The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 370: what you’re looking at

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

THE SMEDLEYS AGAIN 339 Rodney’s trial? And it would have been madness for us to have thought of a move, — suspicion would have been excited in a moment. But after that girl Rodney’s trial things looked better for us, though they went so dead against mother.”’ “Yes, I know the detective said at Lettice Rodney’s trial,”’ observed Jack Smedley, ‘“ that he had nothing to allege against our respectability.” ‘“ Well, then,’”’ continued Bab, ‘‘ it was better for us to go on living here, but when two or three weeks back people began asking how it was that the old lodger of ours dis- appeared so suddenly in the winter — ” ‘‘ Ah! that was the thing that began to frighten me too,” interjected the gold-beater, ‘“‘ and then came the news of the Burker’s escape, and the fright we’ve been in lest he should come here to get us both into such trouble that we could never hope to get out of it —”’ ‘“‘ That is nothing,’ interrupted Bab, ‘‘ in comparison with the other thing we were speaking about before you went out to meet those Scotts.”’ “Ah! you mean your mother? ” said Jack Smedley, with a significant look, at the same time that he drew his chair closer to his wife. ‘‘ Do you— do you really think,” he asked, with a very ot face, ‘ that the old woman is likely to peach? ” ‘““T didn’t think so at first,’ answered Bab, “or else I shouldn’t have insisted that we were to remain here. But lately, the more I’ve thought over the matter the more I am convinced there is everything to be dreaded in that quarter. There’s no use disguising the fact, Jack; you never was a favourite with mother, and as for any love for me, her daughter, it’s all nonsense. If she thought she could do herself any good by turning around upon us and telling how two or three have gone down there —”’ “ Yes, yes —I know,” said Jack Smedley, shuddering, as his wife pointed in a downward direction. ‘“‘ But the quicklime —”’ ‘Well, the quicklime has done its work long ago,” in- terrupted Bab, “ even in respect to that man Smith, or Preston, I should say — ”’ ‘‘ By the bye,” interrupted Jack, ‘“‘ what have you done with his letter,— you know, — and also the packet of COMMICLOO© SS (CO)