The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 205: what you’re looking at

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

182 REYNOLDS’ WORKS now agitated him. The safety of his own life appeared to be within his reach, — but what if the Burker should still escape him? He flung his glances hurriedly up and down the street; not a policeman was to be seen. He looked again toward the Burker, and he now beheld him in dis- course with a strange-looking old man, whom our readers will recognize as Jonathan Carnabie. Again did the gold- beater fling his glances around, but still no policeman, — and he did not dare leave the spot, he did not dare lose sight of Barney the Burker for even a single minute, lest that minute should be sufficient to enable him to vanish alto- gether. Jonathan Carnabie had now finished his second bargain with the Burker, and was moving away; he was coming in the direction of that extremity of the street where Jack Smedley posted himself. But ah! the Burker was retreating in the opposite direction. The gold-beater’s first impulse was to give the alarm, to cry “ Stop thief!’ and thus set numbers upon his track. But a second thought convinced him of the impolicy of this proceeding. In the first place, the Burker might possibly escape. Smedley was not well acquainted with this particular quarter of the town, and he knew not what by-streets might lead off from the main one along which Barney was now proceeding. And then again, it was Just possible that it might not be Barney at all, but a veritable Hebrew who had happened to wear a costume precisely similar to that which Smedley had lent to his accomplice. All these considerations passed with lightning speed through the mind of the gold-beater, and for a few instants he was bewildered how to act. A thought however struck him, and he accosted Jonathan Carnabie. ‘You were talking to that old Jew?” he said, with quick utterance. | ‘“T was buying pastilles of him,’’ responded the sexton, somewhat startled by this abrupt .address from a total stranger. “Did you see nothing queer in his look, sir?’’ demanded Jack, — “ nothing of a hangdog expression of counte- nance ?”’ ‘Well, I did not take particular notice,” replied Jonathan, “but now that you mention the circumstance — ”’ ‘Did he look like a Jew, sir?’’ exclaimed Jack Smedley. CORNICLIOOKS (E(0)