Black Bess; or, the Knight of the Road — page 352: what you’re looking at

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

L724 : BLACK BESS; CR, ful to all of you, but especially to me; but I feel that our wisest course is to remain quiet a littlelonger, and endure it as best we can. Inashort time these people will doubt- less leave the inn. Let us keep out of sight till then. If we make no movement, the landlord may, in the excitement ot this fresh arrival, forget all about us, and so these others will be quite ignorant of our presence here.” Dick spoke firmly and quietly. His companions listened intently to every wera, and, when he had finished, unanimously signified their belief that the course proposed was the best that ceuld be adopted. | But to no wretched criminal awaiting the prorancta- tion of his doom did time lag so fearfully asit did cn this occasion to Dick Turpin and his canradas. {t seemed as though the cariosity of the growd outside would never abate. There was a complete Babel of sounds, Fruitlessly did the highwaymen endeavour to make out afew distinct words from the mass of gabble. More than once they felt asthough their patience must give way. At last the constable, beadle, and those who had carried the body left the inn. Some who were outside followed them, Others indulged themselves with a longer and more minute inspection of the building before they finally took their departure. Shortly after, according to Dick’s anticipation, the land- lord knocked at the door. Now that the moment had arrived when all their doubts would be resolved, Dick Turpin became quite unnerved. He was too agitated to pronounce the words, ‘‘Come 4 q7) The landlord, however, did not wait for this, but opened the door. His face was full of mystery and importance. : “Gentlemen,” he said, with a deprecating bow, and rubbing his hands together as he spoke, ‘I hope you have not wanted for anything, and that you will pardon my neg- lect, but—but : ‘‘ What has all this commotion been about?” asked Tom King, speaking with tolerable steadiness. “I thought you told us this inn was such a quiet place ?” “Gentlemen,” said the landlord, uplifting his hands to rive additional assurance to what he said, “I assure you thisis such a thing as has never happened at this inn since I have been the landlord of it, and that’s a good many years, I can assure you. Why, you ses, it’s quite, as I may say, a history—yes, quitea history.” __ ‘‘ But come to the point at once.” “Tam sure I don’t know how, for, you see——_” “What was it those people brought in ?” ‘A body.” ‘A dead body 2?” ‘‘ Yes, a corpse.” “’ Of— of--wh——” “Ah,” cried the landlord, interrupting him, * that’s what nobody knows ?” The highwaymen repeated the words in extreme as- tonishment. “A perfect stranger, gentlemen—a perfect stranger.” “But cannot you tell us,” cried Dick Turpin, in a voice of the utmost agitation, for this suspense was to him the most acute of tortures—" cannot you tell us whether it is & man or ——” The landlord gazed at Dick aghast, and well he might. His eyes were gleaming, his lips trembling, and the cold dew of apprehension was on his forehead. Well might the landlord be surprised at the manifesta- tion of so much anxiety. ‘¢ Why,” he said, “it’s a man—of coursoit’saman! I thought that you knew that. But, bless us and save ns, what’s amiss ?” : A fervent “ Thank Heaven!” burst from Dick Turpre’s ps. ‘Then he was himself again. The trouble that had weighed him down scemed to have rolled away as a mist suddenly rolls upon the sides of a mountain. The reader has no doubt interpreted his terrible fear eright. He was not unreasonably under the dread that the body was that of Mard. ee 0 ree os ee He fancied in some way she must have met with her death—and what was more probable? for the reader knows already how near was the occurrence of that catastrophe --and that her body, having been found, was carried to to the inn, there to await a judicial inquisition. But now that fear was completely dissipated. The shock, however, was almost too much for enduranca, for he flattered himself with the idea that he had pre- pared himself for the worst. “What man?” asked Claude Duval, for the landlord, having spoken, stood stock still, gazing upon Dick, whose extreme emotion seamed to have raisedadim kind of suspicion in his breast. Claude had to repeat his question before it was responded to. Then, with a start, the landlord said: “Tf beg your pardon, sir, ten thousand times—I do in- deed; but really, what with one thing and the other, I really don’t know, as the saying is, whether I stand upon my head or my heels. or whether I am myself ar not.” The landlord did indeed seem greatly flustered, and it would have been a great wonder if he had been other- wise. Wiping the perspiration from his forehead, he sank into @ chair, and ejaculated : ‘Gentlemen, if you will allow meI will try to give you an account of this affair from the beginning to the end. You will understand it better and so shall I, for l am so flabbergasted, in a manner of speaking, that I scarcely at present comprehend the rights of it myself.” “Sit down, then, and begin. Tell the tale after your own fashion.” The highwaymen felt that now their minds were se much relieved that they could endure any amount of pro- lixity upon the landlord’s part. “It appears, then,” he began, “ that early this morning, as a cowboy was going along a cross road not far from here, he saw what he thought was a man asleep under atree. As he came nearer, however, he saw that the animal he was in search of was bending its head down on the prostrate form, while a dense swarm of flies and insects filled the surrounding air.” “So it was a dead man ?” “Yes, that was what it was found to be. The boy was frightened out of his wits almost, and ran along the road as if the devil was after him, nor did he stop until he met with some men who were on their way to work. To them he communicated his discovery, and they all went back in a body.” ‘‘ And then the corpse was brought here ?” ‘Yes, sir,” said the :andlord, rather annoyed to and his narrative thus interrupted. ‘“ The constable was fetched, and so was the beadle. The body was examined and found to be that of a perfect stranger. Many looked at him, but none could remember having seen a maz of hig appearance in the neighbourhood.” “ And what was the cause of death ?” “Ah, that is to come.” ‘Well, proceed.” “The beadle was the first who dared to have a good look at this man’s face. I don’t wonder that the others shrunk from it, for it is an awful sight, such as I hope I may never see again!” The landlord shuddered while he spoke. ‘Go on—go on!” cried Dick. “Tt is most frightfully disfigured, so much so, that it 1s scarcely possible te distinguish one feature from another. They seem to be charred with fire. The plain fact is the man must &ave been struck bya thunderbolt in that fear- © ful storms; the tree itself under which he was found is, 1 an told, terribly shattered.” “Then by that and your description,” said Turpin, ‘there can be little doubt that he met with his death by a stroke of lightning.” ‘‘ He has been brought here, I suppose, in order that an inquest might be held?” observed ‘om King, who had hitherto listened in deep thought, and who now broke the silence which followed Dick’s last words. ‘Yes sir, that is it.” * Where is he new 2?” ‘‘ Upstairs.” ‘In the room over this, I think ?* “Yes.” “Ig there anyone with him ?” 7 COMIC JOOoKS,.com Oe re en ee ee ae