The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 234: what you’re looking at

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

TWO FRIENDS 207 ble, and he sat with his back toward those objects while discussing the gin and water, the cigars, and things in gen- eral. “Why, how long is it since you and I met, old fellow? ” asked Bealby, when they had begun to make themselves comfortable. ‘‘ A matter of six or seven years,’’ was the response. ‘“ I was just fresh upon town then — green, uncommon green, but I’ve picked up a bit or two of experience since.” ‘You was a lawyer’s clerk then,’ said Bealby. “ Yes, but I devilish soon cut the law,” replied Ben Limber, ‘‘ and went upon the stage. I starred it a bit in the provinces as Mr. Sidney Howard Fitzplantagenet, but I soon got tired of that sort of business, and have been knocking about the world in various ways, till, betwixt you and me and the post I’m pretty near knocked down altogether.” ‘“‘ Well, we must see if we can’t knock you up again,”’ re- sponded Bealby. “It will be a devilish hard thing if two clever chaps like you and me can’t put our heads together and do something good. You talked of your experiences, but they are nothing like mine. Why, my history would make such a book as never before was read! ”’ “ Well, what have you been doing since you and I last met? ”’ inquired Ben Limber. ‘You should rather ask what I have not been doing,”’ rejoined the other. ‘“‘ I’ve dabbled in everything. Let me see, what was I when you saw me last? ”’ “You had just gone through the Insolvents’ Court, you know,” answered Ben Limber, with a laugh, “ and you was in high feather.”’ ‘‘ Ah, to be sure,”’ observed Mr. Bealby, ‘‘I was getting up an insurance company at that time. I’ll tell you how it was. I was three months in the Queen’s Bench before I went with flowing canvas through the court, and in the Bench I met half a dozen capital fellows, who agreed to join with me in — starting the insurance company. So we soon had everything ready cut and dried, and we gave ourselves our respective situations. I was to be resident manager, with a salary of four hundred a year, another was to be actuary, two others were to be auditors, another was to be vice-chairman of the board, and a lushing blade of a fellow was to be surgeon. So the moment we all got out we set to work and established ECORnICLOOOKS (C(O) im