Ivan the Terrible; or, Dark Deeds of Night — page 170: what you’re looking at

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

166 IVAN THE " t waiting for the arrival of some unknown centleman along the road, he heard a distant cry.» ‘ What’s that?” asked Tommy, ‘It sounds like some one not far off.” ‘Help! help!” were the sounds that were faintly borne upon the still night air. “What say you?” said Tommy. ‘“ Suppose we leave the ruins and go and see what it is?” “All right,” said his ccompanicn; “I think no four men can harm us, considering we carry } ‘stels.”’ “Harm us? Lor’, bless yer, no harm can come to us! Besides, that melancholy voice comes in a different direction to that which the judge scampered off in.” “4 Unknown to them the person who had shouted for help upon the road was no other than Sir Humphrey Greathead. He was on his way from London to the mansion of Judge Jefferies with all the latest particulars of Nat Fathom and Leonora’s escape, when his horse took fright and suddenly foundered on, the road, pitehing Sir Humphrey violently to the ground, and leaving him in a state of insensibility and utter helplessness. The insensible form of the gay Sir Humphrey was_ still lying on the road, when the Eel and his companion adyanced up the narrow pathway, along whichthe injured man was riding when his progress was so suddenly checked, In dress and appearance Tommy and his friend were most decidedly ‘‘ seedy.” 3 “Infact they were just the sort of persons one would ayoid ' if possible on a.dark night and ona lonely road. They were conyersing together in a familiar way, though Tommy seemed much grieved and out of temper at some injury that- had been done him not long before, for he had once been lJandlord of a beer-house, ‘Well, you have never told me how you lost the beer- house,” said the companion of the,discontented Tommy. ‘The most artful dodge you could thine of,” said the Hel, in a yery melancholy way. “ One day, you must know, a strange chap came into the court where I has the beer-shop, and stared all round for a little while, tjll he claps eyes on my sign, which was called the ‘ Lively Bear,’ when he nods his head and beckons to a small boy whom he stuck up one side of my beer-shop.” “ What for?” inquired-Tommy’s friend. “Why-he takes a tape measure out of his pocket, and gives one end of it to the boy, and then I’Jl be blowed if he didn’t have the cheek tameasure the width of the court and matk it down in his book, Of course I wasn’t going to stand any such capers as that near my beer-shop, so with a csood topper on the head I knocked him into the gutter without saying what for! Well, of course, I was pulled up for assault and battery, and the beak tells me then that there’s to be some improvements, and that the ‘ Lively Bear’ is to come down, and said he hoped the prosecutor wouldn’t press the charge ; so I got off by paying next to nothing. But some- how I lost heart. I couldn’t stick to business when I heard the old place was coming down, so I turned all the traps into tin, and, here I am, after many trials, one of bold Blue- Jacket’s men.” ; “And ajolly good pal you are. But, hilloa! what, in the name of old Mischief, is this ?” ‘* Tt’s a horse.” ‘Yes ; but whose?” As he spoke, the steed gp lately ridden by Sir Humphrey Greathead dashed past them at full speed, snorting with terror and excitement, the stirrup irons jingling against its sides and adding to the maddened animal’s fury. ‘Tm blest if that isn’t Sir Humphrey Greathead’s horse; I nowy it well,” exclaimed the late landlord of the ‘' Lively ear.’ / / ‘ That’s the white spot on his face ; so look out for the owner. I expect he’s had a fall and isn’t far off.” Ere he had finished speaking the animal was out of sight, and the heavy thump of his hoofs could be scarcely heard in the distance, “ Let us push on and look for the master,’ observed the other; “ I should fancy ‘he can’t be far off,” The two seedy gentlemen then moyed on more briskly, e TERRIBLE: keeping their eyes wide open in order to discover, if possible the late rider of the runaway steed, i After searching up and down the road for some time, they at length discovered the insensible form of Sir Humphrey. ‘“ Here he is,” said the ex-landlord. Pur | “ The next question is; then, what has he got in his pockets ?” said the other, ot ’ : i ‘You are quite correct, of course ; his purse 18 an uncon- sidered trifle, which we are only too thankful topiek up. Ii, when he recovers, he misses it, it will be some consolation to him to know that whoever has it wants it badly enough,” “Yes ; it seems quite a dispensation of Providence. My eye, here he ig, and what a lump he’s got on the side of his head ! He doesn’tseem up to very much just at present.” j “Out of the way and let me run the rule over him,”’ said Tommy; and kneeling by the side of the insensible man, he quickly searched his pockets in a most thorough and compre- hensive manner. This unauthorized investigation seemed to give the two friends a yery considerable amount of satisfaction as they brought to.light successively a heavy gold watch, a pocket book, and a weighty purse, all of which articles’ were by mutual consent transferred to the pockets of the late land- lord of the “ Lively Bear.” «Well, this ’ere is a slice of luck,” muttered the last-named individual, as he rose to his feet once more after securing - the plunder. “ Now, who’d a thought of coming oyer a chap in this ex- traordinary promiscuous style?” replied the other. “Im blest if these chance jobs don’t always turn out better than the regular out and out plants.” “It’s lucky, too, for we were just getting in Queer Street. I’m blest if we had much more than half a crown between the two of us, except the old judge’s job,” said Tommy, the slimy Hel feeling his pockets once more to be certain that his hooty was all right, / ‘‘ What’s to be done with him now is the next thing to be settled.” “Ts it?” said Tommy’s friend, The speaker drew his finger significantly across his own throat. . ‘‘No; he’s been quiet enough while we were ‘ performing’ so we won’t send him off the hooks just yet, unless he should chance to wake up and make a noise, and, hen, of course, we must look out for ourselves. Do you know if there’s any house hereabouts ?” “Yes. Why, we ain’t more than a mile from his own plac as I take it, thougo the dark night and your sttange stories haye rather addled my head.” “Well, then, we’ll just go on there, ring the bell, and tell his blessed flunkey what is the matter with the master, and theri hook it likesmoke. It won’t do to stop anywhere before this ticker has changed hands,” ‘Very good... % At that moment Sir Humphrey opened his eyes, and stared — round/in a confused manner, uttering a deep groan at the same time. ‘“‘ He’s coming round,” said Tommy, in low tones, “Be quiet, then, and let us move off |” As the astonished-and bewildered man satup on the road the two friends walked quietly off with the .ir and feelings of men who had done as they ought under the circumstances. : ‘ is thaé the chap ag you expected?” asked Tommy’s riend, “Him? Lor bless yer, that’s not him! He’s better than all sich as he is, You only wait on the road with me for ha an hour, and you'll see who it is I wants this blessed night, © my brave pal,” 7 So saying, Tommy and his friend walked on together, but took great care to hide themselves in the deep shadows of the hedgerrows, | Prine pp < CHAPTER LXXXII. ANDY AND THE LANDLORD OF THE “RAVEN, WHEN Blue-Jacket, with Darby and the others, succeeded in reaching the boat in safety, they quickly secured Ivan their Eomicbooks:com - - . 4