The Mysteries of London; or, Lights and Shadows of London Life — page 289: what you’re looking at

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

LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF LONDON LIFE ee “It is nothing—it is past!” faltered the victim, struggling to regain her composure. “I am well now—dquite well; permit me to retire, dear mother; I need nothing but repose. Should the bishop call before going to the house this evening successfully make my excuses to him.” Saying which, she kissed her heartless relatives, and, like a wounded bird, retired to the solitude of her chamber—there to suffer and mourn in silence. CHAPTER XXIV. e.can be no fidelity in guilt, Or ps Water is not More unstable, a hair more strong to bind, Than guilt’s sworn compacts. Haixron was not unmindful of the appointment he the treacherous clerk of the respect- Immediately after leaving Burley, he Ee i BE cee dng ot he deg of th athe Me his philosophical desire to enrich him- as readily have hanged his employer i been but poorly paid for his services; master had lately talked of retiring from FE ! : place. He looked, therefore, upon s offar as a sort of god-send, and was pre- at it. Accordingly, full of this resol u- the firm step of the colonel as he made 4 “Come in!” he exclaimed, rubbing his hands, with a gria—*come in, sir. You are welcome to my humble abode; but the poor must be content.’’ His visitor looked around the wretched apartment, and internally confessed that it merited the designa- tion he had given it. It was one of those old-fashioned } panelled chambers such as are still to be found in the inns—Clement’s and Lyons. Many years ; paint, or the windows had been eleaned; and the inmate was too economical to be at the expense of a charwoman: he did every thing himself. His thread- bare black suit, which was worn only at the office, hung upon a peg behind the door; and he was enve- | loped in an old dressing gown, picked up at Tag -price | in the neighbourhood of Holywell Street; where, in- deed, Mr. James generally replenished his wardrobe, | Not that his purchases were either frequent or expen- | sive; provided they were cheap, he cared little for the fashion or make of his habiliments. ‘o complete the wretched appearance of the scene, 1 candle was stuck in an old ink bottle; and by | way of substitution for a table-cloth, a soiled skin of ‘parchment from the office was spread upon the “You are but poorly lodged here, my friend,” said the colonel, as he drew a rickety chair towards the almost empty grate; “surely, with the salary you receive from your employer, you might afford a better shelter than this,” “A pittance, sir, a miserable pittance,’’ replied the old man, “ barely sufficient to keep body and soul ‘together; and I have no perqnisites now,” he added, bitterly. “Mr. Prim has grown moral in his trans- cummematiti No matter; time iadltbears wast” cement to Wood Street, and had no great he had had a finger in to serve clerk felt that he was too old to | neighbouring had elapsed since the walls had received a coat of “Then should have been your harvest.” “1 was a fool—a weak, good-natured fool—and too easily satisfied; accepted ten pounds for a service where I might have commanded twenty, I should have thought of my old age. Then I was honest, too. I had the fate of Peter Laws before my eyes.” “Peter Laws! And who was Peter Laws?” “ My fellow clerk, sir; one who was deeper in Mr. Prim’s secrets than any other human being. I have seen him, stern as he was to his dependants, turn pale when he saw that Peter had been drinking. We were sure to have a quiet day then, for he was the champion of us all. To show his power over his employer, he would sometimes request him, or rather command him, to give the clerks a holiday; and we Were sure to get it.” “ And what was his fate?” “A sad one—he was starved to death.” “ Starved !” “ You shall hear, sir. Mr. Prim had a choice stock of wine in one of the deep cellars under Pump Court; for he was not always the niggardly wretch he is now. Peter used to remain, sometimes late at night, with him ; on one eccasion, but this is only supposition, he is supposed to have sent him to procure a bottle. I have often heard the old porter, who died of asthma last fall, declare that he saw Peter’s master like a cat steal stealthily after him, and return with the key in his hand, but nothing is positively known regarding that matter. The next day and the next passed at the office; still no Peter made his appearance. Mr. Prim expressed at first considerable uneasiness ; his eye was restless, and his features nervously twitched whenever he mentioned Peter; but gradually he grew calm; at times absolutely jocose; indeed, during the days the poor wretch must have been dying, we frequently heard his low chuckle from the inner office——a sure indication he was pleased at something.” “ But how was the discovery made?” “Ten days afterwards, three or four gentlemen were invited to dine in chambers; it was an arbitra- tion ease they had to settle, and master used to ob- serve on such occasions that a good dinner was the best special pleader. Well, sir, the dinner was served, and the guests ready, when Mr. Prim ordered me to take the key of the cellar from his desk, and bring some wine, I looked and hunted, but no key could I find, Master pretended to join me; of course he was equally unsuccessful. But he knew where the key was all he time. Asa last resource, the locksniith was sent for to force the door. To our astonishment—for I was ordered to accompany him—we found the key in the lock outside. We entered; and never shall | forget the sight. There lay poor Peter, his face half gnawed off by the rats, which we heard scudding from their disgusting banquet as we entered. An alarm was instantly given, an inquest summoned: the coroner was a friend of Mr. Prim, who has a great partiality for inquests.” * And the verdict ?” demanded Hamilton, who saw at once how the affair had been planned and managed by the intriguing lawyer. “ Accidental death. It was supposed that Peter, whose drinking propensities were well known, had purloined the key of the cellar. It was supposed that he had left it on the outside of the door, which shut with a spring lock; and then it was supposed again that a gust of wind had in that close, leep passage— where I never felt a breath of air. and [ have trod it a hundred times—caught the door, and closed him in, CONNICLOO