jolly good lark is not murder or robbery,
Let us be ready and nimble."

Hark, (said he) there's a fiddle-scraper in the house--here goes;" and
immediately they entered.

They had no occasion to repent of their movements; for in one corner
of the tap-room sat Billy Waters, a well-known character about town,
a Black Man with a wooden leg was fiddling to a Slaughterman from
Fleet-market, in wooden shoes, who, deck'd with all the paraphernalia of
his occupation, a greasy jacket and night-cap, an apron besmeared with
mud, blood, and grease, nearly an inch thick, and a leathern girdle,
from which was suspended a case to hold his knives, and his sleeves
tuck'd up as if he had but just left the slaughter-house, was dancing in
the centre to the infinite amusement of the company, which consisted of
an old woman with periwinkles and crabs for sale in a basket--a porter
with his knot upon the table--a dustman with his broad-flapped hat, and
his bell by his side--an Irish hodman--and two poor girls, who appeared
to be greatly taken with the black fiddler, whose head was decorated
with an oil-skinned cock'd hat, and a profusion of many coloured
feathers: on the other side of the room sat a young man of
shabby-genteel appearance, reading the newspaper with close attention,
and purring forth volumes of smoke. Limping Billy and Mother Mapps were
immediately known, and room was made for their accommodation, while the
fiddler's elbow and the slaughterman's wooden shoes were kept in motion.

_Max_{l} was the order of the day, and the _sluicery_{2} in good
request. Mother Mapps was made easy by being informed the Street-keeper
had her valuables in charge, which Limping Billy promised he would
redeem. "Bring us a

1 Max--A very common term for gin.

2 Sluicery--A gin-shop or public-house: so denominated from
the lower orders of society sluicing their throats as it
were with gin, and probably derived from the old song
entitled "The Christening of Little Joey," formerly sung
by Jemmy Dodd, of facetious memory.

"And when they had sluiced their gobs
With striving to excel wit,
The lads began to hang their nobs,*
And lip their frows** the velvet.***

* Nobs--Heads.

** Frows--Originally a Dutch word, meaning wives, or girls.

*** Velvet--The tongue.

~119~~noggin of _white tape_,{1} and fill me a pipe," said he--"d----n