The Mysteries of London; or, Lights and Shadows of London Life — page 344: what you’re looking at

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

842 “ But have you no fear?” rz) None. »? “ No remorse?” “Still less. The world has see me like a cur, I turn upon it when I can. Let me see you by one o'clock ; my plans will be then matured. But, above all, be cool and collected. Let no weak tremor, no girlish sinking of your heart, betray you. Remember,” he added, seriously, “the stake for which we now play, if lost, must be paid upon the gallows—a pretty jinale for Richard Wilmott, the once wealthy mer- chant, and his accomplished friend Frank Faddle!” The speaker carefully descended the stairs, followed by his companion, whom he let out of the house as secretly as possible, after a cold shake of the hands; for he felt it was useless longer to keep up the ap- pearance of friendship. Experience had taught them both this bitter truth, that honour is the soul of friendship. The vital spirit fled, nothing remains but to bury the worthless carcase. “So,” said the master of the lodging to himself, ee as soon as he regained his apartments, “ Fortune has played me one of those \slippery tricks with which she delights to overturn the best calculated schemes. Five thousand pounds gone, through that canting rascal! No matter. While there are fools in the world I need not despair of replacing it. Instead of pining over my loss like a boy, I must set about re- trieving it like aman, Courage and resolution often recover the game which despair would give up as lost. This night’s work has at least given me the means of Once more trying the hazard of the die. Lady Wilton, too, is another winning card. All is not hopeless yet.” Lighting his cigar, he continued to pace the reom till Dick made his appearance, when he immediately entered into a familiar conversatioa with him, gradually leading it to the subject he most dreaded, yet wished to bring it to. It was not long before they perfectly understood each other; but this time the servant had the better of his master, for‘he stipulated that the proof of the forgery he had years before com~ mitted should be given to him—positively refusing, upon any other conditions, to second his design of implicating Hawk in the murder, Faddle reluctantly found bimeelf obliged to. yield the point, Next morning Dick, who was sauntering—o/f course by accident—near the river, side, heard from a knot of gossiping old women and men that a murder had been committed over night, and an inquest was at that moment being held at the sign of the Green Dragon, in the Westminster Road. Having nothing to do, he made the best of his way to the house,; and went into the room where the jury were viewing‘the body, which ‘was laid out upon a table for their inspection. “An ugly mark,” observed one of the men, point- ing to the deepest of the two gashes in the breast of the unfortunate victim. ‘*This will prove Old Bailey werk, or I am mistaken.” “Perhaps it is a suicide,” observed another. The coroner shook his head doubtingly. To his ex- perienced eye the wounds were not the work of a self-destroying hand, Besides, he had heard the statement of the Thames policeman. “ Good God!” exclaimed Dick, with well acted astonishment, “if it is not the gentleman I saw las} night leave Major Hawk’s party! Well, how sin- gular!” Every eye was turned to the speaker, who was directed by the coroner to attend him to the jury- } Toom. THE MYSTERIES OF LONDON, “ Now, my good nian,” said the as the court was opened, “what do you thew pe | this melancholy affair?” | “1? Nothing.” “ You said just now that you saw the deceased leave | the house of a certain Major Hawk.” | “ And so I did.” | ‘* Who is Major Hawk?” “A gentleman, He keeps a gay house—a sort of club. In short, gaming is carried on there.” | f “ A very suspicio:: locality,” observed the coroner “ And pray what were you doing there?” “ Waiting for my master and his friend, Mr, Wile | mett, with the cab,” 4 ** And who. pray, is your master?” a “Captain Faddle, a gentleman well known upon e turf. He has horses at every race, from the Derby t Goodwood, I thought everybody had heard of Captai: Faddle,” Several of the jury had heard of him, and one, @ noted money-lender, inyuired, rather suspiciously, i the captain left before or after the deceased. “ Before,” said Dick, boldly, for he had been instructed in his replies, “You did not drive your master home, then ?” “No, sir; he was in a precious ill-humour. 1 heard him say to his friend that he had been done ont of fifteen hundred pounds by some stranger at lans quenet. When I drew up, he damned me for a fool fe not haying put the cloth on the mare, and said, ash was hot and excited, he would walk home through th park to cool himself,” “And why did you remain,” demanded the fo man of the jury, “after your master had given y such an order?” Dick simpered and tried to put on a bashful ai began to speak, and then hesitated. “Answer the question,” said the coroner, § “or I shall commit you.” ‘‘ Because [—J——” “Because what?” impatiently demanded the | tionary. “Well, if I must speak the truth, I had ag the cab with me—oaly to talk toa bit, and—but hope you won’t tell master, he would be so angry- that detained me,” aa This was stated with such an air of and simplicity that both the jurymen and the core were satisfied. They smiled at the poor fellow’s cor fusion, and took down his words, *‘ And how soon after this did you see the decea leave the house?” Ser * About an hour.” “You then drove home?” “NolI didn’t, I stopped a few minutes to girl goed night. Just as I was driving off, ] Mr. Hawk, muffled in his cloak, leave the er follow him towards the Hall,” This statement, so naturally made, drew t to Mr. Hawk, of whom, after Dick’s description of sort of house he kept, neither jury nor coroner e tained a very favourable opinion, The bill-discounter, however, was not so satisfied. He demanded, as the night was so la how he had been able to identify Mr. Hawk if he w muffled in a cloak, 2 “ By his black whiskers,” replied the witness, “ What! in the dark 2” ‘8 “Oh, there’s a large lamp over his door, with | on it,” Gomirecbooks com 7 » & TUALNITOIT Sea mM