Black Bess; or, the Knight of the Road — page 321: what you’re looking at

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

Bs ‘Fo reach it took them little more than a moment. ‘fe apertare was not closed, and this discovery caused a thrill of delight to shoot through their frames, for it did may seem as though Maud and Jack the ostler were ovr ‘#{t’s all right,” said Tom. A y » ty aa aes: “Go on, Dick; you nad ES better be the first. They will be surprised at our return ; Sa rely upun it, they did not expect us back so soon.”’ ~ “ Maud—Maud!” cried Dick, as he began to descend. a “ Maud—Maud, speak to me—let me hear your voice! Maud, Isay! I have returned in safety and unhurt!” Dick paused. His heart beat violently. A cold perspiration started forth in large drops upon his forehead, while he gasped painfully and laboriously for breath, as though his lungs had suddenly rerused to perform their proper functions. ““Good heavens!” he exclaimed, his voice se6-ing tather to burst from his lips than to be a natural articula- tion. “What can be the meaning of this? What—oh, what can have happened ?” ‘‘ Descend—descend!” cried Claude Duval. “Be quick ! ‘« We can ascertain nothing here; or stand aside, if yo A would rather, and I will go first and lead the way.” ** No—no !” groaned Dick, while they could see that he trembled from head to foot like an aspen. “My worst forebodings are now realised! This was the direction in which all my ghastly fears pointed! Alas!—alas!— what is to be done ?” : “‘ Descend—descend!” said Tom King, in a scarcely less agitated voice than that of his leader. His injunction was complied with. The whole party slowly descended the flight of steps, and with faltering steps made their way along the passage, _ It was at this moment that, with a triumphant shout, or rather yell, of exultation, an officer dashed round from one of the corners of the ruins, where evidently he had ¥ been in hiding. z He was followed quickly by a dense throng of others, who exhibited scarcely less frantic demonstrations of ex- ; citement than himself. They clustered round the entrance to the under- BS ground apartment. “ i Then the first, who was no other than Bishop the r police officer, threw his hands up above his head and screamed aloud : ““Caged—caged! Iknewit would bedone! Ha, ha! Earthed—earthed—run to earth! I told you : Ha, tha! iz so! Caught—ceaught! Caught at last"’ ee f : # om ae eer. oe ‘ ‘CHAPTER MXIL EXPLAINS THE APPEARANCE OF THE POLICE OFFICERS AT THE RUINS. To explain the mysterious disappearance of Maud and Jack the ostler, and the no less mysterious appearance of Bishop and a troop of officers, it will be necessary to go back and relate sequentially what took place at the castle SN after the departure of Dick Turpin and his com- rades We have said already that Maud stood and gazed after her husband until the stonework hid him from her sight. But she continued to gaze long after that, for in fancy he was yet present to her vision. ack Ostler withdrew to a distance, leaving her to her- self. When afterwards she came to give an account of what had happened, she was unable to give anything like a clear idea of how long she might have remained in (his position. Her thoughts wandered, and she gave herself up to a kind of waking day-dream. She was longing for the time when Dick would leave England with her, and when there would succeed to this turbulent career a period of peace and rest. le i. : ’ aA a” * .. ¢! PE EOE TO eR Te = we “3 Suddenly, however, her attention was aroused by a “4 sound which instantly put all her dreams to flight. Be It was only by the exereise of the greatest? Jf-control that she was able to suppress a shriek. The sound which struck upon her ear was the one above all others to cause her the most alarm. tt was a human voice. THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD. ge At first she might have been incredulous, but scon there was no room left for the least amount of doubt. The sound of voices continued, and Maud quickly be- came conscious that more than one person waa approach. ing the ruins. How mazy more she could not estimate. Her heaxt fairly stood still. The fechng was an awful one In vain ehe tried to draw her bieath. In vain she strove to move. Then she became conscious that she was about to fail ‘nto a swoon. This knowledge enabled her by a sudden effort to re- gain possession over her almost paralysed faculties. It was just as she thus recollected herself that she found Jack the ostler was standing by her side. Ris presence was to her a source of infinite relief, for she had just been assuring herself that it was necessary for her to set out in quest of him. Jack placed his fingers to his lips, in token of silence. Then, in the faintest possible whisper, he murmured : ‘Don’t be alarmed, but strangers have entered the ruins.” Maud nodded, and by her manner signified to him that she was already acquainted with the fact. “There’s three of them,” he continued, in the same cautious tones, ‘and what they want I cannot imagine.” “ They—they—are not ” gasped Maud. “ No—no,” answered the ostler, without waiting for officers.” Maud involuntarily gasped: Z “Thank Heaven!” The knowledge that these new-comers were not police officers had a wonderfully reassuring effect upon her. ‘‘Who can they be, then?” she murmured, ‘“ What can they want here ?” Jack shook his head. “Tt will be best not to talk, miss,” he said—he alwaye called Maud “ Miss”—“ we may be overheard. Look there!” He pointed across the ruins as he spokes. Maud looked in the direction in which he pointed, and then saw three persons come into view. One walked in advance of the other two, and by his costume it could be seen that he belonged to a higher grade of society than they did, while their manner showed that they were ready to do his bidding in anything that he required. The first one came very near to the spot where Maud and Jack Ostler were concealed. Indeed, they had to shrink back very closely into the shadow of an abutment to escape detection. Even then they would have beenin great danger of being seen but for the obscurity which prevailed, and which seemed to increase rapidly every moment. The gentleman—for such by his attire he seemed to be —paused, and raising one arm, pointed towards the keep. ‘‘There can be no doubt this is the place,” he said— ‘‘ not the least doubt in the world; but if I had known it was such a devilish long way off, I should have waited till the morning.” ‘t What is to be dona, then, sir?” asked one of the men, in a respectful voice. ‘Done ?—why, nothing at all can be done to-night— that is the worst of it.” spoken. “ Wait a moment—lI will think.” The stranger appeared to consider carefully for a minute or two, and then he repliod - “ My orders were, not to leave this place until my task ‘ig completed; but, as I said before, it is no use attempt- ing to commence to-night. You two shall stay here, however, and make yourselves as comfortable as you can, and I will ride on tothe next village, and try if I can find any accommodation at an inn.’ . By the expression upon the cotxtenances of the twa men, it was quite evident that they by no means relished this proposition ; but they were too much under the sub- jection of the stranger to utter even a word by way ol remonstrance. her to complete her question—“they are not police ‘Shall we go back, sir?” asked the one who had before _ By the way the gentleman spoke it was clear thathe , intended to seek accommodation for himself only. m (e (©) JOOKS. CO