Black Bess; or, the Knight of the Road — page 388: what you’re looking at

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

1760 Tha descent of the hill was accomplished without much difficulty, and then Maud had the boldness to strike off across the meadows, keeping her eyes fixed upen the tall keep of the castle, which, from its greut height, formed a conspicuous object in the landscape. But as she wearily walked on, she found that the as tance she hadto go was muchgreater than it had ap,carod to be. To her it seemed that as she acvanced so did the ruins retreat, thue mocking all her efforts to reach them. More than once she was glad enough to sink down and rest her weary limbs. Nothing but the strong, all-powerful desire to ascertain if possible the fate od her husband and his companions could have kept her up. But the longest and most tedious journey must come to an end at last. After the lapse, then, of a long, long time—so long that Maud was unable to form a clear idea of its duration—the outer portion of the ruined castle was gained. Maud’s heart now beat so fast as almost to prevent her breathing. Indeed, she believed nothing could save her fom swooning. Urged by that all-conquering desire, she feebly struggled on. The old castle had a spectral, ghastly look, as the moon poured her flood of light upon its gray and crumbling walls. A most oppressive silence, too, reigned around—a silenve which Maud thought wes horribly suggestive of the tomb, and most disastrous to the hopes in which she had indulged. Tt was when she had fathomed the very lowest depths of despair that she heard a voice give vent to a clad e a Oe a A mem ry. . “ Maud—Maud—Maud!” said a well-known voice. “}tisl! Lam here—I am bere!” JHAPTER maAAX VII. Dick TURPIN AND MAUD ARE SURPRISED BY THE OFFICERS IN THE RUINS. HAD not these words been followed by the sound of rapid footsteps, and had she pot caught a of a well- known form hastening tewards her, Maud would have concluded that she had been the victim of some cruel delusion. Fortunately, she was spared this pang additional to those which she had already suffered. But her joy had almost as great an effect upon her ss a shock of grief or disappointment. Thhe next moment she found herself in the arms of the one she loved so truly and so well. So exhausted was she bodily, and so completely over- come mentally, that for some time she couldjdo nothing more than remain half passive in Dick’s arms. While remaining thus, and only in a state of semi- eonsciousness, the past, and all the horrore she tad gone through, seemed by far more like some hideous dream than stern reality. Was she waking then, she asked herself, or was she dreaming now ? The last question there was difficulty in making a reply to. All—all was real. But by what chance could it be, she again mentally inquired, that Dick was there, to all appearances safe and unhurt—just in the very place she had set out from ia order expressly to warn him from approaching, and where—greatest mystery of all—he was, beyond all doubt, quite secure and safe ? Such interrogations as these thronging thickly in her mind might well confuse Maud’s brain, and make her close her eyes in an attempt to think calmly and clearly. « ‘Rouse ap—arouse yourself!” she heard Diok say, for he fancied, from her closed eyes and pallid cheeks, that she had faintéd. ‘ You are in no danger now, and-~and you are not hurt, I trust?” ee propeunced these words with considerable diffi- nee. The first tumult of joy which he experionced when he SOE TT IRE oye VR ok eh me Ok add SR erat ee eR 9 NC ely EE SLR. Se BY we r AE fae (<2 i> Wet .f wy! : a. ty. ear _ of ‘ we LAM a . So AA eh he Oe ee hs ae retry at * . ee Bogie * 4 d rot exes eee a, : 4 hay Ie ° ~% , BLACK BESS; O8, first caught sight of her had made him forgetful of such a contingency as this. : Now that the idea had occurred to him, however, he suffered a thousand apprehensions, for he sadly feared by Maud’s manner that she had suffered some fearful accident. “No—no,” she murmured, feebly, “I shall be better soon. Water—water !” “Tom,” said Dick, in a loud voice—“ Tom, | -s¥ 4” Tom Davis came forward. ‘Here I am, captain. What’s amiss?” Some water, now, at once !” Tom started off at full speed, There was a plentiful supply o? clear spring water in the ruins, which had been of the greatest service to the highwaymen during their sojourn there, and Davis made his way to it at once. He quickly retarned. Maud drank a little of the water—but very little, The remainder Dick sprinkled in her face. After this, she was considerably revived. “Ts it possible,” she asked—‘*can it be possible that you are here safe and unhurt ?” “Quite. And you?” “ Not much burt. Bat nver mind now—tell me about yourself ?” ‘Nay—nay! I must first be satisfied -———~ ‘‘Take my word for it,” she said; ‘all is well.” “But where have you been? and where is Jack ?” “ Alas—alas !” “Do not weep—but speak; tell me—-relieve me from the terrible suspense which I now endure !” ‘“] discovered the presence of the officers here, and knew they intended to wait in amburh till you bad de- seeuded 7 “ Yes—yes—I know all that {” “You kuow it ?” a ‘¢ Seriainly.* “Then my curiosity is greatey than yours. Flow nave you eseaped ?” ‘“T will tell you, but I must hear about your proceed- ings first. No hesitation—your curiusity will be most speedily allayed by a prompt eompliance, for in this case I will take no denial.” Maud knew very well that when Turpin had cree ex- pressed himself positively on any occasion it was quite futile to induce him to change his mind, so she at once began the recital of those events which are already well known to the reader. It may perhaps be imagined with what amount of as- tonishment and dismay Dick listened to her narrative. When she had concluded, he drew a long breath, and said ; ‘Thank Heaven that is over, and that I have heard the last of these perils! I had imagined, as I thought, the worst of evils, but never dreamt of such a succession of cala- mities as I have heard.” But Maud’s impatience was so great that she could scarcely listen to these few remarks, but eagerly she sought him te let her know by what means he had managed to escape his foes. Dick finished with these words: “T felt convinced,” he said, “but [ know not why, that I should find you somewhere near the ruins, and hence my presence here to-night. My fear was, however. that you had fallen into the power of the officers.” ‘* No—no, I should have warned you, had I been able.” - “T find so! Tom King was nearly right in his guess, but a kind of fascination seemed to draw me to this place. There was peril and hazard in approaching here, bat I was careful.” “‘ Have the officers departed ?” ‘“‘ Yes, they have gone. 1 wasin time to see the men depart who had been left in charge. It seems every part of the ruins has undergone a rigid scrutiny, and frem what I overheard——” ‘“ Overheard ?” ‘Yes; on first reaching here, upon finding the men were present, I crept as close to them a3 I could, in the hope of hearing something about you.” “T understand.” “] gathered from their conversation that a large amount of money had been discovered, buried near the spot where we remained so long.” Ganicbock me : &, 1 #i . : ; ,y p e : : ie 4h * af t nf Pa ’ ‘ 4 ‘ » : i . > By » % ee ie Lag) wate PR ie eh BL Lage or “are.