The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 207: what you’re looking at

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

=O0 tumbie-down buildings hung so much over on either side, that the interval between the gabled roofs each other was even less than that between the thresholds of the front-doors. The boozing-ken was frequented by characters looks repelled the idea that they were very nice their morals: the tap-room was filled with a dense cloud of tobacco-smoke; and the half-dozen men whom the Cannibal found seated there, were beheld dimly as if through a mist. Chiffin sat down—callod fofWine Liquor and » pipe—and ensconcing himsoclf in the obscurest corner, was half buried, as it were, in the shade of that nook and in the volume of smoke to which his own pipe now contributed. He did not imme- diately join in the conversation which was going on: for those who were discoursing were all friends with each other —and their topic wma rome matter tnteresting sently there was a brief pease, during which more liquor was called for. ve-By tho bye,” said one of the men, “what was that you was a-telling me, Bill, this morning, about some advertisement in a newspaper, and two hun- dred pound reward P” “Why, about that feller—Chiffin, I think his name is,” the individual thus addressed by the diminutive of Bil,—“him, you know, as murdered the publican and his wife in some place in London.” “ And so there’s two hundred pound reward, is there P” said another of the company. “ My eye! shouldn't I like to get hold of it! It would just make me all right. But where do they think he is P” “Ah! I dare say they would be uncommon giad to know,” answered Bill: “but as they don’t know, they keep on putting this advertisement into the paper. And talking of that there business, puts me in mind of what happened in this werry identical public, about five year ago. You recol- lect, Tom—don’t yer P” “Yee—I know what you mean,” answered the person thus addressed, and who had the appear- ance of a costermonger. “I was sitting in this werry place, and was smoking @ pipe and drinking a pint of half-and-half, just as I be now——” “ Well, but what are you talking about P’ asked another of the company. “I don’t know nothing of the business: but then I didn’t use this house at that time.” in the neighbourhood, : “and you surely must remember how Jack the Rattler made his escape when the traps was arter him.” “I can’t say I mind it,” rejoined the former ist. “What was it all about ?” “Why, I will tell you. Me and some others was a-taking our pipe and pint in this room, when in walks a chap just as that gonelman did just now :”—and here the man made a sort of flourish of his pipe in the direction of Chiffin, who began to feel excessively uneasy at his position, although he saw as yet he was not suspected. “Well, so he sits his-self down, calls for some brandy-and- water and a pipe, and begins to enjoy his-self. I couldn’t help looking at him rayther hard—for thinks I to myself, ‘There is something wrong abdout yon, old foller ;;—and yet I don’t know why I should have thought so any more than I should wD SEP ee—~ a 6 2D aa Ad to themselves. But pro- | sa THR MYSTERING OF THR COURT. about that ere genelman which is seated in the corner :"’—and here there was another movemen’ of the pipe in somewhat unpleasing indication of Mr. Chiffin. “JY suppose he had e precious quecr face of his own,” observed one of the listeners. “ No—it wasn’t that: Ce ry, wom Judge by faces. If so be I did, I shéuldn’t over well of two or three on us here; aod’ dow'e know that any of us is uncommon great beauties. Howsomever, the chap I am of was smoking his pipe and drinking his brandy-and- water, when in walks two of the Liverpool police in plain clothes. I twigs them at onee, and begins to ask myself a question or two, whether I could possibly be wanted ?—but I wasn't kept long in any doubt: for the officers on looking round, sece the stranger-cove, goes straight up to him, and ‘You are our prisoner.’—This was none other than Jack the Rattler. So up he jumps as quick as lightning: down falis one officer on this side— Cother on that side—I never see the thing so clean done in my life!—and in the twinkling of an eye Jack was out of the tap-room door. But there was such a crowd in front of the bar, and an alarm already raised, that his way was stopped : a0 what does he do, but rushes bang up the stairs— and by this time the two officers had picked their- selves up and wae arter him. Well, it seems hoe had slept in the house the night before, and he had observed that there was a trap ing from the top of a ladder on to the roof. So up this ladder he springs like wi on the tilee— and somehow or another makes clean off.” * But how?” asked one of the listeners. “Ho didn’t jump down into the street, I : OF else he’d have Jack Ketch a job.” “No—he didn’t do that; and it was never known what he did do: but it’s supposed he got in at some attic window of another houee, and escaped that way. Howsomever, he did get clean off—and that’s cortain. Ab, poor feller! he got took at Manchester a few weeks afterwards, and was hung at Lancaster.” A pause followed this narrative; and somehow or another Ohiffin began to fancy that all eyes were gradually concentrating their looks upon himself, This might have been mere imagination: never- theless it augmented the uneasiness which he had already experienced; and he inwardly cursed his folly in entering that tap-room. He could endure it no longer, and resolved to take his departure thence and establish his quarters at some other house, where he would observe a more prudential conduct. But he was too cautious to beat a re- treat with a precipitation that might engender suspicion if it were not already aroused, and con- firm it if it were. So he knocked the ashes out of his pipe in a leisurely manner—poured the rest of his liquor down his throat—and then rising, said, “Good night, gentlemen;” and approached the door. He almost fancied that two or three looked as if they meant to spring upon him: but nothing of the sort occurred—and he issued from the room without molestation. But scarcely had he thus crossed the threshold and closed the door behind him, when by the light of the gas biasing in the bar, he beheld himself confronted by two men whom at a glance he saw to be officers. There was a little space between thr (COL (C DOO CS (COL