The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 93: what you’re looking at

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en ae ee — eee a ee tn es, SP ee, enn NE GS A TO an 83 Jew and Jewess with reproaches for their brutal gomluct towards his sister. THE MYSTERIES OF THE VOURT. which disease had worked upon her eourtenance— there were nevertheless sufficient traces of past “Tt is useless, my dear Christian,” she said, | beauty to indicate that she* must have at one time retaining him forcibly by the arm as they pro- | possessed no ordinary degree of loveliness seeded along the crowded street: “ you would only get you ; you to tranquillize your feelings! Alas, I begin to comprehend that the power of money is immepge and irresistible in this country. It constitutes colossal strength—while poverty is in itself abject weakness, Christian,” said the young girl, efter a pause, “is there nothing which sugzeste itself to your mind P” “Yer, dear Christina,” bo at once responded, as if the very look which his beentiful twin-sieter had bent upon him, transfused in an instant to nis mind what was passing in ber own, “We must go and relieve the dire necessities of tliat poor perishing creature. It is fortunate that you heard her addresa mentioned. Would that we also knew where to fing tho pour widow, that we might suc- cour her likewise! Alas, our own resources are now limited enowgh: but still—but still,” added} the threatene Christian, with a world of sincere feeling in his | pledge Christina at once gave ; and promising like- looks and his acgénts, “wo must spare something for the assistance of our fellow-creatures.”’ The twins were suddenly cheered by the pro- spect of doing goud, nx well as by having the means to accomplish it, small though their succour might be. They inguired their way to Redcross Street ; and finding the house which Christina had heard mentioned at the Emporium, they ascertained from an old, hareh.featured, surdid-looking woman, who announced horself as the landlady, that there was a young person of the name of Mary Wright lodging at the place, but that as sho cuuld nut pay her rent, and was dying, the workhouse autho- rities had bean apphed to that very day. “Let mo gee her,” said Christina: while Chris- tian hastily whispered ty his sigter that he would await her in the streot, Tho landlady thinking by the appearance of the twins that they came for a cheritable purpose, and that the arrears of rent due to her would pyo- bably be paid—suddenly grew mighty civil; and she conducted Chriating up a dark and dirty stair. cayo tq the vory top of the houge, Opening an attic door, she gave the young girl ty understand. bd that this was Mary Wright's rym. Christina entered, The attic was of tho small- eat size, and its appearance of the meanest poverty. Stretched upon a wrotehed Aopk wattress, which lay upon the boards in one gorner—and covered with the scantiest bed-clothing, Igy a young woman whose years could s hgve numbcred one- and-twenty—in the very laat stage of consumption. She was palo as n corpse, save and excapt with regard to a vivid hoctic sput which seemed to burn upon either cheek. She was thin—QOh! so thin— it was complete emaciation !—-so that it appeared as if merely to raise that wasted, attenuated form, would be to inflict excruciating pain, ag the very bones might threaten to penetrate through the skin—for ficsh upon them there was nene. The attic was almost compleicly denuded of every ne- cossary, and possesased not a single comfort. The dying creature waa alone when Christina entered, | He relalive, no huree, ne frienily feraale to | attend upun her! Notwithstanting her fright- fully ecmacition—notejtbstending {lye ravages d Christina gave her to understand that accident into some embarrassmezit. I implore] bad made her acquainted with her condition— and that though her own means were limited (the generoue girl said not how limited) she had come to proffer what little assistance she was enabled to afford. Mary Wright was for some time s0 eu:- focated by her emotions that, ghe could not give utterance to a word—and the tears streamed from her cyes. At length she succeeded in expressing her deep gratitude, in a weak dying voice and in broken accents,-—declaring that she had never ex- pected tv behold a friendly countenance gaze upon ; : her nyrain in this life. Qhristina learnt from her that about thirty shillings were owing to tho landlady; and though the dying young woman proffered not the request in words, yet her pluintively appealing lovis seemed to implore our hercine to save her from removal to the workhouse. T'his wise to return in @ few minutes, she hastened from | the room. The landlady was waiting upon the stairs, watching for Miss Ashton, in order to eco what mivlt turn up to her own advantage ;—and Chris- tina at once liquidated trom her slender purse the arrears of rent that were duc. Tilicn she con tinued her way down stairs, aud rejoined her brother in the atreet. Christian had been waiting fur her about es quarter of an hour; and during this interval a little inewdent had occurred which be had noticed, and which be presently mentioned to Christina. While walking to and fro in the strect, he had bohwld a posse of ragged-looking creatures emerge from o nerrow dirty court. These individuals consisted of a man dressed Jike a dilapidated journeyman-carpenter, with a paper cap on his Lond—a woman having the appearance of the wife of an impoverished artizun—and a whole tribo of children whose rags aud tatters scarcely vovered their nakedness, At the first apparition of this wretebed-looking purty, Christian's hand waa thrust into his pocket tv clutch the first coin which his fingers might huppen to encounter, in osder to tranefer it to the poor family—when something which occurred at the moment, mado him drop the coin again in a sort of stupifted amazement. “ Now, Bet,” said the man, “mind you look like an honest woman for ence in your life—and turs. that gin-drinking air of your’s into a precious dolefulness, And you brats, you!—af you don't put on as muck misery as posable, 2 sha'n't get ungugh to pay your parents for the hiring of you, Mind, Bot, the dodge is that we walifod all the way froma Liverpool and can’t get no work what- surnever.” These were the words which had produced a sudden revulsion of feelin on the part of Chris- tiun, and had so suddenly made bim -drop the coin again to the bottum of hw pocket... He at once saw that it was a gang’ of unprincipled im- pustors whom he had been abuut to relieve. They did not immediately catch sight of him, when they were issuing trum the court— ner did they suapeet ont 4 a a A a TE IE, RETR SB ew EE ES i TS aL a a a SE I I ES AES PS EE a a TI OO al *s | Pe NE ET RE abe TTS EET ont iniapA ER YR aera aren aegis RI Tern een CONMUC NOG SS