The Mysteries of London, Vol. IV — page 164: what you’re looking at

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

eo OE TUT I ee ee, MYSTENIES OF LONDON, 157 S'poso we fix the lock on agin in such away thatja second thought convinced him that it was not his if won’t be knowed as how we over busted the door open at all?” “ Well—do what vou Jike; but make haste about It, cause missus is sure to come home in a minit or two—leastways if she’s raly outs; for I didn’t see her go. But 1 s’pose she is—or else she’d have been down afore this to know what all the row’s about.” “Well see to it, my dear,” observed the hoarse- speaking bailiff. “But I say, Tom—here’s the captain’s cap, and coat, and veskitt. Bless’d if I believe he’s gone out arterall! Let’s search t’ other rooms: this gal is a-playing tricks with us.” “Come into Mr. Curtis’s chamber and see,” exclaimed the juvenile servant; and the captain heard the party pursuing their domiciliary visit in the quarter alluded to. “Well, now?” said the girl, with a derisive laugh: “ishethere? Oh! ah! you may look under the bed! Why don’t you search the drawers—or get up the chimley and look out on the tiles?” “Don't be sarsy, my dear,” growled the bailiff. “Come—here’s a slillin’ for you. Now tell us the truth—ain’t the captain somewhere in the honse?” “Yes—I’m sure he be,” returned the girl; “’cause his breeches i3 gone to be mended, and his coat and weseutt and cap is in his own room—and I know he ain’t got two suits of clothes. Besides,” she added, sinking her voice to 2 tone of mystcrions contidence— though not so low as to be inaudible to the gallant ofiveeron the stairs above, bis bluchers is down stairs ta be blacked—and I‘N swear he ain“t got two pair of them.” “Then he is in the house,” said the bai, “ Now, Tom, I telVee what we must do. You stay here, and me and the gal will just toddle down stairs and look in the kitchen, and scullery, and sich-like places.” “Oh! but you must put the lock right first,” ex- claimed the girl; “ forif missus Lor! lero she is!” added the affrighted servant, in a hurried whisper. The fact was that the captain, by some awkward and unintentional movement, at that very instant rustled the silk gown Joud enough forthe sound to catch the cars of the girl and the bailiffs; and he was about to curse his folly, when, finding that all had suddenly become still on the Moor below, it instantly atruck him that the juvenile servant had imposed silence on tlic officers for fear her mistress should stop tu enquire the cause of their presenee and thereby notice the daniaged lock, Ile was perfectly correct in his conjecture; and, pereciving that the sudden stillness remained unbroken, he boldly descended the stairs—imitating as well as he could the measured walk of the sanctimonions Iandlady, and treading with feminine lightness in his slippers. On reaching the Janding—the dreaded Janding whence opened the room where the officers were con- ceated with the servant girl—Captain O'Blunderbuss felt a violent inclination to make a precipitate rush down the remainder of the stairs to the bottom: jut, fearing that such a proceeding would only lead to his capture, a8 it was certain to excite an instantancous suspicion of the truth and a vigorous pursuit in conse- quence, he pursued his way with measured tread, inking good care to rustle the silk dress as much as possible. ‘The landing of the first floor was gained in safety: he was descending the last flight—and his escape appeared certainy—when a loud double knock at the front-door echoed through the dwelling. A I IL SC FU i re landlady’s knock—and he sped boldly on. Drawing his veil as closely as possible over his countenance, and tucking the parasol under his arm for the moment, he opened the front-door. The visitor was the Rev. Mr. Emanuel Flummery. “ Ah! my dear madam,” said that pious man, stepping into the passage with all the unccremonious ease of a familiar friend, and not at the instant noticing the extraordinary height of the person whom he thus addressed ; “T looked in just to ask you how you were —and—and,” he added, sinking his voice to a low Whisper, “for the purpose of tasting in your arms a renewal of those favours which you yesterday—” But to dhe ineffable wonderment of the reverend gentleman, the fictitious Mrs. Rudd dealt him such a sudden and violent blow with a heavy clenched fist, just between his two cyes, that he was floored on the spot ; and thie captain seizing the front-door key, darted ont of the house. Banging the door behind him, the gallant officer locked it, and marched away with a baste and a man- liness of step which, had any ono been passing at the time, would have betrayed his real sex in a moment. Suddenly, however, it struck hin that he was play- Ing a female character; and, instantly relaxing his speed, he assumed a gait so mincing, affected, and fantastic, that his appearance was most comical and ludicrous, ic put up the parasol, and held it so as to screen his countenance, over which ho likewise kept tho blue gauze veil in many folds; and, in this manner, the gallant gentioman pursued his way half round the HOquare—not daring to take precipitatcely to his heels, vet fearful every instant of hearing a hue and cry raised behind his. * Laukea-daisy me!” cried a female voice, suddenly breaking upon the captain’s ears, and speaking close by. “Be Jasus! mim—and is it yourself?” ejaculated the gallant gentleman, stopping short: “because it’s me that's afther being Misthress Rudd just at tho prisint spaking “You Mra. Rudd!” exclaimed the infuriated land- lady.“ Here—murder—thieves——” “Hould, mim?” said the captain, in atone so fero- ciows that it silenced the womanin an instants “if ye’re afther raising an alarm, mim, I ‘Il bethray ve to all the wor-r-ld for having bestowed your favours yes- terday on that spalpeen of a methodist parson—that will J, Misthress Rudd, and bad Inck to ye!” The Jandlady was thunderstruck—astounded. “So now, mim, just walk on quietly to your own house, of which ] hereby prisint ye with the hay,” continued the captain; “and mind ye don’t look once beliind ye until yo reach your own door—and J "Il sind your toggery back again this evening—and you ‘Il be sure to give mine to the missinger that brings yours, paying likewise for my throusers, mim. And bewar-r-r, mim,” added the gallant gentleman, with a terrific rattling of the re, “how ye bethray ine in any way— if ye valley the sacret. of your indacent proccedings with the methodist parson.” Thus speahing, the captain handed the bewildered Mra, Rudd the key of her house, and hurried on. ~ from the moment thet he had ouitted che dweilne until the termination of this scene, scarecly three minutes had elapsed: but tho captain was well aware that the baili@s would not be muck longer before they discovered his flight, as the Rev, Mr. I-nmmery, For an instant the gallant officer was staggered: but |whom he had so unceremoniously knecked down in (C(O) (C DOO <S LL (SO)