The Mysteries of the Court of London by Pauline Clarendon — page 235: what you’re looking at

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

232 THE COURT OF LONDON The other two you can carry under your shawl or cloak, whichever you possess.” “Stay one moment,’ exclaimed Julia; and, quitting the room, she hastened up-stairs. In about a minute she returned, wearing her bonnet and cloak, and carrying a small bundle in her hand. She like- wise brought a piece of rope, wherewith the commercial traveller slung four of the bags around his body. The young woman took charge of the remainder of the treasure; and when she had ascertained, by peeping forth from the front door, that the coast was clear, she and her companion quitted the house together. On emerging from the court, Page directed Julia to guide him by the nearest route toward Tower Hill, where they entered a hackney-coach, which drove them, according to the instructions given, to a tavern in Farringdon Street. There they took up their quarters for the night; inasmuch as the commercial traveller knew very well that he would not be allowed to introduce his female friend to the George and Blue Boar, Holborn. On the ensuing morning, shortly after nine o’clock, Mr. Page and Julia Lighttoot crossed over the way to the Fleet Prison; and in that establishment they speedily found a parson, who, for the handsome recompense of half a crown and a gallon of ale, tied the matrimonial knot and pro- nounced the nuptial benediction. For at that period Fleet marriages were lawful; and thus the couple who had only known each other a few hours, were made indissolubly one. The reader may perhaps be startled at the circumstance of this ceremony taking place while the corpse of Julia’s father was yet above the grounds; but she was anxious on her part to nail a husband while he was in the humour to take her, and who, as she termed it, could “‘ make a lady of her;’’ while he, on the other hand, was equally solicitous to establish a right to that treasure which, until the nuptials were celebrated, belonged wholly and solely to the young woman. Thus all feeling of delicacy was superseded by selfish interest on either side. As soon as the marriage rites were thus performed by a drunken parson, assisted by an insolvent prize-fighter who fulfilled the duties of clerk, and in the presence of three or = CORNICE CO KS (Elo) m