The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 368: what you’re looking at

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

THE EMPTY HOUSE Bol ‘¢ Why, my mother took on so that what with gin and grief she turned up her toes one fine morning, and the parish was so uncommon kind and had such a respect for her memory that it purvided her with a funeral free gratis for nuffin. But my grandfather —he was the chap, Bill. He could turn his hand to anythink. I’ve heerd my father sit for hours and speak in admiration of his father afore him. That was the great Mr. Barnes, that was — the pride of the family. He was a horse-stealer.’’ “ And a wery good thing too,’ said Bill Scott. Yes, but that warn’t all. He was a coiner into the bargain,’’ continued Barney the Burker, as he thus eulo- gized his ancestors, ‘‘ and what’s more, he was the smasher of his own manufactured blunt. When times was bad in that way, and the markets got glutted with base coin, he took to another perfession. That was thimble-rigging, and he thought nufhn of making his ten-pun’ note in a day at a country fair or market, or on a race-course. And then he was a perfect genelman in his habits, went to bed drunk every night of his life as reglar as clockwork.” ‘‘ And how did he end? ” asked Bill Scott. ““ As a genelman should,’”’ responded the Burker; ‘“‘ he went out of this life in the least possible space of time when St. Sepulchre’s clock struck eight one serene morning in May, and he didn’t struggle more than half a minute as he danced on nuffin in the presence of five thousand genel- men and ladies which had collected together to do him honour. Now that’s what I call being a great man, and I may be excoosed if I appear rayther wain of that ancestor of mine, the great Mr. Barnes.”’ “Ah, I should rayther think so,” said Bill Scott, ad- miringly. “Why, you see,” continued the Burker, as he smoked his pipe in a leisurely manner, “ it’s the natur’ of human beings to be proud of their ancestors. Wasn’t we reading in a veekly paper t’other day that there’s some great dukes —I forget their names again — which is as proud as pea- cocks ’cos why their great, great, great-grandmothers was what they call ladies of easy wirtue in the time of King Charles. So with the glorious example of the aristocracy afore my eyes, I may be allowed, I hope, to have a nat’ral pride in my own ancestors.” COUN a LOOKS (CO)