The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 161: what you’re looking at

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

140 THE COURT OF LONDON ‘““T shall,’’ returned the baronet. ‘‘ And now I think we understand each other fully? ”’ ‘’ We do so,” rejoined the Hangman. The baronet then took his leave, and Daniel Coffin hastened to secure the hundred guineas in some secret place where he was wont to deposit his ill-gotten gains. Then for the rest of the afternoon and evening he amused himself with smoking, drinking, and pondering upon the best means of obtaining ingress to Leveson House. It was about half-past nine o’clock at night when he secured his pistols, dagger, skeleton-keys, dark lantern, and other burglarious apparatus about his person, and envelop- ing himself in a capacious cloak, set off for the West End. It was half-past ten when he reached Albemarle Street, and he walked two or three times up and down in front of Leveson House, in order to ascertain in how many rooms lights were burning, and whether there were many people going out and in, so that he might form an idea whether the house was tolerably quiet or not. The result of his observation was that the mansion was remarkably tranquil; and on the front door being opened to take in a letter, the Hangman’s eyes, plunging into the hall, observed no one loitering there except the porter himself. Accordingly, a minute or two after the messenger had delivered the letter, the Hangman stepped boldly up to the front door and gave a sort of un- certain double knock, like the timid and hesitating summons of a poor tradesman. The hall-porter immediately opened the door, where- upon Daniel Coffin, with the coolest impudence imaginable, bestowed a familiar nod upon the official, as if to imply “ that it was all right,” and walked in without a word. The hall-porter remembered to have seen that ill-looking face before, for indeed, if once viewed, it could not very well be forgotten. He had seen Coffin, be it remembered, on the night that he called to obtain an interview with Lady Ernestina Dysart, and also on the morning when he went thither relative to Ariadne. Besides, as the porter was well aware that some queer characters occasionally visited Leveson House for the purpose of ministering to the intrigues of the marquis 1n respect to the fair sex, he was by no means astonished at seeing such an ill-looking fellow as Coffin make his appearance there. Moreover, remembering his Gomichboo CS (E(0)