The Mysteries of London, Vol. IV — page 281: what you’re looking at

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

276 THE MYSTERIES OF LONDON, that you let mo worm out of you all that had hap- pened—although you was precious chary of making a confidant of mo. You remomber that I couldn’t believe you at fust—I looked on you as a perfect mudmau. Thinks I to myself,‘ There’s a precious Iu-nattic just ’scaped out of Bedlam:’ for how was I to fancy that you’d raly been robbed cf such an smount, living in a cellar as you was?” “ But you believed meat last—you saw that it was all true and correct,” exclaimed Torrens, perceiving that it suited the man’s humour to talk on the subject. “Well, I did,” réturned Vitrio] Bob: “and now,” he added, tapping his breeches pockets significantly, “J hare got plenty of proof that you didn’t tell no lies. But, Lord bless ye! you could have done no- think without me: you would have sat down quietly under your loss. But I told you that I’d find the old voman out, if so be she was in London at all; and sol did. The description you gave mo of her was notto be mistaken—’specially by a genelman of eggs-sperionce like myself. [ went about all over London, looking for her; and then, behold ye! arter all she’s living within a stonc’s throw of us, aS one may say. By goles! I never shall forget how my heart jumped in my buzzim when [ clapped eyes on her yesterday, as she came out of the coffeo-house: but you don’t know how I found out that she acti- wally lived there ?” ‘‘ No—I do not,” said Torrens, observing that his companion bent upon him a look of mysterious im- portance, as much as to invite a query that should furnish him with the opportunity of giving an ex- planation relative to tho point alluded to. “ How did it happen, then ?” ‘‘ Why, when I sce the old voman come out of the coffee-house, I went straight away to my blowen— that’s Pig-faced Polly, as she’s calfed—and I tolls her to go to the place, take tea and toast, and wait till she found out whether the old voman lived there, or not. ButI orders Polly not to make in- quirics, for fear of eggs-citing suspicion. Well, my gal did as I told her—and waited, and waited a good long time; and when she’d had three teas and four or five buttered toastesses, she see the old voman como in, and she hears the landlady come out and say, ‘ Here’s your key, Mfrs, Mortimer.’ Then up goes Mrs. Mortimer—for such her name seems to be—to ber room; and Pig-faced Poll returns to me with the hintelligence. I knowed that my game was now safo enough; and it was me which dewised the plan of our going as officers with a search-warrant, when we'd watched the old voman teare the coffee- house this morning.” ““Yos—yes: I know that you did it all,” said Torrens, terribly alarmed lest he who experienced the lion’s share of the trouble, should now claim the lion’s share of the booty. “But how long shall ye be obliged to remain here? I am in a hurry to get away—with my share—my fair share of my own money——” “Your own money, indeed!” ejaculated Vitriol Bob, with a chuckling laugh. “ Was it your’n when Mother Mortimer had it safe in her own box? And I should just like to know how you fust come by it? Not honestly, I'll swear, old feller. Such a geedy-looking cove, living in such a way as you was, couldn’t have got near upon six thousand pound by wot’s called legilimate means. But that’s neether here nor there: I don’t care two figs how you got the tin—and if I ask no questions, I shan’t have no lies told me. Von thing is wery certain— that I’ve got it now.” “ But—but—vou surely—my dear friend-—you—” stammered Torrens, absolutely aghast at the idea of still remaining a beggar. «Come, let’s have no more of this drivelling non- sense,’ interrupted Vitriol Bob, in a tone of un- mitigated contempt: then, as he refilled and re- lighted his pipe, ho observed, “‘ Why, you have been in a fidget and a stew all day, ever since we secured the swag at the coffee-house. Don’t you see, my dear feller, that people in our sitiwations must act with somethink like common prudence? The old yoman may rouse hell’s delight about her loss; and that was why I thought wo’d better keep our- selves scarce for atime. So I made you stay close with me at the flash lodging-ken in the Mint all the arternoon till it was dusk; and then I brought you here. And here,” added Vitriol Bob, “we are safe enow: ’cos only Pig-faced Poll, Jack Rily, and one or two others of my pals knows anythink about this place being my haunt when I’m afeard of getting into trouble;—and there’s no danger of them splitting on us. So far from that, the Pig- faced will be sure to como hero presently, when she finds I don’t wisit her own quarters this even- ing; and she'll bring a basket of prog along with her—so that we shall have a jolly good supper in due time. Drink, old feller!” Thus speaking, the ruffian refilled his own tum- bler, and pushed the brandy bottle across the dirty table to Torrens, who did not, however, touch it— for his glass was only half emptied; and he expe- rienced such lively sensations of alarm, that he felt as if his brain were recling and his intellects were leaving him. There he was—a feeble, helpless, weak old man, entirely in the power of an individual whom ho know to be of the most desperate character, but with whom he had joined in companionship only through the hope of recovering at least one-half of that treasure to gain which, in the first instance, he had imbrued his hands in blood. There he was —alone with thatemiscreant, in a place the aspect of which was sufficient to fill his attenuated soul with the gloomiest thoughts and the most melan- choly forebodings,—alone with a demon in human shape, in a ruined and desolate tenement, t aug- ment the cheerless influence of which superstition had lent its aid,—alone with a very fiend, in a Haunt the omincus features of which were dimly shadowed forth and rendered more hideous by the dull, glim- mering light of the solitary candle with its long wick and its sickly Mame. ‘“Well—what are you thinking of and why don’t you drink ?” wero the words which, suddenly falling on the old man’s ears after a pause, awoke him as it were from a lethargy—a lethargy, how- ever, in which the mind had been painfully active, though the body was motionless—petrified ! © T—I—was wondering how long we should have | to remain here,” stammoered Torrens, starting as iff” shaken by a Strong spasm or moved by an electric shock. “T asked you the question just now—and—and you did not give me a reply.” “ Well—it all depends, my fino follor,” answered Vitriol Bob. ‘‘ Three or four days, perhops——” “Three or four days!” almost shrieked Torrens. “T shall die if I linger so long in this horrible place t” (CO) 5} GIOOKS (CO) >