The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

MOTHER FRANKLIN 13 mayn’t fall into the hands of any other Bow Street runner.”’ Larry Sampson certainly was very far from being prepared for all this information, but he outwardly manifested no surprise. Surprised he however really was to hear that Daniel Coffin had managed to obtain admission to his secret chamber; but what he was now told in respect to Nell Gibson only confirmed certain suspicions which he had previously entertained relative to the purport of three or four visits which she had paid him. “Now, Mrs. Franklin,”’ he said, ‘‘ I see that you are telling me the truth; and here’s ten guineas for you,” added Larry, counting the gold pieces down upon the table. ‘‘ The next thing you must do is to let me know how you happened to discover all that is going on, and why you now come and betray the matter tome. Do this, and you shall have another ten guineas upon the spot.” For years and years past the wages of crime had not been so abundant at any one period for Mother Franklin as the harvest which she was now reaping, and with a chuckle of delight she secured the first ten guineas about her person, and then proceeded to give those explanations that should ensure to her the second ten guineas. “ Well, Mr. Sampson,”’ she said, “‘ the truth is that Nell Gibson has always been harsh and bitter toward me, and I hate her, —I have long hated her. Then the Hangman, too, he jeered and taunted and laughed at me one night, and I swore to be revenged, for I hate him also. So, seeing that he had something secret to say to Nell Gibson, I listened at the door. Ha! ha!” laughed the hag, with her hideous cackle, ‘““my ears were sharp enough then, I can tell you; and as luck would have it, no one disturbed me in the passage all the time I was listening at the door. So I heard everything that passed, that’s how I came to know what was going on. Ever since, — for this was more than three weeks ago, just at the beginning of November, — ever since then, I say, I have listened and watched and peeped and peered at all that was going on, and what with catching a word now and a word then, and hearing a bit of a whispered conversation at one time and a bit at another, I found out that the plot was still going on agin you, that Nell Gibson has been to you several times with a rigmarole tale, and that she fancies you Cconnicloooks (C(O)