The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 184: what you’re looking at

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

sasisted by Mary, conveyed it down-stairs—old Mr. Fossilton following. The indtant they were gone, Bealby closed the door: and hastening to pull a- side a portion of the green baize, ho whisperingly asked, “ Are you all right? have you got enough air p”? * Blow me,” growled the Burker, “if I could have foreseen there wus a-going to be auch A pre- cious shindy as all this——” “Well, never mind — everything will be all right!” answered Bealby. “We will soon get you down into the other cart: I shall drive off with you—in half-an-hour the open fields will be gained beyond Holloway-and theh you will be free as air.” “ Make haste then,” said the Burker from the depth of the coffin-like box; “ for I’m so preciously squeeged and scrouged up here, I don’t think as Low I shall ever got the use of my limbs again.” Bealby sped to the window; and logking out, saw that the trunk containing the mummy, was just being consigned to the oart driven by the poteto| 4p person, as the landlddy most elegantly called him. Old Mr. Fossilton was helped up by Ben Limber into the vehidle: and seating himself upon the trunk, he took a huge pinch of shuff in complacent and satisfactory anticipation of the pleasure he was shortly to enjoy in unrollfpg the bandages which for three thousand yearé, as he thought, bad enve- loped his precious acquisition | The potato person whipped the borse—the ani- mal started off—but unfortunately at that very instant the rod or bar whieh kept the body of the cart tight dowh upon the shafte, accidentally camo out. Up tilted the cart; and lo and behold! trunk, archeologist, and potato persom were all pitched backward into the street. The cord fastening the trunk, either snapped or became untidd; and out rolled the mummy. Mr. Bealby beheld the acci- dent from his window, and gave vent to an ejacula- tion of mingled rage and disappointment. A crgwd instantaneously collected; and as Mr. Foassilton ratedd bimself up with difficulty from the stones on which he had been sv sudely flung, he thrust his elbow inte the mummy’s mouth, and sent the hideous locking apology for a face crashing In. “ My eyes, hore’s a go!” shouted a man from the Market, with half a dozen ropes of onions pendant to a stout stick over his shoulder, and a short ylay pipe in his mouth. Hooray!” vociferated another individual from the same preciuots, and whw bare a basket of oab- bages upon his head. But those who were nearest to the scene of the accident, looked on with mingled dismay and horror: for the first glimpse they had caught of the hideous shape, as it rolled out of the trunk, naturally in- epired theee feelings. “My mummy—©O my poor mumsasy \” moaned ’ Mr. Fossilton, who was reduced to despair. “What's the okb goselman a sayizig Q” asked « ragged boy of ea di d eostermonger. “Vy, don’t you hear ?” was the response: “he’s 6 éalling out for bid neammy.” “My eyes!” orivd mnctlier: “ he’s thyther an old boy to be dfeard that his mother should know he’s dud :'—~-and thie jest wae received with uproari- otis Idughten, “Ive his mummy, you fool,” sid a somewhat 8 te THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. 171 Renee yen superior species of the Market population; for the speaker had on some great holiday visited a mu- seum of curiosities. “That's a mummy — niost likely a King of Egypt, which died three or four thousand years ago and was preserved in bandages Just as you preserve inguus in vinegar.” “ A mummy indeed |” said a man, with aleathern apron on, who having emerged from the neurest public-house, had worked his way throuzh thw crowd with the well-meant purpose of renderiug hie easistance. “ A rum looking mummy this hero . It’s uncommon like leather.” Thus speaking, the aproned individual took up a piece of the emashed countenance; and first break- ing it into minuter fragments, he put a morsel be- tween hie teeth. “Ob, the cannibal! Blowed if he ain’t eating the mummy!” ejaculated several voices; and tho foremost of the crowd gazed with a kind of awo.felt curiosity upon the mummy; and with mingled surptise and disgust upon the mun in tho leathern ron. “Mummy indeed!” exclaimed this individual scornfully. “1 ’spose you'll tell mo next that I don’t know what leather is. I haven’t been a cobbler for these twenty-three years without knuw- ing summut about the article I works with.” “Loather!” cried the indignant Mr. Foasilton, forgetting his socident—forgettiug the crowd —for- getting the public place in which tho scene was occurring—forgetting indeed everything except tho sense of insult he was now smarting under at the idea of tho gross manner in which the reputation of his mummy was assailed. “Leather? I tell you that this isa mummy—the corpse of some distin- guished person of an ancient age—three thousand years old if it’s a single day !—and that I'll swear by the wrappings! I am ashamed of you, my man. If it were an old shoe on which you were called to pass an opinson, it would be all very well.” “Three thousand year old—stuff and nonsense !” ejaculated the cobbler disdainfully. “I tell you its leather—burnt, scorched, or somothing —— And, by jingo! if 1 don’t think it’ssome that [ suld a genelman which lives up there in the seeond storey of that there house, and which is knowed to be uncommon clever at getting up those here sort of things.", At this crisie Mr. Limber, who had hitherto re- mained upon the spot to listen to what was taking place, was eeized with a panic; and he sped away as fxst as his legs wouki carry him. The unfor- tunate arches logist Mr. Foasilton bogan to luok terribly crestfallen. He stooped down—tvok an- other green view of the muromy through bis glasses —then pulled off the glasses themselves—and exa- mined it moro closely with hie naked eyes. He could no longer cunceal from himself that ho had been grossly deceived. If the accidont had not ocourred to the mummy, breaking 4 portion of it, and thus showing of what it was composed, tho probability is the cheat never would bave been dis- covered, and Mr. Fosulten would have gone down to his grave in the happy conviction that he died in possession of a human relio thirty centuries of age. But now unfortunately the delusion was dis- sipated—the vision was dispelled—and this learned archssologist found that he had given twenty pounds for the mere purpose of being egregiously laughed COLUM LOAO© SS (CO)