Black Bess; or, the Knight of the Road — page 257: what you’re looking at

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

»* . rr. i> ‘ - - a @ ag ; aie ~ at ar ee *¥ - _s — the er Nie ty Ae . ~ . ss oF nd ee ae a Eid OS. SR ce es gia " . o_o “ a + EG — 7 - i >- Kz face yt Ss s ahc*. Ba". ~~ ti? - at 4 : io y ee apa - a - > > ‘a wm. oe GEZt ae ; ‘ all al —s ie ye > fi ae ne a hat d ~ . ¥ ie. ‘ = Sata’ : *s aod - > 2 . OP oe o man bowed and pointed to a door a little way off Bat on whic the words were written. _______ Dick nodded his head in return, and stepped briskly PE. <7 eo __ Reaching the coffee-room door, Turpin pushed it open and stood aside *e allow the lawyer to, follow him. > _ It was rather so odd thing, but just at that time the coffee-room happened to be empty. ; TT have only a bed-room here ” said Dick to Mr. Cart- wright, as that gentleman took a seat near the fire, “and of course my portmanteau is there. It will not take mo & moment to run upstairs and fetch you the title deeds, go you will excuse me for leaving you bere 2 mowmant while I doo.” This was said with so offhand an air, anu scanded ao plausible and reasonable that the lawyer immediately gave his consent. This was all Dick needed, and his exultation at having managed sc well could scarcely be restrained within bounds. . Leaving the coffee-room again, he stepped swiftly along the hall to the door. Dick hesitated for nalf a second, then put his hand in _ his pocket and drew forth a guinea. esi _ Heslipped the coin into the hand of the attendant, and _-——sas ha did so he said, with a wink: LS “i\ that gentleman who came in with me a moment ; ago should ask you where I have gone, just be good | envugh to say that you have not seen me.” * ees Whether the man would comply with this demand Dick did not wait to know; but the way in which he slipped the guinea into his pocket was very sug- <i eoee gestive. “Free!” said Dick, after he had descended the steps of = ee the hotel—‘“ once more free, after running the gauntlet of ae s0 many dangers—tree, too, by my own unaided exerticus ! ve Truly has my brain been busy to-night, yet all is well; a ye few minutes more and [ shall be in possession of Black Ie Bess; and when | feel that gallant mare beneath me 1 Sm ot bid defiance to all that my enemies can accom- —~--—-—s« Sust as he spoke these words, Dick reached the door- cee way leading to the stables, ES jess glanced up and down the street, but all was Se perfectly silent. oes Seizing the bell-bandle, he pulled it somewhat vigor- - ously, then waited with a singular mixture of calmness and anxiety for the ostler to make his appearance. CHAPTER CMLXXXV. caf fo _$CK TURPIN IS REMINDED THAT IIE IS AS YET BY NO a = MEANS OUT OF DANGER. x Tris feeling rapidly intensified, and as it did so his ¥ anxiety increased. di it reached its culminating point at the moment when a t9 heard a shuffling footstep in the inn yard, and caught at gs sight of a dim gleam of light. Sky “I have been too precipitate,” he muttered—“ by far ss too precipitate! My late successes have blinded me to ats caution. Ishould have sent some one here in case of ae danger, or, at any rate, I ought to have reconnoitred +3 Having come to this conclusion, Dick glanced round me him as well as the obscurity that filled the narrow turning —— would permit. Bs j On the opposite side of the wav, and nearly opposite to nee the stable gates, was a small uoorway, that apparently eh: formed a kind of private means of communication with ia the back part of the hotel a Divk had resolyed to secrete himself in a place wnere —- he could watch the course of events, and, as no better a one than this presented itself, he darted across the road- Saget way in a moment, , e had scarcely passed into the dark shadow caused fe by the depression in the wall, when he hed the fasten. Pea ings of the stable gates noisily undone. ~ “Dm coming, sir,” said a voice—‘ I’m coming, sir: Just have patience tor half a moment.” “ What the deuce does he mean by talking like that ?” thought Dick. “And how does he know who is outside, I wonder ?” : Just then one aalf of the gates was thrown open, and pH UF ime ROAD. at precisely the same instant Dick discovered that tha door close to which he was pressing in order to get more out of sight was unfastened. No sooner did he make this discovery than he instantly availed himself of the opportunity which this afforded for a better coucealment. His movements were so rapid, ana yet so silent, that by the time he had placed himself on the opposite side of the door—which he held a little ajar in order that he might observe all that took place—the ostler had only managed to get the gate fairly open. He raised in the air the lantern he carried, and glanced — around him in great surprise. “The devil!” he ejaculated, when he found that beyond all doubt no one was outside. “ Why, it’s a mistake, Some one rang the bell, and ran off, drat ’em{” ‘What's that you say?” growled another voice. * Isn't he there 2” ‘* No, that he isn’t.” The second speaker came forward—-sufficiently so for the rays of the lantern to fat] pon him and reveal his exterior appearance. Dick, on seeing him, drew hack slightly, and pushed the door a little closer. | It was a police officer—a runner from Bow Street, “Back, Mr. Bishop,” said the ostler—* back, sir, if you please. Pray keep out of sight! He may be on the watch for aught I know.” Thus admonished, the officer retreated, and the ostler, after taking another survey around hin, retreated alsv, and closed the gates, saying something in a growling tone all the while. : In less than @ moment afterwards all was as silent as efore. ‘‘ Another narrow escape,” thought Dick—‘ by far too narrow to be at-all agreeable. But certainly I must bein luck’s way to-night.” Dick might well think this, for, since his departure from the old castle, Fortune had constantly favored him. . But the highwayman, just at that moment, had more to think about in the present than the past. A rapid glance at his position made him conscious that, to say the least of it, it was avery unpleasant one. What he had witnessed convinced him beyond all doubt that by some one or other his mare had been recognised, and, in consequence, a watch set in the hope of securing him on his return. How nearly they had succeeded the reader knows already—but for his lucky second thought, the highway- man could scarcely have got free. A slight noise behind him caused by the opening ané€ shutting of the door disturbed the highwayman in his thoughts, and reminded him that the place he was in — was not at all adapted for an abiding spot. He had no other resource than to enter the street again. “He did this most reluctantly. But the narrow thoroughfare still wore its deserted ap- pearance. Dick glanced ap at the high brick walls which defended the stable-yard, ‘‘ Black Bess is there,” he said to himselfi—* there, and surrounded by my foes and hers. She cannot help herself, [ would as soon part with my life as lose her, and so I shall have to depend upon my own exertions to set her free. delay.” Vick Turpin paced slowly down the street in deep thought. : Certainly the task which he had set himself was one It must be done somehow, and that without~ which any other man would have given up in despairags — % being totally impossible; but its very difficulty only served as a stimulus to Dick. ~ : He was not long before he arranged his plan of actiou up to a certain point. ‘Before [ can go any further,” ge murmured, as he turned round and retraced nis steps, “ I must ascertain the exact force which my enemies muster. I must also find out how they are disposed, and just where abouts Black Bess is situated. Yes, certainly, that will be the preliminary step to take.” Glaucing up to the walls, Dick fancied that he should -“ r CORNICE OOOKS (C (E (0) mi ; i= ey fda