The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 369: what you’re looking at

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

————— a a hp | | THE YOUNG DUCHESS; OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. 355 drinking and smoking were ready prepared upon the table. ‘*T coulda’t come before, Tim,” said Jack Peppercorn, as they sat down together: ‘I only got back from the country an hour ago; and while I was getting a bit of summut to eat, the slavey at my lodgings delivered the message you had left for me. What's in the wind? Anythink good 2” ‘“‘ Fow’s the cash department with you, Jack ?” demanded Gaffney, without immediately answering his friend's question. “At low watermark, Tim. I traced the feller as took me in with that horse-transaction and t’other matters, down as far as Ashford, and there 1 lost sight of him; so I come back no better than I went—but perhaps a little the worser. And you, Tim ?” ‘Why, you know, Jack, the night I got so in- fernal drunk at the boozing-ken over in South- wark, that blackguard Irish fellow picked my pocket ” “Well, well, 1 know that, Tim—and you swore a oath as you'd never rest till you'd ferreted him out. My eyes! wasn’t you wild, Tim ?” ‘And wasn’t it enow to make a chap wild—so many good bank-notes changing hands in such a cursed fashion! But I wasn’t wilder than you, Jack, when that horse-chaunting scoundrel let you in, and then not satisfied with swindling you out of half your blunt, set them two skittle-sharping fellows to rob you of the rest.” “Well,” said Jack Peppercorn, making a wry face, “‘I ’spose the long and the shert of it is, Tim, that you and me is both in the same ease— regularly sewed up, with scarce a feather to fly with, and deuced little better off in the world for all them fine affairs which we had a few weeks ago, with Dukes and Duchesses, and that ere un- beknown cove which sent us down into Dorsetshire ta Squire Ponsford’s,” “You've put the matter just as it stands, Jack,” replied Mr. Thomas Gaffney :—and here we may parenthetically remark, that though his Christian name was really Thomas, yet he was usnally knawn as Timothy, or plain Tim, by his comrades —a change of nomenclature being not altogether uncommon amongst gentlemen of his dubious avo- cations. “Then we are both what's called stumped, Tim?” remarked Peppercorn; “ and I s’pose that you Wouldn’t have sent such a pressing message for me if you hadn't got some nice little business in-hand ?” “That's about it, Jack,” responded Gaffney ; ‘‘and Pm werry much deceived in my man if you ain’t the chap as is game for the transac- tion.” “Tell us what’s to be done, Tim, and you'll see that I shan’t flinch. Besides,” continued Pep- percorn, ‘even if one’s courage wasn’t screwed up uncommon tight, this hungry state of the pocket would soon goad and aggrawate a feller into all sorts of bravery. But what's in the wind, Tim?” he again asked. Mr. Gaffney slowly expelled a long whiff of smoke from between his lips; and then fixing his eyes with ap almost solemn degree of significancy upon his companion, he said, “Jack, I’ve made a diskivery—-and I mean us to profit by it, The Unbeknown is no longer unbeknown.” OEE TON BR I AT I EN A ce “D’ye mean the chap that sent us off into Dorsetshire on the Ponsford business ?” “The same,” rejoined Gaffney. ‘ You recal- lect I told you that I wasn't at all sure about him —I didn’t know whether he himself was Rupert Pringle or nopt—I didn’t even know his name, or where he lived—he gave me the appintment on one of the bridges 4 ‘And to do him justice,” interjected Jack Pep- percorn, ‘‘ he paid you the price agreed upon for the little business down in Dorsetshire, although you hadn't got the papers to hand over to him. That was what I cali deing the thing handsome, Tim—and I said so at the time.” ** Well,” observed Gaffuey, with a peculiar dry- ness, ‘‘if you’re so deuced well pleased with our customer, it’s werry likely you'll hesitate to enter into the buginess that I was a-going to pro- se.” ‘‘T don’t understand you, Tim,” replied Pepper- corn. ‘J never had no scruples yet—and I don’t think I’m likely to become a wictim to any veak- ness in that kind of way just at present. But does this Unbeknown now want us to do summut so werry desperate that you thinks as how I shall flinch ?” ‘t In the first place, I tell you,” replied Gaffney, “that he’s no longer a unheknown; and in the second place I must make you understand that Wwe are not going to vork for him, but in a certain sense against him.” ‘‘ Well,” said Peppereorn coolly, “if anybody else will pay us better-———” ‘It's not that, Jack. I doubt whether any one can pay us better: but there’s a slight difference betwixt the feller’s paying us of his own accord, or without his will.” ‘Ah! now I begin to twig,” said Jack Pepper- corn with a knowing leer. ‘Go on, Tim.” “Why, the long and short of it is,” pursued Gaffney, ‘this Unbeknown, as we used to call him, is a werry rich genelman—or miser, they say, with lots of tin—and his crib is worth the crackiag.” ** Then let us crack it,” said Peppereorn. “ Who is he ?” ‘‘ His name’s Casey; and he lives up in Hatton Garden. I found this out the day before yestar- day. It was quite by accident. I was going along Holborn, when I saw a cab pass—-and who the deuce should be init but my friend the Un- beknown, as he still was at that hour to me. I saw it turn into Hatton¢Garden. Then my genel- man got down, walking werry feeble and looking werry pale, as if he had been ill; and he stops to quarrel with the cabman about his fare for five minutes—so I'd a good stare at him from a dis- tance, and was sure | couldn't be mistaken. Well, in the evening, I makes inquiries when it was dusk, and finds out who my genelman is.” ‘Then he’s not Rupert Pringle arter all?” said Peppercorn. ** How should I know? or what does it matter tous? Perhaps Casey is a false name: perhaps it isn’t. It's all the same to us.” {don't know that,” said Peppercorn thought- fully. “If so be he's raly Rapert Pringle, we night get out of him by threats as much or more than we shall by wiolence,” “Nonsense, Jack! I’m ashamed on you for your hignorance!” replied Gaffney. “ Suppose SS rename OTC OOO) 4 Colin