The String of Pearls; or, The Barber of Fleet Street — page 244: what you’re looking at

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

286 eee THE STRING OF PEARLS. © Ain’t it a norrid smell,” said the beadle. Then the plain-looking man who had been at Sweeney Todd’s advanced. He was no other than Sir Richard Blunt, and whispering to the churchwarden, he saide~ «If what I expect be found here, we cannot have too few witnesses to it. Let the workmen be dismissed.” «As you please, Sir Richard. Faugh! what an awful—fuff !--stench there is. I have no doubt they won’t’be sorry to get away. Here, my men, here’s half- a-crown for you. Go and get something to drink and come back in an hour.” ‘Thank yer honour!” cried one of the men. ‘An’ sure, by St. Patrick’s bones, we want something to drink, for the stench in the church sticks in my blessed throat like a marrow bone, so it does.”’ Get out,”’ said the beadle; “I hates low people, and Airish. They thinks no more of beetles than nothink in the world.”’ The workmen retired, laughing; and when the church was clear of them, the churchwarden said to Sir Richard Blunt— ‘Did you ever, Sir Richard, smell such a horrid charnel-house sort of stench as comes up from that opening in the floor of the old church ?” Sir Richard shook his head, and was about to say something, when the sound of a footstep upon the pavement of the church made him look round, and he saw a fat, pursy-looking individual approaching. ‘Oh, it’s Mr. Vickley, the overseer,’’ said the beadle. ‘I hopes as yer is well, Mr. Vickley. Here’s a horrid smell.” “God bless me!” cried the overseer, as with his fat finger and thumb he held his snub nose. ‘‘ What’s this? It’s worse and worse.” 3 “* Yes, sir,’ said the beadle; “talking of the smell, we have let the cat out of the bag, I think.” **Good gracious! put her in again, then. It can’t be a cat.” ‘“ Begging your pardon, Mr. Vickley, I only spoke axatomically. If you comes here, sir, you'll find that all the smell comes out of this here opening.” ‘“What! An opening close tomy pew! My family pew, where I every Sunday enjoy my repose—I mean my, hopes of everlasting glory? Upon my life, I think it’s a piece of—of d—d impudence to open the floor of the church, ciose to my pew. If there was to be anything of the sort done, couldn’t it have been done somewhere among the free sittings, I should like to know ?” | “Mr. Vickley,” said Sir Richard, ‘‘ pray be satisfied that 1 have sufficient authority for what I do here; and if I had thought it necessary to take up the flcoring of your pew while you had been in it, I should have dane it.” ** And pray, sir,” said Mr. Vickley, swelling himself out to as large a size as passible, and glancing at his watch chain, to see that all the seals hung upon the convexity of his paunch as usual—‘ who are you?” ‘‘Oh, dear—oh, dear,” said the beadle. ‘‘ Conwulsions !— conwulsions ! What a thing it is to see authorities a-going it at each other. Gentlemen—gentle- mzn. Coenwulsions !—ain’t there lots of poor people in the world? Don’t you be a-going it at each other.” ‘‘T am a magistrate,” said Sir Richard. ‘‘ And I am an over—seer. <Ah!?? “You may be an overseer or an underseer, if you like. I am going to search the vaults of Si. Dunstan’s.” The churchwarden now took the overseer aside, and after a while succeeded in calming down his irascibility. “Qh, well—well,” said Mr. Vickley. ‘‘ Authorities is authorities; and if sO be as the horrid smell in the church can be got rid of, 1’m as willing as possible. Ithas often prevented me sleeping—I mean listening to the sermon. Your servant, sir—I shall, of course, be very happy to assist you.” The beadle wiped his face with his large yellow handkerchief as he said— “ Now this here is delightful and affecting, to see authorities agreeing together. Lord, why should authorities snap each other’s noses off, when there’s lots o’ | a” - * Se eee 5 a —— Fe ag eee ail = a ™ ae : — Be . ee = eta: ees rs ane a SSS . ‘ er - at — -s i ae B3 =e) 93 ~ : ~ <4 = = 2 = 2 2 pea i Ie ie ss —_—e oo 7 eS am _ — — = 2 —_- a ee ———— = > = — — — - —- - . SS w= _ on po - — paane > -_ —_ _ names ~ — ~ = — ~_ _ ———— — — - — ~ = 2 “ = ee z = = 2 ™ = —* oF == ° = ec z =e = eS —— > = ; — a . “ui Sacaaste SS near eS wage ery « : - : = : ~~ — id ni eS ae sa it ~ 3 er: ee =. » ce es - pe te SSS a uae eee She ae res =r ao —— - — —" ~ a = -* = -— oe <*s aw’ Ter Mt ee oes a =. — E _ ga en a RE SS ge SE EO : : = SER RE Se == = SS 2 ? —— eoaeee Spee a nae - a= 2 x = ———— = - = s Sean Se = ase) = ah = SS SS Se eee saa : - = “ 7 - = ewes = ra - = E= : Sy Seps ety ty oe a = = = - a = = z — : z = =: areas Bn : = re er = See: si a a ho z rants ~ os Sy Se eS te ae as = - = errr Sa ~~ | he | ~ a = = = —— ’ Nani eee, any Ahan neR ae RR nat A A tt te nce . a en NR —— ae ‘ a-oie-pernereniaroritetiene rect oa thn A —w see in » om be nthe 3 A Naercenesenindtt Se - ae t cote arena re er ee 8 RAN NEE ee am, OT PINE BEES ELS SETAE IR AAACN A CN BEAN NE Ne NR tht LE ISLE ECCI LY “ ‘ “ ¥ comicbooks.com