The Mysteries of London, v. 2/4Reynolds, George W. M. (George William MacArthur)
General
The Mysteries of London, v. 2/4
Reynolds, George W. M. (George William MacArthur)
London (England) -- Fiction; Penny dreadfuls
"One evening, after I had retired to my garret, Miss Enfield paid me
another visit. She had another favour to ask me. 'The day after
to-morrow,' she said, 'I shall have leave to go out for a little
shopping. Will you accompany me?'—I replied that I should do so with
much pleasure.—'Very well,' she said; 'leave me to manage it. I will ask
Mrs. Lambkin to-morrow night, when she has been out of the room three or
four times——.'—'I do not understand why you should choose that moment,'
I said.—'Oh!' was the answer, 'when she has had her third or fourth
glass, she can refuse me nothing; and she is sure to ask whom I will
have of the teachers to accompany me.'—'Her third or fourth glass!' I
exclaimed.—'Yes, to be sure,' returned Miss Enfield. 'What! I thought
every one knew that she drinks like a fish; although she does do it on
the sly. Her husband was a dreadful drunkard.'—'Indeed! I am sorry to
hear this,' I observed. 'Moreover, I thought that her husband was a most
respectable person.'—'Oh! I dare say Mrs. Lambkin has been telling you
that nonsense about her husband's death,' said Miss Enfield, laughing.
'The truth is, he was coming home one night most terribly the worse for
liquor, when he became involved in a dispute with a bad woman; and when
the police interfered, he made a desperate assault upon them, and was
killed by an unlucky blow with one of their bludgeons.'—'She told quite
a different tale to my father,' I observed.—'Yes, because your father is
a clergyman, and may recommend some boarders to her house,' returned
Miss Enfield. 'Did she not also seem mighty civil and polite before
him?'—I confessed that she did.—'And the moment his back was turned, did
she not turn also?'—This I likewise admitted.—'She cannot keep her
temper long, you see. But I must go now, for fear Miss Muddle should
awake, and happen to find out that I have left my bed. Good night, dear
Miss Hutchinson. The day after to-morrow we will go out shopping
together.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account