The Skeleton Crew; Or, Wildfire Ned — page 181: what you’re looking at

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

OO —— ——— — — — — — — THE SKELETON CREW; OR, WILDFIRE NED. 175 ER “TI say, only in some degree,” said the king ; and then, turning to Sir Richard, he added, “ May I show him the note, and that will show him at once what you mean ?” “It you please,” said Sir Richard. “Well, I think it best. Read that, Colonel Blood, and when you have read it, remember it is my re- quest that you answer clearly and categorically to the questions put to you.” With well-acted surprise Colonel Blood read the note, and then placing his hand upon his heart, he returned it in silence. , Ned Warbeck looked sternly at him as he said— “Colonel Blood, it is well known to you that it is not without reasons that we point at you the finger of suspicion in this case.” The colonel bowed lowly. “Therefore,” added Ned, warmly, “the circum- stances of our coming in this way to the king, and requesting him to exercise an authority that may prevent useless bloodshed, is not altogether so very extraordinary a one as it might appear.” : The colonel bowed again. . . “T do not wish,’ added Miller Harmer, “ to ente into any dispute with you. What is past I am will- ing to forget, if it has fallen short of the crime of abduction, which I feel myself in a position to lay at the door of some one,” “And I, too,” said Sir Richard ; ‘‘I, too, have rea- son to require an explanation from you, colonel, of rather an extraordinary appearance that you made in my house last night, but am quite willing, for the present, to wave that circumstanee in favour of the questions that my friend, the miller here, has put to you.” “Very well, gentlemen,” said the colonel, coolly. “You find me peculiarly situated here; the king, who holds my first duty, can command me to reply to,you,7?, v1 “Nay,” said the king, “that I do not, I only stand here as, I hope, the friend of all parties ; and if anything I can say or do will have the effect of preventing honourable gentlemen and good subjects from embroiling themselves in conflict with each other, of course I am only too happy,” “Then,” said Ned Warbeck, “do I understand, Colonel Blood, that you will answer what I have to say to you ?” “You do, sir,’ said the colonel, with a curling lip. “ On the word of a gentleman ?” said Ned. “On the word of a gentleman,” replied the colonel. “‘ Which,” added Sir Richard, “it is moral suicide to falsify.” : ‘‘ Bxactly so,’ said the colonel, with a smile ; I propose your questions, and here I stand ready to reply to them fully and fairly.’’ : “Then, sir,’ said the miller, “is my daughter in your keeping as a prisoner? J say as a prisoner, because such is the only mode by which she could be prevented from seeking her friends.” “ She is not, sir,’ answered Blood. “Did you or did you not take her from the house of Sir Richard Waarbeck last night ?” “T did not, sir.” cf “Did you cause her to be taken from thence ?” said Sir Richard. “ Certainly not.” : ba’ “Do you know where she is ?” “JT do not know where she is.” Colonel Blood in this reply kept his word of honour by a piece of sophistry, rather than by downright candour, for he managed to place a slight emphasis on the word “ know,” and told him- self that he could not be said to know anything of what he had been only told by Simon, but of' which he knew nothing. There was now a pause of some few moments’ duration, after which the king said— “ Gentlemen, are you satisfied ?” “We are,” said Sir Richard. “I cannot so far malign human nature than to do otherwise than believe that what the colonel has said, on his word of honour, is perfectly true.” “Stop,” said Ned, fiercely. ‘“ Will you say, Colonel Blood, if you are in possession of any knowledge or information of any kind whatever respecting Ellen Harmer ?” “Sir,” said Blood, coldly, “I have no right, to say more than in all honour will clear myself of every imputation. More than that will be to battle about the affairs of others, agd to me that is odious.” | Thus ended this fruitless interview, which, on the part of Colonel Blood, was naught else than a tissue of lies. “ D——n the rascal!” said Ned to Garnet, as they drove home. ‘TI am certain that the cool, smiling villain knows all about it.” “Then let us make it our business to entrap him,” said Garnet. ‘It is very hard atter she hag been rescued from their clutches once, that she should again be taken away, and from your own uncle’s house, too.” ‘Never mind,” said Ned; “I'll be even with Colonel Blood yet.’ * * aS BS * “You played your part admirably, Blood,” said the king, when Sir Richard and the others had left the audience chamber. “Sire,” said the colonel, smiling, “I am always your majesty’s most faithful subject.’’ “And when shall I see this pretty wench, colonel ?” “To-morrow night, your majesty.” “Tis well. Haye you made all the arrange- ments ?” “Yes, sire.; but she knows not who you are.” “So much the better... To-morrow night, then; - come early, Blood,” ‘‘ T will, sire.”’ CHAPTER L. THE ROYAL LOVER. THE night upon which the king had been promised that the young Ellen, with whom. he was so deeply enamoured, would come to his apartments, at length arrived, and set in with squally fierceness. For the whole day the sun had been obscured by clouds, and although it was not until evening actually arrived that any rain had fallen, yetit had threatened to do so numberless times, and the scud of heavy clouds had been coursing through the air at a terrible rate. The wind, though, about sunset—when a dashing rain began to fall—had sensibly moderated, and it was only now and then that it whistled about the old towers and chimneys of St. James’s Palace. The two dissolute and unscrupulous men to whom the king had, rather in defiance of the pledge he gave to Sir Richard Warbeck, given an account of his intended adyenture—namely, Blood and the page comiclbooks.conn