Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 241: what you’re looking at

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

ee nat fastened to the floor would allow him. ‘‘ Tell me what you esid was false.” ‘6 Tt is true!’ screamed Wild, “ it is true! You wondered where she was, no doubt, and sodid I. But I have found her, Jack—the thing which you failed todo. I made her @ prisoner, and she is at this moment in my house, which she will leave for the first time, under my escort, to witness your execution !”’ BLUESKIN: A ROMANCE, ‘Tt is false!” cried Jack,“ false ag your own heart. | and I am a fool to place any credence in what you gay. I might have guessed your object was to make my con- finement as bitter as possible, but you have overshot the mark,” ' ‘You can disbelieve me, if you choose. Yen gaa fll yourself up with the idea that she is in some pisee of safety. But on Monday, Jack, you will be wndeceived, for you will see her under my protection at Tyburn.” Jack fairly howled with rage. He tried in vain to articulate his words. The governor of Newgate here interfered, and, after a little trouble, persuaded Jonathan to leave the cell. No one cast a glance upon poor Jack. The ponderous door was closed and locked, and he was left to his own reflections. Painfully, and after repeated struggles, he got xp off the floor, and seated himself upon the low stoxe bench, which served alike for chair and bed. ‘© What shall I do?” he groaned, not with the pain of the hurts he had received, but iu deep agony of spirit. ‘¢ What ehall I do to save her? Can it be possible that her evil fortune is so much in the ascendant as to have placed her once moro in that viliain’s hands! I will not, cannot believe it!” He wiped the blood and perspiration from his face as he spoke. **T had the miscreant in my power,” he said. ‘* Would that I could have maintained my advantage, or been armed with a knife, which I could have sheathed in his heart. I should then at least have had the consolation that Edgworth Bess had one enemy the less, and I almost think I should have been willing to die!” A sudden pain made him utter a faint cry and cease speaking. Wild ea mauled him dreadfully. The irons had bruised his body at every turn. “Can it be really true?” he asked himself again. * Would that I could see Blueskin, or find soms means of communicating with him, but there is no hoges of my doing that—none at all! I must remain where I am, alternately ewayed by hopes and fears. If she is really a prisoner in his hands, heaven help her, for she hag need of it! Her perl is of no ordinary character.” He paused again. ‘Would I was free!” he cried, “ would I was free! I should not care then. Can these bolts and links confine meP No! Iwill befree! I will save her!” As he spoke, he made a desperate effort to breax away from his fetters by main force, but his own sense ought to Lage shown him the futility of making such an attempt as at, The strong iron yielded not in the least, but cast him back more bruised and strengthless than before. He lay for a little while utterly exhausted, and unable to move hand or foot. Then a partial state of insensibility ensued. Tt would have been a mercy had it been perfec No one esme to visit him. At the appointed hour, the man whose duty it was to supply the prisoners with food, opened the door a little way, and brought a loaf and pitcher of water mnto the cell, and then went away. Darker and darker grew the cell as the fair and beauti- ful daylight faded away, until at last it becamo inipossible to distinguish anything in it. Then Jack roused a little. Doubtless the cold air which swept in was the aatise. He resumed his old seat. His limbs, however were stiff and cramped Then once again he began to think. He made no attempt to lie down or to sleep; the latter, he felt, would be utterly impossible. And so he remained through the long, weary ours of the night, listening to the lapse of time as it wea noted by the clock in the belfry of St. Sepulchre’s. eee senna ae te, BH oe At iength, towards morning, he fell into a kind of doze, produced by exhesastion more than anything else. From this he was awakened by the entrance of several pergons towards morning. is irons were taken off, and he was allowed to wash lis face, and make himself otherwise presentable. Then some more routine was gone through, which it eg ees worth while ¢5 trouble the reader in detail with. ! Jorathan Wild and Mr. Noakes had so managed, that his trial should take place very early in the morning of the first day of the sessions. Their motive for this will presently be made apparent, if it is not already guessed at by the reader. Flood and Blewitt were, of course, brought into the dock upon a charge of burglary and murder, and Jack Sheppard was placed along with them. CHAPTER CLXVI. IN WHICH JACK SHEPPARD IS PLACED AT THE BAR OF THE OLD BAILEY, TO TAKE HIS TRIAL FOR THE MURDER OF JOHN ROOTS. THE court was very full. That was the first thing that etruck Jack, after giving a hasty glance around. He then began to look more particularly. His two companions—if such they should be called— stood with sullen mien and doggedly ferocious counte- nances, awaiting the pronunciation of that doom which they knew it would be impossible for them to avoid. Should the present charge fail of substantiation, Jonathan Wild, they knew, would be prepared with another. From these, Jack looked among the crowd of white- wigged barristers before him, and made a vain endeavour to distinguish Mr. Cunningham amongst them. He was not there. Alas! there was every reason to fear that the thief- taker had succeeded in carrying out the schema he had prepared. Then Jack looked in the faces of the epectators, in the hope that among them he should find one, at least, whicn he should recognise ae belonging to a friend. But this hope was disappointed. He was aroused from this occupation by hearing the harsh, cracked voice of the clerk of the arraigns, as that individual began to read the indictment. Jack tried at first to comprehend it, but, finding 1t was totally beyond his power, he again looked at his sur- roundings. One judge was on the bench. He was a stranger to Jack. On his left hand was the jary-box; but, in the cold and apathetic-looking faces which they all, without exception, wore, he could gather nothing reassuring. But, happening to glance down where several of the prison officiale were standing, he perceived his two erate enemies, the governor of Newgate and Jonathan 1 Jonathan looked up at him with a triumphant smile. His face still bore the marks of the preceding evening’s cortzat, and his right arm was carried in a gling. So absorbed was Jack with the contemplation of his hideous psysiognomy—or rather, eo fascinated did he seem to be by the thief-taker’s basilisk gaze, that he did not notice the clerk of the arraigns had finished reading the indictment, and that the court was waiting for him to plead, until a turnkey touched him on the arm and reminded him of it. He found that the eyes of all present, spectators, jury, witnesses, judge, were upon him—but, nevertheless, he subdued the embarrassment he felt, and replied in a «ear, calm voice— Not guilty!” The plea was entered, and then the trial actually begun. The Crown prosecuted. The Attorney-General rose te state the case to the jury. ite paused a moment, and arranged his robes, while the slight bustle and confusion in the court subsided to perfect silence. | | This was soon obtained, for upon the iaces of the spee tators generally was an expression of deep interest, — “ee wee Se eee oe o— (SO) (C (SO) 5}