The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 55: what you’re looking at

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

THE CHANDLER’S SHOP 39 like Cain. Perdition take the whole business!’ added Daniel, with savage earnestness. “ But what have you been doing all this time?” asked Dick Melmoth; ‘‘ and how did you manage to escape drowning? ”’ ‘Oh, the tide carried me ashore a little way lower down than where I jumped in,’’ responded Coffin; “ and then I cut across to Beechey Manor, — you know the place,” he observed, with a significant glance at Dick Melmoth. “‘ There I’ve been hiding until now; but I got so deuced tired of living cooped up in a small bedroom, and the two old serv- ants have shown so much uneasiness at my presence, that I could endure it all no longer. So I got this thick coat, this broad-brimmed hat, and that shawl neckerchief of the old fellow, and resolved to come and pay my friend Bill Taggarty a visit. If you two hadn’t been here by accident, I should have got Bill to run down to Fleet Lane and fetch you up to meet me. So now you know all about it.”’ ‘ But what are you going to do, and where do you mean to live? ” asked Sally Melmoth. ‘“ Well, I haven’t exactly made up my mind, ” returned Coffin. ‘‘ You must continue at the shop, and let people fancy you still believe me to have been drowned. I have got plenty of blunt, that’s one good thing; and it’s fortunate it was all in gold, or else the soaking I enjoyed in the Thames would have spoilt flimsy-notes beyond allredemption. Per- haps I shall stay with Bill Taggarty for a time; he’s all alone in this house — ain’t you, Bill? ”’ | ‘Yes, I’m all alone,’ was the chandler’s response; but it was given with an evident aversion to the proposed so- journ of the Hangman at his house. “Or else I shall go over to Bencull’s crib at the Folly Bridges,’”’ continued the Hangman, not choosing to observe the disinclination of Bill Taggarty to harbour him as a guest. ‘“‘ Hark!” said the chandler, abruptly; ‘“‘ there’s a knock at the street door.”’ ‘‘ And rather an impatient one, too,’’ added Daniel Coffin, rising from his seat with evident trepidation. ‘‘ I mustn’t be seen here by anybody, Bill, you know.” ‘Then just step up-stairs along with Sal and Dick,’’ said Taggarty, opening a door and thus disclosing a flight of GOMITE 0)(0)©) (SO)