The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 263: what you’re looking at

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

246 REYNOLDS’ WORKS corduroy breeches, very loose and baggy. A fustian shooting- jacket, or else a cutaway green coat, with tarnished metal buttons, constituted the varieties of this portion of his cos- tume; his waistcoat, which was generally of that green and yellow striped material worn by stablemen, came very far below his waist. A blue kerchief spotted with white, better known as a “ bird’s-eye,’’ was loosely folded several times around his neck, the ends being crossed over the front of a shirt which did not bear too narrow a scrutiny in respect to cleanliness. This neckerchief came nearly up to his mouth, so that his chin was usually buried in it altogether; and this was not merely the case in winter when it was cold, but like- wise in the summer, even in the dog-days. His hat was a sort of chimney-pot shape, but having seen such good service that the crown bulged upward, thus giving a conical appear- ance to the article. He was of middle height, strongly built, of muscular development and compact proportions. ‘The expression of his countenance was that of thorough deter- mination; indeed, a more daring, resolute-looking kind of a person it would be difficult to meet, and in this respect he quite equalled Chiffin the Cannibal. His eyes were dark and piercing; he had a snub nose, a very wide mouth, short, ragged whiskers, and his hair was so uneven that it appeared to have been hacked about by a pair of blunt scissors wielded by some drunken barber, the last time it was cut. He had a habit of resting his right hand upon his hip and assuming an attitude of boldest decision when engaged in conversa- tion; and he likewise looked fixedly up with an insolent stare of defiance in the countenance of whomsoever he might wish to make an impression upon. In his earlier years he had been connected with the turf, expending thereon the few hundreds of pounds which he inherited at the death of his father, who was a tradesman. He had then hung on, for some time, to the skirts, so to speak, of those individuals with whom his sporting proceedings had thrown him in contact, so that he was said to have “ cadged”’ for his living; hence the surname he had acquired. Of late years, however, he had sunk down very low, and had turned his hand to anything desperate, had fallen amongst the vilest of associates, had become the flash man of such a disgusting woman as one of Widow Burley’s daughters, and might there- fore be classed amongst the foul refuse and most loathsome CONNIE OO KS (E(0)