The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 271: what you’re looking at

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

THE AMOROUS CONSTABLE 241 got a wherry as soon as we could, made the boatmen pull us up and down along the shore, but of course couldn’t discover any trace of the young lady, and so we pretended to give up the search in despair.”’ ‘And the impression will be that she was drowned? ”’ said Mrs. Brace, interrogatively. ‘‘ Just so, my dear madam,”’ replied Grumley, throwing an amorous look on the milliner as he drank his brandy and water. ‘‘ The newspapers will have a long and pathetic account of the business; and, in fact, it all looks natural enow. A young gal driven to desperation, sees that she is sure to be committed for trial; if committed, knows that she will be found guilty; if found guilty, is well conwinced that she’ll be hung; and so, to prewent all these unpleasantnesses, hits upon the ingenious trick of getting herself taken to Fore Street, where she’s well aware that the means of suicide is within her reach — ’cause why, the river rolls under the win- der. There it is all in a nutshell, and a wery pathetic, ro- mantic, and affecting history it makes.”’ “ But will you not be compromised? ”’ asked Mrs. Brace. “ Not a atom,” returned Grumley, with a sly laugh. “I took all my measures too well to leave the door open for any suspicion against me. When I went to fetch the young gal away from the prison, a little before one to-day, I remarked to the turnkey, in a careless, offhand way, that she was sure to be committed, as I had got up a precious strong case against her. So he wouldn’t think that I was at all friendly disposed toward her. Then I really did produce an over- whelming force of testimony against her; and I myself was the fust to ask the magistrate to commit her, before he him- self or his clerk had uttered an opinion on the subject. Again, when Miss Walters requested permission to visit the house in Fore Street, I wouldn’t appear to help her at all in the matter; on the contrary, I managed to throw all the respon- sibility of the proceedings on the justice of the peace himself. In short, I played my cards so well, ma’am, that I can’t possibly be blamed.”’ | ‘“ Not for allowing her to escape from your custody? ”’ said Mrs. Brace. “To be sure not,’’ ejaculated Grumley. ‘‘ Suppose, now, that me and my man Mobbs had let her run away from us while we were taking her to the house in Fore Street, then (C(O) mG 6)(0)©)