Real Life In London, Volumes I. and II.
this was done, only served to confirm the suspicions of the Baronet,
which he could not help expressing, as he acknowledged the accuracy of
the Highwayman's information, and produced the property, observing, he
was sure that ~203~~circumstances of no common kind could have impelled
him to this flagrant breach of the laws. He asked as a favour, that he
would grant him an interview at some future period, pledging his honour
that he should have no occasion to repent such a singular mark of
confidence.
“The Officer replied that he had, and he felt he could with safety
trust both his life and his honour in the veracity of Sir ----, and
appointed a meeting at the London Coffee House, Ludgate Hill, only
stipulating, that at such meeting both parties were to be unattended.
As the day of meeting approached, the Baronet thought seriously of the
solicited rencontre, and after enjoining perfect secresy on the part of
his friend, Col. ----, entreated him to be his companion. The Colonel
laughed at the idea, that any man who had robbed another should so
indiscreetly place his life in his hands, had no conception of his
keeping his appointment, and solemnly assured the Baronet that he would
in no case divulge who or what he was, that he might become acquainted
with.
“The Colonel ridiculed his friend's credulity as they entered the house,
and were shewn to a private room. The appointed hour was eight in the
evening, and, as the clock of St. Paul's struck, a Gentleman inquiring
for Sir ---- was shewn into the room--wine was ordered, and for an hour
a general conversation on the popular topics of the day ensued, when the
Gentleman, evidently under deeply impressed feelings of embarrassment
and disappointment, in which the Colonel seemed to partake, arose, and
politely took his leave.
“' Well,' said the Baronet, 'what think you of my Highwayman now 1--am I
not right?--is he not a gentleman?'
“' And this is the robber, is it, Sir?' said the Colonel--'Be assured
he shall swing for it--why, Sir, I know him well, he is a ---- in my own
regiment.'
“'Hold,' said the Baronet, 'don't be rash, remember the solemn promise
you have given, and do not deceive me--I hold you bound to me, and will
not permit you to break your engagement--I have better objects in view
than the death of a fellow-creature.'
“He then requested to be informed of the general tenor of the young
man's conduct, which he found to be excellent, and that he was an
indefatigable officer--'Indeed,' said the Colonel, 'it would give me the
greatest ~204~~pain to lose him--an incomparably affectionate husband
and father. He has but one vice, to which may be attributed his
destruction, viz. his inordinate passion for gaming; but I cannot feel
justified in screening so flagrant an offender--the law must take its
course.'
“'Moderate your indignation,' said the worthy Baronet, assuming a more
serious tone, 'and remember you must be personalty answerable to me for
any disclosure you may think proper to make; and that inasmuch as you
injure him, you must injure me. You have already given him so high a
character in every respect but one, that I must interest you further
in his behalf, and beg you to assist me in my endeavours to reclaim,
instead of punishing him.'
“The Colonel was surprised; but the Baronet was inflexible. In vain
he urged that the magnitude of the crime utterly precluded such a
proceeding.
“' It must be done,' said the Baronet, 'it shall be done. Leave all the
consequences to me; he has now left us in extreme, though suppressed
agitation--There is no time to lose--fly to save him.'
“The Colonel expressed his readiness to try the experiment.
“' Then,' said the Baronet, 'follow him immediately, assure him of
my forgiveness, and that if he will pledge his word to forsake this
dangerous vice, what he has already obtained he may hold as a gift, and
I will add whatever may be necessary to extricate him from any temporary
embarrassment.'
“It was an important embassy--life or death was to be decided by it. The
Colonel took his departure, certain of finding him at home taking leave
of his family, and, reaching his habitation a short time after his
arrival, witnessed a scene of misery which, although he had partly
anticipated, he could not have conceived. He found him, surrounded by
his wife and children, in an agony of desperation and despair.
“When he entered the apartment, the poor culprit, convinced by the
presence of his Colonel that all was lost, fell on his knees, and
supplicated if possible that his fame, not his life, might be spared for
the sake of his afflicted but innocent and injured family. Language has
no power to describe the surprise and consternation with which, after a
severe lecture, he received the joyful intelligence of ~205~~which
his Colonel was the bearer. He returned with his Commanding Officer
to ---- Square, where he was received by the Baronet as a repentant
friend; and has lived to repair his error, and become deservedly
distinguished as an ornament to society, civil and religious as well as
military.”
“That must be truly gratifying to the worthy Baronet,{1}' said Tom.
“No doubt of it,” continued Sparkle, “it must be a source of continued
pleasure to find his labours have had so beneficial a result, having in
all probability saved a whole family from destruction. Surely it may be
said, that
“Among the idiot pranks of Wealth's abuse,
None seem so monstrous, none have less excuse,
Than those which throw an heritage away
Upon the lawless chance of desperate play;
Nor is there among knaves a wretch more base
Than he who steals it with a smiling face,
Who makes diversion to destruction tend,
And thrives upon the ruin of a friend.”
