The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 214: what you’re looking at

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

THE PREFECTURE OF POLICE 19] awaited the arrival of the serious-looking domestic; and when that individual made his appearance at nine o’clock with the breakfast-tray, the young gentleman inquired, with an apparent air of indifference, whether there were many other prisoners in the prefecture. ‘“ Ido not know, sir,’’ was the laconic answer; and Jocelyn felt annoyed within himself for having condescended to even so slight an attempt to gratify his curiosity through the medium of his reserved and flinty-hearted jailor. Aiter breakfast, the livery servant returned, accompanied, as usual at this hour, by the old charwoman; and while she was occupied in putting the room to rights, Loftus walked, as was his wont, in the adjacent corridor. This pas- sage has already been described as long, dark, and gloomy; it had a door at the end communicating with the staircase, and from the side opened at least a dozen doors into no doubt as many prison-chambers. While walking in this passage on the present occasion, Loftus paused at the door of the room next to his own, and listened to hear if he could catch any sound, but all was still. In a few minutes the old woman appeared upon the thresh- old of his apartment, with the intimation that she had > finished her avocations therein. This was a signal for him to return to its solitude; and as he did so, the old crone hastily and furtively slipped a note into his hand. He clutched it tight — oh, as tightly as the rope is clutched that is thrown out to the shipwrecked mariner struggling in the waves amidst the boiling surges of an infuriate ocean. The old woman hurried onward, and the serious-looking domestic, who had been lounging at the end of the dark passage, now came to close the door upon our hero once more. The instant that Jocelyn was again alone he hastened to examine the note that had so strangely been given to him. It was not addressed to any one; it was not sealed, but merely folded up into a small compass, and its contents, which were written in a beautiful female hand, and in the English language, were as follows: ‘“ FELLOW PRISONER: — If you value your liberty and are desirous to escape from this dreadful place, lend your assistance to one who is already working to the same end. Be not alarmed, therefore, at any unusual noise which you W* COUN @) LNOOLKS (CO)