The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 366: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER XXVI THE EMPTY HOUSE Every day since the night of the fearful murder at the Smedleys’ abode, either Bill Scott or his brother passed two or three times along Cambridge Terrace in the Regent’s Park, and looked up at a particular house, but on each occasion the observer went away with the air of one whe continued to be disappointed in something that he expected to take place. At length, one morning, Bill Scott beheld placards in the windows of that particular house, announcing that the stock of furniture was to be disposed of on the following day, according to the orders of the official assignee in the case of the bankruptcy of Joseph Preston. Bill Scott hastened homeward, and imparted this intelligence to the Burker. “ That’s right, my boy,” said Barnes, who was smoking a pipe and discussing a pot of porter at the time, “ J knowed the bills couldn’t be wery long afore they was posted up. But you’re sure that you and your brother hav’n’t dropped a word to them Smedleys about my setting you to watch that partickler house? ”’ ‘We hav’n’t seen nuffin of the Smedleys ever since the business of t’other night,’’ was Bill Scott’s response, ‘‘ and so we couldn’t ha’ talked if so be we had wished to do it, which we didn’t.”’ “You are clever chaps, both of you,” said the Burker approvingly, though the younger of his two adjutants was not present at the time to receive and acknowledge the compliment. ‘“ What a blessed thing it is for you fellers to have a chap like me which is as good as a father to you. When I think that I spent five pounds to give you each a bran-new suit of toggery, bought second-hand at an old 335 ,] COUN a IDOOKS (GO)