Black Bess; or, the Knight of the Road — page 284: what you’re looking at

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

ae et ie Vey ee vs *, ~ % ; ae : Aad a 7. 4 it - - rin, >a +h ivf * tar 5 | . Ff oe oa ore. ~ LO at A Set - ans ; j ru Geen Ve ees ~ a ia eee Toe ie 3; Pad hn ‘ sey : . . _* a Suan wr - ramos 5) yy . 4 ae nd £656 The old miser, without another word, arged his mule forward at the best speeil it was capable of making, which Wes not very rapid. Tom King watched him for some mvments. Fie observed the old man frequently and anxiously look round, in order to be sure that ‘T'om had not stizred. The latter waNed until a turn in the roadway hid him from his sight. Then he sprang from his feet. “Tf events turn out as I believe they will,” he ex- claimed, “ you will be taught a lesson you will never for- get to your dying day—perhaps it may cure you of your insatiable avarice—and it is pretty sure to make a fool of clever Mr. Bishop.” Having uttered these words half aloud, Tom sprang lightly over the low hedge that bordered the Ligh- road. He alighted upon the soft turf of a meadow, and then, crouching down, he ran along at a rapid rate. He did not keep altogether under the shadow of the hedge, but left it some distance on his left. By doing this, he cut off the curve of the high-road. Having gone some distance in a straight line, he reached the hedge, and waited there a moment, partly to recover his spent breath and partly to listen. He then discovered that he had outstripped the old miser, who came jogging along and muttering all the time. * Yes—yes,” Tom overheard him say, “I can see my way clearly now in all I have todo. Yes—yes, beyond all doubt this will turn out a good night’s work for me. What a shallow fool he must be. Let me consider now how I shall act. 1 will, first of all, obtain possession of this letter he speaks of—I will secure it. Fool—fool, to let me know that it contained such priceless information ! Then, having done that, I will find out the officers who are lurking near, and tell them where the rascal can be found. Yes, yes—that will be it. They will make their way round to him by the meadows, and pounce out upon him. Yes, yes—of course; and if necessary, I can hold him in conversation. J shall then get my share of the reward—perhaps recover possession of what he has robbed me of, and—then—then afterwards,” he added, in shrill tones, “I will repair to this secret spot, and obtain possession of the buried treasure !” Either he had brought all his arrangements to a satis- factory termination, or else the prospect of obtaining the buried treasure overpowered him to such a degree that he could only muse upon it, not speak, for having said so much he became silent. “Just what I expected,” said Tom, mentally, “ thongh I scarcely thought I should obtain so good an insight into your plans. It will be a lesson for you, old man, and one which you richly deserve.” With these words, Tom King continued to make his wey forward, though this time with more caution. 7 * rn Nh . aM “Vii ree. Ari feo ‘you are or not—so surrender, and let us haye no more Ay Oe Re ee Eee . . ‘ ‘ “ = SYA fee ae Oe oy ae “ “Release me!” said the old man, speaking 1 vith Cifficulty—“ release me, I say!” cs “Oh yes! of course I shall—you may depend 1 shall | do that! Is there anything else in a trifling way you | would like? Ifso, speak out—don’t be bashful, pray '” A Bishop was so delighted that he grew quite facetious. {| ‘* You make a mistake in seizing me!” whined the miser. “I am no highwayman!” ‘‘ Very likely not; but I intend to take you whether — fugs!’’ The miser groaned. : ‘Ay, groan away!” cried Bishop, in great exultation. — “You feel very bad, I daresay ; but you will feel worse — before long! Short work will be made of you, thatI can — promise you !” re ‘““T am a wretched man !” “No doubt of it.” “T am lost—lost !” ‘‘ Not a bit of it, my spark; it rather strikes me you're found! Ha, ha!” . At which stroke of wit Bishop laughed so heartily that — he almost released his hold upon the miser’s collar. ‘Get your lantern,” cried the latter, at length—“‘get your lantern, Isay, and lookin my face! You will see — then that you have made a mistake—a great mistake | You will find I am not the man you take me for {” By this time Bishop’s excitement had abated somewnat, and consequently, being calmer, the old man’s peculiar, — shrill voice falling upon his ears, made him feel cold and — clammy witha dreadful doubt. Surely such a voice as that was not simulated. In his nervous agitation, he thrust his hand into his pocket and drew forth his lantern. Is was still burning. ~ With an unsteady hand, he directed the light upon the © old miser’s countenance. : The very first glance at the pinched features and | attenuated form convinced him that it was no highway- | man he held in his grasp. With a sigh of bitter disappointment, he restored his {| lantern to his pocket. me | ‘“‘Tf you are not actually one of the accursed lot,” he | crfed, wrathfully, ‘‘ you are one of their agents, and being such, I will take good eare that you receive in full the punishment which the law awards. Come with me—you ~ are my prisoner! If you resist, it will be all the worse for you!” e ‘Mr. Officer!” said the miser, earnestly—so earnestly — that Bishop felt constrained to pause and say : 1 Weelli22 | “You are laboring under a great mistake. Iam not | indeed the man you take me for; but I assure youl | know where he is, and if you will only listen to whatI } have to say, I will make a clean breast of all, and take | you to where he is now awaiting my return.” “@ * * ‘* were: aay nea fa ~ 2 = ae ae PAS kel ae Bb LS cone * oe a 6 was as anxious to get as close to the bridge as he| “Cut along then,” said Bishop, ‘‘and be quick!” a could without being perceived, in order that he might be 4 an observer of the scene that was about to be enacted. 4 To this end, he followed in the footsteps of the old CHAPTER CMXCVII. 4 miser, whose mule went at his steady jog-trot on to the IN WHICH TOM KING GERS HIMSELF INTO SERIOUS TROUBLE. | bridge. Oh, how Tom laughed and chuckled to himself ! The old miser had comprehended very well where- abouts the letter had been hidden. So well that the first stone he raised proved to have the letter beneath it. He seized the precious paper with a frantic gesture of delight. But his feelings were destined to undergo a thorough alteration. Bishop, the officer, had watched the old man scize the letter with almost as much extravagant delight as the ald miser himself had experienced. Like some wild beast that had been fong and patiently awaiting the coming of its prey, he bounded out of his hiding-place and seized the miser by the back of the neck with a grip so powerful that it forced him to utter a loud yell of surprise and fear. Bishop nothing doubted that he had got one of the ~é-hwaymen in his grasp, who had thus disguised him- in order to avoid recognition. was @ Very probable supposition indeed for him ga F ee ee ‘PATZENCE!” said the old man—“ patience, and I will | tell you. But Iam old and I am frightened well-nigh out of my life.” | “Well, go on, can't you ?” interrupted Bishop, angrily. el ‘‘ Don’t let us have so much of your palaver!” ‘As I was journeying along the road, Il was stopped — by a man who, with many fearful oaths, despoiled me of } my purse and threatened to deprive me of my life.” ‘‘ Where was this ?” ‘A few hundred yards off, down the road.” Bishop ground his teeth savagely. A ‘‘ But at last,” resumed the old man, “he promised to — return me all he had taken from me if I would onl undertake to render him a service. I asked him what i¢ © was, and he told me merely to fetch this letter, which he stated I should find hidden under one of the stones on | the parapet of the bridge.” i “Well, what then?” asked Bishop, fn a suspicious | tone. : 7 [Tagreed, and you seized me.” “And what arrangement did you make about the a= very of this letter?” 1 Se - a AMUSE P : nde Te (EO)