The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 136: what you’re looking at

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fnNE MYSTERIES. 119 the bed-side of the dear man,” continued the astute Villain; “and you'll have to force grue?, brandy- and-water, and what not, down his throat. of course you'll be alone with him—and a good dose of the Heirs Friend will put him out of the way alto- gether,” added the Big Beggarman, sinking his voice to the lowest audible whisper, while his hideons countenance expressed all the diabolical significancy of his dark design. ™ Now do you see my meaning, old gal ?” “T do,” answered Carrotty Poll, in an equally subdued and sombre tone. “ Anything more?” “To be sure!” resumed thé miscreant, expe- tiencing an infernal satisfaction at the evident ap- proval which his project met at the hands of his daughter. “ Towards morning you'll alarm the whole house with your dreadfal shrieks—the land- lord and landlady will go rushing in—and your poor dear husband or brother will be no more. The doctor will be sent for—all attempts to restore him will be useless. He'll hem and hah— es of immersion in water, and so forth; and then, for family reasons, you would rayther there shouldn’t be a inquest. A five pound note will hush up the affair: you get a shell to-morrow—he’s put in it— you take him away to Briggs’s—and before night he’s under ground. Meagles and I.ady Letitia may then go and inquire after him as much as they choose.” “But what excuse shall you make for having locked ’em up till to-morrow night?” demanded Poll. “ Why—they can’t possibly couple my conduct towards them with this affair of Ramsey,” answered the Big Beggarman: “because they don’t suspect that you or J had anything to do withit. In fact, they don’t know who the man is—nor whether he came in the water by foul play, or accident, or of his own accord. I shall therefore tell them that there was something in their manner J didn’t like— I thought it looked suspicious—and I was fearful they were laying a plant to catch the Magsman for some reason or another. Til have a conversation with them to-morrow night on the subject, and then pretend to be convinced by their arguments that they meant really nothing but what was straight-for’'ard and fair. Oh! leave me to deal with them: you play your part well—and we shall get out of this scrape as nice as ninepence.” “Very good,” observed Poll: “ll go up and dress at once.” “And mind you disguise yourself as much as possible,” said the Beggarman. “Never fear,” was the response. “ Tell the Kinchin-Grand not to go away, as I shall want him to take me over in the wherry.” “ All right !” exclaimed her fathér; and, opening the door, he stepped into the bar, while his delec- table daughter hastened up-stairs to arrange her toilette. In half-an-hour she descended again into the little parlour; and the Begyarman, observing that she was there, went in to satisfy himself that her disguise was sufficient. He had not the slightest fauit to find. Her hair was dyed a deep colour, and was carefully arranged in bands: her com- plexion was darkened to an olive hue ;—her very eye-brows and Jashes were etained black. She was well dressed—largely padded, so as to create an artificial falness and plumpness which she did not naturally possess—and, in fine, had effected such a complete transformation in her appearance, that her own father would not have known her if they had met accidentally in the street, and if he had never seen her accomplish the same change be- ore. * That will do splendidly exclaimed the ruffian, his countenance expanding into a grin of delight. “Have you got the—you know what ?” “ The phial is here,” she answered, significantly tapping the wadded bosom of her silk gown. “ Now, help me on with my cloak :—and put up my hood in such a way that it shan’t tumble my hair. Those people in the public room musn’t see that I ain going out such a swell at this time of night; neither must they notice that I’m so changed and pranked up. There—that’s right. Now, is the Kinchin- Grand ready ” “ He’s gone down to wait for you at the pier,” answered the Big Beggarman. “I thought it was better that he should not be seen following you again—as he went out with us in the early part of the evening.” “Good,” observed the woman: and, having re- ceived some money of her father, she quitted the boozing-ken—her head being so completely con- cealed in the hood of her cloak, that no one noticed the altered appearance of her features. The Big Beggarman then sate down in the bar, to smoke his pipe and drink his hot brandy-and- water—while the Seedy waiter dispensed the liquors to the various revellers. We must now return to Meagles and Lady Letitia Lade, whom we left at the moment when they found themselves locked in the chamber whither they had been allured under the false hope of meeting Joe the Magsman. “It is easy enough to tell me to cheer up, Tim,” said the Amazon, in answer to the observation which her companion made, and which we recorded at the end of the preceding chapter: “ but I really can find little to be cheerful for. Nevertheless, I am not going to cry—nor yet yield to despair. What do you think is the meaning of all this ?” “I can begin to read the matter—dimly, it is true,” replied Meagles, in a subdued whisper : “ but still I can see a glimmering which promises to lighten the darkness enveloping this treachery.” “And what are your suspicions ?” inguired the huntress, as she leant upon his arm. “Did you observe nothing peculiar in tLe ruman’s manner when we were telling him the story about the rescue of that gentleman from the water ?” said Meagles. “It struck me once or twice that his remarks were singular, and that he even appeared troubled,” returned Lady Letitia: “but I fancied that he was experiencing a deep interest in the narrative.” “Such was the construction which J put upon his words and conduct at the time,” said Meayles : “ but now that I begin to reflect seriously upon it all, I am convinced that the fellow was in some way or another connected with the affair of that gentle- man. He asked so many questions, and seemed s0 anxious to glean every particular, that the thing louks very suspicious; and you may depend upon it, we should never have experienced this treachery or been thus ensnared if we had not told the scoundrel the story of our adventure.” “ It was certainly ridiculous on our part to imagine aren i PE nn RR COMNGBOOKS COMM