provided with a seat at the table, and a bumper of brandy was handed him, which he merely tasted, without drinking. The boy seated himself at the side of the stranger, and the Dead Man, addressing a person by the name of the 'Doctor,' requested him to resume the narration of his story, in which he had been interrupted by the two newcomers. The 'Doctor,' a large, dark man, very showily dressed, complied, and spoke as follows:--