The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 240: what you’re looking at

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

TWO FRIENDS 213 scribed myself as a lessee, and that was sufficient. ‘It is con- sidered that every lessee or manager of a theatre may go through the Bankruptcy or Insolvents’ Courts as often as ever they like, and they are always objects of sympathy. The commissioner complimented me on not having had to insert the salaries of any performers in my schedule, — which was not however astonishing, as I had never em- ployed any. However, I got off with flying colours, but with scarce a shilling in my pocket.”’ ~“ And what did you do then?” inquired Mr. Benjamin Limber, who was evidently much interested in his friend’s explanations. ‘Why, just at that moment there was a grand festival going on in Paris, so I advertised that Mr. Bealby, the well- known manager of excursion trips, offered to take a party over to Paris, paying the first-class railway fare thither and back, lodging and boarding them for a whole week at a first- rate hotel in the French capital, and supplying every luxury for breakfast, dinner, and supper, — all included for twenty guineas a head. Well, I contracted with the railway, and I had fifty subscribers to my party. We started,—this I was obliged to do, because according to agreement I was to collect the money at Dover. And you may be very sure that I did collect it there; but by some extraordinary mistake I took my place in a return train immediately afterward, and instead of going any farther on the way to France, I found myself supping again very quietly in London that same evening.’ Mr. Benjamin Limber laughed uproariously at this last escapade of his friend Mr. Bealby, who himself jae in the mirth. “And what did you do next?’ inquired the younger gentleman. “TI found there was such a terrific exposure in the news- papers,” was the reply, “so many indignant letters were written, and so many unpleasant threats were promulgated about having me up before the lord mayor, that I deemed it expedient to take a trip into the country until the storm blew over. Unfortunately I got excessively drunk one night amongst a party of gentlemen somewhat sharper than my- self, and when I awoke in the morning I had not a single shilling left. There was a distressing position for a man of EOMIGIOOKS (CO)