The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 99: what you’re looking at

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

86 exclaimed Bob the Beggar, turning towards the marine-store dealer, “how the devil come you with that black eye and with your head tied up in that fashion ?” “Why, in consequence of that very Teddy Limber you've been talking about,” was the gruff and sulky answer: “so you see I can give another chapter in his history if Ilike.” __ “Well, and won’t you like?” asked one of the women, coaxingly. “Oh! if it’s to please you, I will,” returned the marine-store dealer, somewhat mollified by this bland appeal. “ You must know, then, that when Teddy escaped from his crib up in the Holy Land, as the Durrynacker has told you, he come right away to my house in St. George’s Fields. I took him in, and put him up safe in the front room first floor, amongst all the rags, bones, bottles, and old iron. Well, it seems that Larry Sampson traced him out, and came with his people to take him. It was late at night—and they knocked at the street- door. I was sitting smoking a pipe and drinking a drop of blue ruin with Teddy, when we heard the knock. We suspected what it was ;—and so I opened the window and asked who was there and what they wanted. Larry said he must come in. I told him no one he could possibly want was there; but he said that was no business of mine. ‘Acep him talking a minute,” says Teddy, in a whisper to me; ‘and I'll get out on the leads.’ For of course Teddy knew that Sampson had posted some of his men at the back of the house ; or else he would not have been such a fool as to come and raise an alarm at the front door. Butall ina moment Larry Sampson begins to push away at the front door to force it open; and while I was leaning out of the window blackguarding him for breaking into an Engtishman’s house, which is his castle, lo and behold, I lost my balance and pitched out into the street.” At this stage of the narrative, the Buttoner, or thimble-rig professional, gave vent to an ejacula- tion of surprise, accompanied by an oath: but when the looks of all present were turned ypou him as if seeking an explanation, he hastily bade the marine-store dealer proceed, observing that he would explain afterwards. * Well,” continued the Swag Chovey Bloak, “I must do Larry Sampson the justice to say, much as I hate him as a cursed thief-taker, that he and | his men instantly left off pushing at the door and | has to pick me up; and this gave Teddy | Limber time to get safe away over the roofs of the houses. The fall deuced near killed me: bat it | bhasn’t quite, however,” added the man with a ghastly smile. . “So your misfortune was Teddy's salvation,” ob- served the kuife-grinder, who appeared to enjoy the anecdote amazingly. “ Well, this is the rammest Jark I ever koew in all my life,” exclaimed the Buttoner: “and that's , what made me sing out as I did just now, because I’ve heard the atory before about the pitching out of the winder. Butis Teddy Limber a tall, thin, shambling feller, with precious long arms and legs ?* , “ Just so,” returned the Darrynacker. “He re- | ininds one ofa giblet pie—all wings and legs.” | “Then by jingo it es the sainc!” cried the But- | foner, “The rascal—I'll pay him out !” ee en THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. . “ ‘What has he done™ asked several voices. “ He stunned me of my regalars,” repiied the in- dignant thimble-rigger : “and I'll tell you how ig was, I was down at Chatham on Saturday, and there was a fairthere. Well, I was working the tiddlywink with a mob, when a feller comes up and gets into conversation. I saw he was a leary chap, and thought he'd suit as a pal, So we went to a public-house, had some drink, and talked matters over. He told me how he’d bolted from London; and how a friend of his’n had pitched oat of the winder while blarneying with the runners. So I was took with him; and he agreed to work with my mob. We went back into the fair and set up the table. ‘Now,’ says I, as the yokels and flats gathered round, ‘here’s von, two, and three ; the JSatresi game that ever you see. The royal game of tiddlywink, paytronised by their Majesties, his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Chief Justice, and all the no- bility and gentry. Here youare: now's your time and now's your opportunity. Them as doesn’t bet can’t win ; and them as does betis sure to lose. Von, two, three—the fashionable game of tiddlywink, now in wogue at ali the first houses in the land /’—Well, I was a-going on at this rate, when a regular yokel chacks down a guinea, swearing he'd tell under which thimble the little pea was. ‘ Von, two, three, says I; ‘them as uses their eyes, must see. Four, five, six: here's the little pea capering about ike bricks. Seven, eight, nine: the game shall be mine. Now. sir, you can’t tell under which thimble ts the little pea.’—‘ This von,’ says the yokel, pint- ing to a thimble.—* No ét isn’t,” says I: ‘ the little pea, here habe” And I lifted up another thimble. Then bang went the flat’s hat over his eyes—my mobs-men hustled him—and away I scampered with the tiddlywink-table, while Teddy Limber (although I didn’t know his name then) frisked the yokel of his yack and skin. All was confusion in the crowd: but we efery one of the party managed to get safe off. Well,me and my pals met pre- sently at the public-house where we’d agreed to meet: -bat Teddy Limber never come near the place at all. We waited for him a long time; and then one of us went out to see if he’d been lum- bered. But no such thing. He had cut and run —and we never heard or saw any more of him.”® “Shameful!” ejaculated several voices. “To bounce you oat of your regulars!” cried the women, even more indignant than the men. At this moment the trap-door opened—and Daniel Coffin the Hangman descended the Jadder from the room above. Almost at the same time Mr. Bencull, who had been engaged in another part of his little establishment, rejoined the company: bat’ it was evident from his appearance that he had been indulg- ing in copions libations. His hst was cocked over his right ear—and he carried a bottlein his hand : but, seating himself next to the Swag Chovey Bloak, he assumed that air of drunken mysteriousness and wisdom which people in their cups so often put on in order to seem sober. «* We'll drink the health of our new friend what's- ® Stunned me of my regulars—cheated me of my share of the booty. Working the tiddiywink—doing the thimble- rig. With a mob—with sevoral confederates. Leary— sharp, wide-awake. Yokels—countrymen. Friskod—~ robbed. Yack and skin—watch and purse. LuinbDered — taken into custody. SS COMM CONNEC MOO