The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 259: what you’re looking at

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

244. - THE MYSTERIES OF TEE COURT. ee _—- —— ~~ and luscious Dunquet tor the Cholera, whenever | which was abominably sickly and fetid, and where that inost terrible miesionary of Death shall revisit | a miserably shrivelled old man, with a greasy fur the British capital. Yes—there they are allowed to | eap on his head and the sleeves of his filthy shirt exist, not only by the bloated, rapacious, and be- | tucked up to his very shoulders, was superintendinz cottedly ignorant Corporation of London, but what | the operations of the sausage-machine. On a board ss worse still, by the Government which is supposed | fixed against the wall and supported with one leg or io exercise a paternal supervision over all the most | prop, was a pile of pieces of meat of the most dia. vital interests of the people. gusting description. They certainly were not green into that pandemonium of pestilence was it that | with putridity; but they were black with the un- dady Bess thus entored; and making her way,— | wholesome blood and gore clotted upon them. Just but not without several pauses to conquer the | at the very moment that Lady Bess opened the .ausea which seized upon her, and many slips over | door, the old man was taking up in bis hands a vue slimy substances under foot,—towards a place | quantity of these loathsome morsels and tossing vliere three or four men were busy in attending to | them into the receiver of the machine. Lady Bess tie cauldrons, she asked for Mr. Shakerly.. The | turned aside, thinking that she must beat a retreat, wich desisted for a few moments from their opera- | and abandoning her object, flee away from this horri- ficns to have a good stare at Lady Bess, whose | ble place where every sense was offended or outraged. b-autifully shaped figure in its elegant costume was| ‘“ Hullo! who’s that there ?” exclaimed the old wrought out into strong relief by the lurid light of man: then as Lady Bess, conquering her repug- une furnaces. ‘They were at first surprised at seeing | nance for the tenth time since she had entered the euch a fashionably-attired young gentleman appear | knacker’s yar-, turned towards him, he raised one within those precincts: but their wonder was en- , of his bloodstained hands to his cap, saying, “ Beg hanced into amazement as the conviction stole upon | pardon, sir, but didn’t twig at once that it was a them that this handsome and exquisitely dressed | swell cove. My eye!” he suddenly ejaculated, now young gentleman was indeed a very beautiful and | discerning her sex: “who be you, ma’am? Why, iiie-grown lady, the rich contour of whose form it’s that famous Lady Bess I’ve heerd talked of when could not be altogether concealed hy the artifices of ‘I’ve been once or twice up at old Sol Patch’s. tne ynale toilet. Ain’t you Lady Bess ¥” “Well ’'m blowed, Bill,” said one aside toanother, | ‘I am—and I wish to have some conversation ‘tif this isn’t a rum go. She don’t come to con- | with you.” vract for cat’s-meat.” “ At your service, ma’am. J leaco to shut the ““No—or for sassages neether,” was the response. | door, and we can talk as comfortable here as any- “You wants the old un, ma’am——or had I ought | where else.” to say sir?” 7 “T could not,” replied the amazonian lady. “Et “Whichever you like, my good man,” answered | have no doubt that your avocation is lucrative Eady Bess, “provided you will only tell me if I | enough, and that you do not like to be disturbed at could see your master :”—for she was most anxious | it. But I can make it worth your while if you wii) t escape as soon as possible from the intolerable | just wash yourself a bit, put some decent clothes on, &tmosphere of thut place. and meet me in a quarter of an hour at any pubtic- “Where be the old un?” asked one of the men | house in the neighbourhood where we can have a or his comrades: and then with a stout staff that he | room to ourselves and a bottle of wine.” held in his huge hands he stirred up the whole | “Well, that’s an offer not to be refused,” returned eeething contents of the cauldron, which sent forth | old Shakerly: “pertickler the making it worth a cloud of the sickliest vapour, so that volume after | my while. So it’s a bargain. But I’m sorry you volurge of the pestilential exhalation rolled over the | look so disgusted at what I’m doing: it’s quite as- weli-nigh stifled Lady Bess. tonishing to me. Now surely there’s nothink t “‘T think he bein the sassage-room,” replied the | make you turn up your pretty nose at that sassage- man who had just been particularly appealed to: | meat. Them’s the primest pieces cut out of a and as he spoke he lifted up in his hands an enor- | couple of ’osses as fresh as can be. Why, I gives mous piece of horseflesh so putrid that it was green | the heart and livers in with ’em, and that’s the all over, and tossed it into the cauldron: then with- | reason my sassage-meat is in such request. There out even so much as wiping his hands down his | isn’t a slap-bang or small eating-house in London greasy biaod-stained smock, he took out his tobacco | that doesn’t send to me for sassage-meat. And Til box, drew forth a quid, and thrust it into his mouth. | tell you a secret too But answer me first; d’ye Will you tol your master that a person wishes | ever eat sassage-rolls at the pastry-cooks ?” to see him? or if you will tell me where I can find| Lady Bess made a gesture of impatience, and re- him, I shall be obliged ?’—and Lady Bess spoke | treated to the threshold of the door. with ill-disguised loathing and disgust, for she could} Well, if you have you’ve enjoyed em no doubt,” gndurze the hideous scene pe hur zer. continued the old man; “and if you hav’n’t you've “He ve cv yonder,” was now the answer | missed a treat. Let me tell you, Lady Bess, that whicb her question received; and the individual | there’s many a fine pastry-cook as sells his sassage- who gave it, pointed to a part of the building where | rolls at tuppence or thrippence which is a deuced but a comparatively faint light was seen through | good customer to me. My meat, mixed up with the dingy windows. pork—the proportions generally one to three—gives Lady Bess hastened to traverse the yard; and as|a rich fiavour, and a firmness too which you can’t ace drew near the place indicated, the sounds of a| get in pure pork sassages.” vrazy mechanism in whirring motion met her ears. “T must really request that you will make your Sae opened the door, and found herself on the | preparations at once,” said Lacy Be>s ineffably dive Wueghold of a small low room, the atmosphere of | gusted: “far my time is precious.” 1 es aeseshseeepesmitengtetinon jon ae : ——- CORMICOOOKS.eO