The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 342: what you’re looking at

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

THE CRIME 311 has? It is little better than surmise on our part, for that letter doesn’t prove much, and is so vague.”’ ‘No, no, ma’am,”’ said the Burker, addressing himself to Mrs. Webber, ‘‘ it would never do to go on a mere wentur’. Whatsumever this Smith may have done, the loss of his purse might make him uproarious, raise the neighbourhood and send us all to limbo. The work must be done in quite another way.”’ “To be sure,” said Bab Smedley, after a little reflection; ‘“ Barney is right. Smith may have been, and no doubt is, a great rogue — ” ‘‘ And so let him be punished for his vickedness,’’ inter- jected the Burker; then fixing his horrible eyes upon Bab Smedley, whom he evidently regarded as the -supreme authority in that house, he said, “‘ Well, I s’pose your mind’s made up, and it’s for to-night? ”’ ‘‘It must be for to-night if it is to be at all,’’ responded Bab, “‘ for he said he was going away to-morrow.”’ ‘“ And I am sure he will too, if he is alive to do it,” said Mrs. Webber, “‘ for he was packing up his few things in his carpet-bag when I went to his room with the supper-tray.”’ ‘““ Now then, you two fellers,’’ said the Burker, as he filled himself another glass and thus addressed the Scotts, ‘‘ you’ve already got to thank me for having done a blessed sight more to keep you on with your edication than ever your own parents would have done if they was alive to take care of yer. And so as you’ve got on so well in what one may call the rudiments of your larnin’, I’m going to put you up into a higher class to-night and teach you another lesson. That was the reason I told you to come here on this partiklar occasion, and p’raps it is as well that there should be as much help as possible.”’ The two lads said not a word, but they seemed to have a perfect idea that some darker and deeper wickedness than any they had been yet acquainted with was about to be per- petrated. Bull Scott’s large goggle eyes stared in a sort of glassy admiration upon the Burker, whom he evidently re- garded as a very fine fellow, while his brother Tim leered with a horrible knowingness upon the same individual, — thus not merely indicating that he comprehended the nature of the deed that was to be done, but that he was all too ready to bear a part in it. EOMIGIOOKS (C(O)