Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 248: what you’re looking at

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

+ 946 BLUESKIN: A ROMANCE. ‘ Murder!” cried another; “it’s murder!” Here two or three lesa adventurous than their conix © Murder, where?” panzons had lngered. “Tt is upstairs. I’m aure the sound came from up-| “'uere’a nothing up above. We've searched evare stairs. There’s something going on there that ought not | purt P” ¥ bo? “What are we to make of it P” “What shall we do P” * J/"s very strange.” Ketch Jonathan.” ; Very.” No, no; let us go up and find ont what it is. It will! ‘ My inside is all of a tremble.” be time enough to send for Jonathan then.” ** So .3 mine.” So it will. Come along.” 7 Let us look about us. What door is that open?” Upon this, the whole of the men made their way na! ,, The one Jeading into her room.” . dense throng to tne foot of the stairs. Whose P ** Mary Milliner’s.” They began to ascend very rapidly, but as they got] ,., Tetnsyo.in? higher and higher their speed abated. ; . The first landing was almost total darkness. ervlane Geatthoy bad ecee bergciil that--szoutd tend to But one of them, bolder than the rest, threw open a dsor The apartment afforded every indication of having been leading into a room in the front of the house. recently occupied, but there was nothing to indicate that A broad beam of light streamed through it. its inmate had left it under any peculiar circumstances. Bjaculations of alarm and terror burst from their lipa. There was no elucidation of the mystery there. It revealed, lying at the foot of the second flight of} The men were more terrified than ever. stairs, a female form, in a strangely huddled-up attitude. They went out again on to the landing. Blood was upon her clothing in many places. Two other doors, leading into bedrooms, opened from it. For a moment all stood looking on in silence. One wf these they looked into and found empty. They were almost afraid to apeak. The other was the one in which Edgworth Begs was Presently one asked— eonfined. © Who is it?” The door of this was locked, and they found it impom The question aroused the others, and two or three at | aible to obtain an entrance. ouce sprang forward, and tried to lift the prostrate form. Jonathan had the key. Upon doing so, her face was turned towarda the hght. But they knocked upon the panel. “ Hallo !”? said the one who first sawit, ‘ May I be{| No sound was returned. scrageed if it ain’t Mary Milliner!”’ The summons was repeated, but with the same result, ‘¢ Mary Milliner P” A consultation now took place, which terminated with ** Yes.” their going down to the second landing. You don’t say so!”’ Here they found the body of the thief-taker’s paramour They all crowded forward in order to obtain a better | in the same way as they had left it. view. But, though she was beyond all question quite dead, But the inspection only served to confirm what their | yet there was nothing whatever to show by what means companion had said. her death had been brought about. It was Mary Milliner. Moreover, upon making a closer examination, the A groan came from her lips when she was touched, and | found a long black-hafted knife sticking in her breast, an heaving a deep sigh, she expired. it was frorn this wound that the blood upon her clothing ‘Dead asa nut!’ said the one who had raised her up, | had come. and as he spoke, he let go her head, which fell with a dis-| ‘‘ Let us leave her just as she is,” said Quilt Arnold. agreeable dab upon the edge of the bottom stair. * Don’t any of you touch her. I will run round to the ‘¢ What’s the meaning of this?” gessions-house, and tell Jonathan what has happened.” ** Shall we send for Johnny ?”’ He started off as he spoke, and soon afterwards returned ‘’She’s quite dead,” said another. “ Well, well! I] with the thief-taker, who left the court the moment after thought she was very bad in the doctor’s hands. What | sentence was pronounced. made her fall down stairs, and break her blessed neck like} A look of great anxiety waa on his face. that for?” The mysterious occurrence troubled him not a little, n at I wee believe she did fall down.” y not P’ ‘¢ Didn’t we hear two screams.” CHAPTER CLXXI. ‘To be sure we did.” SHOWS HOW THE PRESENCE OF STEGGS IN THE THIEF- « And the first scream warn’t a bit like t’other.” TAKERS HOUSE TURNED OUT A FORTUNATE CIRCUM- ‘© No, it was not.” STANCE FOR EDGWORTH BESS. a We haven't heard all.” STEGGS had a difficult part to play. , Lhat’s quite certain. Jonathan’s regular men looked upon him with the ee Let's go OD. | greatest suspicion and distrust. , Up higher? » But he was so very humble to all of them, that they « You go first. could do nothing. No, you. , ; Almost the first discovery he had made, after being in- At last, in a body, as before—having first ratves the | stalled in his new place, was that Jonathan had a prisoner body of Jonathan’s mistress out of their way—they | upstairs. ascended the next flight of stairs. But he did not know who. But upon reaching the top, all was still. His heart, however, whispered to him that it was poor There were no signa of violence, nor any souuds in-| Edgworth Bess, whom now, to give the man credit, he dicative of it. was more willing to help and serve than he had been for- This landing, too, was better lighted than the other, so} merly to persecute. when another door was opened, they were abio to seo} Should his surmise as to who Jonathan’s prisoner was all about it quite plainly. turn out to be cczrect, he would have to keep the strictest The first place to which all simultaneously turned tzeir| possible watch over his behaviour, or he would not be able eyea, was the little flight of stairs leading up to the| to render her much assistance. el Nt RENN i LL cane —_ eee ES Ep. SE TY cr attics. Upon the morning when the trial took place, Steggs But at the foot of these there was not, as they hac all| managed to withdraw himself from his companions. expected, another ghastly-lookmg female form, He crept upstairs, and hid himself in Jonathan’s private ‘“‘ What are we to make of this, mates P” room. “ Go higher. It 8 nO good stopping here.” Then, when he had ascertained that the thief-taker had Come on, then. left the house, and would be absent from it for several The attics were reached and searched. houra, he proceeded to put a pre-determined plan into But ee Lipo had ee ie place waa found. execution. | uzzled and bewildered, the men went down agai to} Leaving his hiding-plase, he cxapt stealthily up the the second landing. second flight of atairs. ue ee” Ras gman ee neath ad COMmMIICLNOoOKS.c© 5}