Black Bess; or, the Knight of the Road — page 377: what you’re looking at

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

Ns Se ieee ps THR KNIGHT OF THB ROAD. Fes 17¢9 ___ for she continued to run with even greater swiftness than| But instead of giving it, sho burst into @ fivod of sad _ before. tears. 3 But remarkably fleet as she was, itis not to besupposed | Tom allowed her grief to have full vent for some mo- that she could long keep ahead of Tom. Z ments, for he knew how much her heart would ba r= _ Wet although sae must have known that to hy, ever- | lieved. taken waa inevitable, she continued to strain avery| Then, if possible, with greater deferonco, he regeaiza nerve. his question. Again and again Tom called after her, but r%t’) Ac “ Alas—alas, sir!” she replied; “I know not hew to more result than at first. answer you—in fact, I feel myself unable to give you a C Once Tom’s horse’s head almost touched her shouiiie:, | reply.” 3 o _ At the same time she turned to look back, andthe sight| ‘an I assist you with my advice ?” x so startled her that she gave a tremendous bound, which *‘ Would you have patierce to listen to a few particu- at once carried her several feet ahead. lars of my life? If so, then——” But it was a last effort. “Say on. Speak freely. Believe mo, on my word. 3 With a wild, despairing cry, which thrilled strangely | when I say that from this moment forth I am devoted to - to Tom’s heart, she sank down in front of him as thozgh | your service until I can place you in some safe posi- ail at once struck down by lightning. tion.” ‘ Tom uttered a shout. The young girl looked the thatks she was not able te oe He felt assured that nothing could save her from being | express, and murmured: a run over. ‘ “It is strange indeed to meet with so much sympathy. a He pulled the rein hard, and the horse, sceing some- | Believe me, I shall ever be your debtor.” thing lying in its path, swerved aside, and with so much | ‘Tom laughed. abruptness that ‘T’om was almost unseated. ‘Think not of me in such a light,” he said. ‘Indeed, The effort he made to regain his proper position in the | the less you know of me the better.” | saddle increased the fright which the horse already felt, His words caused a look of surprise to flit across her ; and he broke out into a terrific gallop. features, but observing that Tom stood waiting to hear ? It was some moments before Tom could bring tim to a | the particulars of which she had spoken, she said: standstill, but having done so, he compelled him to re-| ‘I must go so far back as to tell you that my mother trace his steps. was the only daughter of an English officer in India. On regaining the spot where she had fallen, Tom pre- | She was his pet—his idol. But as she grew up, chance cipitately alighted. threw her in the way of one of the native Indian princes. He fancied she had lost all consciousness, but this was | He was young, chivalric, rich, and handsome. A mutual not the case, for on his appearance she endeavoured to | love ensued, which, however, upon discovering, her father ¥ rise to her feet and resume her headlong flight. sternly forbid. | But her strength was gone, and she sunk down again| ‘But his mandate was unheeded. The young Indian with a moan. chief’s tender entreaties, glowing pictures of the futuro, 3 Now Tom was never more certain of anything in his | and assurances that in the end all would be well, proved x life than he was that this was Maud. of far greater power than her father’s mandates. B It never once occurred to him that there could bo a pos- “Flight followed. They were married, and a year - sibility of its being anyone else. afterwards I was born. , What, then, was his surprise when he all at once dis-| ‘It seems strange that I should tell you all this. Yet ¥ covered that he had been quite upon a wrong track. in a few moments you will perceive the necessity of it, $ : Although not exactly morning, yet there was sufficient | for I am utterly friendless and helpless in a foreign land, = dim gray light to enable him to perceive ‘that this was a| where I have known little save unhappiness since my | young girl many years younger than Maud, and that ber | arrival in it.” - skin was so dark that she looked like an Indian. “T am deeply interested,” Tom observed; “and if I \ Indeed, Tom came at once to the conclusion that she | made any remark upon the subject, it would be to request 4 was not of European birth, there wassomething so foreign- | you to enter fully into all particulars. Rely upon it IL a looking in her countenance. shall be a patient and observant listener.” : But for all that, the dusky features were truly beauti-} ‘“Thanks—many thanks! My reason for telling you Tom bent over her. tones, to reassure her. $09 have not, believe me, the least cause for alarm. I took | to comprehend them. re you for another of whom I am in search.” save me, for I am sorely in need of protection !” “Be calm—be calm!” cried Tom, allowing her to con- | nephew of my grand{ather’s. afforded freely. Tell me what it is you fear.” venture to say that I have escaped.” the grave. what I can do to serve you ?” - This was a question that seemed to cause the girl con- | breathed her last. siderable perplexity. ¥ 1. for bor answer, of (€ (0) (E JOO ul. so much of tho past is that you may the better compre- No tiny bird fluttering beneath a hawk could have|hend tho present. My grandfather was bitterly wroth manifested greater terror than this young girl did when | when he discovered my mother’s flight, and his hatred now became as intense as his love had been. Perceiving it, he endeavoured, by speaking in gentle} “My father perished in a skirmish with his foes, and® my mother after that endured many privations, all of “Fear nothing,” he said —“do not be afraid. You] which I shared, though I was then too young thoroughly “One day, however, the news came that my grand- Tom spoke without thinking whether his words would | father had died in Kngland—that with his last breath he be-understood. had forgiven his daughter and left her the whole of his =} Evidently, however, they were not only comprehended, | vast wealth. At that time he was not certain whether « but believed, for, raising her head, she clasped one of his|she was alive or dead. If the former, then she was to hands in both her own, and sank down upon her knees. make her way to England without loss of time; if tho “ Help me—help me!” she said, faintly. ‘Help me and | latter, then her children were to do so; and in case nonv survived, the property was to pass into the hands of a tinue her appeal; “such help as I can give you shall be “This nephew was also appointed executor for the _ | time being—I believe that is the proper word. The young girl glanced around her timorously. “Wy poor mother had lived so long without hex She placed one of her tiny hands to ker car aud lisyaed ? father’s pardon that she had ceased to hope for and ex- intently. é pest it. The knowledge that his displeasure still con- ~ Tom noted ‘hat the fingers were loaded. with jewelled | tinued, and the loss of her much-loved husband, weighed rings. upon her spirits to such a degree that she pined away ‘“T have escaped,” she said—“ escaped froma fate far} daily. I have heard it said that joy never kills, but it is worse than death itself. Yes—yes, I think I can now | certain that after this news my mother sank quickly into “ No harm shall reach you while I am near,” said Tom, ’, ‘° However, she started for Calcutta, in company with resolutely, ‘so be under no more apprehension. Tell meyyself, her only child. We took passago on board a vessel, but ere we had gone a hundred miles my mother “ My position then was sad—-sad indeed-—sadder indeed, ‘l'om saw she was in deep thought, and waited patiently | [ think, than you would be able to form any conceptior <S (E(@)