The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 230: what you’re looking at

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

op ~~ v7. Ou _— — oo af THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. 219 this fellow is far more in my power than he fan-; “ Well, it was exactly two thousand pounds, all cies himself.” in bank-notes,” answered the Burker. “As you Madame Angelique quitted the chamber; and | may werry well suppose, I was astounded when [ the merchant, without releasing the Burker from | come to diskiver the amount; and as some of the his prostrate position, hastened to say, “I have | notes was werry high ones—fifties and hundreds, I siready told you on what conditions I am inclined | megna—lI thought they wus of no more use to me to deal mercifully with you. Speak!—give me/ than the elephant was to the old genelman when the explanation I have sought.” he won it in a rafile. Howsomever, I recollecsed “I will, sir,—trusting to your goodness,” re- | an old Jew that did a little business in that way— eponded the false Lascar. “You see, the fact is, | I mean who changed bank-notes without asking sir—and there’s no use in denying it—I thought } no questions; so off I posted to him. But what as how the aight you had that grand party would | does the old scamp do but he gives me a lot of little be a favoureble one for me to doa little business | notes, all five pounders—telling me he was only in my way; and so I went to have a look about | charging a hundred pounds for the job, and that I the premises: for it sometimes happens, you | might think myself devilish lucky in having fallen bnow, that genelman’s servants theirselves has no | into such hands. And ao at firet I did: but then, objection to what we call a put-up affuir——-that | behold you, sir! whea I afterwards tried to change means an arranged and planned robbery. Being | one of the five pun’ notes, the shopkeeper said aa raytber akilled in reading people’s countenances, [ | how 1¢ was 8 forgery and roared out for the pulice, could pretty easy tell which servants you may talk | If I badn’t given him a tep over the head and to in a particular way, aod which you may|knocked him down senseless behind his own not ” counter, it would have: been all up with me. * Weil, well,” interrupted Sir Frederick Latham, | Howsomever, I got clear off: but every one of the “you were lurking about my house the night of | notes the ruscally old Jew had given me, was bad the party. What next?” | "uns. J went to bis quarters in the middle of the “I took the liberty of peeping in at a window,” | night with the intention of telling him a bit of replied the Burker; “and what the deuce should | my mind—and perhaps of giving him a tap too; I gee, bus @ genelman helping hisself to a lot of | but the waggabone had bolted; and so you see as notes and gold out of a kesh-box; and there | how, sir, | was moat cruelly robbed by that pre- was a safe a-standing opeo. Ob, ho! thinks I to | cious old scoundrel.” myself id Sir Frederick had lietened with much impa- “Never mind what you thought,” interrupted | tience to this long tale; but he thought he had the City merchanf. “ Who was that gentleman ?” | better hear it to the end; and now that it was “Ab! sir, I knowed bim pretty weil,” replied | finished he bad no more questions to ask. Keep- the Burker; “fur the fact is, 1’d met him before. | ing possession of the Burker’s club, Sir Frederick He was your brother-in-law, as I've beerd tell—j| rose from off his prostrate form; and stepping Lord Busbbrovk.” back in a manner which showed that he was pre- “And he emptied the cash-box?’? demanded | pared {or any treacherous attack on the mis- Sir Frederick. creant’s part, he said, “ You may now steal forth “That, by jingo, he did—and in no time too!”’| from the house. Proceed—I will follow! And rejoined the Burkey. “Then he puf the kesh-box | beware how you are found again lurking in this back into the safe; and just at that moment I do| neighbourhood, or in that of my own abode—for believe he twigged mea looking at him through | the police will have orders to take you into cus- the winder: for he gived such a starf and turned | tody.” as pale as death—but I bolted away like a shot.| “ Don’t you be afeard, sir,” answered the Bur- OF course I suspected in a moment he was doing | ker; “I’ve bad quite enow of these here parta of summut he didn’t ought to do; and so when 1 { the country for the present.” arterwards found myself in bis power, I thought] The ruffian stole down the stairs,—Sir Frederick I’d just see what a little hint on the subjec$ would | Latham following with the club in bis hand, uatil produce; and bless you, air, be let go his hold on | he saw him safe out of the front door. Madame me just for all the world as if he was dropping a| Angelique hed in the meanwhile been talking to hut tater.” her pretty maid-servant in the kitchen,—the girl ‘‘ And now one word more,” said the City mer-{ haviog returned from the neighbouring fish- chant ; “and you need not be afraid to answer me} monger’s: but Jane was utterly unsuspicious of —for I have reason to know that you have just | the incident which had occurred, and of the pre- been telling me the truth, and I will keep my bar- | sence of the desperado in the bouse,—although i¢ gein with you. You bad met Lord Rushbrook on | struck her that her mistress was somewhat flur- a former cceasion? Did you rob him then ?—and | ried, and that it was likewise singular she should if so, of bow much? Now remember! if you tell | remain in conversation with her there. The ex- me the truth, I am not going to take any step| milliner heard the front door close; and she then to make you disgorge your plunder: but I will| quitted the kitouen. R-joining Sir Frederick suffer you to depart without any farther molesta-| Latham io the hall, she cunducted bim into the tion.” parluur; and the merchant said, “ Yuu may per- “ Well, sir, the fact is I did rob him,” answered | baps think it strange, Madame Angelique, that [ the Burker ; “but it was a precious bad job fur | should have suffered that miscreant to escape: but me—fvur like a cussed fool as 1 am, I lost all the} as you heard a part of that cunversation which [ money arterwards, and devilish near got myself} beld with him, you may possibly have understood tuvk into the bargain.” that I have a reasun for dealing thus leniently. ‘¢ How much did you rob him of ?” inquired Sir} The truth is, he has given me some infurinativga Frederick. which I was most anxious to obtain, and for which COMIC OOOlK<S conn