The Mysteries of London; or, Lights and Shadows of London Life — page 81: what you’re looking at

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

- ———— Dime wie Past thy ae y/ } ni Ad » >) Le "nh ihe te under the ignominious necessity of explaining their predicament, The destination they had in view was, however, reached at last; and picking their way through the heaps of vegetables that, being just unladen from the market-carts, were piled up in fresh green pyramids upon the broad area of Covent Garden, they took refuge from the jokes and jeers of the basket-women in the cofiee-house close by, and braved manfully the ae of a progress down to the little parlour at the How the two eventually got home was never dis- tinctly understood by Mr. Chuckers, but it was be- lieved between them, according to the best of their recollection, that they really did procure a cab, and travel to the residence of Mr. Grigg; and that, con- sidering the distance had been reduced within a shil- ling fare, that individual had actually been able to advance the money to defray the expense. It was also supposed that they managed to recovor a great portion of their original costume, and that the first re- quest made by Mr, Chuckers, on completing his toilet, was for the cooling agency of some ginger: beer or soda- THE MYSTERIES OF LONDON, die i ~ UNL — i ee a - 73 | ae ; ~ . ' « th ee > ~ N § NY | i il a — il HTT) Mui ‘| yi , Hh MM oo nt (il | water. But all these incidents were so dimly remem- bered, that it may be better to confine ourselves to the simple statement of the following facts, which are known and incontrovertible. Suffice it, then, to say, that having reached their own abode about an hour afterwards, they stole away secretly and privately to their respective chambers, and that in the course of a few minutes’ rest which Mr. Chuckers obtained, he felt his bed several times march up to the ceiling, and his body at intervals not appearing to follow those movements which are reconcileable with the ordinary laws of gravity. The sensations of Thornton, under similar circum- stances, were of the same wild and incongruous nature. He fancied that the earth rocked violently to and fro, and that he was spun round and round with successive gyrations, as though impelled by some invisible power. Suddenly the air became filled with phantoms, thronging up around him, and decked in the costume of every country. At one time their forms were blended in a confused and indistinct mass, and at another they soparated into individual identity, gradually expanding in size, like the figures pic- $$ 10 FOURTO FA OOO S (E)