The String of Pearls; or, The Barber of Fleet Street — page 258: what you’re looking at

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

Se See aut a e = 9B) wt ro THE STRING OF PEARLS, ~~~ oe stem es “s ie ae etn Sin cette Re — we ctl acacia e ee seme ne ne A RS NY ESE ARE et ea heen era * Sire? “Stop. What anodd thing. Why, you are very—very——” ‘“« Very what, sir ?” said Todd, making a hideous face. ° Like the duke, or my fancy leads me astray. Wait a bit. Don’t move.” - Mundell placed his hands over his eyes for a moment, and then suddenly withdrawing them he looked at Todd again. “Yes, you are like the duke. How came you to be like a duke, the villain. Oh, if I could but see my pearls.” “What duke, sir ?”’ | ‘| would give £500—no, I mean £100, that is £50, to know what duke,” screamed Mundell with vehemence. Then suddenly lapsing into quietness, he added—‘‘ Shave me. ‘Shave me, I will go tocourt, and St. James’s shall ring again with the story of my pearls. Lost! lost! lost! Did he abscond from his wife with them, or was he murdered? I wonder? 1 wonder ?—£8000 gone all at once. J might have borne such a loss by degrees, but d—n it——” ‘“< Really, sir, if you will go on talking about pearls and dukes, the shaving brush will go into your mouth, and there’s no such thing as avoiding it.” ‘‘Confound you. Go on. Shave me and have done with it. Oh, dear! Oh, dear ?”’ _ John Mnndell now contented himself by uttering drawn sighs, with now and then the accompaniment of a hideous groan, while Todd lathered his face with great affected care. ‘The sighs and the groans both, however, ceased soon, and Todd became aware that the eyes of John Mundell were fixed upon him with a steady stare. No doubt, the usurer was recalling bit by bit to his memory the features of the sham duke, and comparing them with Todd’s. To besure, upon the occasion of his visit to Mundell! Villa, Todd had taken every precaution to disguise his features; but then it must be admitted that the features of the barber © were rather peculiar, and that John Mundell was professionally a more than ordinary keen observer, and thus it was that, as Todd lathered away, he became more and more impressed by the fact that there was a startling resemblance between Todd and the nobleman who had borrowed £8000 upon the string of pearls. . oe | _ © What’s your name?’ he said. §« Todd.” «* Humph ! a well-to-do man ?” “Poor as Job.” on ‘‘ How very like youare toa great man. Do youever go tocourt? I think— Jam sure I have seen you somewhere.”’ ; | “ Very likely,” said Todd, “ for I often go there.” ‘What, to court?” | | | ** Nay, sir, not to court, but somewhere. Will you have the whiskers left | just as they are, or taken off entirely, sir ?”’ al | ‘Tap! tap ! came at the chamber door, anda boy peeped in. saying— “« Please, sir, the tailor has brought the things.” Saree : ¢ Ble , SS eee ae es “ae = ————— ES re eles 2 ——s- S —. are om eee ——— aint —— Ss ° ————— a Se ee ¥ , =—= eS een a Se Nt ee es CHAPTER LIII. THE MURDER OF THE USURER. ‘Comer in! Come in! More expense. More losses. As if an honest man, who only does what he can with his own, could not come to the court with a hope of meeting with a civil reception, unless he were decked out like a buffoen Come in. Weill, who are you ?”’ ts | «‘ Augustus Snipes. sir, at your service. Brought home the clothes, sir. The full dress suit you were so good as to order to be ready to-day, sir.’ . eee eaten penne REP ITN AEE NOE eT A a 2 SI IS PSIG LPT TEE TE BN I tT RI TIO i. aaa ¥d comicbooks.com