The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 100: what you’re looking at

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

86 THE MYSTERIES 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 I like.” “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. ‘Keep 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 Englishman’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 Buattoner, 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 upon 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 hastened 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: but it hasn’t quite, however,” added the man with a ghastly smile. “So your misfortune was Teddy’s salvation,” ob- served the knife-grinder, who appeared to enjoy the anecdote amazingly. “ Well, this is the rummest lark I ever knew in all my life,” exclaimed the Buttoner: “and that’s what made me sing out as | did just now, because I’ve heard the story before about the pitching out of the winder. But is Teddy Limber a tall, thin, shambling feller, with precious long arms and legs 2?” “Just so,’ returned the Durrynacker. “ He re- minds one of a giblet pie—all wings and legs.” “Then by jingo it 7s the same!” cried the But- toner. “The rascal—I’ll pay him out !” | the table. OF THE COURT. | “ What has he done?” asked several voices. | “ He stunned me of my regulars,” replied the in- | dignant thimble-rigger : “and J’ll tell you how it © was, I was down at Chatham on Saturday, and | there was a fair there, 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 asapal. 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 out 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 ~ ‘Now,’ says I, as the yokels and flats gathered round, ‘here’s von, two, and three; the JSairest 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 you are: now’s your time and now's your opportunity. Them as doesn’t bet can’t win; and them as does betis sure tolose. Von, two, three—the fashionable game of tiddlywink, now | in wogue at al! the first houses in the land ’—Well, I | was a-going on at this rate, when a regular yokel | chucks down a guinea, swearing he’d tell under | which thimble the little pea was. ‘* Von, two, | three,’ says 1; ‘them as uses their eyes, must see. | Four, five, six: here’s the little pea capering about | like bricks. Seven, ertght, nine: the game shall be | mine. Now. sir, you can't tell under which thimble | as the little pea” —‘ This von, says the yokel, pint- | ing to a thimble.—‘ Wo it isn’t,” says I: ‘ the little ped, here he be” 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 kaow his name then) frisked the yokel of his yack and skin. All was confusion in the crowd: but we every 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: but 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 nosuch thing. He had cut and ran —aud we never heard or saw any more of him.”® “‘ Shameful!” ejaculated several voices. “To bounce you out 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 ladder 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: but it was evident from his appearance that he had been indulg- ing in copious libations. His hat 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 tiddlywink—doing the thimble- rig. With a mob—with several confederates. Leary— sharp, wide-awake. Yokels—countrymen. Frisked ~— robbed. Yack and skin—watch and purse. Lumbered — taken into custody. nee EEE CONMUCLIOOMKS (E()