The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 185: what you’re looking at

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

PATRICIAN LADY AND PLEBEIAN GIRL 159 Ignorant, therefore, that her missive to the magistrate had given rise to any proceedings calculated to menace her own personal safety, — but, on the contrary, gloating over the evident success of the means which she had adopted to ruin Mrs. Brace and send her to the scaffold, — Caroline Walters quitted the coffee-room and repaired to the chamber which she had occupied on the previous night. ‘“ That’s a smart young fellow,’ observed one of the cus- tomers of the house, addressing the remark to the knot of - persons with whom he was discoursing. ‘‘ Who do you mean — the boy in the middy’s uniform? ”’ exclaimed another of the group. ‘“ Well, for my part, I’ll be hanged if I don’t think it’s a girl in disguise. There’s some- thing peculiar in the gait and walk — ” ‘‘ Girl in disguise!’ ejaculated Crawley, the Bow Street officer, who happened to enter the coffee-house at this moment. ‘‘ Who was speaking of a girl in disguise? ” ‘Do you want such a person, old fellow?” asked the previous speaker, to whom the constable was well known. “TI want a certain young woman, and she’s very likely to be in disguise,” was the response. ‘‘ The fact is, I’ve just got Mrs. Brace’s affair over, — she’s off to Newgate, — and now I’m on the lookout for another female — ”’ ‘Ah! this is quite a girl, I should say, unless it’s really a boy after all,’’ said the previous speaker, and every one present laughed at the coarse jest. ‘Come, describe your hero, or heroine, as the case may be,” observed Mr. Crawley, as he drew forth a paper from his pocket. ‘‘ Here’s the description of the girl that I want.” ‘“ Well,” continued the previous speaker, ‘“‘ I should say that the young person of whom I’m talking must be about one or two and twenty, if of the male sex and having real whiskers; but not more than seventeen or so, if of the female sex and having false whiskers.”’ “‘ Age sixteen and a half,” observed Mr. Crawley, referring to the paper which he held in his hand. “ Short in stature, well made, rather slight, brunette complexion, very fine dark eyes, splendid teeth, rich red lips — ”’ “By jingo! it is the very same,” cried several voices. “But who is she? What has she done? Poor thing! who’d have thought it? ”’ The constable waited not, however, to respond to these COUM boo SS} (GO)