--“Yet the Greek, like the swindler{l} and the horse jockey,
1 Swindler--Is a term originally derived from the German,
Schwindel, which signifies merely to cheat. It was first
introduced as a cant term, and used to signify obtaining of
goods, credit, or money, under false pretences. It has since
had a legislative adoption, being parliamentary recognised
by an Act for the prevention of it. The artifices, schemes,
and crimes, resorted to by these gentry, are so numerous,
that it would be impossible to describe them all. One mode
of practice, however, is not uncommon in London.
Three or four swell Jews contrive to hire a large house with
some spare rooms, in the City, that are turned into
warehouses, in which are a number of casks, boxes, &e.
filled with sand; and also a quantity of large sugar-loaves
in appearance, which are only clay done up in blue paper,
but corded and made up with great nicety.
An elegant Counting-house is likewise furnished with books
and other apparatus, to deceive the eye and give the
appearance of extensive business, great regularity, and
large property. The Clerks in attendance are a set of Jews,
who are privy to the scheme, and equally ready at fraud as
those who profess to be the Principals.
A Dining-room elegantly furnished upon the _mace_,* receives
you
* The Mace--Is a person who carries all the appearance of a
great and rich man, with servants, carriages, &c. for the
purpose of defrauding tradesmen and others, by all manner of
plans most calculated to entrap the parties they intend to
dupe.
whenever it is necessary to admit of your visits; a Black
Servant opens the street-door, and the foot of the stair-
case presents surtouts, boots, livery-cloths, a large blue
coat with a yellow cape, and habiliments in which the
opulent! array their servants. With these and similar
merchant-like appearances Trade is commenced, and persons
dispatched to provincial manufacturing towns, to buy various
articles; for the amount of the first purchases, bills are
drawn upon the Firm, and even before the goods are pack'd
up, and sent according to order, the acceptances are paid,
and, by this means, credit is partly established, which,
once accomplished, they are in want of large assortments for
exportation upon credit, at one, two, and three months. The
goods are accordingly chosen and forwarded to their
associates in London, where they are immediately disposed
of at 20 or 30 per cent, cheaper than the prime cost, and
the money realised. The first bills become due, are noted,
and protested. The second are presented, but the House has
stopped payment, and the Owners are bankrupts. By the time
the third month's bills become due, the docket is struck,
the Assignees chosen, and there is not sixpence in the pound
left for the Creditors. Petitions are ineffectually
presented to the Chancellor, for a number of fictitious
Creditors, of the same profession and persuasion, over-swear
the just ones, and by exceeding them in number and value,
the House obtains its certificate, and has again the power
of committing similar depredations.
Perhaps the most daring and systematic proceeding of this
kind was that lately detected in the conspiracy of Mosely
Wolfe and his confederates, for which he is now suffering
the sentence of the law.
~206~~prides himself on his success, boasts of his being _down as a
nail_, and--”
“_Down as a nail!_” said Bob, “I don't remember hearing that expression
before.”
“_Down as a hammer, or Down as a nail_” continued Sparkle, “are cant or
slang terms made use of among gamblers, and are synonimous with being
up; and it must be confessed that there are many ups and downs amongst
them. These flash words are well understood by many a young Greek, who
perhaps knows nothing of the Greek Testament, although the use of them
has proved in some cases beyond the comprehension of a Judge. Hence the
necessity of knowing Life; for if a man gets familiarized with low life,
he will necessarily be up, and consequently stand a great chance of
being a rising genius. How proper it must be to know how to get a rise
upon a fellow, or, in other words, to get him in a line!
“A learned Judge once, examining a queer covy, a flash customer, or a
rum fellow, asked him his reason for suspecting the prisoner at the
bar of stealing a watch, (which among the lads is scientifically
termed nimming a toiler, or ~207~~nabbing a clicker,) replied as
follows:--'Why, your honour, only because you see as how I was up to
him.'--'How do you mean, what is being up to him? '--' Why, bless your
heart, I was down upon him, and had him bang.' But still perceiving the
learned Gentleman's want of nous, he endeavoured to explain by saying,
That he was _up to his gossip_,--that he stagged him, for he was not
to be done--that he knew the trick, and was up the moment the chap
came into the Cock and Hen Club, where he was tucking in his grub and
bub.--Had the learned Judge been up himself, much time and trouble might
have been saved; and indeed the importance of being down as a nail, to a
man of fashion, is almost incalculable; for this reason it is, that men
of high spirit think it no derogation from their dignity or rank, to be
well acquainted with all the slang of the coachman and stable-boy,
all the glossary of the Fancy, and all the mysterious language of
the scamps, the pads, the divers, and all upon the lay, which, by an
attentive and apt scholar, may easily be procured at a Gaming-house.
“Of Hells in general, it may fairly be asserted, that they are
infernally productive; no other line of business can be compared to