The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

8 REYNOLDS’ WORKS Will you let me go into the next room for a few mo- ments?’ asked Sycamore, hastily. ‘* Not if so be as there’s a door on t’other side,’ responded Mr. Withers. ‘“‘ There is not,’’ answered Sycamore; “ there is this door, and there is the one upon the landing —”’ ‘But what do you want?’”’ asked Withers, sulkily. ‘““ Never do you mind what the gentleman wants,” said Shadbolt. ‘‘ Wait an instant, sir.”’ Thereupon he skipped toward the door of communication, in order to peep through the keyhole and ascertain whether there was a door or not at. the farther extremity of the adjoining room. But as he popped his head suddenly down, he caught the twinkling of an eye on the other side of the keyhole; then that eye was abruptly withdrawn, he could see into the next room, and he beheld a young gentleman rapidly retreating toward another young gentleman who sat at the table. ‘Your friends have twigged you, sir, I am sorry to say,” observed Mr. Shadbolt, turning away from the door and addressing himself to the prisoner. ‘“‘ They have been listening, sir, for I saw an eye, and where an eye can peep an ear can plant itself.”’ Mr. Sycamore gave utterance to an oath expressive of his bitter vexation and disappointment. The fact is, he had intended to take advantage of the generous offers just now made by the two young gentlemen. The forged bill for which he was arrested was for five hundred pounds, and he had purposed to represent to those young gentlemen that he was in the custody of sheriffs’-officers for a debt to a similar amount, so that if he could manage to obtain that sum from them he would have a chance of hushing up the affair immediately on his arrival in London with the detectives. But this hope was now completely overthrown, and scarcely had Mr. Shadbolt announced to him that ‘“‘his friends had twigged him,’”’ when he heard the bell down-stairs ringing violently. It was the bell of the adjoining room, and the waiter was not very long in answering it, inasmuch as he had been nearly all the time upon the landing, with his own ear applied to the keyhole of the sitting-room where the above-described scene with the officers had taken place. “Our hats, waiter, immediately, our hats!” the two CORNICLIIOOKS (E(0)