The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

.*-.———— SSS THE MYSTERIES. 7 former; and in breathless haste he assailed the ' inmates of half a-dozen dwellings—for it was now driver of the latter with a host of questions. nearly eleven o’clock—he was on the point of “Which way is he gone?—where has he hidden | giving up the pursnit in despair, when stiddenly he himself? —what did he say?” recollected the lane to which the driver of the “Who dye mean?” demanded the coachman | yellow coach had aliuded. belonging to the yellow vehicle. “Well, I won't be beaten yet awhile,” be mar- “ Why—your fare, to be sure,” answered Page: | mured to himself: and away he sped along the “the gentleman in the cloak {” lane, not pausing to reflect whether the constables * Well—he didn’t say mush,” was the response ; | were following him, nor whether, if he did succeed “only when he happened to twig that you or some | in overtaking the fugitive, he could possibly secare ene with ye was banging. half-way out of that | him without their assistance. eoach, he instantly called out to me to stop, tossed | On therefore rushed Mr. Page, as if he himself me a guinea, and eut off.” ‘ were porsaed by the offivers of justice ; and heaven “Bat ia which direction?” demanded the impa- | knows how long he would have thus exercised bis tient commercial traveller. speed, had. he not suddenly been stopped by a huge “ Ab! thene you bother me,” returned the man, | fellow, whom he encountered at a turaing in the evidently feacing with the question. lane. The moonlight fell upon as villanous a “You mean that he gave you a guioes not to | pbysiognomy as ever one wouldexpect to meet out- answer any questions?” cried the astate Page. | side of Newgate; aod the commercial traveller was “ Come—here are éwo; and aow tell me the truth.” | by.n0 way reassured when a more attentive exami- “ Thaok’oe kiadly, sir,” said the jarvey, leanimg | nation of the man mide him acquainted with the down frum bis box to.reogive the gold which Page | fact that he carried a great clab-stick in his hand. sanded up to him; then haying slatehed the reward | The result was inevitable, and just what our ros- he added, “ But it's preefows little information I can | ders might suppose. Mr. Page was compelled to sur- give you, sir. All I know is that when the gentle- | render his purse, bis watch, and his gold ring upon man jumped out of the coach, he cut across the | theapot; and the robber, not satisfied with this booty toad and was out of sight in a minute. Whether he | igsisted upon searching his victim’s garments. turned down the Hine there—or whether he went; A mortalterror now came over the miserable into one of the little gardens in front of the houses | commércial traveller; for all in an instan+it flashed close by, I really can't say. But it must have been | to his memory that he had about him his pocket- one or tother—for he disappeared in a jiffy.” beok containing bills of exchange aod other doct- “ And that’s all you can tell me for the two/ ments of importance, which he hai received guineas!’ exclaimed the irritated commercial tra- | during the last week of his tour, and which be- veller, longed to his employers, Messrs. Hodson and Mor. “Every bit, sir,” respended the man; aud whip- | ley of Wood Street. ping bis herses ae he thas spolce, the yellow vehicle | ‘‘Come, now,” excigimed the ruffisn, as Mr. Page rolied zapidly away. exhibited an inclination to offer resistapce to the “ Perdition!” cried Page: “ he hae falelyswindled | attempt at personal search,—“none of your gam- a6] Bataever mind—i shell not give up the chase | mon with me; or I'l) dash your brains out!” —sfollow me, my asen, es quick as. you ehoose.” And seizing the coller of the writhing victim with And conceiving that it wan net werth while to | one hand, he brandished the club in a menaciog return into the.vehiele in order to aceomplish the | manner with the other: so that Mr. Page was foreed listle dietanpe to the spot where the object of pur. | tosurrender at discretion. The pocket-book wasaoc- awit had descended from the yellow ceacl, the | cordingly discovered by the thief in the course of s comesercial traveller tock t his- heele-—-rushing | few moments; and when he had hastily glanced on aleag the road like s madman. . ite contents by the moonlight, he said in an abrupt Grint and Sacesby, supposing that Page in- | tone of “ Bills of exchange—eh?” teuded them tu fuliow him likewise on feet, new | -“Y-e-s,” replied the miserable Page, who was leapt.out-of the vehisie; but. the comcshman, sud- | shivering from head to foot, alike through cold denly impressed with the idea shas hie. fare were | and terror. eadenvousing to blk.him, bouaded from the box,/ “ Well—they’re of more use to you than they and laid a vigorous grasp open the colleraof the | are to me,” continued the robber; “and so you éwo constables. may have the book back egain for fifty guineas.” An afleveation new 400k. place:. which “ Fifty guineas!” repeated the anhappy commer- cial traveller. “I havn't got a farthing left about -}me, You have taken my purse, which contains ten’ or a dogen guinese=— feusdul chet if-he ones paid: the meacy,he shoeld| A miserable trifle!” exclaimed the robber. act be able to recever: it agzia from Mr. Page. At | “Is it worth your while to give fifty guineas to leagth the two couseabler Uuearmined upen re-enm | have the pocket-book back, with‘all its contents, tesing the vehicle and driving sheer the commercial | just as they are?” cravelice ; and this plan was.acesedingly adopted.| “Worth my while!” cried Page, a giesm of hope In ¢he meantime Mr. Page, baviag resehed shat | breaking in upon him even through the bisck cloud part of the road where he fancied chat the ebject.of | of his present misfortune: “to be sue it is. I should nursuit must have sought concea!ment somewhese | be ruimed — utterly rumed—if I didn’t recover uy other, began to knoek at evesy deor in the row of | it.” houses with the gardens in front; bus to bie reite-| “ Well, then," said the man,“TTitell youh owweean rated question whether a tall gentleman in a eloak | manage the affair. To-morrow nicht at nine o’eloek, had just taken refage there, be was.met by a deel- | precisely. you must be walking about at the begin- sive negative. At length, buvingthosdistarbéd the ning of Tooley Street—juat wee Landon Bridge. ‘ GORMGOOOKS