The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

Babylon are covered. with a plague-mist of | the vicious courses which she Jed, though her forth ? was bloated aud precociously matared from the sanfe squalor, and And yeta thousand towers, | cause;—and her features indicated a compound 6! low cunning.and brazen assarance. She was koowh portion of the name being acquired from the faét ‘that this wretohed young giz) had been well aud evd> tenderly brought up until about the age of twelve, when she was enticed away from her home aril parents by some vile old woman; and ever since slic had clung to the life of dissipation and profligacy which we now find her pursuing. It wanted about twenty minutes to the midnight hour, when Mr. Page, dressed in the shabbiest suit of clothes which the porter at Hodeon and Morley's had to lend him, and with his face and hands pur- posely smeared over with dirt, entered the Kinchi- Kena. But searcely had he reached the threshold of the door opening into the front room, when the scerie that burst upon his sight produced such a poignant eleemosynary principle | sensation of loathing, that he stood for a few mo- At the time of which we are writing, there were | ments almost motionless with mingled surprise, numerous public-houses and boozing-kens of the | horror, and disgust. For simultaneously as his eyés vilest description in Grub Street: but none was were seared by the spectacle of half-naked girls ard more notorious, with an evil renown, than a certain | wretched boys wrepped in rage, all engaged in « name implied, it was a resort for juveniles of both of many tongues, all enunciati of thie pinnacles, and spires point up to heaven, and in- dicate the houses of God and the of worship. Oh! what have the myriad fatand bloated pastors which is so extravagantly paid by cempulsion, bat to the sphere of Dissent, which is sustained uncisting eexes, — boy-thieves and prostitutes: of the most | most obseene, filthy, and profane description. In fact, tender age; and no phase of human depravity was the Beggar's Staff was-a perfect paradise compared exhibited in more appalling hues even at the Beg- | with this pasdemonium that now broke upon his Ue are epoaking nx of Profigacy of which "lene covered ene stews seen at the former . appeared angels of light in contrast with the Let the reader picture to himeelf a small room, J enile cpecimmens of bratained humanity that mon filled with rude tables and ruder forme,—then, aninner- huddled together in the Kinchin- Ken. unbeknown,” exclaime twe,—the | thieves, catching sight of Mz. Page: “we'll male him stand a pot or two, or I'm jiggered! Come in, old feller—don’t stand on nothink like cezemony— we'll make room for yer.” Page, recovering his self-pestession, instantly ae- the invitation thus blurted forth at the tap of a voice which sounded like an asthmatic bag-pipe; the dilthy garments and immediately three or fear little wretches of empty. if tae ear lad j-balgti arcbapehet hammer | fer this goed company,” Page, throwing into table when-| meaner and volvo as much “ Well—-what.is it now?” demanded that indivi- cuelvebe wats chert thie, disty old mmm, with We may as well observe that his pasamear whe leoxs. about his-own age: her face was pale and sickly with| © Hees a filler as is getae'tb ctand beary vet for Sees Ng beeiennnseenpeeaeeenees * Literally “ Children’s-house.” 4 Chilliren-'Thieves. © Micheter means “ Lady.” Lr EEEEEE——EEE——— EEE en CORNICE OOO ©) CO