The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 285: what you’re looking at

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

THE HANGMAN IN HIS GLORY AGAIN 265 ‘“ And if you do find that Jack is the son of respectable parents,’ observed Sal, “‘:you’ll be able to make a pretty penny of the business, eh? ”’ ‘‘ Well, we shall see,’”’ and the Hangman was about to sally forth, when suddenly recollecting something, he felt the pockets of his coat, and then exclaimed, ‘“ By Satan! I was going without my tools, and that’s a thing I don’t often do, seeing that they very frequently come into use at a moment when it’s least expected that they’ll be wanted at all.”’ Dick Melmoth hastened to open a cupboard, whence he took forth a bunch of skeleton keys, which he wrapped up in paper so as to prevent them from jingling. He next produced from the same place a small “ jimmy,” or crowbar, about a foot and a half long, and about the thickness of the thumb, but of the strongest wrought iron, and admirably shaped for burglarious purposes. He then drew forth a small tin box an inch and a half in diameter, and filled with wax, which was used to take the impression of a key should such process be required for ulterior purposes. Lastly, Dick Melmoth produced a couple of knitting-needles, pointed in a particular manner, and used for cutting panes of glass in the same way as a glazier’s diamond. All the articles just detailed did Mr. Daniel Coffin secure about his person; and as he wore a sort of shooting-coat, the crowbar lay easily enough lengthwise at the bottom of one of his capacious pockets. But it must not be sup- posed that the Hangman had any special purpose now in view in thus arming himself with the implements of his secret profession. The fact was that he seldom if ever stirred abroad without those little articles, which might at any moment come unexpectedly handy; and as habit is second nature, he positively would not have | felt comfortable had he omitted his usual practice in this respect. Sallying forth accordingly, with the royal pardon in one of his pockets and the implements of burglary distributed about in all the others, Mr. Daniel Coffin took his way to Long Acre. On knocking at the door of Larry Sampson’s house, his summons was answered by Dame Margery, the officer’s housekeeper, to whom the person of the Hangman was not known. Not that she was, however, at all prepos- (CONNIE OOO (C(O)