The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 127: what you’re looking at

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

H ii4 THR MYSTERINE- 3 standing fn the boat when the others made their] in order to giean from their responses an aesur- on the spot. The party entered the | ance that such apprehensions are altogether un- appearance . wherry and took their places, Ramsey being seated | founded. between the Beggarman and Carretty Poll; and} “Tobe sure I do,” answered the Big Beggar- the Kinchin-Grand, having pushed off, betook man. “Joe is not the feller to let a chance of himself to the oars, which he managed with remark- | sacking a good sum escape him.” able expertness. “So much the better!” exclaimed Ramsey, as. ‘he wherry shot out from the bank, upon the | suming a tone of cheerfulness, which he was how- black bosom of the Thames, which not the feeblest | ever far from experiencing inwardly. “Shall we twinkling of moonbeam or starlight now relieved | soon push in for the shore ?” of its sombre gloom: but as the boat drew nearer} “There’s Execution Dock right ahead of you to the middle of the river, the profile of its shores | now,” returned the Boggarman, extending his arm was marked by the feeble glimmerings which the | in the direction of the ominous spot. “ Bat per- windows of the houses on either side shed forth. | haps your eyes don’t get accustomed to the dark- “Now, Bill,” said the Beggarman, “ren down | ness quite so soon as mine ?” the stream. The tide’s with you—and you wont| “I can see something that appears to hang in have to pull much.” the air,” said Ramsey, straining all the powers of “I understand,” answered the youthfal reprobate. | his vision in order to penetrate the obecurity wnicn © Where do you want to land?” prevailed all around. “It is a black object—a “ Just below Execution Dock,” was the answer. | thing darker thas the darkness——” There was ee erane which sounded se omtnows * Well_anditiegs one of them searecrows that in this reply, that Ramsey shuddered from head-to | mark Execution Dock at tines,” observed the Big foot: and-now it strask him for tis firet time that} Beggarman, with a reuph chuckling langh, in which he was ineounyeny witithree persons who, although | both his daughter and the Kinchio-Grand joined. O@F was a women; were no dunbt capable of any “ A man hanging?” gasped Ramsey, as tis excitea atresityp. That the Boggarman was as desperate 8 | imagination made the appalling object even more villait as avy that London conteffed, he was well | palpable than it really was—until the very features aware: that the daughter had not failed to imbibe | of the pendent corpses seemed to glare upon hisswith the example of her sire, he naturally conjectared; | stony gase througit the darkness-of the-night. —ebd.tha’ the youth who rowed the wherry, wes| “ Yes—and why not?” exelaimed the Beggasmnan. _ of an equally vile stamp, the glimpse which he had | with another couse chuckle. “It’s a plenware to the obtained of his featares in-the public room of the | aristocracy to hang up poor devile who huven’t got Beggar's: Staff, when he wap called upon to join | any influential friende to beg ‘om of But I say, the party, farnished pretty conclusive evidence. old feller,” he continued, his tone experiencing a Adl these reflections swept through the mind of rapid and ominous change, as he laid his heavy Hamecy the instant that an alarm sprang up in his | hand rudely upon fhe shoulder of Ramsey, “you'd seul, and he repeated of his rashness in trusting | better give me that bag of guineas whicks you've got hinwelf with such companions. There he was, } under your cloak.” _ comptetely av their mercy—in the midst of that | “The guineasi” repeated the wretched man, a cold silent highway where the voice that cried out for | tremor passing over him and freezing the very blood ‘help could be stifled in a moment, and where a | in his vein» grave already yawned, as it were, te enshroud the “Qh! you hesitate—do you ?” cried the Big Bey. corpse of a victim ! garman “ Now, Bill—keepthe boat steady !”—and, Commingling with these thoughts, too, were the | thus speaking, he threw himself furiously upon horrible ideas so suddenly excited in his miad by | Ramsey, whom he overpowered in an instant. the mention of the frightfal name of Erecufion| “ Villain—miscreant—assassin !” a:most screamed Dock—the piace at which mutineers and all crimi- | the desperate gentleman, as his cloak came off in the nals whom the Courts of Admiralty doomed to | useless struggle which he endeavoured to reuew death, underwent the extreme sentence of the | against his burly opponent: but having been thrown blood -thirsty laws! For Ramsey knew that’ he was | with his back across the seat, he was unable to offer implicated in crimes which, if detected, would send | any effectual resistance, the more especially aa Car- nim to the scaffold; —aud it was therefore no | rotty Poll now lent her aid her fathez. ‘wonder that he shuddered from head to foot asthe | “ Steady ‘the boat, Bill—or, by God! she'll esp ominous name of the proposed landing-place fell | size,” thundered the Beggarman: for the wherry upon his ears. was oscillating frightfully. “Now, sis—give up that “ Are you certain of being enabled to find your | gold ——” friend Warren without delay?” he inquired, thus| “Never!” cried Ramsey, suddenly axmed with breaking a leng silence which had prevailed since:| the courage of despair: and by an: almost supp the Beggarmau gave his orders to the Kinchin- | human effort, he hurled the rafhan back-—regainiag ) Grand, and during which the boat had shot fazther | his own feet instantly. down the stream. But Carrotty Poll, who was hereelf flang aside by “ Quite certain,” was-the answer, given ina tone | this rapid moventest on the part of the intended which might have had nothiog unusual im it, but | vietim, had fallen upen his. cloak whiely lay on the which the inereasing fears of Raumey construed j seat; and her arm: hed encounfered something which mite a foreboding gruffness. she felt to be: the bag of’ gold. Plunging her hand “ And yoa think that he will conseat to aceem- | inte a pocket formed in the lining of the garment, se pany us to Aylesbury: to-night?” he asked, in thas| assured heresif that sach was the fet;—and iu @ species of nervous humour which prompts men who | shrill tone of exaltation, she cried, “I've got # entertain vague ideas of inpendiag danger to con- | father! Held him —esise him I” verse with theses at whose hands the peril ie dreaded, ! All this was the work of an instant ;—and the Bly o ° roy ° @ COMIC ODOOKS.ECO