Ivan the Terrible; or, Dark Deeds of Night — page 34: what you’re looking at

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

IVAN THE “Who do ye want here?” he asked. “Don’t you know it’s late, and all honest folks have gone to bed ?” ‘Yes, all honest folks save you, Nat,’ said the voice, ‘You are the very man I want. We heard you were here, so you may as well give up the ship and surrender. ’Tis no use of clearing the deck for a fight, my lad, for the whole house is blockaded, Come, open the door, and give up without bloodshed !” “So I will!” said Nat Fathom, with an awful oath, and, turning to Aaron, he seized him by the throat, and drew his long knife. ‘So, you hang-dog looking swab, so you’ve ‘blown’ on us, have ye, eh ?” “Oh, spare me, spare me! On my soul, I never did,” whined Aaron, with death terrors depicted on his face. “Liar!” roared Nat, with an oath, “Lying old villain, _you know you have, and it is not the first time you’ve brought good men to ruin, and all for a paltry rewaid.” “Kill him! kill the informer!” roared a dozen angry voices, ‘So you thought to have me swung up at the yard-arm, did you, mongrel? Went to Bow Street and tattled, and all _for a reward, eh? Well, then, you shall have it,” he said, seizing Aaron by the thtoat with a terrible grip. Aaron twisted and whined and screamed for mercy, but Nat’s blood was boiling with vengeance. His knife was, for a moment, upraised, it flashed in the lamp-light, and next moment was plunged up to the hilt in Aaron’s heart. ‘‘That’s the way to serve such hungry sharks as he is,” said Nat, and, seizing the body of the murdered man, he walked coolly to the window, and said, “You want Nat Fathom, don’t ye? Well, here he is!” and tossed the lifeless body among the officers who sur- rounded and were battering at the door, and endeavouring to gain admittance, é 30 CHAPTER XVI. THE PURSUIT OF THE FAIR UNKNOWN—THE OLD DESERTED MANSION IN ADELPHI TERRACE—THE ABODE OF MYSTERY —RELICS OF BYE-GONE GREATNESS—THE BLACK PAN- THER SNIFFS DANGER IN THE AIR, AND GUARDS THE DOOR, But while the king, filled with surprise and adventure, is walk- ing through the drizzling rain and heavy mist, followed by the two old corpulent lords in attendance, puffing and perspiring with this unwonted severe and nocturnal exertion, let the reader take a passing glance at the house to which his majesty is so impatiently wending, No. 7, Adelphi Terrace. The old mansion was lofty, dark, dusty and gioomy in the extreme, All the windows were ciosed ; there was no light in the hall, nor any signs of life ; all seemed desolate and partly ruin. There was a large bill pasted on the parlour windows, which said ‘To Let” in very large characters, but the old and dilapidated mansion looked so cheerless and uninviting that no one ever called to inquire regarding it, The first floor had three large windows, but beyond a faint light glimmering through the shutters nought was to be seen. The apartment, however, was not devoid of furniture nor tenauntless. It had been furnished in a costly manner half a century before the time of which we write, but the soot and dust for all that length of time had settled on every article until there was a thick layer of dirt covering everything. Spiders had taken possession of gilded cornices and costly mirrors and glasses ; bullion tassels that had once glittered and sparkled with beauty were now thickly coated and heavily laden with black dust ; mice and rats called the room their own, and raced about in all directions, while massive chan- deliers that hung from the ceiling with thousands of dangling drops seemed like a vast net-work of spider-webs and dirt, A tiger skin lay upon the hearth, and within the huge grate there glowed and burned a small log of wood. An old couch, covered with faded ragged velvet, was drawn close to the fire-place, and upon it lay, or rather crouched, the figure of a man, but so still, pale and cold and thin that ’ window above. ay it was difficult to say whether he was a living being or an inanimate corpse. The room was a sombre picture of departed greatness, of ruin and hopeless desolation. Long white hairs streamed from the back of the old man’s head, and his eyes seemed lost beneath the mass of thick over- hanging eyebrows that overshadowed them. 5 Thick, heavy grey moustaches,- beard and whiskers over- shadowed the lower parts of his face, and altogethe: he looked like some grim and ancient patriarch, doomed to watch in that lonely apartment for long and dreary centuries: to come. Near him, and not far from the fire, a panther lay; whose black, silky and glossy coat shone in the fitful rays of the fire light, while ever and anon its eyes glared around the ~ apartment with ferocious, hideous brilliancy as if it smelt the presence of some stranger approaching. Vy The old man spread his thin and bony hands over the fire, and rubbed them together with a shivering nervous- ness. fi At times he cast quick, furtive and eat-like glances round the dingy, mouldy and desolate apartment; at the same moment murmuring unintelligible sounds as if communing with some unseen and awful spirit. | The rain was pattering against the window-shutters, and the fire burned low. The coal-black, glossy panther reared its head; its eyes glistened like two burning coals, and its ears were cocked as if intently listening. _ . - No sounds were heard. . de It noiselessly rose to its feet, and, after smelling all about the apartment, it stopped at the door, and ominously sniffed } At that moment a loud knock was heard at the street door. : sf The panther uttered a low and prolonged grumbling rowl, ; The old man turned his head and listened with a look of — astonishment and alarm. Ae After an interval of several moments had elapsed— a Bang! bang! bang! was heard at the door, and the echoes © resounded in the street and through the house with awful and — solemn sounds, : The old man slowly rose, and advanced to the window and — listened | % ' The knocking at the door of the mysterious house came from _ the king, and as he stood upon the broad steps knocker in hand, he tried in vain to catch some trace of a light from the TERRIBLE. | | | : All was dark though ; for, in addition to the shutters being — closed, there were heavy curtains of old velvet drawn over each window, so that the possibility of a ray of light from the mansion being seen was quite out of the question. . The king heard that the sound of the knocker upon the door produced a hollow reverberating sound, as if the louse was just what it looked, namely, empty and deserted. ; He began to have serious doubts whether such an angelic” being as the young maiden he had seen in the park could reside in such a place. Pe But he had the card, and there was the number of the house and the name of the street distinct and clear. There could be no mistake about it he thought. | “I am quite right,” said the king, as he knocked again. “Tam glad to have got rid of my attendant lords and given | them the slip on the way hither, for they could not have done — me any good and would have been in the way, I will carry out this adventure single-handed and alone, let the consequences” be what they muy, for, on my life and honour, I never saw such a lovely girl.” be The king knocked again, “Well,” he said, “this is the third time. There is luck in odd numbers, they say ; perhaps I may get some answer.” _ “There ts luck in odd numbers,” said a voice. i The answer followed so quickly upon his half-uttered words, and seemed to him to be so elose at hand, although — the door had not yet moved, that the king started and uttered — an exclamation of surprise. ( T'o be continued.) GEomichoo Sreom