The Mysteries of London; or, Lights and Shadows of London Life — page 163: what you’re looking at

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

himself acquainted with the contents; his vexatien, as he did so, betraying itself in an instantaneous clouding of his visage, and a wrinkled restlessness about his mouth, that showed how deeply the tenor of the letter anneyed him. “So, so,” muttered Parkins, as he finished its perusal and inwardly cursed the writer, “a complete withdrawal from our company, eh? and the demand of an acknowledgment of his irresponsibility in its formation, under threat of au immediate exposure. ¥ well, my word.” payee eras one the letter to see that he had not lost a syllable of its contents, and then crumpling it up into his pocket with a contemptuous sneer, he called the boy towards him, and looking at him with a searching glance of inquiry, he exclaimed : “Here is another half-crown for you, Dick; and now tell me, have you observed any thing more rela- tive to the movements of your late master, that you think [ ought to know?” “ About the strange lady that he was always meet- ing, sir, do you mean?” asked the boy. “ Ay, or any body else that he met,” pursued Par- kins; “who is she? where does he go to, eh?” “ The finding out who she was,” replied Dick, leok- ing knowingly at his employer, “ cost me a good deal of trouble, I assure you, sir. She arn’t no ordinary »” And so, I suppose, the information must be paid for accordingly,” smiled Parkins, sympathising with the implied condition, and appreciating the existence of a roguery that was so kindred to his own; “ well, tell me every thing you know, Dick, and you shall have no reason to complain of my liberality. But remember,” he added, assuming a sterner look and tone, “that as it was for the especial purpose of tracking him where he went, and acting as a spy upon his proceedings, that I got you into his service, so if I find you have been neglecting your duty, and now attempt to screen yourself by falsehoods, I will break every bone in your tiger-skin.” “You must know, sir, then,” returned the boy | after an assurance of his strict veracity, “that I have kept a close watch upon Mr. Greene for the last fort- night, and during that time I have found that the lady whom he was meeting on these occasions, and _ | which, as I before hinted to you, were pretty frequent, _ | has now turned ont to be a lady of title.” d “Ha!” cried Parkins,“ what is her name? come, my good lad, I must knowall. Who is it that he has been carrying on this intrigue with so slily ?” “ Lady Adeline Temple,” responded the boy, “ and she lives in Portman Square. I noted both her name and the address dewn at the time, so that I should make no mistake in telling you. Notwithstanding all the precautions they took to keep the matter secret, and the deep veil the lady wore when she used to meet him, I found her out at last by following her to the house where she resided, and inquiring all about her from the footman that oftea went to have his glass at a tavern in the neighbourhood. Jt seems that there was to have been a match between her ladyship and the Earl of Winterton, but Mr. Fitzroy Greene has managed, I suppose, to get her to himself.” “ And how recently have you noticed these assig- _ ¥ nations?” inquired Parkins, reflectively considering _ | what he had heard. ; sre ee Lae | No longer ago than last night, sir,” was the re- _ | joinder; “I believe Mr. Greene had some idea of the way in which he was vubserved; for, on waiting upon him at breakfast this morning, he looked very uneasy, eee ae equwwe -_ = — LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF LONDON LIFE, COMM OOO and, as he gave me this letter to bring to you, he paid me my wages, and told me that he should not want me any more,”’ “Well, Dick, you shall be no sufferer on my account,” remarked Parkins, “and if you like to come again into my service, I will try and make an opening for you. You can call at the office hers about the same time to-morrow, and, for the present, here is another——. No,” he added, correcting him- self and buttoning up his pocket ; “on second thoughts it will be safer for you in my keeping, and I will con- sider it in your wages.” “ Thankye, sir,” acknowledged Dick, somewhat dis- concerted by this retraction of his expected gratuity ; “T will call here then to-morrow, sir. Is there any note I shall take back to Mr. Green?” “No; there is no answer required,” rejoined the other abruptly, but adding immediately afterwards, “stay, tell him that I will call and see him myself upon the subject this very afternoon.” The boy nodded his head in token of his compre- hending the message he had to deliver, and then dis- appeared, and at the same time Parkins waved his hand as a signal for his friend, Luke Sharp, to come from his concealment, and flung himself back in an arm chair to sustain in an easy position the weight of the thoughts that oppressed him. “Sure there are no suspicious-looking people waiting outside?” cautiously inquired Mr. Sharp, as he emerged into notice; ‘*I fancy I can see an objec- tionable hat that is lurking round the corner. Lver since that confounded fellow who recognised me came inte the place, 1 have been in constant apprehension of a service;” and flattening himself along the wall by the window, so as to secure the most extensive range of vision, be craned his neck inquisitively in the dreaded direction, “Plague take the bailiffs and you together!” re- marked Parkins petulantly ; “as if I had not just now enough to do to think of myself, you must keep on worrying me about your confounded difficulties, Every knock at the door sends you into the back room as quickly as if it was a congreve rocket, and a fellow who loiters outside for two minutes makes yuu keep bobbing your head up and down behind the window-curtain like a jack-in-the-box, Hang the bailiffs ¥” “With all my heart,” rociprocated the other, turn- ing aside trom his critical survey, as soon as he found his suspicions were groundless, “ hang the bailifils by all means, but you were wrong to couple us together. However, what is the state of affairs now?” “ Greene has sent in his resignation, and means to wash his hands of the whole affair altogether,” an- swered Parkins moodily. “ Ab, I always entertained some suspicion of his being reluctant to go on with the scheme, but that of course will not affect the stability of the concern,” continued the adventurer, folding his arms on the high stool opposite, and leaning forward so as to bring it into a convenient tilt. “Leok here, Sharp,” cried Parkins, starting up and apparently deciding on a course of action of which he had been considering the propriety; “ it is evident that we cannot go on much longer in this way. No more money is coming in, the original shareholders are getting troublesome, and as the affairs of the com- pany must be wound up at some time nvt far distant, itis my impression that the best thing we can do will be to close our accounts this day, and lvave the rest to fight it out among themselves.” 157.