Page:The London Guide and Stranger's Safeguard.djvu/225

Rh brings; the truth, indeed, the truth will serve my turn best: I shall tell her that I was accompanying a friend from the country, whom I esteemed, (which is truth) to see the Panorama, and the Museum, and so on. She cannot fail to recollect seeing you walking at my side; yes, yes, she will recollect the colour of your coat; Aye, aye, yes, yes; Oh, she, Sir! Slie is a good,—as good a creature! God bless you! Lady T against the world,—if I had money."

The countryman stared at the carriage pointed out, as it turned round in the street to take up its fare a few doors above where they stood: a nursery maid and child were in it; the mother of the child, perhaps, and mistress of the carriage, having alighted to make some purchases at the druggist's shop. This was a complete explosion of the Sponger's pretensions, and his character stood fully exposed.

Their arts and boldness assume so many Protean features, that we despair of giving the reader any thing like so complete an idea of their practices as we have of some (if not most] other modes of taking money out of the pockets of the honester parts of the community. Our chief difficulty