Ivan the Terrible; or, Dark Deeds of Night — page 64: what you’re looking at

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

60 IVAN THE CHAPTER XXXII. BLUE JACKET AND LEONORA TEMPEST CAPTURED IN THE PALACE—THEIR FATE—THE UNKNOWN BUT NOBLE PARENTAGE OF BLUE JACKET—HE DEFIES THE KING AND IS CONSIGNED TO A LONELY CELL IN LAMBETH TOWER—BLATANT BRAVERY OF LORD TIPPLER—THE ARMED ESCORT IS WATCHED BY ONE OF THE ‘‘ LONDON APPRENTICES,” THE sudden arrest of Blue Jacket in the royal palace and under such extraordinary circumstances filled his majesty’s household with horror and alarm. It was known that he was a young and daring fellow, the leader of a strong band called the Fly-by-Nights, the move- ments and objects of which were a profound mystery to all . save those who belonged to it. When, therefore, the news spread throughout the palace that the king had been robbed and insulted and threatened with his very life, they doubly armed themselves and rushed towards the royal apartment eager to shed Blue Jacket’s blood, ; ?Twas in vain that he pleaded total ignorance of all that had happened, for his words were scoffed at with looks of ineffable scorn. “Away with him,” said his majesty, in tones of anger, “and put him in a place of strong security until such times as ye shall learn our further pleasure. We have heard much of this Blue Jacket and will have him seen to, for methinks that he and this pale-faced wench here are in league, and are the depositories of great and important secrets of schemes ana plots against the State. Away with him to prison !” “ Aye! away with him to prison !” grunted Tippler, who, now perceiving no further danger, rose to his feet, and de- _ spite his slight and unimportant wound, flourished his sword with an air of much bravery. | ‘‘ Away with him, guards, and when ye get him into safe custody rack him and whip him until his very life shall quiver on his lips, for he is that same knave who insulted and wounded me in an unfair fight.” It was useless for Blue Jacket to protest his innocence, for the king and all there assembled were too much irritated and angered at the strange proceedings and fortunes that had befallen them for the few past hours before. “To Lambeth Tower, guards!” repeated the king. ‘‘ Have him well secured, and when you shall have heavily ironed him bring me word, and you shall know our future pleasure.” Addressing Blue Jacket, he said, in bitter tones of irony, ‘You are caught at last, my fine fellow! Whoever dreamed of our royal palace being invaded? ’Tis monstrous to think of! Thank Heaven, we have escaped with our lives! Oh! we will torture this smiling gentleman, and lower his proud front ere long, indifferent as he seems. Yes, we will rack out all his secrets if there is any virtue in acute punishment and suffering. Away with him to Lambeth Tower! Let your movements be secret, guards, for perhaps ye know not the prize ye have in hand; he is a traitor to the king!” ‘Tis false, king!” Blue Jacket replied, with a laugh of bitter indifference and scorn, ‘“’Tis false as thou art! May that foul lie stick in thy throat and choke thee, for, from time immemorial, has loyalty to the crown been the watchword of my noble line of ancestors,” he said, triumphantly. “Noble line of ancestors?” gasped Tippler, in wonder and surprise. ‘‘ Why, what doth the impudent varlet prate of ? Noble line of ancestors? ’Fore Heaven, the handsome rogue fain makes me laugh—ha! ha! ho! ho! Noble ancestors ! Well, that caps all. Ha! ha!” “Who art thou, then, bold-fronted knave that thus valiantly speaks of noble ancestors ?’’ asked the king. ‘That thou shalt not know, King James,” said Blue Jacket, with scorn; ‘‘but this much thou shalt know, never until now have I aided and abetted any traitorous design against the house of Stuart, no, not even in thought, although thou and thy craven minions have persecuted my father and family, deprived them of every farthing in worldly wealth, brought them to an untimely grave, and thrown me a penniless out- cast on the world, But know, unworthy scion of the tottering house of Stuart ——’’ "Totterlng house of Stuart 7 roared Tippler and Summers, TERRIBLE. in a breath, full of indignation. ‘‘ What doth the villain mean ? Kill the rascal !” ‘‘ But know thou, king, the last of the Stuart house, which is now fast tottering to the ground, that I am heneeforth thy bitterest enemy. Ye need not scoff, for, by Heaven, were I but to give the signal, it would raise such a storm about your ears which not all your troops could oppose. I came to be- friend ye; you treat me disgracefully in return. Be it s0; but remember this hour; for, in truth, Blue Jacket will re- member thee !”’ ‘“ To Lambeth Tower with him,” said the king, calmly, “let. Rawley the Keeper be answerable for his safety.” “ Zounds, sir !”’ exclaimed Tippler, in a great rage; “that — place is too comfortable for such a knave as he is ; consign him to the lowest dungeon in the Tower.” “’Tis a safe and unusual place, my lord; if he is a great criminal against the State, as I suppose, the more secret his prison the better for security against any popular outbreak, for ye know the times are critical, and rank treason stalks abroad! As for the maid here, I will entrust her to the tender keeping of my faithful Lord Jefferies.” Within ten minutes after this conversation Leonora found herself a close prisoner in the palace. Blue Jacket, heavily ironed, was led to old Westminster Stairs, on his way to Lambeth Tower. As his armed escort tramped in measured steps along the moonlit streets, having Blue Jacket in their centre, they were perceived and watched by a gallant-looking young fellow, who wore an honorary and distinguishing badge of the Appren- tices of London ! He was a bold and dashing youth, one of the master spirits of his time ! CHAPTER XXXIII. MICHAEL THE CLOTH-WORKER’S HOUSE IS ROBBED—WILL WINTER ACCUSED OF STABBING AND BEATING HIS MASTER—ANDY, IVAN’S APPRENTICE IN CRIME—QUARTER DAY OF MICHAELMAS—THE SHADOWS ON THE BLIND— THE BAGS OF GOLD—APPROACHING FOOTSTEPS, WHEN old Dreadnought the Sorcerer with Ivan the Terrible and others of his band left the palace, after the robbery of royal deeds, parchments, diamonds, and other things of value, they hurried through the park at great speed. They expected every moment to hear a loud explosion, and in order to witness the dreadful fire that was sure to follow, they stopped for a quarter of an hour or more on arising ground not half-a-mile distant, in order to gratify their fiendish curiosity by witnessing it. The blows which Ivan received about the head and neck and body from the unknown horseman’s heavy, lead-loaded riding-whip made him repeatedly wince with acute pain, and he cursed most horribly thereat. For the girl Leonora they cared nothing; she was very pretty, and had been entrapped by Dreadnought that she might play her part well with the king. But little did the cunning Sorcerer or the savage Ivan dream that she had been playing a “ double part,” or, in other words, that in her nightly walks about the park and near to the palace—which she had been forced to watch in order to see who had or who had not entered it—she had secretly met with any one to whom she had imparted her secrets and sus- picions. Thinking that the blow he had given her might have taken her life, Ivan and Dreadnought never thought of her in their anxiety to see the palace blown up ! But when they had waited long in the drizzly night air in patient expectation and saw no signs either of explosion or conflagration, old Dreadnought heaped a thousand angry curses on the head of Ivan, and left him without a word of parting thanks, Ivan, in truth, was in a terrible rage at the failure of his — plans and the hard blows he had received, but more so that the greedy Sorcerer had neither thanked him nor his com- panions, nor given them a single gold piece in recompense for their exertions and blood-stained perils, KS Eomichoo com