The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 300: what you’re looking at

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

THE BURKER 269 over the wall again, he passed out of the narrow alley, and betook himself toward his own dwelling. This, as already stated, was in a court leading out of the New Cut, which is a large thoroughfare connecting the Waterloo and Black- friars Roads. Entering a house in this dark court, — the atmosphere of which, although in the winter-time, appeared to breathe infection, feculence, and filth,— Barney the Burker ascended to a back room, where two lads were seated at a table playing a game of dominoes. The room was wretchedly furnished, and had two beds spread upon the floor. One was the couch of the Burker; the other was for the use of the brothers. Bill Scott, the elder, was a most singular-looking being: his ugliness was sufficiently ludicrous to provoke laughter, were it not that the entire expression of his countenance denoted deep innate villainy. He was not above eighteen years of age, and his face seemed that of an old man. It was pale and haggard, and even prematurely wrinkled, with the effects of a career of dissipation commenced early and continuously pursued. The very hair had left all the upper part of his forehead, and where it remained on the rest of the head, it was thin and lanky; being too of a light flaxen colour, it might at the first glance be taken for gray, thus adding to the aged appearance of his countenance. He had large goggle eyes, a little snub nose, very much resembling that of his precious preceptor in the ways of wickedness, immense ears, and a mouth of commensurate proportions. In shape he was almost as thin as a skeleton, and his voice, in its weakness, showed that it had suffered beneath the same attenuating influences which had caused the waste and premature decay of his physical being. His brother Tim was about fifteen, of somewhat stunted growth, short, stout, and thick-set. He also had light hair, which was as matted as that of the Burker himself. There was a certain degree of similitude between the brothers, with the exception of that air of old age, haggardness, and ghastly pallor which charac- © terized the elder one. In addition to their game of dominoes, they were recreating themselves with a quart of porter, to which, however, Bill Scott most frequently paid his addresses. “So you’ve come in, have you?” said the Burker, as he entered the room. ‘‘ And now what luck, boys? ”’ Gomichboo cS (EO)