Ivan the Terrible; or, Dark Deeds of Night — page 136: what you’re looking at

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

; | IVAN 5 4 ow) THE never let mz noble horse fall into the hands of any such fiends | as Ivan’s band, if I lose my life for it. had better do.” “Well, what is it?” . “Can't you perceive that the horses are standing in the shade ?” Vege? ! “ Well, let Jessie stay here a moment beside this old house, while we go and get our horses, and, then, those who like can ride, while others may take a boat.” This plan was agreed upon. It was unfortunate for Jessie, however, that it was resolved upon, Sree friends had scarcely left her a moment, when a gang of I tell you what we ruffians, hooting and bawling, came very near her, and ext off | her retreat. ‘“‘ Down to the river ! After them, lads !” ‘‘They will seize our boats and escape!” “Block up the street, so that they may not carry off the wench !” Such were the ruffians’ cries. — : They did, indeed, block up the narrow street. Where her friends were Jessie could not imagine. They were cut off from her, and all succour was impos- sible. , She crept into a spacious doorway, and would there have hidden herself. Two burly rogues espied her fragile figure crouching out of sight. ‘‘What have we here?” said they. ‘‘What! surely not a frightened maiden ?” The other raised his torch, and revealed the pale, agonised features of Jessie, the gipsy girl. “Tis she ! ’tis she !” y ‘We've found her! we’ve found her!” shouted the two viilains. ; ‘‘ Here’s the beauty, lads! Lights this way !” The shouts and laughter that now rent the air on all sides were deafening, : ’ Harry and the others felt their hearts sink within them. It was madness to think of attacking all that ruffianly mob, weak as they were in numbers. The next best thing to do, all.thought,* was to watch’ the course things would take, and if the maiden was conveyed by land, to overtake and overpower her escort. ae This was agreed to by Harry, Red-Jacket, and the others. But a strange adventure had happened to Jessie. While she stood at the doorway, trembling, and timid before her swarthy captors, the door was suddenly opened, She was seized by the arm, and drawninto the passage. The door was closed and barred again on the instant. Before Jessie could recoyer from astonishment, she found herself hurried through the old spacious house, and was in the open air again. The person who had rescued her she knew not, for he was masked and. in disguise, The noise of angry voices she plainly heard around her, but they gradually died away in the distance. Her Captor was hurrying her forward towards the river, She felt too faint and weak to offer any resistance, and ere _ she could well form any idea of where she was going, she found herself on the edge of the river, and heard her captor say, sharply, “ Arnold! Arnold!” | Ina moment asmall boat shot through the water, rowed by a single man. It stopped close to where Jessie stood. The stranger caught up the maiden in his arms, and placed her in the boat ‘Wear nought, sweet girl,” he said; “you know me not, yet you are in the hands of friends.” Jessie trembled violently from head to foot, and hanging her head, wept. : She had been rescued from one villain, she thought, only to fall into the hands of a greater one, TLe boat shot up the river at a rapid rate, but whither she was going she knew not, TERRIBLE ~ All that she had sense to perceive was that a boat had left the same spot as theirs but a few moments after, and that it followed the one in which she was, though it kept in the dark shadows of lofty, many-gabled houses that overhung the river, 4 CHAPTER LXIX. THE DEAF AND DUMB PAGE—JESSIE SPURNS LORD BARNABY’S OFFER. WHEN they had proceeded a considerable distance the un- known ordered the boatman to pull in towards shore, near the water-gate of a princely-looking mansion.- ' As the stranger stepped lightly ashore, the boat rebounded from the stairs several yards, greatly to the stranger’s surprise and annoyance. ‘‘ Arnold, what is the meaning of this?” he growled, with great wrath. Arnold did not for a moment answer, but whispered to Jessie hurriedly, ‘My name is Arnold; I am an apprentice waterman, I know this fop ; he is Lord Barnaby, anda high one at Court; beware of him. If ever you need aid call on the name of Arnold.” 5: “Do you hear me, sirrah ?” fumed Lord Barnaby, striking the ground with his heel. “ Aye, aye, my lord; very sorry, sir, but in jumping out so lightly and nimbly, my lord, you pushed the boat ont into the stream. Right now, sir; here we are. Will your most worshipful fasten the rope to that-ring bolt while I assist the lady out?” said Arnold, proffering his aid to Jessie. f Jessie was benumbed with fear and cold; all her senses either of hope, safety, or escape had almost left her, as she wept silently but bitterly. “Take thy dirty hands off the maiden, varlet,” said Lord Barnaby, with a contemptuous wave of the hand. “Such @ sweet one must not be touched by commoners like thee.” ~ Arnold hung his head; but as my lord led Jessie up the - stairs towards a garden gate, the apprentice clenched his fist, and shook it at him, but was unseen, or my lord might have. run his rapier through him. “Tf Tama commoner, and only an apprentice, my hands are clearer than his,” he muttered, ‘‘at least from all shame and dishonour ; but time will fly, my lord; let’s then see who can play his game best.” | He departed from the spot moodily and thoughtfully. My lord having opened the r he ushered her into along garden, muttering soft nothings and false promises in her ear, and led the way up the gravelled walk, and paused at the door of a turret-like wing of a very large black building. This also he opened, and it admitted him to a square hall. Having fastened the door, he led the way up a flight of stairs, and ushered Jessie into a room not very large. A bright fire blazed on the hearth ; chairs and tables and other articles of furniture of the most costly description decorated the apartment. Some pictures, too, painted by a master hand, lent their aid to adorn it, Altogether it was as perfect in its appoint- ments as taste or money could command. ~~ Jessie was astonished ; a room such as this she had seldom if indeed ever seen. She entered it with a strangé sense that such a little paradise ought not to be desecrated by human foot. The noble-looking stranger betrayed no such emotion. With his wet habiliments clinging to him, his feet leaving their impress at every step, he stalked into the apartment, _and took one of the handsomely carved chairs, placed it near the fire, and, leading Jessie to it with an air of gracefulness and ease which hitherto he had not displayed, he exclaimed, “Well, all can say, my fair captive prize is, you are a strange girl, but you shall have your way. I will for the present content myself with the fair-shaped hand of yours, and patiently wait for the time when, of your own will, you will prove less coy and reserved towards me, your deliverer, For the present, then, farewell.” He raised her hand to his lips, and imprinted upon ita eomicbooks y gate with a private key, . com