The Mysteries of London; or, Lights and Shadows of London Life — page 51: what you’re looking at

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

« — 7 2 . 1 7 c Cr nee ee eee 8 ee ee eee, Oe - a e cr ee ee LLL EE LT. ——— —— ————— LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF LONDON LIFE. ——— — — _-—- —— —e-- | Se Gee: 43 I don’t want to learn how rich you are, or what you | of a will, letters, and other documents of legal value, want to do with your money—though a hole in the earth is a queer place for acash-box, Thére’s nothing | of the thief about me. You got me to do a job for | you, and I did it. So far that account is squared up us, but you said you had something more to ll me about this y ter, and now I have brought mm in here for the purpose, where we can have a quiet talk about it to ourselves, I should like to hear what more you want me to do?” Then hark! a word in your ear, Mr, Randall,” ed Hawkins in a hoarse whisper, as he bent zarer the bird-fancier; “I told you the lad ephew, that he was robbing me, but it is not is am ration of mine, though he believes that uncle; and when he thought he was taking : from mo, the foolish youth was but robbing nself;” and with a fiendish chuckle the miser e forth his thin, bony hands, and with a rembling movement oblireyed | the steaming tumblef hang me, if I can wary - A ail ad Randall, bluntly ; «I always bt you somethin | and a knave, and I shall now be inclined to think you a bit of a madman. mean he only took away his own property ?” Patienc, patience, my dear Mr, Randall, and yot hall hear all; I will ise nothing from you, for t your assistance, and you will find that I cannot otherwise than rely upon you; but you must be my friend, my good genius, that will help mé out of my troubles, and you must be careful to keep my secret safe, ia tan there will be money for both of us as long as we live, Mr, Randall. Think of that— gy the mon think of that,” ahd the miser ground the palms of his hands together, as he fixed his small and withered eyes upon the face of his companion to watch the effect of his communication. “Now you begin to talk something like reason,”’ returned the bird-fancier, feeling more interested in the other’s discourse, as he saw that they were to be linked by some communion of interésts, though in what way he did not very clearly comprehend. “So you have a scheme in your head for this lad, have you, and want me to assist you in it?” “ Yes, yes,” added Hawkins, quickly; “ but re- member, be cautious—be secret, for if we are over- heard—” and he glanced uneasily around. ““Psha! no fear of that,” pursued Randall, “for there is no one in the house but my girl, and she is safe A by this time.” “ Well, then,” continued the miser, “I will tell you exactly how the case stands, and you shall judge from that what I had better do. There is a long story about it to be revealed some day; but I will give you the simple facts as briefly and as clearly asI can.” The speaker paused for a moment, drank deeply from his glass, and then secing that Randall was leaning forward and listening attentively, he resumed: “Sixteen years ago I was in business as a convey- ancer and estate agent in the city. My partner was a shrewd, active man, with a thorough knowledge of the law; and, though much younger than myself, we con- ttived to suit each other tolerably well, and our con- were every day increasing. Among our other clients was one who had a claim upon a large estate that had been thrown into Chancery, and finding that he a lineal descendant of the person to whom it had originally belonged, we lent him from time to time the money to prosecute his title, To prove the validity of his claims, he yielded up to our possession the copy —_—-—- shipped. It was against this wish of mine to hoard that ultimately established his right; but before the decfee in Chahcery was pronouncéd our client died, and left an only son to inherit this vast property.” “ T now fancy I cah see some clué to this mystery,” interposed Randall; “that son is this very Alfred Howard, as. you. call him—the one whose person I have assisted to secure,” “ Exactly, but listen. About the time when the result of this long-disputed case was made known, my partner and I had a quarrel, arising from some dis- agreement connected with the share of the expenses we were mutually to bear. We separated, but before he left he managed to obtain from the cabinet where I kept my papers the documents deposited by our client. Fortunately, in the haste with which he had gathered up the documents I speak of, he had left the most important ones behind, and therefore, though he possessed enough to acquaint him with the evi- dence produced in 4 case of which I had had the chief management, he was not only without the most con- clusive papers, but altogether ignorant of a portion of the title which enabled the claimant to receive the rents of a number of houses situated in Goodman’s Fields, and the land adjacent. Whether he ever made any usé of the knowledge he possessed, I know not; but I should imagine, finding that so many links were broken in his evidence, that he never thought it worth while to inquire after the real heir, I had, however, my own project to work out. I got a trace of the boy, took him into my office for a short time, then changed my abode to get rid of disagreeable sur- mises that might be formed, and had him educated as my own nephew, in which belief I brought him up.” * What a cunning old rascal, to be sure!” affirmed Randall, with a complimentary nod to the wily usurer. “ Ay, it was a wise plan, was it not?”’ said Hawkins his eyes blinking with delight at the roguery he had practised, “ Well, I had carefully preserved all the necessary proofs, and to work I went; and having established him as the indisputable heir, I got myself appointed the trustee to receive the rentals of the houses in Goodman’s Fields until he became of age. When I got the first year’s dues, and saw the money rising visibly up before me in a glorious pile of yellow gold, I became mad with the intensity of my delight, A new life seemed to dawn within me—a strong and overwhelming passion, which some called avarice, took possession of my soul. I daily thirsted and craved for more; my insatiate appetite for gold became a raging desire that I had never hitherto experienced,” * Well, I have often heard there was a strange wish among you misers to grasp at all you could,” re- marked Randall, noticing with a cold leok of con- tempt the delirious joy that became apparent in the other’s wan and furrowed features. “What use were you going to make of all this?” “That,” said Hawkins, in reply, “was a question that caused but little thought. It was ak 3 I had decided object to gain in thus accumulating the mie, but it rs a fine thing to see it Saitly stow ing and expanding before my eyes, I began to love it for itself, not for the pleasures or power it would yield—for I knew that when these were got, the golden source would be becoming gradually ex~- hausted. But 1 watched it, as a mother would a child, rising day by day into a nobler form; and as its bulk increased I lessened my expenses, that no spendthrift waste might harm the image that I wor- CORICEOOOKS (E(@)