The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 108: what you’re looking at

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

en TT LT —— = 102 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. ~~ aew-fangled laws and soon. Why, if I only stand;a matter of a little more than two months could | a minute or two in the street, just to take a look | have made such a change ina human being. But at what is going on, up comes a blue-bottle and’| that’s why you, Jack,” she added, turning to her stares at me fust of all as if there was threats of | son-in-law, “call him old. His face is as thin and treadmills in his eyes; and then he bids me move | as pale as a ghost’s: he wasn’t very fat when he off just as if his tongue had borrowed its tones | first came—but he has so shrunk away that his from the knocker of Newgate. But if I happen| clothes hang on him just as if they were never to look rayther hard at some swell cove passing | made for him at all.” : along, and chance to foller in the same direction— “ But has he got the ready ?” demanded Barney : then, by jingo! I’d better cut and ran for it; or | “for that’s the principal thing we have got to look else up afore the beak—no one to speak to my) at.” character—all in wain to say I’m a honest ’ard- “We know he has got some money,” responded working man—but off to the stone jug, and six) Bab; “and I will tell you how we found if out. weeks on the everlasting staircase as a rogue and | It was only the first thing this morning that we wagabone.” | discovered it—but we all along suspected that he |; Mr. Barnes the Burker’s language increased in | had a hoard, though he did come without anything ee vehemence and bitterness as he thus enumerated | but a small carpet-bag bs his wrongs; and when he had finished, he struck | “Well, but about the money?” asked the the table so violently with his fist that the bottles, | Burker, mixing himself another glass of hot spirits- jugs, and glasses appeared as if they were dancing and-water. : a reel. Then, after a pause—during which the | “Why, you see,” resumed Bab, “my mother injured man looked slowly round upon his listeners } went up as usual this morning to ask him about to ascertain the effect which lfis words had pro- | his dinner; and she gave him his weekly bill to duced—he added doggedly, “And all that’s called pay. So ? justice !” *Let me tell the story, Bab,” interrupted the “T’m afraid times have been as bad with you | old woman. ‘“ You must know, Barney, that he’s lately,” said Mrs. Smedley, “as they have with| always in a constant tremble; and every time the us. For a matter of ten months we had no/ door is opened, he looks as frightened as if he lodger 2 expected to see the constables walk in. Well, “Till this present one come,’ observed the| when I gave him his bill, he put his hand into Burker. “ Well, and what do you make out of} his pocket; and in his agitation, instead of one him ?—for I suppose it’s about that you sent| purse, he drew out two. Then he got terribly up the message. to me to-day by young Tim | confused, and shoved one of the purses back again Scott.” —but not before I had time to see that it was “Right enough, Barney,” exclaimed Smedley. | well filled with gold at one end—and I rather | think, but of course I can’t be sure, with bank- notes at. the other. He got into conversation, and talked more familiar than he had ever done before,—telling me that he had a deal of trouble on his mind—that he didn’t think he should get over it—and then he stopped short, looked very hard at me, and seemed as if he was sorry for letting out so much as he had done. I told him IT thought he was ill and wanted the doctor: but IT only said that just to try and draw him out farther—for I can tell easy enough he has some- thing on his mind.” “T shouldn’t wonder,” observed Barney, “if he has run away from his place of employment, or summut of that sort—perhaps bolted off with the contents of the cash-box. But go on, Mrs. Webber.” “Well,” continued the old woman, “Mr. Smith , said he didn’t want no doctor—he wouldn’t see | any one—but he thought he should go on ‘the | | “ He’s a queer file, that old fellow up-stairs “ Old indeed !” said Mrs. Webber, who was her- self sixty—and therefore she spoke with -some degree of indignation: “he is noé more than fifty —and I am sure [I call that quite young !” *‘ Nonsense, mother !” interposed Bab Smedley, with her usual sharpness. “Don’t waste time about such silly trifles:” then lowering her voice to a mysterious whisper, she said to the Burker, “We mean to do it.” 3 “ And right enow too!” he answered; “if so be you’ve made sure it’s worth while.” «Trust us for that,’ responded Bab. “ My mother, though she is so silly in some respects, is precious sharp in others; and she has wormed her- self into the lodger’s good graces * “ What’s his name again ?” inquired Barney. “Smith,” responded Bab: “but of course we knew very well, the moment he came to the house, that it wasn’t his right name. He looked so wild and frightened—and seemed giad to be able to hide himself any where ; and when I had stowed him the lodgings, told him what the price was, and asked for a reference, he said he couldn’t give any, but he would pay his rent in advance. And then I asked him his name; and he seemed to hesitate for a minute whether he should call him- self Brown, Jones, Thompson, or Smith,” “ And he has never once been out since he came here,’ observed Smedley, taking up the tale: “never once crossed the threshold of the front door.” « And he’ has been all of a nervous fidget the whole time,” said Mrs. Webber. “Ah! and how ho has altered too! I shouldn’t have thought that Continent for change of air ' “He won't, though!” said the Burker, with a look of savage ferocity, “if he has got all that gold in his purse. I’m rayther hard just at this moment All my togs, you seé, is in Queer Street :’—and he looked slowly down at his coarse sordid apparel. “Now you know as much of him as we do,” remarked Bab Smedley, taking up the thread of the discourse. “So, when mother told us all that —how she had: seen the second purse, and how he had hinted about going away—we thought the best thing we could do was to send up to you at onee, to tell you to come down this evening and talk over the business. But hark! the up-stairs COMMlcloooxS.Gom, ce