The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 339: what you’re looking at

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—though my friend Withers was a few years back, if I don’t mistake. You was a bum-bailiff once, Withers—wasn’t you?” “ What’s that to you?” growled the sulky gen- tleman, who thought that his comrade was carry- ing the delicacy of the proceeding to a most unne- cessary degree of refinement. “ Whatsomever I was once, I’m a detective now.” “You see, sir,” continued Mr. Shadbolt, “ that there isn’t a better-hearted fellow in all the world than my friend Withers; and there isn’t a more gentlemanly dog than honest Ike Shadbolt—though he says it of himself which shouldn’t say it. Gay and dashing gentlemen like you, sir, will get into trouble; and with such brilliant examples as Dr. Dodd and Mr. Fauntleroy before your eyes, for- gery must be looked upon as one of the genteel little frailties of which human natur’ is susceptible in this sublunary spear.” Having thus wound up his truly beautiful and highly edifying speech—wherein by an ingenious implication he conveyed to the prisoner the precise charge for which he was captured—Mr. Shadbolt took a pinch of snuff, and affected to be a long time in partaking of that refreshment—which was another piece of delicate consideration on his part, the purpose being to afford Mr. Sycamore leisure to compose his feelings. “Am I to go with you?” asked the wretched man, his countenance white as a sheet and his whole form trembling nervously. “In course you be,” growled Mr. Withers, who seemed offended at the bare idea of the necessity for such a proceeding being doubted. “ Hold your tongue, Withers,’ said Mr. Shad- bolt. ‘ The fact is, my dear sir, we would cheer- fully do without you if we could: it grieves us to disturb you at dinner—but it is impossible to dispense with your society, now that we have had the honour of forming your acquaintance. But no one need know anything about it. And look you here, sir,” he added, suddenly lowering his voice to a mysterious whisper, and drawing the prisoner partially aside; “just tip my friend Withers five guineas, and he'll leave those hand- cuffs that he’s got with him, all snug at the bottom of his coat-pocket. Hxcuse me too for observing that I am not exactly above accepting the same little compliment for myself, as you might possibly suppose I am.” “You will let me keep all I have about me—or all I may get?” said Sycamore,—who, now that the bitterness of his arrest was past, began to recover his self-possession. “You shall experience just such treatment, sir,” answered Mr. Shadbolt, “as we should show our own brother if he got into trouble and we was charged with the business.” Sycamore drew out his purse, and handed five guineas to Mr. Withers, who was thereupon most graciously pleased to suffer his countenance to expand into a more amiable expression than it had hitherto worn; while Mr. Shadbolt, on receiving a similar gratuity, proclaimed his conviction that Mr. Sycamore was a regular gentleman and should be treated as such. “Will you let me go into the next room for a few moments ?” asked Sycamore hastily. “Not if so be as there’s a door on t’other side,” responded Mr. Withers. THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. BER: el Soa ga Aas anaes at aeenaaa mn ner a aee a ee Ae ie ae Ae SE ae GE STS Gees “There is not,” answered Sycamore: “ there is this door, and there is the one upon the land- ing 22 “But what do you want?” asked Wither sulkily. “Never do you mind what the gentleman wants,” said Shadbolt. ‘“‘ Wait an instant, sir.” Thereupon he skipped towards the door of com: munication in order to peep through the key-hole and ascertain whether there was a door or not at the further extremity of the adjoining room. But as he popped his head suddenly down, he caught the twinkling of an eye on the other side of the key-hole: then that eye was abruptly withdrawn —he could see into the next room—and he beheld a young gentleman rapidly retreating towards another young gentleman who sate at the table. “Your friends have twigged you, sir, 1 am sorry to say,’ observed Mr. Shadbolt, turning away from the door and addressing himself to the prisoner. ‘“ They have been listening, sir ; for I saw an eye—and where an eye can peep an ear can plant itself.” Mr. Sycamore gave utterance to an oath expres- sive of his bitter vexation and disappointment. The fact is, he had intended to take advantage of the generous offers just now made by the two young gentlemen. The forged bill for which he was arrested, was for five hundred pounds; and he had purposed to represent to those young gentle- men that he was in the custody of sheriffs’- officers for a debt to a similar amount—so that if he could manage to obtain that sum from them he would have a chance of hushing up the affair immediately on his arrival in London with the detectives. But this hope was now completely overthrown; and scarcely had Mr. Shadbolt an- nounced to him that “his friends had twigged him,” when he heard the bell down stairs ringing violently. It was the bell of the adjoining room ; and the waiter was not very long in answering if, inasmuch as he had been nearly all the time upon the landing, with his own ear applied to the key- hole of the sitting-room where the above described scene with the officers had taken place. “Our hats, waiter, immediately ! our hats!” the two young gentlemen in the adjacent apartment were now heard to ejaculate: and then the words “swindler,” “ forger,” “adventurer,” “ scoundrel,” and other equally pleasing appellations were like- wise wafted to the wretched Sycamore’s ears. “Good heaven, what an exposure!” moaned the wretched man, turnisig away towards the win- dow. The waiter entered to fetch the two young gen- tlemen’s hats, which had been left in the sitting- room; and he relieved his own feelings by sparring for a moment like clock-work behind Mr. Syca- more’s back, at the same time making signs to the two officers—as much as to imply that he knew it all, and that as he was now convinced he should never get a penny piece from Mr. Sycamore for waiting on him, he should very much like to inflict summary chastisement upon the scoundrel. Having performed this panto- mime, he said grufily, “* Did you speak, sir P” ‘WhoP IP No!” ejaculated Sycamore, startled from his wretched reverie and turning abruptly round. “Then you had ought to,” returned the waiter s a ae re em thr age 0)(0)(0) (EO) CS (C(O)