The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 111: what you’re looking at

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

ee ernest ee 8 ee eee eee 100 to EE o wee. Sees eee ae) ents epi a i ee me Ld THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. a "Christian hastened off again to the Duke of {emerged from the court, as if his conscience were Marchmont’s residenes; and when it was dusk, Christina went forth to redeem her eearing ap- parel from the pawnbroker’s. With very different feelings from those which ahe had experienced on the previous evening, was it that she now entered the place; and she returned with a light heart to the lodging, to prepare a comfortable meal against her brother’s re-appearance. And it was the broad of happiness which the twins ate that night— scarcely saddened by the idea of separation, bevause they felt it was for their mutual good. But when the morrow came and the hour for separation arrived, they wept and renewed again end again the farewell embrace ere thoy tore thomaclves asunder. Qua. OHAPTER XIX, THE BUREER. THR econe which we are about to describe, oc- curred on the aame evening as Christina's visit to the pawnbroker. It was betwoen nine and ten o’clock that a man of most ill-favoured appearance, emerged from ono of the low courts opening from the New Out, Lambeth; and bent his way in the direotion of the mase of densely populated ptroete and alleys which lie between the lower parts of the Watorloo and Wostminster Roads. Thig man was ubout forty years of age; and it would be impossible to conceive a human exterior so repul- sive, or 6o fearfully calculated to make the blood of a beholder curdle in the veins. There are some physiognomies which impress one with a capacity fur particular sorts of miachief; there are features, for instance, which indicate low cunning —others denote violent passions—and there are othors which reveal an instinotive thiret for blood. But all the most terrible attributes of the human mind were concentrated in the expression of that man's countenance. He had a emall eub nose, which appeared to have been stuck on to his face as if it were an afterthought of natube: his mouth was large, and was furnished with a set of sharp pointed shark-like teeth, which being naturally white, and remaining so in defiance of neglect, glittered horribly between his coarse thick lips. His eyes were of the dark colour and expression of a reptile’s; and the browa, by being traced irregu- larly-—-ur cleo being brought down by an habitual loworing regard —added to the ehuddering sensation produced ty a look from those horrible eyes. His hair—of a light brown, and already turning gray ~Wal dotuplutely matted: his whisker of darker colour, were equally ragged and un was dressed in a loose drab upper garment that appeared to be a coachman’s great-ooat with a portion of the skirts cut off. A dirty cotton hand- kerchiof was tied negligently about bie neck ; and his trousers, of a dingy gray, hung luoee as if he wore no braces. His hands were thrust into the pockete on the oeter side of the cant, and under ono arm he held a short stick, whieh however might be more aptly denominated a club. From | beneath the leathern frout uf his well-worn cap, his loka ware flung hesiily erownd whea be ¥ pt. He not altogether so clear as to placo his personal freedom beyond the possibility of inconvement molestation. Continuing his way, and passing rapidly through several atreete—evidently with a settled purpose in view—he at length relaxed his pace near a house in te midst of that maze of lanes, alleys, and courts tv which we have already alluded. It was a house that hada small dissenting chapel on one side, and a beer-shop on “the other; and it must bo observed that next to the chapel there was & narrow alley with a low arched entrance. The house to which we are particularly alluding, and whick stood between the chapel and the beer-shop, was a small one—for-it°was a poor street; but there was nothing in its exterior to detract from its air of humble respectability A small brass-plate on the front, door, judicated that it was occupied by a person natted Juhn Smedley, whose calling was that of gold-beater. This was farther illustrated by a gilt arm, we fist clutching a hammer, which appeared over the ground-floor window. That window had green blinds; and if a passer-by peeped over them, he would look into a little parlour that was furnished neatly enough. The two windows of the firet floor front had dark moreen curtains: for this floor was let to a ludger. Whon unoccupied, a neatly written card, conveying the intimation of “Lodgings to let,” would be seen in the lowér window: but the tioket was not there now, in- asmuch as the apartments referred to had a tenant. Mr. and Mrs. Smedley had the reputation in the neighbourhood of being respectable people enough,—although whispering rumour declared that the wife was somewhat attached to strong waters; but on the other hand, the husband was regular in his attendance at the dissenting chapel next door,—so that the minister regarded him as one of his “choicest and most savoury vessels.” He was a man of about eight-and-thirty—with a mean insignificant countenance, in the expression of which it was difficult to find an index of his real character or disposition. A very close ob- server, if experienced in reading the human hoart, would have had some misgivings relative to the sincerity of Mr. Smedley’s religious devotion, and might perhaps have caught the glitter of hypo- critical cunning underneath the gloss of saneti- moniousness which he habitually wore. His wife was ea tall and rather well-made woman, with large features, and a look that indivated decision of character. She had dark hair and eyes, and somewhat a gipsy cast of countenance, —which was enhanced by her olive complexian. She gene- rally wore ber hair floating over her shoulders ; and though there was a certain bold herdihvod in her looke, yet the neighbours were acquainted with nothing prejudicial to her reputation as 4 wife. She was three or four years younger than her husband, but kept him under the completest control, 4 The Smedleys had no children: but they had a companion and an assista#t in the person of Mra. Smedley’s mother. She was a woman of about sixty, with the same style of features as her daughter, though more an and promtnent with the effetté of age; and there was certainly eR ey eee ee in er Ee EE i ye NOG (C ews ee aa a cS aes se Gee PC Aa cP a aT TS ETAT EER yr Ca A a , en: ee SS naan