Part 48 (1/2)

4 Ready blunt--Cash in hand.

~361~~ value, such as rich jewelry, broaches, ear-rings, necklaces set with diamonds, pearls, &c. sometimes made into a paper parcel, at others in a small neat red morocco case, in which is stuck a bill of parcels, giving a high-flown description of the articles, and with an extravagant price. Proceeding nearly in the same way as the money-droppers with the dupe, the finder proposes, as he is rather short of _steeven_,{1} to _swap_{2}his share for a comparatively small part of the value stated in the bill of parcels: and if he succeeds in obtaining one-tenth of that amount in hard cash, his triumph is complete; for, upon examination, the diamonds turn out to be nothing but paste--the pearls, fishes' eyes--and the gold is merely polished bra.s.s gilt, and altogether of no value.

But this cannot be discovered beforehand, because the _bilk_{3} is in a hurry, can't spare time to go to a shop to have the articles valued, but a.s.sures his intended victim, that, as they found together, he should like to _smack the bit_,{4 }without _blowing the gap_,{5} and so help him G--d, the thing wants no _b.u.t.tering up_,{6} because he is willing to give his share for such a trifle.”

1 Steeven--A flash term for money.

2 Swap--To make an exchange, to barter one article for another.

3 A swindler or cheat.

4 Smack the bit--To share the booty.

5 Blowing the gap--Making any thing known.

6 b.u.t.tering up--Praising or flattering.

This conversation was suddenly interrupted by a violent crash just behind them, as they pa.s.sed Drury Lane Theatre in their way through Bussel Court; and Bob, upon turning to ascertain from whence such portentous sounds proceeded, discovered that he had brought all the Potentates of the Holy Alliance to his feet. The Alexanders, the Caesars, the Buonapartes, Shakespeares, Addisons and Popes, lay strewed upon the pavement, in one undistinguished heap, while a poor Italian lad with tears in his eyes gazed with indescribable anxiety on the shapeless ruin--' Vat shall me do?--dat man knock him down--all brokt--you pay--Oh! mine G.o.dt, vat shall do! ' This appeal was made to Dashall and Tallyho, the latter of whom the poor Italian seemed to fix upon as the author of his misfortune in upsetting his board of plaster images; and although he was perfectly unconscious of the accident, the appeal of the vender of great personages had its desired effect upon them both; and ~362~~ finding themselves quickly surrounded by spectators, they gave him some silver, and then pursued their way.

”These men,” said Dashall, ”are generally an industrious and hard-living people; they walk many miles in the course of a day to find sale for their images, which they will rather sell at any price than carry back with them at night; and it is really wonderful how they can make a living by their traffic.”

”Ha, ha, ha,” said a coa.r.s.e spoken fellow following--”how the Jarman Duck diddled the Dandies just now--did you twig how he queered the coves out of seven bob for what was not worth _thrums._{1} The _Yelper_{2} did his duty well, and finger'd the _white wool_{3} in good style. I'm d------d if he was not up to slum, and he whiddied their wattles with the velvet, and floored the town toddlers easy enough.”

”How do you mean?” said his companion.

”Why you know that foreign blade is an ould tyke about this quarter, and makes a good deal of money--many a _twelver_{4} does he get by buying up broken images of persons who sell them by wholesale, and he of course gets them for little or nothing: then what does he do but dresses out his board, to give them the best appearance he can, and toddles into the streets, _touting_{5} for a good customer. The first genteel bit of flash he meets that he thinks will dub up the possibles,{6} he dashes down the board, breaks all the broken heads, and appeals in a pitiful way for remuneration for his loss; so that nine times out of ten he gets some Johnny-raw or other to stump up the rubbish.”

”Zounds!” said Dashall, ”these fellows are smoking us; and, in the midst of my instructions to guard you against the abuses of the Metropolis, we have ourselves become the dupes of an impostor.”

1 Thrums--A flash term for threepence.

2 The Yelper--A common term given to a poor fellow subject, who makes very pitiful lamentations on the most trifling accidents.

3 White wool--Silver.

4 Twelver--A s.h.i.+lling.

5 Touting--Is to be upon the sharp look out.

6 To dub up the possibles--To stand the nonsense--are nearly synonimous, and mean--will pay up any demand rather than be detained.

~363~~ ”Well,” said Tallyho, ”it is no more than a practical ill.u.s.tration of your own observation, that it is scarcely possible for any person to be at all times secure from the arts and contrivances of your ingenious friends the Londoners; though I confess I was little in expectation of finding you, as an old pract.i.tioner, so easily let in.”

”It is not much to be wondered at,” continued Tom, ”for here we are in the midst of the very persons whose occupations, if such they may be termed, ought most to be avoided; for Covent Garden, and Drury Lane, with their neighbourhoods, are at all times infested with swindlers, sharpers, wh.o.r.es, thieves, and depredators of all descriptions, for ever on the look out. It is not long since a man was thrown from a two-pair of stairs window in Charles Street,{1} which is just by, having been decoyed into a house of ill fame by a Cyprian, and this in a situation within sight of the very Police Office itself in Bow Street!”

”Huzza! ha, ha, ha, there he goes,” vociferated by a variety of voices, now called their attention, and put an end to their conversation; and the appearance of a large concourse of people running up Drury Lane, engrossed their notice as they approached the other end of Russel Court.

On coming up with the crowd, they found the cause of the vast a.s.semblage of persons to be no other than a Quaker{2} decorated with a tri-coloured c.o.c.kade, who was

1 A circ.u.mstance of a truly alarming and distressing nature, to which Dashall alluded in this place, was recently made known to the public in the daily journals, and which should serve as a lesson to similar adventurers.