The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 269: what you’re looking at

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

236 THE MYSTERIES “= body could drink—*e.™thousand in pictures, the veriest of daube—and all the rest was absorbed in what was called discount and commission. At last, when my name was so regularly worn out that not a discounter would look at it, Madame picked a quarrel with me, and we parted. The very next day I heard that she had picked up another flat whom she took to live with her. As for myself, being im- mediately arrested on some of the bills falling due, I was brought over to the Bench; and being uncom- monly hard up, I pocketted my resentment against Madame, and wrote to her to lend me fifty pounds, as I happened to be well aware that she had received five thousand two days before from her new lover. But she Jaughed in my messenger’s face, and told him to go about his business. To conclude, I have been three years in this place—and during that period have beheld the arrival, not only of the flat who succeeded me in the favours of Madame Pro- fligata, but also of four others who daring the in- terval have successively been ber paramours and her dupes. But never mind,” he exclaimed, as- suming an air of jollity which was not after all quite natural: “ we must take things as we find them, aud Hing care to the dogs !” “ Yes—that's the only maxim to be followed in a piace like this,” said the fitth individual. “TI sup- pose we have all been very gay and very foolish in our time. For my part, although now only in my twenty-sixth year, I have run through three for- tunes amounting altogether to a hundred and fifty thousand guineas. The first was left me by my grandfather—the second by an uncle—and the third by my father: but I had a mania for aris- tocratic acquaintances—and what with playing at dice with Dukes, at ecarté with Earls, at cribbage with Counts, and billiards with Baronets, I got so completely plucked that I at last fuund myself bere, and not a feather to fly with.”. “ And I suppose not one of your fine acquaint- ances has ever been in to see you?” observed the sixth individual. “Ah! that is just like them. Five years ago, on coming of age I inherited a furtune of fourteen thousands pounds; and a cer- tain fashionable friend honourei me with an intro- duction to his Royal Highness the Prince Regent. His Royal Highness, hearing I had come of age and inherited property which was at my own dis- posal, was pleased to smile upon me most gra- ciously. The next gracious mark of the princely favour was a very gracious invitation to a select supper at Carlton House, where I was introduced to five or six of his Royal Highness’s boon com- panions. After supper his Royal Highness was most graciously pleased to propose dice ; and while playing with me, I could not help noticing that his Royal Highness was no mean adept at securing a die—or in other words, cheating most flagrantly. But who could tell a Prince that he was a down- right sharper—especially such a gracious Prince as that, who robbed you before your very eyes in astyle so well becoming the first gentleman in Europe! Asa matter of course I submitted with the best possible grace to be thus graciously fleeced of all I possessed: and after five or siz select little suppers at Carlton House, I was as thoroughly cleaned out by that same gracious Prince as it was possible for man to be. Finding myself thus agreeably and pleasantly ruined, and ealling to mind the numerous promises which his OF THE COURT. a Royal Highness bad so graciously made to provide for me, I ventured to call at Carlton House and explain my exact position to that gracious Prince. He listened with his wonted suavity of look while I frankly declared how penniless I was and be- sought him to lose ne time in fulfilling his gene- rous intentions by bestowing a situation upon me. ‘ And so you have got no more mony” his Royal Highness was most graciously pleased to observe.— ‘Not a farthing, sir; I answered.—‘ Then, damn your eyes,’ he exclaimed, becoming quite purple in the face, ‘ what the devil business have you here —and turning upon his heel, he rang the bell for me to be shown out. Reduced to despair by this proceeding, and being painfally brought to the conviction that his Royal Highness was the most wngracious Prince in the world, I plunged head- long into all kinds of dissipatiom to drown care. Dissipation led to extravagance—extravagance to debt —and debt to the King’s Bench, where I have been for the last four years, and mean to stop be- cause [can manage to pick up a guivea by hook or by crook within these walls, which I should be somewhat puzzled to do outside.” Our readers will not have failed to observe that despite ail their previous blusterings, vapourings, and boastings about well-filled purses, lost purses, lent money, cheque-books, and so forth, the half- dozen gentlemen really and truly were redaced to the sad alternative of living upon their wits, even within the walls of a debtor's gaol, where it might be thought that every body's wits were too sharp to permit the possibility of being lived upon by avy save their owners. It will likewise have been observed that when once the half dozen comrades had induced the Colonel to treat them to the negus—or rather, had succeeded in obtaining it in his name—they very freely put him in possession of the incidents of their past lives. Finally, as their tales and conversation served to while away the Colonel’s time, he encouraged their garrulity by a fresh supply of negus; and in this manner did the party continue chatting and drinking until eleven o'clock, when the lights were put out in the Coffee-room. . Malpas then weat up to bed: and the six friends strolled forth “to make the tour of the whistling shops "—or in other words, to visit every room where gin (prohibited by the gaol-regulations) was sold on the svy. CHAPTER LXIX. A SCENE IN THE DARK. WE must now return to Jocelyn Loftus and Laura Linden, whom we left together in the dead of night and io the utter darkness of a chamber at the Pre. fecture of Police. The reader will remember that the young lady declared it to be utterly impossible for her to pase through the opening into her own apartment: and it had been agreed that she was to remain io out hero's chamber until daylight should enable thes to enlarge the aperture—for be it recollected thiyt they dared not light the candles again after the eo =—_——EE» - ae «== SD ee peremptory command and undisguised menace of the watchman. qn )=— Sy OE, The moment Jocelyn thus found that it was ab- \ COMNNICMOokKS GORt