The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 132: what you’re looking at

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the bed-side of the dear man,” continued the astute ! villain; “and youl! have to force grue’, brandy- and-water, and wiiat not, down his throat. of - Course you'll be alone-witty him—and a good dose of : the Heir’s Friend will put him ont of the way alto- } gether,” added the Big Béeggarman, sinking his i voice to: the lewest audible whisper, while his a wep etn ae SUT" 7 Er et Ee Fee ee eee ae Wea eee a ee hideous countenance expressed all the diabolical significancy of his dark design. “ Now do you see my meaning, oid gal?” ° “I do,” answered Carrotty Pol], in an equally sabdued and sombre tone. “ Anything more?” “To be sure!” resumed the miscreant, expe~- riencing an infernal satisfaction at the evident ap- proval which his project met at the hands of his faughter. “Towards morning you'll alarm the whole house with your dreadful shrieks—the land- ord and landlady will go rushing in—and your poor dear husband or brother will be no mere. The doctor will be sent for—al! attempts to restore him will be useless. He'll hem and hah—‘ of immersion tn water, and so forth ; and then, for family reasons, you would rayther there shouldo’t be a inquest. A five pound note will hush up the affair: you get a shell to-morrow— he’s put in it— you take him away to Briggs’s—and before night he’s under ground. Meagies and Jady Letitia may then go and inquire after him as much as they choose.” ‘But what excuse shall you make for having locked ’em up till to-morrow night?” demanded Poll. “ Why—they can’t possibly couple my conduct ' towards them with this affair of Ramsey,” answered the Big Beggarman: “because they don’t suspect that you or I had anything to do with it. In fact, they don’t know who the man is—nor whether he came in the water by foul play, or accident, or of his own accord. JI shall therefore tell them that there was something in their manner! didn’t like— I thought it looked suspicious—and I was fearful they were laying a plant to catch the Magsman for some reason or another. I'll have a conversation with them to-morrow night on the subject, and then pretend to be convinced by their arguments that they meant really nothing but what was straight-for’ard and fair. Oh! leave me to deal with them: you play your part well—anud we shall get out of this scrape as nice as ninepence.” “Very good,” observed Poll: “Til go up and dress at once.” * And mind you disguise yourself as much as possible,” said the Beggarman. “ Never fear,” was the response. “Tell the Kinchin-Grand not to go away, as I shall want him to take me over in the wherry.” “ All right !” exclaimed her father ; and, opening the door, he stepped into the bar, while his delec- table daughter hastened up-stairs to arrange hor toilette. Jo half-an-hour she descended again into the little parlour; and the Beggarman, observing that she was there, went in to satisfy himself that her disguise was sufficient. He had not the slightest fault to find. Her hair was dyed a deep colour, aod was carefully arranged in bands: her com- plexion was darkened to an olive hue ;—her very and lashes were stained Slack. She was well dressed—largely padded, v, as to create an artificial fulness and plumpner.s wh'ch she did not THE MYSTERIES. 119 naturally possess—and, in fine, had effected such 9 complete transformation in her appearance, thas her own father would not have known her if they had met accidentally ia the street, and if he had Pahl seen her accomplish the same change be- ore. “ That will do. splendidly !” exclaimed the reffian, his countenance expanding into a grin of delight. “Have you got the—you know what f” “ The phial is here,” she answered, significantly tapping the wadded bosom of her silk gown. “ Now, help me on with my cloak :—and put up my hood in such a way that it shan’t tumble my hair. Those people in the public room musn’t see that I am going out such a swell at this time of night ; neither must they notice that I’m so changed and pranked up. There—that’s right. Now, is the Kinchin« Grand ready 7” “He’s gone down to wait for you at the pier, . answered the Big Begyarman. “I thought it was better that he should not be seen following you again—as he went out with us in the early part os the evening.” “ Good,” observed the woman: and, having re- ceived some money of her father, she quitted the boozing-ken—her head being so completely can- cealed in the hood of her cloak, that no one noticed the altered appearance of her features. The Big Beggarman then sate down in the bar, to smoke his pipe and drink his hot brandy-and- water—while the seedy waiter dispensed the liquors to the various revellers. We must now re@grn to Meagles and Lady Letitia Lade, whom we left at the moment when they found themselves locked in the chamber whither they had been allured under the false hope of meeting Joe the Magsman. “It is easy enough to tell me to cheer up, Tim,” said the Amazon, in answer to the observation which her companion made, and which we recorded at the end of the preceding chapter: “but I really can find little to be cheerful for. Neverthelesa, J am not going to cry—nor yet yield te despair. What do you think is the meaning of all this?” “I can begin to read the matter—dimly, it is true,” replied Meagles, in a subdued whisper : “ bat. still I can see a glimmering which promises to lighten the darkness enveloping this treachery.” ~ “ And what ave your suspicions @” inquired the huatress, as she leant upon his arm. “Did you observe nothing peculiar in the ruttian’s- manner when we were telling him the story about the rescue of that gentleman from the water ?” said Meagles. ° “It struck me once or twice that his remarks. were singular, and he even appeared troubled,” returned Lady Letitia: “bat I fancied that he was experiencing a deep interest in the narrative.” “Such was the construction which I put upon his words and conduct at the time,” said Meagies : “ but now that I begin to reflect seriously upon it all, I am convinced that the fellow was in some way OF another connected with the affair of that gentle- man. He asked so many questions, and seemed su anxious to glean every particular, that the thing louks very suspicious; and you may depend upon it, we should never have experienced this treachery | or been thus ensnared if we had not told the scoundrel the story of our adventure.” “ It was certainly ridiculous on our part to imagine. sec eg te SC SE COMIC OOO SS co