The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 274: what you’re looking at

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

gpewiae 8 OR ettee 6 we eee] Se THR MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. “No. As we have commenced the business by Cn eN® et Rereerey. pap «Or 263 “ No—TI havo not forgotten it,” responded Stan- ourselves.” answered Stanley, “wae will have the; ley: and dmawine forth his pocket-book from the satisfaction of carrying it out. Listen, Moregith! ; breast of his under-coat, ho displayed‘a roll of We have excellant reason to believe that the vil- ' bank-notes. Yain Barney is in that house—and what is more, | that he is in the room precisely above that where | we were seated: for I was attentive to the souuds | of Mother Bambridge’s footsteps when she went ! They now knorkod at the dyor of the abandtery. shop; and in a few minutes a head with a cottom night-cap on, was thrust from an uppor window. The owner of the load and the mizht-cap wae up with the wine. These are great points gained | about to give vent to bis indignation at being —and far more than we could have expected as} the result of the first night’s search. But the first night's search shall be the last—or I am very much mistaken. Isee that you do not understand | Let us turn into this street; it is the one |‘ in the man’s temper. me. behind the alley from which we have emerged.” knocked up by a couple of rakes, as he thought, out upon their nocturnal frolica: but a fow quickly uttered words from Captain Stanley’s lips, and the display of a bank-note, wade s prompt change He drew in his head—shut down the window—and in a couple of minutes “And your reason for letting us be robbed so ; appeared at bia shop-door,—having just huddled quietly F*’ inquired Lord Charles. on a sufficioncy of clothing for decency’s enket Ho “Those bullies were evidently brought in to | admitted tho two officers, and then inquired their pounce upun us suddenly when Mother Bam- bridge hoped to persuade us to go up-stairs to bed. If, an attack being made, we had resisted them, we #hould have shown ourselves to be sober ; and whethet conquerors or conquered, the sus- picion which our behaviour bad already excited, would have been @onfirmed. The wretches would have felt convineed that we had an ulterior ob- ject: perhaps they would have supposed that we business. Captain Stanley, closing the door of the shop, put the five-pound note into the man’s hand; and said to him, “Don’t be alarmed—ani) don’t ask any unnecessary quostions: but we want, in the first place, to peep through one of the back win- dows of your dwelling.” The chandler, who was an active, bustling, eceen- tric little man, atared in amazement at this re- were looking for Barney: but at all ovents for | quest; and recurring to his former opinion that security's sake they would quickly have got him off to some other lurking-hole. As it is, all eys- picion is completely set at rest: thoy fatter them- elves they had to do with a couple of gentlemen the whole proceeding was an impudent frolic, he examined the note, expecting to find that it issued from the Bank of Elegance inateud of the Bank of England. On discovering however that it was who wert really tipsy; and rest assured that {really genuine, he became perfectly civil once having watched us out of the alley, they are lulled into the completest security. our having suffered ourselves to be rubbed so guictly, as you express it.” “And what do you think Mother Bambridge went up-stairs fur to the villain’s room? or how can you tell that it was bis room at all?” aske the nobleman. “Of course I can but surmise,” responded Stouley; “and upon this surmise we must act. She doubtless went up to him to bid him be in readiness in case bis services should bo required to help in dealing with us.) When she went out the secund time to fetch in the bullies, it was really to the front parlour she proceeded: for I listened to the course that her footsteps took.” “Now, what is vour plan P” inquired Lord . Charles Meredith. Captain Stanley rapidly explained it; and his noble friend unhesitatingly agreed to succour bim in carrying it out. The little colloguy that we have described, brought them to the extremity of the nariuw sirect which they had entered, and wihich ran parallel to the alley. A very few minutes’ obser- | that he had to du with two lunatics vation shoged them that the house which was im- mediately behind Motber Bambridge’s establish. ment, was a small chapilery-shop; and Stanley observed to his noble friend, ‘Tins is all the) better for our purpose; because a money-making | tradesman of a mean and peddling description will forgive us for awakening bim if we slip a five- pound note into his hand.” * ] do verily beheve, my dear fellow,” answered | more; and thinking he had better humour his Such is the result of | two customers, whatever their object might be— if indeed they had any at all—he conducted them into his little parlour, which was bebind the shop. There was an outside shutter to the window; and the prismatic rays of the morning light —for it was the middle of the month of June pcnetrated through a heart-shaped hole in that shutter. By means of this hoic Stanley was enabled to take his survey of the rear of the cliandler’s dwelling. There wasa littlo yard separated by a low wall from a larger yard which belonged to Mother Bam- bridge’s establishment: at every one of the back windows ° that establishment the Dbliids wero drawn down; and thorefore it was‘ reusonable to suppose that tho inmates had retired to rest, well contented with their apmal im the shapo of handsome watches, massive chains, and well-filled | purses, ‘ Tlave you got a ladder?” inquired Stanloy of the chandler. ‘ The volatile little man made one bound of aston- ishment at this question so abruptly put; and then he looked disinayed as the idea flashed to bis mind just escaped from an asylum. The two supposed lunaties could not help smiling at these variations of expressivu on the chandler’s countenance; and Stanley, per- ceiving the necessity of giving some surt of expla- nation, addressed him as follows :-— “My good fellow, I need not tcil you thet the place which we sev opposite ie a denvf infamy. T and my companion have just been rubbed there; and we nwan to get in by some means or another, Lord Charles, “that you have forgetten the little to compel the wretches to disgorge their plunder. "circumstance of our purses being left beliind in! Now wil) you assist us—or will you not?” the adjacent alley.” “Ab, that I cheerfully will!” exclaimed tho re Eee eee ECONNIC I OOO©