The Mysteries of London; or, Lights and Shadows of London Life — page 201: what you’re looking at

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

> ——— ee een a on an een | spectability, which, as it was a marketable commodity, SE - @ private pound the matter. he naturally felt anxious to maintain; then his safety, which wa3 dearer to him taan every thing—even the gold for which he had risked his life and damned him- self with crime. Desperate as his case appeared at the first sight, still he was not altogether without hope; he had weathered as rough a storm as this, and at the end of his long cogitation he prepared once more for action. James, as was usual when any dirty work was to be done, was summoned to his presence. “ James,” said his master, “has Mr. Shark been with the papers?” “In the outward office, sir.” “ How is he?” “Ts he?” replied the lawyer, with a scarcely per- ceptible smile of satisfaction. ‘Show him in,” Lawyer Prim was solicitor to the association of merchants and traders for the prosecution of forgers and thieves; as such, it was his duty to prepare the indictments against the unfortunate wretches whom hunger or vice had led to violate the first law of civili- sation—the law of property. In the good old hanging days of George III., this office was no sinecure; and Mr. Shark, the person whom he inquired after, was the party who brought him the proofs, examinations, &c,, from the magistrate’s office, after the committal of the prisoners, in order to prepare the evidence against them, and get up briefs for counsel. At this very time Hiram Moses, the son of old Moses, the wealthiest rascal that ever lived by training youth to the gallows, was lying in Newgate for a forgery upon | The fatal cheque was amongst the papers which Shark was supposed to have brought. The proofs were so clear that there appeared little hope of saving him. The aged father, in whose heart one touch of nature, love for his only child still lin- gered, had vaialy offered an immense sum to com- “So you have brought the papers,” said Prim, as the Bardolph-like messenger entered. —— “ All right,” hiccuped Shark, tossing the packet. upon the table. “Sit down while I examine them. James,” added the lawyer, “write the list as 1 call them over.” The speaker took his seat, the hungry clerk next him, and Shark directly opposite; the chair of the latter personage was placed directly fronting the win- dow, through the dusty panes of which the rays of _ the sun were pouring, and prevented his seeing very Se eee eee ee eee distinctly. | “Copy of committal,” repeated Prim, taking the papers frem the envelope, one by one. “ All right, sir,” reolied James, making a memoran- dum. «“ Bvidence of Discount, the banker.” * It’s down, sir.”’ “Ditto of Mr. Pawsey, the cashier.” “ Got it.” «“ Nabhs, the officer’s.”’ “ Marked.” « But where is the cheque?” exclaimed Prim, in a tone of surprise and disappointment. “I don’t see the cheque.” : * You will find it in the parcel, sir,” said Shark; “it must be there, for I put it in myself” “ Tt ought to be there,” replied the lawyer, gravely ; “ for without it all the rest is useless,” ‘jt is there!” exclaimed the messenger, beginning <—™ ors — -——-— = ~ — —_— 19 ee A to feel alarmed, and hastily rising to examine the | papers. “Perhaps you will be so good as to point it out then ?” said the man of law, * for really I cannot find it. Did you see any other paper, James?” “Certainly not, sir,’ answered the convenient clerk, who knew all the while that his master had contrived to secrete it up his sleeve, ' “God!” exclaimed the fellow, completely sobered | by the loss, “I thought I could have sworn I placed it with the others. Ah! you are jesting with me, Mr. Prim; I am sure you are jesting.” “T never jest,” observed the lawyer drily; “do I, James?” ‘“« Never, sir,” echoed his subordinate with a grin. the papers carefully, unfolding each in the hope that it had been slipped by accident within another. Satisfied of the inutility of his search, he let them fall despairingly, muttering as he did so, “ It is not there.” ' | Again did the terrified messenger pass and repass | “ Of course it is not—perhaps you dropped it in | the office ?” The fellow shook his head despondingly. “Did yon stop any where?” demanded Prim in a soothing voice. “ At the Bell—but only for about half an hour.” ‘Perhaps you fell asleep there?” observed his ques tioner, who was perfectly aware of Mr. Shark’s habits as well as his peculiar weakness, The fellow hung down his head, and confessed that he had indulged in a nap, but only for a few minutes. It was, he said, after a pint of purl which he had been invited to partake of by his old friend, Mr. Aarons, the sheriff’s officer. “ Aarons is a Jew, I think?” observed Prim, who © was perfectly well acquainted with that respectable individual, and chuckled secretly at the fortunate coincidence. “ You know he is,” ejaculated Shark despairingly. “An ugly piece of business—really a very ugly piece of business,” said the satisfied lawyer; “all I can do in it, of course, will be to write to the magis- trates; otherwise, I should be responsible.’ ‘Tt will rnin me. I shall lose my place.” “T sincerely trust you may lose nothing more, my dear Shark; but persons who do not know your sterling honesty as well as 1 do may be inclined to suspect. Mind I insinuate nothing, that you have been tampered with; it really does look a little sus- picious.” Mr. Prim, who really was an obliging person in his peculiar way, suffered himself to be persuaded by the earnest entreaties of the terrified messenger to wait for three hours be‘ore he fulfilled his threat of writing to the magistrate, and the now sobered victim of his clever sleight of hand ran back to the Bell in the hope of meeting his old friend, Mr. Aarons. “Serious afiair, sir,” said James, who felt that he was entitled to a fee for his professional assistance in the transaction; “if Shark should not happen to find the cheque, what will become of him?” | “Transported, most probably,” replied his master, coolly. “ What if he should assert that the bill was in the packet ?” observed the clerk, “ You can swear it was not,” | James for once was silent. His master missed his | ready “ Yes, sir,” and raised his eyes to look at him: the expression of his countenance did not altogether please him, ECORNIEOOOLKS