Rose Mortimer; Or, The Ballet-Girl's Revenge — page 84: what you’re looking at

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

78 ROSE MORTIMER ; OR, a <6 Who2?? : ‘He as brought you away from the water when l’d fished you out.” “ Then it is true 2”? ‘Ofcourse. You see I know all about it as if I had seen it with my own blessed eyes. He left too many tracks behind him.”’ ‘‘ Why did he bring me here?” ‘For the same reason as I am going to take you away.” The brutal miner hugged her in his hideous em- brace with such warmth that Rose was filled with alarm. Now she apprehended the worst of Penryth the miner. ‘“‘ Ah! it ain’t no use of you to wriggle and wriggle and try to worm yourself out of my arms. You can’t do it.” ‘* Beware how you go there,” said Rose. ‘What do you mean 2?” ‘“‘That there is a pit somewhere about this part of the mine.” “Oh! you appear to know everything about it, I think, my gal.” ‘* Because he told me of it.’ “He? Who?” ‘“‘He that brought me herehe who will never move hence.”’ ‘¢ What do you mean?” ‘That he has fallen down tlie pit.” Penryth was not alittle startled at this at first. ““ However, he very speedily got over any little un- pleasant sensations which this intelligence at first occasioned him. “‘ Ah, well, he won’t trouble us much with his com- pany,” he said. ‘‘ NOT sO FAST, PENRYTH!’’ said a voice at his elbow. Penryth and Rose Mortimer turned round horror- stricken. It was the voice of the man who had brought her down the mine. ‘* Wat Lynwood ?” **'Yes’’ said the man. Penryth.”’ “Oh! howglad Iam!” said Rose. ** No doubt.” ** Indeed I am, the pit.” The fellow burst into a coarse brutal Jaugh. “Of course you did,’ he said. ‘I intended that you should. I only stumbled, but I was yards away from the pit when Ispoke. It was a lucky thought that occurred to me as I fell down.”’ ‘* Wherefore ?” “* That you might be taken unawares.” ‘* And a deal of use all your fine manceuvring has been, Wat Lynwood.’’ ‘Tt has truly, Penryth,’’ returned Lynwood, “for you have had all the trouble with the gal, whilst I—’’ “¢ Are about as well off as before.’’ “ Nay, better.” “Not much. I’ve had the trouble and shall reap all the profit.” ‘‘That remains to be proved.” Rose began to tremble. Her old fears had vanished for the moment, but new she was concerned from some fresh cause. From the angry tone of the two miners she antici- pated a quarrel. She had seen their brutal and unscrupulous ways, and she trembled. One of them was a murderer. The other scarcely better. Neither would hesitate at any act of violence now, she knew, to secure any object, . “Ttis even Wat Lynwood, I feared that you had fallen down er It was truly a position fraught with horrors to the unhappy ballet-girl. ‘© Look you here, Master Penryth,”’ said the other miner, after a short pause. ‘‘ Get you gone, and leave the girl to me, and you will find it all the better for you.” © One ‘¢ In truth you will.” ‘‘Do you menace me ?”” ‘< Tf you please so to call it.” “ And you think you could best me in a tussle for the wench 2?” *¢ Possibly.” “‘ Come and try it.” Rose interposed. ‘Stand off, my gal,’ said Penryth. ‘“ Don’t be skeared. He won’t hurt me.” ‘No, no,’’ said Lynwood, in the same spirit of sar- casm. ‘*I won’t hurt him. I might damage him a little here, but I would only point out at present that I should be much more dangerous in the witness-box than anywhere else.” The light of the lantern flashed at this instant on Penryth’s face. It was ghastly pale. Then, by a quick transition, of a blood-red hue. He seemed as if he had lost his voice at the alarm- ing words. ‘¢ What do you mean by that, Lynwood?” he asked in husky tones. ‘‘ This—that if you don’t let me rest quiet here with the gal—”’ : 6 Well ?” ‘¢ Why, I’ll denounce you.” ‘¢ Denounce me 2”? , ‘¢ Ay, that’s the word.” ** For what ?”’ ‘¢ Murder !”? ‘‘Murder?’’ iterated the miner, in a voice which was now almost inaudible. 66 Ay.” “‘ Of whom ?” ** Oh! you know that well enough. Trunnion.”’ With a howl more like that of a wild beast than any human cry, Penryth the miner released his hold of Rose Mortimer and sprang forward upoh Lynwood. ‘¢ Wat Lynwood,” he hissed into the other’s ear, “vou have settled this question in that breath. Either you or I remain behind in the Danger Mine.” ‘You be it, then.’’ “ ‘*T think not.” ‘‘ Pray, pray be calm,” said Rose, in an agony of fright. * All right, lass. Stand clear.” The two miners grasped each other in a deathlike embrace, ‘“Now, Wat Lynwood,” said Penryth, “ let me tell you that you lie in your cussed throat.” ““The lie is yours.”? *“Notso. But, if it were true, the boast you maké is idle.”’ *“ Tale, forsooth ?”” I mean Miles ‘‘Ay. There were no witnesses to the deed,’ said. Penryth the miner. ‘Tis false. The girl herself saw you do it.” ‘She did ?”? ‘‘ Ay. Ask her.” ‘‘Then, by ——! she shall have her turn after you are done with.”’ “¢ After? Good.” The lantern lay upon the ground. By its light Rose Mortimer could see the two burly ruffians striving to rob each other of life. 4 Like two giant gladiators they rocked to and 10. COMME OKOKOLS Soin