The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 218: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. 27 oheerved Tugs. “It was a pity it didn’t turn out better for you.” “For my part I was precious savage at the dis- appointment,” remarked the Cannibal. “Taking all that trouble and running all that risk without gottiny a penny by it!” “Well, it was perwokin’, no doubt,” said Tugs, as he filled the three glasses from the bottle. “But I my, who is that Lady Bees, as you call her? I never see her afore. What a smart-looking creetur’ she is.” “And doesn’t she look well in that there dress she wears!” exclaimed Mrs. “What a elegant-fitting frock-coat! It gave her quite a man's look—except about the bust, which is rayther too full tu let the disguise be complete. I should think she must look uncommon well in her own proper dress—I mean when togged as a woman.” “I never see her dressed in any other way but as she was last night,” observed the Cannibal. “She is a queer creature, no doubt.” “Do you mean she ig a rum un as 8 woman?” asked Tugs. “ No—not in that sense,” replied Chifin. “I never heard anything against her: quite t’other way—for it is said she hasn’t even the feelings and passions of her séx—no lovers, and therefore no intrigues. Such is what they say of her: but I be- eve precious few really know anything about Lady Beas.”’ “She's quite the lady,” said Mrs. Tugs. “And what a nice-spoken creatur’ too! One would think she was a person of quality—quite !” “TI should say she’s quite the gentleman,” observed Tugs with a laugh. “Her manners is so good, and she has such a sort of off-hand way with her, it’s quite pleasant to hear her talk and observe her hat- titudes. She’s a dandy after her own sort: but yet not one of them kind of dandies that you'd like to kick all along a street. What do you think, Chiffin ? You know more about her than we do.” “I know deuced little about her,” responded the Cannibal. you saw her last night—firat-rate spirits, and with that sort of jovial frankness and open-heartedness, as one may ssy, that somehow makes you like her. And then, although engaged with her in business that puts you on a sort of equality, you can’t help feeling t!:e whole time that you are with a superior. That woman exercises what we may call an ascendancy over one; and however much you mayn’t like te acknowledge it to yourself, still you can’t help feel- ing it. Did you notice what a pair of eyes she has? don’t they seem as if they could pierce you through and through ?” . “ I never saw such splendid eyes in all my life,” said Mrs. Tugs. “And what teeth too! I should | lower and more think the handsomest and proudest young lord in’ the land would be glad to get a kiss from such lips | | never would have took it s0 quiet—he’s not the “‘ And I think that if he was to attempt it,” re- | as them.” plied Chiffin, “he’d get Lady Boss’s whip protty comfortably over his shoulders. At least, if all I have heard tell about her is true, that she hasn’t get the feelings of the sex——” “ How extr’ornary !” said Mrs. Tugs, apparently im ® musing emptied her glass, except two or three drops whieh she let drain down the baby’s throat. “T see that the little creetur’ likes blue-ruin as well as his ma,” observed Chillin with a laugh: but there was something horrible and ferocious even in the most good-humvuured laugh which Mr. Chiffin could possibly assume. “Tes natur’,” said Mrs. Tugs. “Natur makes us all love lush from our wery birth. Lord bless yer! I’ve seen smalier babbies than this von suck down the blue-ruin just as if it was their mother’s milk. But what more about this Lady Bess that Im quite interested in? If so be sho was raly a man, I should make Tugs jellus. Where does she bide ?” ’ “Ah! that she keeps precious dark to herself,” replied Chiffin. “But I know that she is mostly seen about Edmonton and Tottenham; and one or two of my pals have twigged her more than oneo riding about them neighbourhoods in a lady’s dress —a habit as they call it,—and looking quite elesant and tip-top like. There must be summut very rum about that woman’s history !”’ “There must indeed, from all you have said,” observed Mrs. Tugs. ‘‘And so she actually docs business on the highway? Whata bold dashing creetur’ she must be! If I was a rich young gen’elman I shouldn’t at all mind being robbed by such a highwayman as that. You don’t know, then, what made her take to the mad ?” “Not I” responded Chiffin. ‘“ All that I know about her I’ve told you.” “And so the adwenture of last night turned out a failure, didJit ?” said Tugs as he filled the glasess again. “Oh! o precious failure,” anewered Chiffin: “nothing got by it! But I wonder whether this precious Madge is coming to-night. I am deucedly in want of the fresh air——” “Why don’t you take a little stroll along the towing-path P” saidTugs. “The night’s dark enow, and you ain’t likely to meet any unpleasant cus- “She's always in just the same mood | tomers. If Madge comes we can keep her till you return.” “So I will,” observed Chiffin: and having tossed off the contents of his glass, he ascended from the | eabin, stepped ashore, and sauntered along the bank of the canal. “Now, Polly,” said the Blue-ruin Carrier when he and his wife were alone together in the cabin, “has no hidear struck yoa at all ?”—and he louked very hard at her. “You mean that Chiffin’s got money about him ?” replied the woman, returning the Wok. ‘That's just what I do mean,” said her husband, drawing closer towards her and speaking in a atill significant tone. “I'm sure he has; and I don’t believe for a minute that the affair of last night turned out so queer. Chiffin chap.” that’s what I thought,” responded Mrs. Tugs. ‘“‘ And now, d’ye know why I took and questioned him so much about Lady Bese?” “ Woman’s coorosity, I s’pose,” was the response. “Woman's fiddlestick!” cried Mrs. Tugs. “ it strain. “TI know blessed well I’ve got ' was just to see whether Chiffin would speak in a all them ere feelings :”—and as she thus epoke, to ' way to show he had been disappointed with Lady al) appearance in a very sentimental mood, she Bess last night. If he had, it would have appeared a _ , CONIC OOOKS.EO