The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 259: what you’re looking at

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

232 REYNOLDS’ WORKS underwent a complete transformation, which was rendered all the more perfect by the jetty moustache, artistically affixed, and concealing the defect in the miscreant’s upper lip. The Lascar garb was assumed, and Mr. Barnes felt him- self to be a new man. Benjamin Limber now returned, with a morning news- paper, in which there was a paragraph of only a few lines in respect to the Burker’s escape; for the lateness of the hour at which it had occurred prevented the penny-a-liner who reported it from entering more elaborately into detail. It recorded the bare fact, with the addition that in spite of all the efforts of the police the miscreant had not been dis- covered up to the hour when that paragraph was written, namely, at about one o’clock in the morning. ‘‘ Everybody is talking of it in Covent Garden Market,” observed Ben Limber, “ and the general impression is that you, my man, must have managed to get safe out of London. One thing is very certain, the police are altogether off the scent, for telegraphic messages have been despatched along all the lines, and three or four detectives have gone off in different directions. This is what I heard in Covent Garden, and so you see your continued presence in the neighbourhood of the scene of your exploit is not suspected.” ‘‘ All this is most favourable,’’ observed Bealby. ‘‘ And now, my man, into the box with you, if you can stuff your- self in.” The glass front opened like a door or lid. Bealby raised it, and the Burker, assisted by Ben Limber, laid himself down in the coffin-like case. He completely filled it, and he growlingly muttered something about ‘ having his limbs precious well cramped before he got out of that cussed box again.” ‘“ At all events it is better than dancing upon nothing,” observed Ben Limber. Mr. Bealby broke out a small fragment of the glass in one corner of the lid, for the purpose of letting in the fresh air; then the lid was closed and securely latched. A ddan ties of old rusty green baize was spread upon the floor, and while Ben Limber raised the head of the coffin-like box, Mr. Bealby proceeded to wrap the stuff around the case so that it cov- ered the glass lid. A quantity of twine was wound around and around the coffin, in order to keep the baize in the ECORNICIOOKS (E(0)