The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 63: what you’re looking at

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

a a THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. ntti (|| "A ~_ A 4 YANN h | | esaE" ANIXN B Uf 4 {y SY) W UL A iif If Ih HH 1 = Us l} 4 oi ‘fl ely = GS se he AMINA | a RN | Sl : ee Aten i ZZ Cin | il aia f | / CT Vs dp) f p y a = Tv — | Sr LO ———. a : — _~— — " or —-> “ Well, I s’pose you ain’t far off from the truth,” answered the knife-grinder, laughing. “ But come —won’t you stand a drop of beer after all this long chat?” “T’ll stand a drop of beer and a guinea into the bargain if you'll first do what I want,” said the domestic. “A guinea!” ejaculated the knife-grinder, ina tone of joy and incredulity. “ But what’s the use of making a fool of a poor devil like me, that hasn’t earnt a blessed ha’penny all day long?” “ You shall soon see whether I want to make a fool of you or not,” rejoined the footman, dis- playing a golden coin for a moment from his waistcoat-pocket. “But, ia plain terms, can you really andtruly alter a key so as to fit a lock to which it doesn’t properly belong ?” “I tell ye what it is,” ans:wered the knife-grinder, ina low tone and with asooty look of mysteriousness, 7 * == =o TTT | a | IWS — —— ———— = = — SSS = |} | y / Y | fh Mii ad, AN \ WEES ” We NNN NY s . i) A ) PUTA Fi a i ny, \ Ow a Ki Nt Ha NY) Be N\\ : + da — Cy \) in Se \ \' MN = i ——— —--- ama | i} | ' G if AL a arr AAS MINERS = | AN = WW! Zz ge La ( Se SSS Ss =e = — SS" val Se ae C — —“it often happens that I’m axed by genelmen’s servants to do this sort of thing—and it’s a wery singular fact, but I’ve always noticed that wherever I have altered a key, the house has invariably been robbed in a most unaccountable manner a few days or weeks arterwards—and what is more, the thieves have never been diskivered.” “Ah! I see,” observed the footman, with a semi- smile of deep significancy. “ But how long does it take you to alter a key in this manner ?” “ There’s two answers to that question,” said the knife-grinder. “Suppose you give me a common key, and order me to fit it to open all common locks : then 1 saws and files it away till I makes it a sheleton, as we Calls it.” * Well, that’s one answer!” observed the foot- man. ‘Now for the other.” “Suppose you give me two keys and tell me to make one just like the other,” continued the knife- LLL ES 49 ~—-_——_- -_-— S (©) COMNICLO©