The Mysteries of London; or, Lights and Shadows of London Life — page 295: what you’re looking at

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

LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF LONDON LIFE. Starved!” exclaimed Hamilton, and he felt a sick- ees a Be heart; “what am I about to “ Somewhere near the time yeu mention,” continued the man, “a lady—for she was a right-down, earnest _lady—took the room over the loft in the back court. _ Master—for I was not landlord then—had the letting ‘of it, as the whole row belongs to the same man. Of course, neighbour-like, every body was anxious to Sr ies ahoeal whee the poor lady and her baby were ; _but she was either too ill or too proud to gossip, and they soon left off tormenting her. She was a discreet lady, gentlemen,” added the man, “ and knew how to choose her friends. She and I soon became quite confidential.” __ “Did she, then, reveal to you her name?” inquired Barley, with an air of surprise. “No, no—she never told me her name; but I several times took letters for her to Mr. Prim, at his chambers in the Temple, and was to have brought back money ; but I never did. The old rascal, although I told him over and over again that she was half starved, never sent her a shilling. So, piece by piece, _I sold trinkets and dresses for her; till at last, in the depth of winter, she had nothing Jeft but her faded velvet cloak and the gown she stood upright in. Sad thing! for I am sure she was a lady.” “ Did no one ever visit her ?” “No one but old Prim, or a lean, hungry fellow they called his clerk, who used to come hopping about the place just as my old raven does about the house of a person who is about todie. Well, gentlemen, one morning—and a bitter morning it was, I shall never forget it—the poor creature was found dead in her lonely room. But the strangest thing of all was, that her baby, who could not walk the day before, had run away.” “Run away!” repeated Hamilton, who was deeply interested. | “ Ay,”’ said the man, with a knowing wink, “or ran away with. A crowner’s quest was held in this very house; Mr. Prim managed all that. The verdict, of course, was ‘ accidental death’—no questions asked —no witnesses; the doctor was in a hurry, and the jury wanted to go home to mind their business. So they buried the poor thing, and there was an end of the matter.” The colonel, unable longer to restrain his emotion, leant upon the table and wept bitterly. Burley laid his hand upon his shoulder, and affectionately whis- pered a few words ef consolation. The landlord, who, from their first fancied that the questions they had asked were the result of mere idle curiosity, felt assured that one at least of his guests had a dearer interest in unravelling the matter, and in the heat of his imagination already saw himself the observed of all in a court of justice, giving his evi- dence before those big-wigged terrible gentlemen in searlet and ermine whom he had wondered at se often in Westminster when a boy, and entertained an in- distinct kind of terror of as a man. “Did you know the lady?” he inquired. Know her!” exclaimed Hamilton, starting from the table, and discovering his handsome coun tenance suffused with tears; “too little to remember, but sufficient to avenge thee, mother!” “ Mother!” repeated the host, scarcely daring to believe the evidence of his senses; “ mother! Well, well, who would think that the poor lady’s lost child would turn uo * last? But I said he would, | said he would. nH HA HS EKO) And the little man rubbed his hands with glee. Here was a theme of conversation for the neighbour- hood, and he tho only person who could explain the affair! He mentally calculated ona full parlour night for a month at least, and, with a little ment, doubted not but the excitement might be kept up much longer. “Caution !”” whispered Burley to his companion; “restrain yourself.” At this moment the voice of the sergeant was heard calling lustily at the bar for another pot of ale and a screw of tobacco. This sound seemed to produce the effect of an electric shock on the nerves of the landlord, Kicking open the hatch, he rushed to the front of the bar, seized the speaker by the arm, and, much to the amusement and surprise of the loungers, dragged him into the sanctum where the friends were sitting. “Joe is mad—certainly mad,” said a respectable greengrocer, who had dropped in. “Something has knocked him off his pins. What can be the matter?” “I know,” grinned a second, “The excise is down. cae eneicaes dressed as swell coves is in the Joe’s lean and much better half—at least as far as the government of the establishment went—was no less astonished than the rest at her husband’s unac- countable behaviour. She had stood the invasion of her peculiar territory with wonderful equanimity, con- sidering that during the conversation the door oad been provokmgly shut. Perhaps the unusual order ef a bottle of wine had mollified her; but this last act was so extraordinary, that woman’s patience and curiosity could stand it no longer. Turning the key in the till, she told her son—a miniature resemblance of his father—to look to the bar, and sallied in after them, her cheeks flushed with anger. She felt that she had been neglected, and was determined to exact the respect due to the executive in all well-regulated governments, “TI beg your pardon, gentlemen. What is the matter? Has any thing occurred to upset the little sense in my peor husband’s head? Who ever saw a decent landlord in his senses rush and drag people about in that way?” “Silence, woman,” said Joe; “ we are clearing up a mystery.” “Silence!” said the wife, scarcely frusting the evidence of her ears; for, as she afterwards observed, during the twenty years they had been married, her husband never hinted at such a word before. “ Well, things are come to a pass when a man’s lawful wife is bid to hold her tongue!” In an instant the landlord was sensible of his error, and hastily infermed her of the discovery of the poor lady’s lost son, and the inquiries which had been made—the sergeant all the while standing by, and as much astonished as herself “ And now, my dear, I trust you are satisfied?” he added, apologetically. “Quite. And now,” said his better half,“ you can go and mind the bar: I know all the rest, and can explain it much better to these gentlemen than you ean.’ “ But, my love,” remonstrated the crestfallen little man, who saw his importance thus unceremoniously eclipsed by his better-half, who was remorselessly resolved to snuff him out, “ permit me to——” A look from the matrimonial telegraph, the land- lady’s eyes, stopped his tongue. Habit rendered obedience natural to him. He obeyed, but vented his indignation in gamming the door in a manner 293 S (CO)