The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 269: what you’re looking at

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258 + a ie and smoking their cigars, boldly faced the in- clement night. The leutenant-colunel was not uulike his brother Ovtavian,—bcinggof the middle height and of slender figure: he likewiso wore a moustache —but his hair was somewhat darker. He had a military look, and was altogether a per- sonage of preporsessing appearance. Such was the companion whom Captain Stanley had found for his present excursion. Having crossed Westminster Brilgc and passed some litile way down the Waterloo Road, they plunged into tho mage of close strects, alleys, and courts which lie in ¢hat neighbourhood. Pre- sontly they encountered a police-constadle; and him they accosted. Captain Stanley acquainted the officer in a few words with the business whick they bad in hand; and desired his succour. The razuest was backed by a piece of gold; and an affirmative answor was at once returned. “Follow me, fentlemen,” said the constable ; “and [ will soon show you a little of low life in London.” He led them along two or three narrow and ob- scuro streets: then be turned into a court, which was but feebly lighted by the rays struggling through the dingy window-panes of the sumbre- lovking houses. Two or three of the front-doors atuod open; and women icosely apparelled, and with looke of brazen immodeety, stood upon the thresholds, They dung forth filthy gibes and ob- scene jeate at the by; and when the police- man roughly bade them hold their tongues, they vomited forth torrents of abuse,—closing their doors at length, but only te open their windows, and continue their hideous oxtpouring. Tho con- stable led the two officers to the extremity of the court, and knocked sharply at a door which was shut. It was speedily opened by a wretched- looking old man; and without the slightest cere- mony, the polico-oflicor entered, follewed by Lord |. Oharios Meredith and Captain Stanley. Pushing open a side-dour, and abruptly drawiag forth his bull’s-eye, or lantern, the constable threw the light into the room: bat there was no ono there, An inner door however immediately opened; and it vomited forth so loathsome a flood of human nature, that the two officers gased with mimgled horror and dismay on those hidoous specimens the: lowest of both sexes. T'ho room inte which they thus poured them- selves, was almost entirely donuded of fusnétare : but that from which they had emerged, had the floor almost completely covored with filthy mat- tresses; and both bad their walls and coilings as grimy and blackened as if the whitewasher’s brush had never touched thom. Old men and boys— elderly women and young girls, turmed this motley group, u wlance ovor which sent a sickening sensa- tion to the heart. Rags and filth--the stamp of poverty and the impress of crime—rustortune and vico—ugliness and deformity in all their.most re- volting shapes—togother with the brasen haril- hood of female depravity, were the jumbled charac- teristics of this luathsome scane. “Now, gentlemen,” said the polwe-constable, “is the person you want amongst these P” “No: he is a boy of about curteen, with a THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. eee eh d= See tn WERE ES. ents ianey) Significant looks were rapidly exchanged amidst the motley crew, —these looks being as much ag to imply that the in livitual so described was not any where upon the premises, nor was he indee.! known to them,—which was not astonishing, inasnuch as the pretended object of the soarch was of Captain Stanley’s own imazinative creation. But the visitors observed that a young woman, on hearin? that destription, disappeared from among the group; and retarniny into the inner rvom, she issued forth by a deor opening into the passace. She hastened up-stairs; and a door was specdily heard to open and shut on the first landing. “Well, gentlemen,” said tho police cunstable, “if the boy is not here, we must louk intu the rooms up-staire.” *'You won't find him,” said the old man who had opened the front door, and who had lingered in the passage: he wae the landlord of this Juath- some lodging-house. “We sha’n’t take your word for it, Mr. Dyson,” said the constable, purposely assuming a decided air. “I know you of old; and there is not a better keeper of a padding-ken in all London than you are for stalling off us policemen.” The old man grumbled something ; and the con- atable led the way up the staircaso. Tho other floors wore visited; and they abounded in similar specimens of lost, degraded, and demoralized hu- manity as these which were secn below. That emall house, which according to its size would have only just sufficed for the residence of a decent family of half-a-duzen in number, contained a swarm of at least fifty persons, huddling and herd- ing together like so many ewine—breathing an atmosphere which seemed fraught with pestilence —and rendering the entire place a hotbed for all the elements of plague, cholera, and the fearfullest epidemics. The police-constablo and the two officors issucd forth from tho house, and were specdily outside the court. “Did you observe, gentlemen,” asked the con- stable, “that girl who suddenly disappeared from the ground-floor rooms and hurried up-stairs ——” “You. What was her object ?” “It was to tell those above that it was all right —-that they might make theraselveg easy, for it was none of them who wero wanted. Suppose for argumont’s sake that you had given a true descrip tion—inadvertently letting it slip out of your mouth,—-and suppose that the person who was’ really wanted had been all the time up-staire,—the warning would have been quickly given, and an escape effected by a back window, or perbaps a trap-door on the top of the house. Atl! gontle- nen, you don’t know what dodges the keepers of these padding-kea are up to for the purpose of helpimg those whe lodge with them.” The police-cfficer now cunducted Lidtd Charles Meretlith and Captain Stanley to another house in the same neighbourhood, and where suppers were going on in every room. It was the resort of beggars and tramps, and was seldom frequented by thieves, —the mendicants who pitronized it, ens deavourtng to keep it as ‘‘select”’ as poasible! For there are aristocracies, grades, ahd distinctions sickly appearance, and very sharp features,’ an-, even amongst the luwest strata of society, and swered Captain Stanley, who thus .had his tale | amidst, the whole ramze of demuralization's sphere, . ready. — Ate wencareraniarmmeepeny naspeiinaiemnbapenactnangbanines phinaie wie a. +: ah fad wt = RO ws we ln every room throughout this lodging-house, the re ree a a nnn nnnn aan cpm cam tite ey NOG SS