The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 92: what you’re looking at

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

70 THE COURT OF LONDON “ Do not let us be provoked into intemperate language, my good friend,” said Meagles, earnestly. ‘“‘ I beseech you to be tranquil for the present.”’ Melmoth bit his lip and held his peace; but the agitated workings of his countenance plainly indicated how poignantly his soul was tortured by the effort which he was compelled to make to subdue a terrific explosion of those outraged feelings that sought a vent. ‘Proceed, Mr. Bax,’ said the chief magistrate of Bow Street. ‘““T was observing, gentlemen,’ resumed the witness, “that while his Royal Highness was in Mrs. Brace’s shop, a-talking to a young gal there — I mean to the milliner her- self,’’ he hastened to add, ‘‘ them two prisoners come along the street in a disorderly manner, and looking just as if they was anxious to get up a row and collect a mob. Me and my partners, knowing them to be seditious characters and evil- disposed persons, kept a eye upon them; and, lo and behold! they walks straight into Mrs. Brace’s shop, begins pulling the bonnets, the gowns, and the gals about, and takes liberties with the lady herself. The prince very nat’rally remonstrated with them; but scarcely had he begged them to take theirselves off, when one gives him a poult in the eye, and t’other a dab on the cheek, and there’s no doubt in the world that his Royal Highness would have been killed stone dead in less than a minute if me and my partners hadn’t rushed in and secured the rioters. A more unper- woked outrage I never vitnessed in all my life.”’ ‘“‘ And did the prisoners know that it was his Royal High- ness whom they were thus atrociously, brutally, and bar- barously attacking? ”’ inquired the attorney-general. “To be sure they did,’”’ ejaculated Mr. Bax. ‘“ For they told him that they should like to serve his d d old father in the same way.” “Did they utter any treasonable language? ’”’ demanded the attorney-general. ‘‘I mean, did they say anything which led you to believe that they aimed at the overthrow of the monarchical institutions of this country? ”’ ‘“‘ Oh, plenty of such sayings as them,” returned Bax. “IT suppose that the prisoner Meagles alluded to republi- canism and French affairs?’”’ said the attorney-general, interrogatively. connichooks.