The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 125: what you’re looking at

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

106 REYNOLDS’ WORKS himself, as his thoughts had wandered back to the narrow iron bedstead, the hard mattress, and the horsecloth coverlid in the gaol whence he had escaped. “ I’m not a native of this here willage, though as respectable for a poor man as any that is.”’ ‘“‘ How came you here? ”’ asked Jonathan, bluntly. “I’m out of work,’”’ responded the Burker, as indeed he was out of the work which constituted his ordinary occupa- tion before his capture. “I’mon the tramp. I was passing through the churchyard, I saw the light, but not being afeard of ghostesses, I peeped in.”’ ‘““ Not afraid, eh? ”’ said old Jonathan, to whom this was at once a recommendation on the Burker’s behalf. ‘More afeard of the living than the dead,” replied the Burker; ‘‘’cos why there’s a many people in this world as goes about like roaring lions seeking how they may dewour innocent and unwary chaps like me.” ‘Rather pious after your own fashion? ”’ said Jonathan Carnabie. ‘‘ Wery pious,” responded the Burker, “ but unassuming, unpretending, doing whatever I’m bid without axing a ques- tion, and uncommon strong and active at work.” ‘‘ And where do you come from? ”’ asked Jonathan. ‘From Gowler, — a good way off,”’ replied Mr. Barnes, so that this vague response might have embraced any point of the compass and any conceivable distance. ‘But where from? ”’ inquired Jonathan, who though to a certain extent simple-minded through having dwelt all his life in that village, was nevertheless precise and circumstan- tial enough in his babits to require definite replies to his questions. ‘*T’m a Lincolnshire man,” said the Burker, with a tone of uncommon frankness. ‘“ As I have already told you, I’m out of work. The last job I did was for Farmer Nuggans, — perhaps you have heerd talk of him? ”’ “TI can’t say that I have,”’ responded the old man. “ But you had better step around into the church, and we will talk over the matter here. A few steps to the right will bring you to a little door, and the light from the vault will guide you.”’ Jonathan Carnabie evidently thought that the vault was the most comfortable place to sit and discourse in, and it was perfectly indifferent to the Burker where he deposited him- GOmMiGcdooks (E(0)