Ivan the Terrible; or, Dark Deeds of Night — page 74: what you’re looking at

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

70 IVAN THE gaolers tightly to the stone table, and having securely gagged them, took away their keys, and locked the gaolers in. A spare cloak they had with them Will Winter threw over his shoulders, and having given the countersign, all four passed the guard, and the ’Prentices’ Grand-Master was as free as air again, ‘But how came you in prison, master?” asked one of the ’Prentices’ secret agents of Master Winter, when they had regained the open street again. ‘ We, heard the signal-horn, and flew to assist you,” ‘Ror which, fellow apprentices, many thanks,” said Master Will. ‘But of this more anon. Time flies, comrades; we must away ere morn to Lambeth Tower.” “To Lambeth Tower? But wherefore ?” ‘‘ Follow, and you shall see. “Let your steps be quick and light. Follow me.” — CHAPTER XXXIX., TVAN BAULKED IN HIS REVENGE—HIS ESCAPE—FLIGHT OF THE EARL TO LONDON—HE IS FOLLOWED—LIZZIE ASHTON DISCOVERED—SHE HEARS THE NEWS OF HER FATHER’S END AND OF HARRY’S FATE—HER DELIRIUM—LADY LAURA TREATS HER LIKE A SISTER—THE DAWN OF LOVE—HOMELESS AND FRIENDLESS IN THE WORLD—THE BARL’S GOOD HEART—HARRY AND DARBY ON THE UN- KNOWN ISLAND —THEIR ADVENTURES AND RELEASE— THEY SEIZE THE SCHOONER AND SAIL FOR LONDON. THE sudden blow stunned, but did not kill Ivan. He gazed about him with looks of intense astonishment and dark malice. He bled freely from the sword cut, and gnashed his teeth in impotent rage as he saw the Man of Mystery triumphantly bear away the fainting form of Lady Laura from the Castle chapel. The noise of many hurried footsteps, the clank of swords, and angry voices in the distance warned Ivan that the whole castle was now aroused, and that certain death awaited him should he longer tarry there. With a fiendish love of life from the sole purpose to live for further monstrosities and revenges, Ivan, with many bitter curses that echoed in that holy silent place, wounded as he was, crept like some hideous slimy reptile towards one of the windows, and opening it let himself gently fall into the garden outside the chapel walls, and thence escaped to his enraged band outside the castle domain, to whom he narrated in part the story of his discomfiture and wrongs, When, therefore, Earl Percy’s numerous body of armed servants rushed into the chapel, sighing for, and vowing signal vengeance on the wounded assassin, their mortification and anger were very great to discover that the ruffian had successfully made his escape. Jessie, all covered with blood, and moaning in a heartrending manner, was quickly snatched up from the discoloured paye- ment and borne away to her chamber. Her wound was pronounced not mortal by surgeons who were on the spot, and her speedy recovery predicted. For a week or more Earl Percy delayed his departure from the castle in order that Jessie might accompany them. True to the surgeon’s opinion, a few days of quiet restored her to consciousness and strength. At the end of two weeks the earl, with a very strong party of mounted attenaants, left the castle at midnight, and travelled fast towards London, But Ivan followed him speedily: On arriving there his first anxiety was to institute inquiries respecting his son Harry. As the details of the duel were much noised abroad he had no difficulty in tracing the residence or hiding-place of Lizzie Ashton, the colonel’s daughter, Lizzie, poor, pale, and bereaved girl, was seized with a paroxysm of grief when for the first time informed of her father’s tragical end by the good-hearted old earl. But her astonishment was great, indeed, when it was told that young Harry, who had saved her from a watery grave, had again imperilled his life to avenge the colonel’s death. Tears flowed freely, and her pure young bosom heaved when the thought crossed her mind again and again, ‘‘Ilam TERRIBLE. alone and friendless in the world, with no one to speak to or — council me, no one to defend and guard me in perils of life,” 4 And young Harry was drowned ! . a Faster and faster did her tears flow, but scalding tears they were. He so young, so brave, so fair ! He who had acted a brother’s part, yea, more than a brother's part, to be torn from her just when she had begun to know his worth, just when love was dawning on her soul! Oh! the thought.was too much; she wept and sobbed con- vulsively, nay, heartrendingly, and threw herself again into — high and dangerous delirious fever ! ie The earl had her conveyed to his own noble town mansion, Laura, with kind, loving hands, attended the fair girl’s bed- side at all times of night or day. ‘+n She caressed her in sleep, and watched the red glow of fever on her wan cheeks, and smiled as in deep slumber she lay on her spotless bed with curls straying on the snow white pillow, and heard her murmur time and time again Harry Percy’s name. “Harry Perey is dead! he is drowned!” she bitterly sighed, and Laura wept. But of Hatry and Darby’s fate they knew nothing; but what it was will quickly appear in the following sketch of — their adventures, . * * i i / hi % * * % * ¥ * * % When Harry and Darby had comfortably settled themselves in the caye on the unknown and barrea island they had not the slightest, not, indeed, the faintest notion that any living being was on it or near them, The ship, or what had remained of that unfortunate vessel, ~ had grounded on the sandy shore, and was not only “high ~ and dry,’ so to speak, upon the beach, but the bows were so deeply imbedded in the shingle and sand that not all the tides nor high waters in the world would haye removed it from the spot where it had been driven by the long and — frightful storm through which they had passed, { _ Darby, full of fun and frolicas he always was, put the very best face upon the miserable aspect of things, and had made — up his mind to meet the worst. He argued, and with much truth, that the vessel contained a large quantity of provisions, fresh water, and general stores, — which, with economy, would last them some considerable time. He had sly notions regarding any Indians or savages he might chance to meet, and for this reason, he and Harry armed themselves with muskets and cutlasses, and imagined — after they had so fortunately discovered the cave they might © immediately begin to transport thither all that the ship pos- sessed of value ere the tides or storms might break itup, He laughed and joked Harry out of frequent fits oF des pondency and sorrow by predicting that each of them would somewhere or somehow discover a couple of beautiful girls, perhaps princesses of the island, whose charms and caresses — would dissipate their gloominess and memories of past trials” and misfortunes. This idea was so far uppermost in Master Darby’s mind that it made Harry smile at his servant’s unconquerable light heart and good humour, ‘a Harry sighed, indeed, over his bad luck, and every minute of the day and night would the pale beautiful face of Lizzie Ashton flit before his troubled mind, with her large melan- choly eyes suffused with tears, and her long masses of ringlets — floating over her snowy shoulders, tossed and turned and wafted by every gentle passing breeze. ry Judge of his surprise, therefore, and more especially his servant, when, after they had lit a fire in the cave, and Master Darby, at the top of his voice, was roaring out a loye strain, to hear that strange, unlooked-for yoice warn them oi the presence of large quantities of powder. 4 In an instant Harry and Darby jumped to their feet and rushed out of the cave, but as luck would have it, only to escape one danger to fall into a greater, | For they had not gone ten paces from the mouth of the cave ere they were seized by four rough, ferocious-looking — men with long shaggy beards, and armed to the teeth } | WF EOMIGIOOKS.GOM