Sentence:  at Aix-la-Chappelle there is always a mighty preponderance of poverty and dullness, except in a few of the shewiest of the streets, and even there, a flashy meanness, a slight <WSD>patchery</WSD> of things falling to pieces is everywhere visible. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Hypocrisy; trickery.