husiastic in his praises of
Frank, upon that occasion, while the latter boisterously professed for
him the strongest attachment and friendship. The sincerity of these
worthies will be manifested by the following brief conversation which
took place between them, in whispers--

'A precious ugly scrape your friend has got himself into,' said Mr.
Nobbs.

'_My_ friend, indeed!' responded Mr. Jenks, indignantly--'curse the
fellow, he's no friend of mine! I always suspected that he was a d----d
scoundrel at heart!'

'I always _knew_ so,' rejoiced Mr. Nobbs.

Oh, hollow-hearted Jenks and false-souled Nobbs! Ye fitly represent the
great world, in its adulation of prosperous patrons--its forgetfulness
of unfortunate friends!

Frank Sydney was handcuffed, placed in a coach and driven to the Tombs.
Here he was immured in the strong cell which had long borne the title of
the 'murderer's room.'

Fred Archer was safely concealed in the secret recesses of the Dark
Vaults.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 2: The term _Kinchen_, in the flash language of the thieves,
signifies a boy thief.]

CHAPTER IX

_The Masquerade Ball--the Curtain raised, and the Crimes of the
Aristocracy exposed._

Mrs. Lucretia Franklin was a wealthy widow lady, who resided in an
elegant mansion in Washington Place. In her younger days she had been a
celebrated beauty; and though she was nearly forty at the period at
which we write, she still continued to be an exceedingly attractive
woman. Her features were handsome and expressive, and she possessed a
figure remarkable for its voluptuous fullness.

Mrs. Franklin had two daughters: Josephine and Sophia. The former was
eighteen years of age, and the latter sixteen. They were both beautiful
girls, but vastly different in their style of beauty; Josephine being a
superb brunette, with eyes and hair dark as night, while Sophia was a
lovely blonde, with hair like a shower of sunbeams, and eyes of the
azure hue of a summer sky.

In many other respects did the two beautiful sisters differ. The figure
of Josephine was tall and majestic; her walk and gestures were
imperative and commanding. Sophia's form was slight and sylph-like; her
every movement was characterized by exquisite modesty and grace, and her
voice had all the liquid melody of the Aeolean harp.

In mind and disposition they were as dissimilar as in their personal
qualities. Josephine was passionate, fiery and haughty to an eminent
degree; So