The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

.*-.-——— SSS THE MYSTERIES. 7 former; and in breathless haste he assailed the ' inmates of half a-dozen dwellings—for it was now driver of the latter with a host of questions. nearly eleven o’clock—he was on the point of “Which way is he gone?—where has he hidden | giving up the pursnit in despair, when stiddenly he himself? —what did he say?” recollected the lane to which the driver of the “Who dy’e mean?” demanded the coachman | yellow coach had aliuded. belonging to the yellow vehicle. “Well, I won't be beaten yet awhile,” be mar- “ Why—your fare, to be sure,” answered Page: | mured to himself: and away he sped along the “the gentleman in the cloak {” lane, not pausing to reflect whether the constables * Well—he didn’t say mush,” was the respense ;/ were following him, nor whether, if he did succeed “only when he happened to twig that you or some | in overtaking the fugitive, he could possibly secare ene with ye was hanging. half-way out of that | him without their assistance. eoach, he instantly called out to me to stop, tossed | On therefore rushed Mr. Page, as if he himself me a guines, and cut off.” " were porsued by the offivers of justice ; and heaven “But ia which direction?” demanded the impa- | knows how long he would have thus exercised his tient commercial traveller. speed, had he not suddenly been stepped by a huge “ Al! thene you bother me,” returned the man, | fellow, whom he encountered at a turning in the evidently feacing with the question. lane. The moonlight fell upon as villanous a “You mean that he gave you a guioes not to | pbysiognomy as ever one wouldexpect to meet out - answer any questions?” cried the astate Page. | side of Newgate ; aod the commercial traveller was “ Come—here are éwo; and now tell me the truth.” | by.n0 way reassured when a more attentive exami- “ Thaok’oe kiadly, sir,” said the jarvey, leaniwg | nation of the man mide him acquaioted with the down frum his box to.reogive the gold which Page | fact that he carried a great clab-stick in his hand. handed up to him; then haying clatehed the reward | The result was inevitable, and just what onr roa- he added, “ But it's preeiows little information I oan | ders might sappose. Mr. Page was compelled to sur- give you, sir. All I know is that when the gentle- | render his purse, bis watch, and his gold ring upon man jumped out of the coach, he cut across the | theapot; andthe robber, not satisfied with this booty toad and was out of sight in a minute. Whether he | igsisted upen searching his victim’s garments. turned down the Hine there—or whether he went} A mortalterror now came over the miserable into one of the little gardens in front of the houses | commércial traveller; for all in an instant it flashed close by, I really can’t say. But it must have been | to his memory that he had about him his pocket- one or tiother—for he disappeared in a jiffy.” beok containing bills of exchange aod other docu- “ And thata all yom can tell me for the two| ments of importance, which he had received guineas!” exclaimed the irritated commercial tre- | during the last week of his tour, and which be- veller, longed to his employers, Messrs. Hodson and Mor. “Every bit, sir,” respended the man; aud whip- | ley of Wood Street. ping his herses as he thus spolce, the yqllew-vehicle | ‘‘Come, now,” excigimed the ruffisn,as Mr. Page rolied zapidly away. exhibited an inclination to offer resistapce to the * Perdition!” cried Page: “ he has fairlyswindled | attempt at personal search,—“uone of your gam- m6! Bataever mind—I shell nos give up the chase | mon with me; or I'l) dash your brains oat!” —s@follow me, my asen, es quick as. you ehoose.” And seizing the coller of the writhing victim with And conceiving that it wan net werth while to } one hand, he brandished the olub in a menaciog return into the.vehiele in order to aceomplish the | manner with the other: so that Mr. Page was foreed listle dietanpe to the spot where the object of pur. | tosurrender at discretion. The pocket-book wasac- ewit had descended from the yellow: ceack, the | cordingly discovered by the thief in the course of a comesercial traveller took t his- heels--rushing | few moments; and when he had hastily glanced om along the road like a madman. . ite contents by the moonlight, he said in an abrupt Grint and Sacesby, supposing that Page in- | tone of “ Bills of exchange—eh?” teudei them tu f.liow him likewise on feet, new | -“Y-e-s,” replied the miserable Page, who was lsapt-out-of the vehisie; but. the cosehmen, sull- | shivering from head to foot, alike through cold denly impressed with the idea shas hie. fare were | and terror. eadenvousing to bNk.him, bouaded from the box,| “ Well—they’re of more use to you than they aud laid a vigorous grasp open the colleraof the | are to me,” continued the robber; “and so you éwo constables. may have the book back egain for fifty guineas.” An aflereation new 400s . place: which “ Fifty guineas!” repeated the auhappy commer- cial traveller. “I havn't got a farthing left about -}me, You have taken my purse, which contains ten or a dogen guinessa——— feusdal chet if-he ones paid: the meacy,he shoeld| A miserable trifle!” exclaimed the robber. act be able to recever: it. again from Me. Page. At} “Is it worth your while to give fifty guineas to leagth the two consesbler deturmined upen re-enm | have the pocket-book back, with‘al! its contents, tesing the vehicle and driving sheer the commercial | just as they are?” traveller ; and this plan was.avesedingly adopted.| “ Worth my while!” cried Page, a ygieam of hope In ¢he meantime Mr. Page, having resehed shat | breaking in upon him even through the bisck cloud part of the road where he fancied dhat the object-of | of hie present misfortune: “to be sue it is, I should nursuit must have sought concea!ment somewhese | be ruined — utterly rumed—if I didn’t recover oy other, began to knoek at evesy deor in the row of | it.” houses with the gardens in front; bus to hie reite-| “ Well, then, "said the man,“TTitell youh owweean rated question whether a tall gentleman in a eloak | mansge the affair. To-morrow nicht at nine o'clock, had ject taken refage there, he was.met by a deel- | precisely. you must be walking about at the begin- sive negative. At length, buvingthosdistarbéd the ning of Tooley Street—juat wee Tendon Bridge. ‘ GORMGOOOKS