The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 334: what you’re looking at

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

— THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. 319 eee ee might be the Commissioners of Police themselves, | traps there, and make the cat get off the table, or a couple of functionaries from the Home Office, | Walk round this way, genelmen. You can be all or any other officials invested with high authority. | by yourselves here as comfortable as possible; and “And tell them vimen,” yelled out Mrs. Patch, | as for the wine, you will say you never tasted sich “to leave off screaming and skreeking in sich a haw- | in all your life.” ful manner.” “T have not the slightest doubt of it,” said Mr, The injunctions of the landlord and landlady were | Gunthorpe. ‘ Your name is Solomon Patch, I pre- issued to the dirty-looking pot-boy, who accordingly | sume? You have already told us that it is Patch: shuffled into the parlour, and with a knowing wink | but we want to speak to the person who has got the and a jerk of the thumb over the shoulder, said, | prefix of Solomon.” _ “You had better be quiet here, cos why theres a| “It’s me, genelmen: that’s my own wirtuous couple of nobs jist looked in,” name for want of a better. But it’s scriptural, “Then they'll stand treat,” cried one of the wo- | genelmen—and that sanctifies a feller.” men: and immediately afterwards a half-intoxicated | Mr. Gunthorpe looked as if he thought that for creature, with a brazen look and her dress in the | a person who was sanctified there never was such an most immodest disorder, presented herself right in | ill-looking rascal in all the world. He however said front of Mr. Gunthorpe, crying, “ You'll stand a/| nothing, but took his seat at the table in the bar- crown bowl, won’t yer? I knows you vill. I can | parlour, into which by this time he had proceeded, gee you are von of the right sort by your vicked old | followed by Deveril. Mrs. Patch, having cleared eye.” away from the table her work-box and the worsted Mr. Guuthorpe’s first impression was to utter a | stockings she was darning, returned into the bar to rebuke to the woman: but perceiving the state she | serve the customers; while Solomon Patch, having was in, and having moreover no inclination to get | shut the door of communication between the afore- into a controversy, he threw down half-a-sovereign, | said bar and the parlour behind, drew the cork of a saying to the landlord, “I understand what 1s re- | bottle of wine, produced three glasses, and then ob- quired of me: so you can send in liquor to this | sequiously filled two of them. amount.” * Help yourself and sit down,” said Mr. Gun. Hereupon there was a burst of applause from the | thorpe. ‘“ We wish to have a little private conver- half-intoxicated woman and some dozen of shocking- | sation with you; and I may as well tell you at once looking ruffians who had crowded out from the par- | that we have no hostile intent. We mean nothing lour to see what was taking place; and when the | of the sort: but we think you can serve us—and if uproar had subsided, numerous complimentary re- | so, you shall be rewarded.” marks were made in respect to Mr. Gunthorpe. At this announcement Mr. Solomon Patch’s man- “‘T told yer he was a brick,” said the woman who | ner became more obsequious than ever; and he like- had elicited the donation. wise assumed an air of mysterious confidence as he “A regular trump,” exclaimed Spider Bill, who | drew his chair closer to that in which Mr. Gun- was one of the party. thorpe was seated. This gentleman, producing his “A full-blown tulip, and no mistake,” added Mat | purse, drew forth two or three bank-notes and laid the Cadzer. them upon the table—an operation which the rapa- kins—thereby meaning that Mr. Gunthorpe came | tion. down with his money handsomely. “Now,” resumed Mr. Gunthorpe, “I am going “T on’y hope he’s as rich as he’s stout for his own | to ask you two or three questions; and by the sake,” cried one of the women: and then there was | frankness of your replies will the amount of your a general laugh. reward be measured. In the first place, have you “‘ Now do go in and keep yerselves to yerselves,” | any correspondence with a lady of high rank, and exclaimed Solomon Patch: “or else not a mag’s| who at this present moment is in the country ?” worth of lush shall ye see till you do:”—and then| “A lady of high rank?” repeated Solomon, won- as soon as this threat had proved effectual, the land- | dering whether his interlocutor could possibly mean lord went on to say, addressing himself to tho visitors Lady Bess: but almost at the same instant the with the most grovelling, fawning, obsequiousness, | thought struck him that the visit of the two gentle- “ You see, genelmen, Ido my best to keep the place | men might be for the purpose of entrapping the ‘spectable ; and last time I received the compliments | female highwayman—a proceeding to which Solo- of the cheerman at the Sessions House when I went | mon was by no means disposed to lend himself. for my license. Says he in a werry perlite manner,| ‘“ Yes—a lady of high rank,” said Mr. Gunthorpe, ‘Mr. Patoh,’ says he, ‘I have had a eye on your | “and to be more explicit, I may state that she has house for a many years; and I never knowed one! a house in London and a country-seat in Lincoln. so well-conducted in all London. It does you | shire.” honour, Mr. Patch; and if knighthoods was given! “Then I have no sich a correspondent, sir,” re- publicans, the Prime Minister should recommend | plied Solomon. you to the Queen for that honour.— Now raly,| “But wherefore did you hesitate ere you ate genelmen, I am not proud, but that’s what the | swered?” demanded Mr. Guntharpe, eyeing the cheerman did say.” | man closely. “And I have no doubt you made a suitable ac- | “ Because, sir, I’m a cautious and wary kiud of a knowledgment,” said Mr. Gunthorpe drily. “But | bird, saving your presence; and I’m not in the come, can we have a bottle of wine in a private | habit of giving information in a hurry.” room ?” “Perhaps, then, you may not know who your “To be sure, genelmen: you shall have the bar- | correspondent really is,” resumed the old gentle- parlour. Now, missus, clear away your needlework | man; “and yet you may have such a correspondent “Von of the stumpy sort,” observed Tony Wil- cious landlord watched wivh considerable satisfac- GomiGsvooksrteo