Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 325: what you’re looking at

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

308 THE COURT OF LONDON extravagant; and that if 1 was allowed the use of as much of that spurious money as | wanted, I would soon be bring- ing the Bow Street runners about him. The older he got, the more frightened he grew. But he needn’t have enter- tained such fears for me. I have seen too much to act with anything like a flagrant imprudence. And, therefore, I tell you again that we may use thismoney,if we doit cautiously.” “It would really be a sin to forego such a chance,” said Page, in a musing manner; “ especially after having made a successful beginning with the four pieces that we changed to-day. Besides, after all the vapouring and boasting at Hodson and Morley’s, it would be wretched indeed to find ourselves taken down so many pegs. The coin is certainly admirable,” he observed, balancing one of the spurious guineas on the tip of his forefinger. ‘“ Admirable!”’ repeated Julia; “‘ I am very sure that not even an officer of the Mint himself could detect it, unless he cut itin two. The weight is the same, there’s a thin coating of gold all over, and it is cast in one of the Mint dies. My father was turned out of the Society of Friends on account of losing his place at the Mint through being suspected of stealing the moulds. But the authorities could not bring it home to him, and so he escaped punishment.” ‘“¢ And this letter,’’ observed Page, taking from the pocket- book the one that bore the Aylesbury postmark, and that gvoods’’ were to be related to the manner in which the “ packed and sent, — “ this letter, I suppose, referred to some transaction respecting a supply of spurious coin.’ “Yes: the Magsman managed the Job, and my father coined the money. Three thousand guineas were first des- patched to Aylesbury; and a quantity more was ordered. But for some reason which I never heard, this second supply was not sent. I dare say,’ added Julia, “‘ that it is to this circumstance we are indebted Aor the possession of the amount a that cupboard.”’ ‘“ Yes, I see by this letter that the bankers intended to have a si remittance of three thousand in six months,”’ said Page. ‘‘ That would have been on the 17th of last September; but I suppose that they got irightened and re- voked the bargain. However, all this does not relate to our own affairs. What we must now do is to endeavour to ne- gotiate with Lady Letitia Lade or Mr. Meagles for the sale otf COMmneoooKS (E(0) m ‘