Ivan the Terrible; or, Dark Deeds of Night — page 96: what you’re looking at

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

92 IVAN THE aught to do with that awful affair; but had not Master Winter any witnesses to speak for him ?” ‘No, master, he had no one, save old Michael’s daughter ; and Jefferies, the bloody butcher, would not listen to her, although the old man confessed to her before he died that it was not his apprentice as did it. They turned her out of court, screaming and vowing that he was innocent, and swore that Ivan or Andy did it.” “ Just as I supposed from the beginning ; but who told you all this Darby?” “Well, you see, Master Harry, as I were a exercising of the horses in the park, a gentlemanly-looking rider comes np, and he begun to admire your black mare very much, until I began to think he wanted to buy it or steal it. TI made sure he wanted to steal it ; but when I tells him who it belonged to, he laughed, and said he wouldn’t wrong Young Percy, as he called you, for the world. He told me all about Master Will Winter, and as he gallops away he says to me, ‘ And be sure, Darby, you tells Master Harry that Blue-Jacket has escaped from Lambeth Tower.’ ” “Escaped |” said Harry, in amazement, “then all is well. Come, saddle me a horse, I must away. They must not hang Will Winter if I can help it. Get afresh horse for yourself, Darby, and be prepared for a fight. We must away at once. Remember, he is not hanged until to-morrow. There’s many a slip between the cup and the lip.” CHAPTER XLVIII. THE DEVILISH CUNNING AND HEARTLESS TRICKERY OF JUDGE JEFFERIES “‘ THE BUTCHER ”’—HE KNOWS A SECRET OF THE LONDON APPRENTICES—HE IS OUTWITTED BY BLUE-JACKET AND HIS MEN—ACCUSED, TRIED, AND CON- DEMNED UNDER AN ASSUMED NAME—BLUE-JACKET’S PROMISE—IS IT FULFILLED ? THE face and voice of the unknown man that had so unex- pectedly appeared at Will Winter’s prison window puzzled the youthful captive not a little. It could not have been one of the London Apprentices, or he would have made himself known by the secret password, Who was it, then?” Could it be one of Blue-Jacket’s Band? Yet he did not say so. And yet he said that Blue-Jacket had escaped from Lam- beth Tower. How was all this? For a few moments Will Winter was fairly annoyed because he could not put all these seeming contradictions together and learn the whole truth. If Blue-Jacket had escaped it could not have been effected except with the powerful assistance of the London Appren- tices, for no one knew of his place of concealment but a few of them, and if they had arisen at all that night he could surely have heard, even in prison, their rallying shouts and cries of ‘‘’Prentices and Clubs.” In times past, whenever the authorities heard that much- dreaded cry raised they doubly-locked and barred their strong- holds, placed double guards of soldiers and others wherever they possibly could, for it was well-known that the resistless tide of Apprentices, with unparalleled daring and valour, had many a time and oft carried all before them even to the cannon’s mouth. Might not this mysterious stranger, then, be but a spy sent to deceive him? These were the troublesome and conflicting thoughts that kept him awake the whole of the night preceding his hurried and unjust trial. No wonder, then, when he appeared before the remorse- less Jefferies, that he should have looked wan, pale, and careworn, and that his nerves should have been somewhat un- steady and unstrung. When he faced the judge and jury, however, and proudly looked round upon his two base accusers and the motley crowd inside the court room, and saw not one familiar face, he TERRIBLE. thought that the glorious days of the Apprentices of old had vanished, and that he was left to die unavenged. : During his whole trial his ear was open in expectation of hearing the tramping feet and deadly rush of Apprentices to his rescue, but not one came. When cries of “ Shame !” “ Bravo!” “Save him !” and such like expressions were heard in court, he made sure that some of the Apprentices must have timely discovered his situation, and prepared some plan for his escape, But not one knew it. How was this? Jefferies had discovered who and what he was. ~ The silver bugle-horn had betrayed him. Tt was taken from him, and examined by Judge Jefferies the night before, who explained that there were five of them, carried by chiefs of the Apprentices, one in the north, south, east, and west, but none dared to sound their horns until they heard the silver one carried by Will Winter, the President and Grand- Master. This disclosure startled the authorities, and for fear that the Apprentices might gain information of the imprisonment and speedy trial of their chief, . Will Winter was accused, tried, and condemned under an assumed name ! This cunning mode of procedure, however, had not escaped the hawk-like eyes of the Fly-by-Nights, some of whom were always on the alert to gain information regarding the crafty, unscrupulous, and bloodthirsty doings of the remorseless Jefferies, and passing it rapidly from one to another until it reached their rendezvous amid the fields and lanes and intricate by-paths of Tottenham Court. When the news reached Blue-Jacket of Will Winter’s sentence, he smiled, and without the slightest apparent astonishment, only laughed at Judge Jefferies’ trick. ‘“‘Let every gaol be watched,” he said. ‘“‘ The moment any cart starts on its way to the gallows at Tyburn, let the news be conveyed to meinstantly, Blood shall flow ere brave young Winter dies !” Whether Blue-Jacket redeemed his promise will presently e seen. But had he reckoned upon Ivan’s hatred and opposition? The next chapter will explain. CHAPTER XLIX. THE PREPARATION FOR THE EXECUTION OF WILL WINTER— THE MEETING BETWEEN THE PRISONER AND HIS BROTHER —THE SCENE AT THE SCAFFOLD. LONG and dreary passed the day on which Will Winter was condemned to die. He was not allowed to write to his mother, brother, or friends, No one was permitted to see him save the prison chaplain, a Bged old man, who prayed constantly with the unhappy youth, He was condemned to die—he was to suffer before noon on the morrow ! He saw the rays of the setting sun sink below his dungeon pa and he sighed for his own unlucky lot and untimely rate, | He was constantly watched by two querulous old gaolers, who answered all his questions harshly, and often- times ingolently. He asked for a jug of water, but even this was denied him. 2% tea one. aroong pegmied anxious to avoid all conyersa- ion wi 1m, and to keep both hi i : Eater eg p is Name and crime un They also seemed desirous that the nicht should > g ass and morning dawn, that they might be relieve : ! : responsibility of his marotge : cic lillies ch aaa « long, dreary night it truly was to the sleepless prison er. He sighed for the morn, and every time he heard the rattle and jingle of a gaoler: Keck he sighed, and hoped some one ing to open his dungeon door, and lead hi execution, ; $ z nintor thi The morning came, and early, too, the pious old chaplain GCOmMmIEDOOKS; com