The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 193: what you’re looking at

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

166 THE COURT OF LONDON there was no chance of his return that night, the youth rose from his chair, muttering, ‘‘ Now is the time.” The lawyer invariably locked the door of his own private office ere he left, and as regularly took away the key with him. This Alfred of course well knew, and he was prepared to meet the difficulty. Taking a small skeleton key from his pocket he speedily opened the door; and, on entering the private office, he found that all the parchments and papers of any consequence had been removed from the desk. For a moment he was staggered with the fear that Rigden might have carried away the very identical documents which he (Alfred) now required; but a second thought reminded him that such a proceeding was altogether contrary to the lawyer’s habit. He accordingly resolved to pick the locks of all the japanned cases in the office, until he should either find the deeds he wanted, or else ascertain that they were not there; and to work he went, aided by a few little imple- ments which he took from his pocket. There were altogether about twenty tin boxes in the room, some of them bearing the names of clients, others having no names upon them at all. That of Montgomery did not appear upon any one, and therefore the youth commenced with the cases which had nothing in the form of nomenclature or initials painted on them. His search was speedily crowned with success, and the coveted documents fell into his hands! Yes, they were those which he required, those which he had been instructed to procure, those, indeed, to which he had heard Caroline Walters so especially allude in the morning. And now, securing them about his person, the youth hastily quitted the offices, fastening only the outer door, and leaving the key in the lock. He then made the best of his way to Horslydown, and at about half-past ten o’clock he reached that noted pandemonium, the Beggar’s Staff. The welcome which Alfred received at the hands of Car- rotty Poll and the Gallows’ Widow was of the most cordial description. They literally hugged and kissed him in the exuberance of their joy; and Elizabeth Marks assuredly evinced a degree of excitement which was altogether un- usual with her. “Well, this is the finest and most admirable stroke of policy that ever was executed! ”’ she cried, as she glanced at Gomiuicbdoc <S (E(0)