The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 88: what you’re looking at

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Jew and Jewess with reproaches for their brutal conduct towards his sister. “Tt is useless, my dear Christian,” she said, retaining him forcibly by the arm as they pro- ceeded along the crowded street : “ you would only get yourself into some embarrassment. I implore you to tranquillize your feelings! Alas, I begin to comprehend’ that the power of money is immense and irresistible in this country. It constitutes colossal strength—while poverty is in itself abject weakness. Christian,” said the young girl, after a pause, “is there nothing which suggests itself to your mind ?” “Yes, dear Christina,” he at once responded, as if the very look which his beautiful twin-sister had bent upon him, transfused in an instant to his mind what was passing in her own. “ We must go and relieve the dire necessities of that poor perishing creature. It is fortunate that you heard her address mentioned. Would that we also knew where to find the poor widow, that we might suc- cour her hkewise! Alas, our own resources are now limited enough: but still—but still,” added Christian, with a world of sincere fecling in his looks and his accents, “we must spare something for the assistance of our fellow-creatures.” The twins were suddenly cheered by the pro- spect of doing good, as well as by haying the means to accomplish it, small though their succour might be. They inquired their way to Redcross Street ; and finding the house which Christina had heard mentioned at the Emporium, they ascertained from an old, harsh-featured, sordid-looking woman, who announced herself as the landlady, that there was a young person of the name of Mary Wright lodging at the place, but that as she could not pay her rent, and was dying, the workhouse autho- rities had been applied to that very day. ‘Let me see her,” said Christina: while Chris- tian hastily whispered to his sister that he would await her in the street. The landlady—thinking by the appearance of the twins that they came for a charitable purpose, and that the arrears of rent due to her would pro- bably be paid—suddenly grew mighty civil; and she conducted Christina up a dark and dirty stair- case to the very top of the house. Opening an attic door, she gave the young girl to understand that this was Mary Wright’s room. Christina entered. The attic was of the small- est size, and its appearance of the meanest poverty. Stretched upon a wretched flock mattress, which lay upon the boards in one corner—and covered with the scantiest bed-clothing, lay a young woman whose years could scarcely yet have numbered one- and-twenty—in the very last stage of consumption. She was pale as a corpse, save and except with regard to a vivid hectic spot which seemed to burn upon either cheek. She was thin—Oh! so thin— it was complete emaciation !—so that it appeared as if merely to raise that wasted, attenuated form, would be to inflict excruciating pain, as the very bones might threaten to penetrate through the skin—for flesh upon them there was none. The attic was almost completely denuded of every ne- cessary, and possessed not a single comfort. The dying creature was alone when Christina entered, —nv relative, no nurse, no friendly female to attend upon her! Notwithstanding her fright- fully emaciation—notwithstanding the ravages. a ee ee Oe ee ee re THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT, which disease had worked upon her countenance— there were nevertheless sufficient traces of past beauty to indicate that she must have at one time possessed no ordinary degree of loveliness. Christina gave her to understand that accident had made her acquainted with her condition—and that though her own means were limited (the generous girl said not how limited) she had come to proffer what little assistance she was enabled to afford. Mary Wright was for some time so suf- focated by her emotions that she could not give utterance to a word—and the tears streamed from her eyes. At length she succeeded in expressing her deep gratitude, in a weak dying voice and in broken accents,—declaring that she had never ex- pected to behold a friendly countenance gaze upon her again in this life. Christina learnt from her that about thirty shillings were owing to the landlady; and though the dying young woman proffered not the request m words, yet her plaintively appealing looks seemed to implore our heroine to save her from the threatened removal to the workhouse. This pledge Christma at once gave; and promising like- wise to return in a few minutes, she hastened from the room. The landlady was waiting upon the stairs, watching for Miss Ashton, in order to see what might turn up to her own advantage ;—and Chris- tina at once liquidated from her slender purse the arrears of rent that were due. Then she-con- tinued her way down stairs, and rejomed her brother in the street. Christian had been waiting for her about a quarter of an hour; and during this interval a little incident had oceurred which he had noticed, and which he presently mentioned to Christina. While walking to and fro in the street, he had beheld a posse of ragged-looking creatures emerge from a narrow dirty court. These individuals consisted of a man dressed like a dilapidated joaiayanan-carpente with a paper cap on his head—a woman having the appearance of the wife of an impoverished artizan—and a whole tribe of children whose rags and tatters scarcely covered their nakedness. At the first apparition of this wretched-looking party, Christian’s hand was thrust into his pocket to clutch the first coin which his fingers might happen to encounter, in order to transfer it to the poor family—when something which occurred at the moment, made him drop the coin again in a sort of stupified amazement. “ Now, Bet,” said the man, “ mind you look like an. nouge? woman for once in your life—and turn that gm-drinking air of your’s into a precious dolefulness. And you brats, you!—if you don’t put on as much misery as possible, I sha’n’t get enough to pay your parents for the hiring of you. Mind, Bet, the dodge is that we walked all the way from Liverpool and can’t get no work what- somever.” These were the words which had produced a sudden revulsion of feeling on the part of Chris- tian, and had so suddenly made him drop the coin again to the bottom of his pocket. He at once saw that it was a gang of unprincipled im- postors whom he had been about to relieve. They did not immediately catch sight of him, when they were issuing from the court—nor did they suspect es | | | | | | | | a ee CORNIECLOOKS (CO ST Se ee ne ee