The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 284: what you’re looking at

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

264 THE COURT OF LONDON is an excuse to have a chat with Larry Sampson. I dare say he’ll let bygones be bygones and talk pleasant enough when he sees that I am civil on my side. Larry isn’t a fellow to bear grudges; but I am, though, desperately, infernally,”’ he added, with terrible emphasis. ‘“ And what do you want to talk to him about?” asked Sally, now questioning the Hangman with more timidity than at first, for his temper appeared to be lowering. ‘“ But perhaps you hope to be able to worm out some secrets from Larry Sampson? ’”’ ‘“‘ A little in that way,” responded the Hangman, with a erim smile, which reassured his mistress and her brother as to the condescending and communicative humour he was in. ‘‘ What I chiefly want to see is whether Larry will speak to me about Jack the Foundling at all. For don’t you see that it was so odd he should get all that information from Taggarty, drop so many hints about the lad’s probably being the son of well-to-do parents, and then suddenly take no more notice of the matter than if he had never made any such inquiries at all? So I mean to try and draw Master Larry out in that respect.” ‘* And how shall you do it?” inquired Dick Melmoth. ‘Don’t you see, I’ve got my excuse all ready cut and dried for Larry,’”’ continued the Hangman; ‘ and I shall tell him that the reason I want to get these country execution jobs is to have an opportunity of letting the Foundling try his hand at tucking the chaps up, as I shall say that I mean to make a Jack Ketch of him. So now don’t you see that if there is any truth at all in the idea of the Foundling belong- ing to a respectable family, Larry will deuced soon be horrified at the idea of the young fellow taking to the gallows functions; and he’ll tell me to wait awhile or think better of it, or something of that sort; and if he does this, then we shall really know that he didn’t oe all those inquiries about the lad Jack for nothing at 2, Bcd “Well, really, Daniel,” said his mistress, coaxingly, “I always knew you was a wide-awake fellow, but I didn’t give you credit for so much cunning as all this.” ‘Nor I,” observed Dick Melmoth; ‘and I do believe daly succeed in getting something out of Larry, after a i i CONMNICLOIOOKS (E(0) m