The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 311: what you’re looking at

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

276 THE COURT OF LONDON pocketbook — tell Juliiaa— Oh! I am going—My God! mercy — mercy — Hannah — Julia — Oh! pardon — mercy —pardon!’ And then he expired.” “Ah! he was touched with remorse on his death-bed,”’ observed Julia, a slight humidity appearing upon her eye- lashes; but, hastily wiping it away, she added, ‘‘ He was neither a good brother nor a good father; and I suppose that the way in which he had behaved to his sister, and the manner in which he brought me up, troubled him at last. I was a baby when my mother died; and my father neglected me altogether. When I was able to run alone, I was allowed to paddle about in the gutter from morning to night; and all the education I ever had was got at a charity school.” “But you speak very well, my dear, considering that you had so little instruction in your infancy,” said Page, chucking her under the chin. “Oh, I was fond of reading once — and then, my father was a very well-educated man, and it was impossible not to glean something from him; for of late years — since we settled in that court where he died — he always wanted me to be with him as much as possible. He disliked to be alone.”’ | “ You think that his conscience was troubled, Julia? ” said Page, inquiringly. | ‘“T am sure it was,’ responded the young woman, em- phatically. ‘‘ But it’s not worth while for me to have any particular secrets from you now, since we are one, as the saying is; and therefore I’ll tell you a great many curious things about my father, and also about the matters which some of the papers in that pocketbook refer to.”’ “ Just what I want!” exclaimed Page, drawing his chair still closer to the one which his wife occupied. “ It is snow- ing fast,’ he continued, glancing over his shoulder at the window, ‘‘ and we will have a comfortable chat together for an hour or two. If it clears up presently, I will take you out shopping; and then we can have a nice little dinner at a tavern. But all this is on condition that you speak unreservedly, and tell me everything you know. Besides, it will be to your advantage as well as mine, for we may make money by these papers.” “So much the better,’ observed Julia. ‘‘ In the first ) COMmMicloookSa