Ivan the Terrible; or, Dark Deeds of Night — page 10: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

6 IVAN THE of an old oil lamp at the corner of a narrow street, whispered to a companion who was well concealed in the deep shadows of a doorway, “So! so! werry good, Master Andy and Handsome Ned, so you and four others_of the ‘ Fly-by-Nights- have been cheat- ing the fishes of a supper, eh? Well, well, my jolly gentlemen, lll follow you. There’s some game up when six on ye get together, and no mistake !” So spoke one who was well known as the Bow Street * Ferret !” 5 CHAPTER V. LIZZIE ASHTON—DARBY’S EXPEDITION—HIS FIGHT WITH THE SERVANTS—A SHOWER OF GOLD—RAGE OF COLONEL ASHTON—THE IMPENDING DUEL, “ DARBY, bring a hackney coach immediately,” shouted young Harry Percy to his groom. ‘‘We must remove the girl at once, there are signs of life yet remaining. “Lose not a moment,” ‘Fetch a doctor |” shouted one. “ Run and get a stretcher!” roared another in the crowd. “ The girl is dying.” ; . ‘‘ Never mind expense,” said a third “ the young gentleman is rich, he don’t mind a sovereign or two,” Despite all the noise of the gabbling crowd, young Harry knelt with the girl’s head upon his knees, and chafed her hand and chest to restore animation. Within a short time Darby returned with a hackney coach, The girl was placed therein, and rapidly driven to the “ King’s Head ” tavern, near St. Paul’s church, a house which in those ancient days was a famous stopping-place for stage- coaches. k A doctor was sent for, by whose assistance the pale and beautiful girl, after much labour and many appliances, was soon restored to consciousness, “Oh ! my father !—my poor, poor father !’’ were her first words. ‘Your father, dear sister?” Harry affectionately asked. “Where does he live? Oh! tell me on the instant that I may bring him hither.” For some time the girl could not speak, for her tears were flowing thick and fast. Her snowy bosom heaved with suck intense emotion, and she struggled so violently to conceal her sorrow that the kind old doctor shaded and averted his eyes from the painful scene. , ‘‘- Your name, dear girl?” asked Harry, flushed with excite- ment, ‘Tell me on the instant, I pray you.” His words were uttered in such genuine tones of kindness that she looked at the speaker with ineffable looks of gratitude and love, as she murmured, ‘‘ Lizzie Ashton, 17, Palace Yard,” and then fainted. As she lay upon the snow-white bed, with her flowing hair, pale face and fevered coloured lips, Lizzie Ashton looked sur- passingly beautiful. ‘‘ Poor child,” whispered the kind landlady, and tenderly kissed her. ' Meanwhile the doctor held a bottle to her nose, which seemed to revive her somewhat, and she muttered all manner of unintelligible things. Master Darby, fancying that as he also had had a good ducking, the bottle might also do him some good, therefore slyly applied it to his own red nose, and took along and hearty sniff. The effect was instantaneous! It felt to Master Darby’s nose like the pricking of a thousand pins and needles | ie coughed, got red in the face, tears ran out of his eyes, and his nose and mouth were puckered up in the most comical raanner possible, ending in a terrific volley of quick and violent sneezings. “ Here, donkey,” said Harry, who could not help laughing at the droll expression of his groom. ‘“ Hello, Darby, up to your tricks as usual, eh? Come, give over sneezing, sir, and _ TERRIBLE. take this note immediately to No. 17, Palace Yard. Mount your horse, and gallop all the way as if the devil were after ou!” . , : Darby did not much relish the ride, soaking wet as he was, and particularly because his wet clothes, coming in contact — with his saddle seat, chafed him awfully, and made particular parts of his person red and raw with the exercise. After twenty minutes of hard riding he stopped before the door of No. 17, Palace Yard. He knocked again and again. It was now long past midnight, and all in that quiet, re- . spectable and peaceful neighbourhood had been long a-bed. At last an old porter opened the door, and was shivering and grumbling. “Mr. Ashton?” asked Darby, also shivering in his wet clothes. “I want to see him immediately! It is a case of life or death !” he added, “Good Heavens!” exclaimed the old porter. bring any good news of his daughter Elizabeth ?” OY.ES. 2 ‘Give me the letter, then, Z will take it,” said the porter, with an eye to a possible five-pound note. ‘No, you don’t do me in that ’ere way,”’ said Darby, with a chuckle and grin, “I delivers this ’ere letter myself.” “Why, but the colonel has gone to bed this two hours or more. He sleeps in the second floor front, and there hasn’t been a light there for ever such along time. He’s fast asleep by this time, you musn’t disturb him, Give me the letter, or I'll call the constable.” “You will, will yer ?’”’ said Darby, giving the crusty porter a slap in the jaw that knocked him sprawling in the passage. “ Second floor front, eh, my joker, all right.” Next moment saw Darby flying up the stairs, unheeding the curses and howlings of the porter. He jumped up the stairs four steps at a time. There was a door ajar, and a light in the room, . He peeped in, and saw an old grey-headed man, who was ~ weeping and kissing a miniature in great distress of mind. He put the miniature by, and began to load his pistols. ‘This must be the old ’un,” thought Darby, and he boldly pushed open the door. ‘‘I come from Miss Ashton,” he said, _ trembling, confronting the old man, and presenting the letter. The colonel took the letter, and, growing deadly pale, gasped out, “ My daughter |” Darby was by no means easy in mind, for the colonel’s pistol was loaded, cocked, and mechanically presented at his ead. The colonel threw down the pistol, and tore open the letter. A cold sweat oozed from his fine, manly and martial brow. : as very hair seemed to stand on end with excitement and right. “She lives! she lives!” he exclaimed aloud, “and your brave young master has saved her! Let me fly to her on the instant.” Putting his hand into a drawer with much haste he pulled out a handful of gold and threw it at the astonished Darby. He next placed a brace of pistols in his breast, seized his hat, and rushed downstairs. The porter who had followed Darby upstairs thought that he was entitled to some of the gold coin that lay scattered on the floor, and, without further invitation or ceremony, began to help himself to a few pieces, This was more thafi Darby bargained for, he therefore laid violent hands on the porter, gave him, as he called it, “one, two for himself,” and knocked him headlong downstairs, By this time the whole household was aroused, but Darby very wisely took to his heels and left the house, His horse was gone ! He did not know that the colonel had vaulted away upon it. He called a hackney coach, however, and was driven back to the inn as fast as a two-horse conveyance could do it. "There will be a devil of a stew over this, Z know,” said Darby, slapping and jingling the gold in his pockets, “ There will be bloodshed before morning, or Iam much mistaken in the ferocious old colonel.” He was not mistaken, howeyer, as the sequel will shortly show, é Eomichooksreom “Do you