The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 236: what you’re looking at

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

TWO FRIENDS | 209. . “ Quite intelligible, my dear fellow,’ said Mr. Bealby. ‘“‘ T inserted an advertisement in a newspaper offering to in- struct any one who sent me five shillings’ worth of postage- stamps in.the way of making three or four pounds a week. On receiving the stamps, I sent half a dozen practical re- ceipts, —one for making cheap ginger-beer, another for soda-powders, a third for pomatum, a fourth for a dentifrice, a fifth for an antibilious pill, a sixth for a cosmetic, and so on. Now observe: the advertisement cost me seven and sixpence; it brought me twenty letters containing the stamps, that was five pounds. Deduct the expenses for advertise- ment, the little printed slips of receipts, the stationary and postage for replies, and I had at least four pounds eight to put into my own pocket.” “That was a lucrative chia? observed Ben Limber. “Why did you give it up? ”’ “Tt gave me up,” answered Bealby; “ it wore itself out. A number of other fellows imitated the trick; they cheap- ened the thing, they only asked for a shilling’s worth of stamps, and so it soon ceased to be worth while to carry on the business at all.’”’ -“ Well, what did you do next? ’”’ inquired Limber. ““T opened a servants’ bazaar,’ responded Bealby. ‘‘ But how the deuce did you make a connection amongst servants? ’’ exclaimed Limber. ‘“‘ T never did make any. I charged half.a crown for regis- tering each name in my book, and, you see, it was all clear profit.” ““ Well, but those who aid expected recommendations to places? ”’ “Yes, and they got ics too. I copied the addresses of persons advertising in the morning papers for domestics, and that was the way I managed.”’ | ~“ But the thing could scarcely last,’”’ said Limber. “No more it did,’’ replied Bealby, with a smile, “ or else I should be carrying it on now. I was rather too fond of some of the pretty servant-girls that came to pay their fees, and betwixt you:and me, Ben, the concern was suddenly broken up by an unpleasant little incident which occurred.”’ “How so?” asked Limber. “The fact is, I was had up before the magistrate on an accusation of trying to. snatch a kiss from a certain pair of EOMINGIOOKS (CO)