The Mysteries of London; or, Lights and Shadows of London Life — page 126: what you’re looking at

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

120 LL THE MYSTERIES OF LONDON.’ with a glance at the visible portion of the apparatus, and as this was purposely made as complex and intri- cate as possible, the infermation they obtained con- cerning it was of the most remote and least interest- ing description. Determined to take advantage of the impression | that had been created, Mr. Parkins now made himself; active in the business arrangements of the day. Names were reeeived by him with gratifying rapidity, and after a list of the patrons, trustees, and managing directors, had been made out, he ventured upon s0- liciting the deposits of shareholders in a neat speech, intimated that chambers had been taken as offices for the company in the city, and then having proposed a vote of thanks to the chairman, which was unani- mously accorded, he assumed one of his most gracious smiles,and announced that the meeting had terminated. Seldom had any preliminary discussion gone off more glibly and more successfully than thishad. They perceived a hundred shares had been disposed of already, and with spirits elated by the prospect before them, the three bubble-blowers had no sooner found them- selves the only inmates of the room than they threw off the mask they had worn, and proceeded to con- gratulate each other on the avidity with which the bait had been swallowed. A dinner was of course considered necessary to commemorate the auspicious occasion; and accord- ingly a substantial repast, that had been ordered in an adjoining room, was soon after done ample justice to by the three representatives of the company. Mr. Luke Sharp, who was in high glee at receiving a small adyance Parkins had made him, got elevated over the wine, and said and did a multitude of funny things that, however, for the purity of the page in which they are alluded to, may as well escape unre- corded. Parkins plied the port continuously, and tried very hard to draw from Greene the reason of his apparent unwillingness to join in their hilarity; for he had suddenly become dull and reflective: but the attempt was unsuccessful, and the other apparently gave up all hope of penetrating tbe cloud in which his friend occasionally was apt to invest himself, At six o’clock the wheels of Mr. Fitzroy Greene’s cabriclet rattled up before the door of the tavern; and Dick, the sinall clerk that had formerly buried him- self amid the dust of the attorney’s chambers in Lyon's Inn, now emerged from behind it in the spruce livery that denoted his having assumed the dignity of a tiger. He was thoroughly equipped for his new capacity, with his top-boots of faultless polish, his hat studded with a smart cockade, and his diminutive form between them exhibiting those peculiar embel- lishments that have been aptly described as a boy breaking out with an eruption of buttons all over his body.. Without stopping for a guide, he skipped down the landing, tripped up the stairs, and having got a direction from one of the waiters who was lazily flapping bluebottles off the banisters with his napkin, he knocked at the door of the dining-room, and with pert quickness reminded his master that he had punc- tually obeyed orders, Thus invited, Greene rose from his seat, apologised for leaving an agreeable party so soon, regretted that another appointment tore him away, and telling Par- kins that he should expect tu hear from him concern. ing the future progress of the scheme, he bowed coldly to the loquacious Sharp, and preceded his tiger to the vehicle, “ Here, Dick,” said Parkins, in a hurried whisper, as he hastened to the door, and got a nod of recog- nition from his previous assistant; “ put this half- crown in your pocket, my lad, and don’t forget what I told you;” adding, in a still lower tone, “ Bring me word to-morrow where your master goes to-night, and there’s another for you.” “ All right,” cried Dick, planting the coin in his pocket with a knowing nod, and scampering down the stairs, he shot away through the passage at the end, and rejoined his master. There was certainly some singularity worth record- ing in the movements of Mr. Greene. He drove the cabriolet first down Piccadilly, then round Hyde Park, pausing near the Albert Gate, as if he had anticipated some person would be there to meet him; and having © waited a few minutes without assigning any reason for so doing. he urged the horse on to a quicker pace, and — retraced his road to Piccadilly. At the brow of the — hill, by the entrance to the Green Park, he suddenly flang down the reins, and telling Diek to take the horse back to the stables, he jumped on to the pave- ment and overtook a lady deeply veiled, who was passing on before him. Of the few words that were spoken on their meet- ing, Dick could not succeed, by the most adroit — manceuvres, in obtaining the slightest idea; but before he turned the horse round he noticed his master was in earnest conversation with the lady, and that she ~ bad slipped her arm confidingly iu his, whilst they — pursued their road and their conversation Determined to watch narrowly the proceedings of future evenings, he took a quick impression of the lady’s appearance in his mind’s eye, that it might serve him for reference on other occasions ; and know- ing that every item of intelligence he could gain tended to his own private emolument, he inwardly resolved to make a special point in this shootin 6 relating this to his old employer. In the meantime, Mr. Parkins and his friend, Luke Sharp, were busily occupied with the bottle, and the former having found, when he got into the street, that the fresh air tended rather to confuse than compose his mental faculties, that had become slightly obfus- cated by the extra glasses he had taken, he consented to adopt the suggestion of his companion, and take a bed at one of the inns in town. With a conscious dread of the horrible suspicions his wife would enter- tain, when she found that he had remained ont all night, Mr. Parkins mildly proposed her health in weak — brandy and water, and begged Mr. Sharp to propiti- ate the incensed /ares and penates of his household by a similar sacrifice. From this toast originated the necessity of another glass,in which to quaff success to the new company; and then, being in a liberal and philanthropic mood, Mr. Parkins thought that his friend could not do better tnan follow the advice he had himself given, and the consequence of this mutual understanding was, thatthe bed and breakfast of Mr Sharp were next morning included in the bill given to Mr. Parkins, and that the latter gentleman, at the same time, had a confused recollection of haviny, the previous night, retired to rest in his boots. CHAPTER XXYVI. THE HEAD. | Drxrty engaged in conversation, the Earl of W terton and Lord Walsingham were on the same even- ing seated together in the library, that was the last | a suite of apartments situated on the first story of earl’s mansion. nicbooks:..Gco (0)