The Mysteries of London, Vol. IV — page 162: what you’re looking at

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

THE BYSTERILCS OF LONDON. Pee -—— “ Lor, sir~—I ain't been a minit !” “ Nota minute!” servants—when they were n’t footmen who could knock him down for his impudence: "1 tell you, you’ve been more than a quarter of an hour.” “ Well, sir—and if so be I have,” said the girl, sud- denly recollecting something which had occurred to hinder her on her errand, “it was because as I went out of the street-door a man come up and asked me ifso be as Mr. Smith lived here. ‘No,’ saysI: ‘he don’t.” —* Well, then,’ says the man, ‘Jf. Brown does.’—* No, he don’t, though,’ I says, says I; ‘nor yet Mr. Jones, nor Mr. Noakes neether’—* Well, who does live here, then?’ says the man; and as I thought it would teach him not to be so precious knowing another time, J out and told him slap as how two gentlemen lived here as was named Blunderbuss— leastways, O’Blunderbuss, and Curtis.” “The devil you did!” ejaculated the two lodgers as it were in the same breath, and exchanging signifi- cant glances which expressed the same apprehension. “To be sure I did, sir,” responded the girl, not perceiving the alarm which she had created in the minds of the gentlemen, but rather attributing their excited ejaculations to an approval of her conduct:” *for 1 thinks to myself, thinks J, ‘ Wow, any jine eller, you ll believe that there’s no Smiths or Browns here; and you won’t be quite so positive another time.” “ Weli—and what did the man say?” demanded Frank Curtis, darting another uneasy glance at his friend. “ He only eaid ‘ OL ” and went away,” returnea the girl; “and that’s what kept me a little in going——” “ What sort of a looking fellow was he?” asked Curtis. “ He warn’t a gentleman, sir—and he smelt horrible of drink,” said the domestic. “But what should you take him for?” demanded Trank, impatiently.° “A thief, sir,’ was the ingenuous response. “Ge Jasus! and thin it’s a shiriff’s ——” ejacu- Jated Captain O’Blunderbuss, starting in his chair: but, instantly stopping short ere he completed the sentence, he added in a few moments and in a less excited tone, “ You may go down stairs, my dear; and if any one comes and asks for Misther Frank Cur-r-tis or Captain O'Biuntherbuss, ye must deny us, mind—or I'll be afther skinning ye alive!” “Lor, sir!” cried the girl; and, horrified by the dreadful threat, she hastened from the room as if the individual who had uttered the menace were preparing to carry it into execution. For some few minutes after she had taken her de- parture, Captain O’Blunderbuss and Mr. Curtis sate eyeing cach other in silence,—the same idea evidently occupying both—and both fearful to express it; as if to give utterance to the thought were positively to meet the dreaded misfortune half-way. « Well,” exclaimed Curtis, at length, “and what do you think of that?” “ Be Jasus! and it’s what do vow think of it?” cried the captain. “Tor my part I think it’s Rumrigg and Kaysay the lawyers, who’ve found out where we are, aud mean totake us on that cursed cognovit we gave them last Christmas for the discounter’s affair,” said Mr. Curtis, who, having now fully expressed his fears, no longer hesitated to look particularly blank upon the matter. “Long, sir!” echoed the girl, as if in surprise. 155 “Faith! and that same’s my opinion also,” ex- claimed the gallant officer: then, grasping the poker cried Frank, who always bullied 4 very tight in his hand, he said, “ But if the thunther- ing villains of shiriff’s-officers crape into this house, it’s myself that'll sind ’em out again witha flay in their ear, Sodo n’t make yourself unhappy atall at all, my frind; but let’s dhrink bad lucie to the bastes of the airth !” “With all my heart,” cried Frank, brewing for hiin- self a strong glass of toddy. “The only thing is——” “Ts what?” demanded the captain, suddenly desist- ing from his occupation of mixing a tumbler of grog for himself, and fixing his eyes steenly upon his friend, “ ‘The breeches,” was the laconic answer. “Ah! now—and can’t ye be asy about those same unmintionables?” cried the gallant officer. “I sus- picted it was afther them ye was harping again and again. It’ become a sore subject in time, Frank. So dhrink—and bad luck to the inexprissibles.” And@ the two gentlemen did drink, until the bottle was empty, when they retired to rest—the captain having préviously informed the servant-girl that he should leave his trousers outside his chamber door, and that she must take them round to the tailor the very first thing in the morning, with instructions for him to mend and return them as specdily as possible. ——r ay CHAPTER CALYIL THE CAPTAIN’S LUDICROUS ADVENTUNE. Ma. Curtis arose at a very early hour—at least for him,—it being only eight o’clock when he sallied forth with the intention of seeking Mr. Bubbleton Styles, on whose purse he contemplated as deep an inroad as that gentleman’s circumstances would permit. But before he quitted the house, he partook of breakfast, and lil:ewise carried in some tea and toast to his friend the captain, who was compelled, “under painful circumstances,” as Frank observed, to keep his bed for anhourortwo. The gallant officer charged his companion and ally to return without delay—the prudence of shifting their quarters as soon as con- venient, being strongly suggested by the enquiries instituted regarding them on the preceding evening. Having disposed of his breakfast, Captain O’Blun- derbuss turned himself round in his bed and took a nap—in which luxurious state of light and dreamy repose he remained for upwards of an hour, when he was suddenly awakened by a low, sneaking, suspicious kind of double knock at the street-door. He started up in bed; and, as he hastily collected his scattered ideas, the affair of Rumrigg and Kaysay flashed to his mind. Leaping from his couch as a ¢hesnut bounces from a shovel on the fire, Captain O’Blunderbuss pulled on his stockings, thrust his feet into his slippers, and stole out upon the landing, where he held his breath and listened attentively. At that very instant the servant-girl, who invariably sept people waiting at the door as long as possible, auswered the summons; and the captain overheard the following colloquy. Is the genelmen at home, my dear?” asked a rougl:, harsh, grating voice. “Oh! you're the one that stopped and spoke to mo last evening,” responded the girl. mee (C(O) (C DOO <S LL (SO)