The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 364: what you’re looking at

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

owes ~@88=— 9 EE OS ae ee Oo one “oar TRS MYSTSERi£E OF THA COUNT. e each with a brace of pistols in his hands! Yoa may easily suppose that I was taken so aback I dida’t know what the deuce to do; while a voice ecemad to whisper in my ears, ‘ You are betrayed! you are betrayed!" The three runners burst out langhiog; and one of them eried, ‘ Hulioa, Dan'el ! what are you doing here ?’—' Why, I only walked up in a fit of absence of mind,’ says I, no better excuse eoming into my head at the instant: ‘dud what are gou doing here?’—‘ Oh! only mounting guard over the police-bor ¢, which somebody or another has vowed to possess hinself of to-night. But of couree such a | wespectable gentleman as you, Mr. Coffin, can't have | Come here for any such purpose :’ and then the three scoundrels burst out into sach another horse-laugh that I could have killed them on the spot. In fact, I was more than half a mind to fall foul on them; but seeing that the game was all up with regard to Larry, and that whatever I might do would only |. pat me deeper into his power, I pretended to put @ good face on the matter and tried to laugh away my confasion. They didn’t make any attempt to detain me; and so I wished them good night and got out of the house a precious deal quicker than I entered it. By Satan! I was never in such a precious rage in my life! I could have blown up the whole world with guopowder it 1 had had a chance. I was actually boiling over with a passion that it hart me to keep down. While hastening back here as quick as I could, a thousand strange thoughts entered my head. I fancied that I should _ @od you all arrested, and that I was only suffered to go at large from Long Acre in order to be nabbed when returning either home to Fleet Lane, or else © ming down here at the Fully Bridges. Then I thought that perhaps Larry only meant to make ajoke of it after all. S» what wita some hesita- tion and a good deal of desperation, I resolved to come straight on here and learn what had taken place. Bat one thing was all the whiie uppermost in my mind—ead this was, that Nell Gibson had betrayed us !* “Tnere’s no doubt of it,” exclaimed Bencull, savagely. “And now what's to be done?” “ What's to be done?” thundered the Hangman, starting from his seat and striking his fist with tre- mendous violence upon the table: “why, if we were all to hang fur it to-morrow morning, Nell Gibson must die tu-night !"—and as he glared round with his ferocious eyes upon his companions, he read assent in all their sinister countenances. * That is to say,” observed the Buttoner, “if we ean find her: but my idea is that she’s cut and run.” “Not she,” exclaimed the Hangman. “* You don’t even know the girl 80 well as I do, She’s not one to bolt like a coward: what she does, she'll stand by. Besides, didn’t you tell me that Larry spoke of her just as if she hadn’t peached at all?” “Yes,” observed the Buttoner: “but that was his gammon. No one could have told him about the fire atthe Baronet’s except Nell Gibson: and therefore she put him up to our present plot also.” “T know all that very well,” exclaimed the Hang- man: “but what I mean is simple enough. There's no doubt that Nell Gibeon has peached against us; and it’s also clear that Larry has promised not to tell that he bad his information from her. This is the reason why he didn’t have us all taken up: be- enane Neji Gibson's testimony could alone bring Sbi home the fire to three of us, and this night’s plot tc us all. Well then, since it’s clear that Larry Sainp son has been bound over to secrecy by Nell, she herself will fancy that she can brave it out before -| us. She is a bold girl—and I'l Jay my life that she's neither run away nor even thought «f it, but that you will find her at Mother Young's.” “Well, I'll go and see,” said the Battoncr. “But if so be she won’t come down here, what am I to do?” “Knook her on the head at once,” rejo'ned the Hangman brutadly: “and then cut and run at all risks.” “ Wery good,” said the Buttoners and forcing his hat down upon his head with an air c! deter mination, he issued from the dark crib. CHAPTER XCII. ° . THE MUBDER. It was now one o'clock in the morning: but Mrs. Young’s establishment was not one of tho e where very good hours were kept; and on arriving there, the Buttener found Nell Gibson and three or four other young women sitting up and drinking brandy together. The instant the man thus made his appearance, Nell Gibson threw upon him a look of significant inguiry, as much as to ask what had been doue and whether the plot had succeeded; for, as the reader will bear in mind, she was in reality very far from being the authoress of the betrayal of that plot to Larry Sampson; and she was therefore to tally ignorant of all that had taken. place since she left the dark crib three hours previously. But the Battoner of course fanoled that this look ot inquiry was only a pretence on Nell’s part in order to avert suspicion from herself, or else defy it with a brazen face: and therefore putting on a good- humoured look, as if he did not suspect her at all, he beckoned her to come out of the room. The young woman had not the slightest reason to refuse; on the contrary, she was most anxious to learn what had taken place; aad supposing that her flash man now summoned her away to von- verse somewhere else without the danger of being overheard, she unhesitatingly rose from her seat, threw on her bonnet and cloak, and prepared to eccompany him. In the passage they encountered Mother Frank. lin, who had evidently beon paying her respects to a bottle of strong waters: for she was now reeling about in a horrible state of ebriety. A tipsy wo. mao is at all times a shocking spectacle: but this old hag of nearly ninety, with her bleared eyes now red as if they were raw, her toothless jaws wagging as if with a palsy, and her cracked voice giving utterance to mingled imprecations and obscenities, was altogether one of the most hideous objects that can possibly be conceived. “That druuken old witch had a holiday this evening,” said Nell Gibson, who, accusto though she was to behold female depravity : . ages and in all ite varied phases, was nevertheless ineffubly disgusted at the appearance of Mother Franklin. “ Yea, she has had a holiday; and yeu. see she has made the best of it.” “Ah! would you insult me f yelled forth Mother ElOOO COM