The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 135: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER IX THE MOUNTEBANK WE must now return to Ramsgate, to take up the thread of our narrative at the moment when we left Christian Ashton rushing out of the Royal Hotel, after having so earnestly bidden Edgar Beverley await his return. Our young hero had a particular aim in view, for it will be remembered that he had just been suggesting to his new friend the necessity of communicating with the imprisoned Laura at Verner House, in order to ascertain by what means her interests could be served or her escape effected. He had bethought himself of the mountebank with whom he had that day conversed in the streets of Ramsgate relative to Baron Raggidbak, and he was now speeding in search of that public performer. He had proceeded some distance, in the joyous excitement of the idea which had thus struck him, before he began to reflect that it was scarcely probable he should find the mounte- banks displaying their antics at that time in the evening, for it was now past nine o’clock. He relaxed his pace, and took time to breathe and to deliberate. In a few moments an individual passed him at a somewhat rapid rate, and he recognized the unmistakable form of the starveling Baron Raggidbak. He was about to rush after the ex-groom of the stole, when he beheld that once high and mighty nobleman plunge into an obscure court, and he was immediately lost to our hero’s view. ‘He must live with the rest,’’ thought Christian to him- self, “‘ and they therefore must be dwelling hereabouts.”’ He accordingly turned into the same court, but his progress was almost immediately arrested by several persons of both sexes that came pouring forth from a public-house; and though the group was small in number, yet it was quite 112 ECORNICLOOOLKS (E(0)