Ivan the Terrible; or, Dark Deeds of Night — page 192: what you’re looking at

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

IVAN THE These articles he paid for and departed, the rope being care- fully wrapped up in paper, but the candles he held uncovered in his hand. As he entered the shop door of his dwelling, a man, muffled up to the eyes, passed close to him, and seemed very inquisi- tive to know what the bundle contained. “ That’s him,” said Aaron, as he walked upstairs; “how I would like to cut his throat for him !” He entered his attic and locked the door. A candle was lit, and, having found his written confession of sin, he placed it in the grate and burnt it. While thus employed, the officer below entered the shop. “Was that your lodger who just went up stairs?” ‘‘ Yes,” said the greasy old woman, in a whisper, ° “‘ What did he go out for?” “To buy candles and such like.” ‘But he had a bulky parcel with him.” “ Had he?” “Yes; what was in it?” “T don’t know.” ‘What oil-shop did you direct him to this evening, when he wanted to buy his own candles?” ‘“ Just round the corner’; Jones’s shop.” ‘‘ All right. Has he gone to bed?” “J don’t know ; but I heard him lock his door.” “ All right,”’ said the officer ; ‘don’t you whisper a word or suspicion to any one breathing. We want him.” tT 3 You 222 (74 Yes.,”’ “Ah! lor’a mercy me! I thought as how he warn’t much good from the looks on him.” ‘< To-morrow we shall call, and, if you keep an eye on him, Sir Charles Cavendish will surely pay you well for it.” ‘“ Well, then, so I will, trust me. I thought it were all gammon on what he told me; but I didn’t say nothing, ’cause I didn’t know nothing ; but trust me, I’ll keep a sharp look- out on my gentleman in the attic. I won't have no thieves or cut-throats in my respectable house.” The officer left the woman and walked rapidly towards Jones’s oil-shop, and after describing Aaron, who had just called, found out what he had purchased. “ Sixty yards of rope, eh?’’ said “the officer to himself, and darted out of the shop. ‘‘So he is preparing everything for an escape, eh? -So he begins to smell a mouse already ?” In such haste was the officer to reach Aaron’s lodgings, that he almost ‘fell full butt against a person who was also ap- proaching hurriedly from a contrary direction. ‘‘Beg pardon, sir,” said the officer, in great haste, and passed on quickly. The stranger seemed staggered fora moment, but, when he had turned the corner of a dark street, he ran like a deer, It was Aaron ! - 188 He had escaped from his back window, and alighted safely in the yard. CHAPTER XO, BLUE-JACKET’S PERILOUS RIDE—THE RED HOUSE ON THE MOOR—BASE ASSASSINS—HIS LOVE FOR LADY LAURA— EARL PERCY GOES TO CORNWALL—THE MIRACULOUS ESCAPE—THE HOUSE OF UNTOLD MURDERS—THE CRIM. SON VAULT |! VARIOUS events of late had so completely disgusted Earl Percy with London life; the atrocities of Ivan’s gang, the danger to his only daughter Laura, and the narrow escapes from death or dishonour of her faithful maid Jessie, together with the disastrous fire at his town mansion, weighed so heavily upon the old nobleman’s mind that he resolved at once to eave London, and retire, for a time, to his castle in Corn- wall, This resolution was so quietly and quickly carried out that the whole household, save Harry and Darby, had left town ane had gone some days ere Blue-Jacket was made aware of it, So great and ardent was his love for Lady Laura, however, that he determined, at all hazards, to see her again and de- ~ clare his love for her upon his bended knees. With this gallant resolve to see his lady love once more, Blue-Jacket set out for Cornwall alone and on horseback. He had journeyed several days, and has he had not far to go, he thought he would travel on during the whole night, and reach the neighbourhood of the castle by early morning. _ His own mind prompted him not to travel by night along roads, and across moors, dark, treacherous, and unknown to him; but so great was his passion for Lady Laura, and so im- petuous withal was he, that he resolved, come what might, to travel on and finish what remained of his journey. The day had been pleasant, and Blue-Jacket’s heart beat high with hopes and joy at the thoug f seeing Lady Laura once more; and as he journeyed on with merry heart and joyous songs, night set in, and Blue-Jacket found himself travelling on a dark and lonely moor. The wind began to howl with increasing fury ; rain now fell with violence, quickly swelling tiny streams into foaming ‘torrents; the ground was slippery, and to increase the dis- comfort of the traveller, the shades of night fell around his bewildered footsteps with a death-like blackness. Blue-Jacket was compelled to journey across this lonely bleak moor, which was strange and almost unknown to him as the deserts of Arabia. 2 le For a time he kept bravely on, till the darkness became so impenetrable that he could not distinguish the objects tha lay at his very feet. . The sky was overcast with a mass of heavy, dark clouds, through which not the faintest gleam of moon or stars was visible. Oe There were many deep pits and chasmson that lonely moor, as well as morasses, and thus his discomforts were increased, for he dared not move when he was no longer able to see lest he should be buried in a swamp, or hurled down some abyss. : | Therefore, summoning up all the philosophy of which he was capable, Blue-Jacket turned his horse’s side towards the wind, drew his cloak closely round him, and sought shelter beneath the lee of the animal’s body, determining to remain where he was till the moon should pierce the clouds, or the — next morn should dawn. Being, now, ina state of inaction, the horrors of his situation increased. - His hands and feet became so deadly cold that he felt un- certain whether they belonged to him or not, while the rain, penetrating his garments, chilled his body to the bones. The body of the horse gave a slight warmth to his back, and that he would not have exchanged for a kingdom. As yet he had not attempted to call for assistance, deeming it impossible that any human being could be within hearing, but, at length, with a great effort, he shouted, “ Help ! hulloa !” ‘““Hulloa!” replied a voice, at a distance. “ Help, help, help |!” shouted Blue-Jacket, once more. “Help, help!” replied the voice ; and then the traveller became conscious that he had been talking to an echo. An agony of despondency overcame him; the disappoint- , ment and reaction completely overpowered him, and the. horrors of his situation returned with redoubled force to his brain. , A thousand horrid and distorted figures seemed to rush past ; he was falling down, down, down some unfathomable abyss! -A sudden shock arrested his progress ; he opened his eyes, and found that he had become so numbed that he had fallen asleep, and fell to the ground, and that two men, attracted by his voice from afar, and bearing lights, were Standing over him, and who, while he was unconscious, had robbed him of his pistols. : - “ Holloa, friend, what are you doing here ?” said one. “Doing?” said Blue-Jacket, almost dead with cold and fatigue, mechanically repeating his words. “Yes, doing. Who would expect to find a man making his bed here such a night as this?” ; “Help me, for heaven’s sake!” exclaimed Blue-Jacket, seeing they were not the fiends he at first supposed. ‘‘ Aye, friend, we'll help you, Come, lean on my shoulder, Ss EComichoo TERRIBLE. 3 - Eom ~