The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 264: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

258 “A-1-1!” Warner replied, in disgust. “ How much did you expect they’d send at once, eh? Perhaps you'd like a cart-load ?” ; “Tt ish not much,” old Moss replied, stroking his chin, and trying to appear very much disappointed, “Tt ain’t vort much, my fren.” Oh, isn’t it though.” ‘No, not mush, I say ; dem diamonds are paste, dat plate is not goot, it ish only vashed mit shilver,”’ “The devil it is!” said Warner. “ Do you think I can’t tell what is good metal as well as you? No matter, if you don’t want to buy it why there’s no harm done; I'll go to old Isaacs, your neighbour, he’ll buy it, I know.” “ Shtop ! shtop !” said old Moss, ‘‘ don’t pe insuch a hurry; I did not shay I vill not puy.” e‘*Then be quick about it,” said Warners “ let’s have no higgling over such things as these.” ‘How mush you vant for dem ?” “How much will you give?” » ‘Dat is not what I ask.” ) ‘‘ What are they worth, then?” ‘Ah! dat ish ferry differant,” said the old Jew ; ‘to me dey ain’t vort notting.’” “‘ Ain’t they, though?” said Warner, with a mali- cious grin, ‘ How very cleyer you are, Moss,” ‘Vell, not vort mush, Il mean. How mush you vant for dem?” ‘“‘ Well, your friends at Bromley told me to receive nothing less than £300.” “Vhat!? exclaimed the Jew, in h@rror, “tree huntred pounce? Vhat youmean? Are you mat? You must pe shoking; I vill go, they ain’t vort it.” *‘ £300 is the price,” said Warner. ‘Ha! ha! ha! my goot frendt, you mak yon pig mishtake ; I go hom.” “Good night,” said Warner, ‘Goot night,” said old Moss, going to the door. He had his hand upon the door handle, when he suddenly turned round, and said, “T’ll tell you vat I vill do.” ‘‘ Well, name it.” ““T gif you £200 for de lot.” ‘Not a penny less than £300.” ‘“‘Vhy, my tear frendt, £300 is von fortune |” ‘‘T can’t help that. Will you give it or not ?” “No; I haf not as mush.” “Then the affair is settled. Ill call on old Isaacs and sell the lot to him.” The old Jew’s eyes glistened with anger when he heard Isaac’s name mentioned, for they were deadly rivals in business, and kept opposition “fences ”’ in the Lane. ‘“‘ Vell, vell, den, ve vill shay no more ; you shall haf tree huntred, put I haf not got it vit me,” ‘‘T can stay here until you return.” ‘‘ Well, I shuphose I can take de goots vit me?” said old Moss, with a twinkling eye. “No, not one,” said Warner, grinning ; “I’m not so soft as that.” ‘‘T meant no wrong, my frendt.” “JT dare say not; all right, Moss; go and get the chink, and all the lot is yours,”’ Moss went down the stairs, and the cab was still standing at the door. He got into it, and was rapidly driven down to the Lane, He was in a yery great hurry, and bustled into his shop puffing and blowing. He told his wife the full particulars of what had occurred, and she in turn was jubilant, ‘*Put you tink, yife, de prish, de prish, Tree huntred pounce—it ish von fortune.” For a few moments the husband and wife were SSS SS (c@) THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI’'S YOUNG CAPTAIN. engaged in a deep conversation carried on in whispers. ‘Yah, yah, if ve couldt do dat, vife, it vould pe’ fine—perry fine ; put who vould do it for me ?” ‘That rough fellow who, as I told you, called to-night.” ‘‘Vhat Parney?”’ ‘Yes; he is a fighting man,” replied the wife, | ‘‘and exactly the kind of person who would do it.” “Tf I couldt ony findt him,’’ sighed old Moss, He had not to sigh long, for Barney had been watching for the Jew’s return home, and entered the shop. The tinkling bell gave old Moss warning of somebody’s entrance, and Pug was astonished to find how glad the old Isgaelite was at the meeting. He did not explain his business to Barney then, but asked him if he would meet him outside the Great Eastern Coffee House, Whitechapel Road, in half-an-hour, : Barney said he would be only too happy, for upon meeting the Jew there depended the arrears then due to him for the stolen articles. oe ere ee After much trouble old Moss and his wife ma- naged to rake and scrape together £300 in gold and notes. He placed the money in a@ leather bag, and: car- ried it under his coat. The cab was still in waiting, and he was soon driven back again to where Warner was in waiting. As Moss got out of the cab, he was much sur- prised to find that Barney was already waiting outside the Great Eastern Coffee House. . He slipped a erown into the Pug’s hand as he passed in at the door, saying, “‘ Stay here for half- an-hour ;” and thinking— ~ ; ‘‘ He will go and get something to drink, and by the time I want him, he will be right and ripe for anything.” Barney did not belie the old Jew’s supposition. The first thing he did was to have some rum and hot water, and the taste so much agreed with him, that he frequently called for more, and in less than fifteen minutes his round pox-marked face was all aglow, and his eyes unnaturally bright, At the appointed time old Moss re-appeared at the door, and two waiters were lugging out the trunk towards the cab. It was placed inside the vehicle, and off the cab went to old Moss’s “fence,”’ Barney and all. . The cab had searcely stopped, and that very sud- denly, before old Moss’s shop,- when three long- nosed Jewish-looking fellows appeared, and the trunk disappeared into the shop in the twinkling of an eye. All this seemed a mystery to Barney ; but still he kept his seat inside the cab, and he and old Moss returned to the coffee-house, conversing to- gether all the way in a very animated manner. 2 hei do you shay, frendt Parney, vill you do “Yes,” said Barney, ‘I will, if you stand my aati in case of any difficulty,’ Be, . : : : pees kee ae shoul I vill, Parney ; dere ish mine : Agreed,” said the Pug, I tell you what you do, Parney,” said the cun- ning Jew, “if you get in and get de pag of money, you gif it to me on de sly, and I vill make it all right vith you, my tear poy.’ ‘Very well, we shall see,” the Pug replied, “but ae up leave the door on ajar,” vill not forget, trust me,” said ° ing the coffee-house once more, aes? basil Old Moss went up to the room in which Warner oO EComichboo S i ial