Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 372: what you’re looking at

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

= Sr er, i ee r — ~~. “And I have brought with me something, which, thongh not an adequate reward for the service you have | done us, is yet enough to go a long way towards compen- sating you for the inconvenience you have suffused, aud the danger you have incurred.” ‘T am much obliged to you, Mr. Blake, but, if you will believe me, I did uot leek for any reward at your hands. I considered I was under an obligation to you.” “ Well, if you was, I can only say that yeu have repaid it a thousand-fold.” ‘© T don’t say but what it will be very acceptable, for I am afraid I shall have to leave the inn in consequeuce of Jonathan Wild. I have heard that his rage was awful when le awoke and discovered what had taken piace, and that he breke aud destroyed everything he could cay his hands upen.” ; “ But yeur daughters escaped all violence, I hope.” “Oh! yes; but, I suspect, only because they took care to keep out of the way. ILowever, Jonathan has sworn a bitter oath that he will be the ruin of me, and, if I must coufess the truth, I feel rather uneasy in my mind about it, because he is so celebrated for keeping his word.” * Pho—pho! defy him, Ross—defy him. Nevertheless, hearing this makes me glad to be able to tell you that I have got sufficient here for you to leave the innand sct up in whatever part of the world you think fit until Jonathan is hanged, and tben you can come back to London again.” “When Jonathan is hanged ? ” €¢ Yes,” * But that’s not likely.” * You think not?” °° T do.” “Why Pp? ** tLe is a police-officer.”’ “That you will find will uot exempt him from the pu- noishment due to his crimes. Jack Sheppard and myself have sworn to bring him to Tyburn, and mark my werds if we do not keep our oath.” ‘**T sincerely hope you will, for if yon do you will be rendering society at large au inestimable service.” ‘* Moreover, you must recollect that he 1s not properly a police-officer, but that he has usurped that title and office.” ‘“* T did not know that.” * Tt is not of much importance that I know of,” * But he has sworn to hang you.” * ] know it.” ** And excuse me if I say that I think he is most likely to keep his word.” “| kuew—I know. But we are wasting valuable time in fruitless discourse. Come this way, and I will show you where I have deposited our teken of thanks for what you have done for us.” As he spoke, Blueskin moved to lead the way to the corucr 10 which he had deposited the ingots of silver. * But at that moment there came upon his ears the trampling of horses’ hoofs, and the murmuring of excited voices, Then a pistol-shot followed. **Confound it!’’ said Blueskin, iu au undertone, “ can it be possible that Jonathan has degged us hither? or has he discovered Jack Sheppard and Edgworth DBess in the boat upon the river? If so, I fear it is all ever with them.” QED CHAPTER CCLIX. JONATHAN WILD GOES HOME TO HIS TIQUSE IN NEW- GATE-STREET, AND MEETS WITH A SLIGHT SURPRISE. To preserve the proper sequence of events we must lcave | Blucskin and Ross, the landlord, in their somewhat peri- lous situation uear Poet’s-corner, Westminster Abbey. | We must leave, too, for a little while, Jack Sheppard. and Edgworth Bess in that frail boat npen the ‘Thames, while we retrace our steps and chronicle the proceedings of Jonathan Wild. Under the influence of the first gust of passion which had come over him upon awaking to the discovery ef the | dupe he had been made, he had resolveé to pursue the fugitives without less of time, and uot to relinquish the search until lie had come up with them. But after a little while when he came to a place where several reads branched off in various directions, he became conscious of the folly of such a determivation, and 7 Mmmm teem RR tg ee (genesrertnneins eee EE, BLUESKIN: A ROMANCE Cwm aw a a a a aa) | :nwallingly was forced to‘admit the conviction to his tlod that he was too late upon the trail—that the scent nad grown cold. {t was ainatter of impossibility for any one to say which of those diverging reads had been taken by the fugitives, for they had left behind them no indications of their course whatever. To be sure, he might be so far favoured by chance or fortune as to hit upou the right route by accident, but that contingency was too remote for him to be able to cal- culate with any amount of certainty upon it. Under the present aspect of affairs his best and most rational mode of proceeding would be to return to his honse in Newgate-street, and there await the reception of some intelligence from the numberless spies he had posted all ever Lendon and for miles around it. Kre long, he felt certain, the fugitives must be seen by some one of them. Perhaps at that very moment there was One on their track, aud if so, all would become easy again. But to exhaust himself and his horses and his men by a pursuit where he had nothing to direct him, would be im- politic in the extreme. So he curbed his impatience and anger, which would have been better appeased by scouring the country reund, and turning his horse’s head tewards London, bade his men in a surly voice to fellow him. Uhis they were nothing loath to do. Their heads ached with the effects of the drug, and several of them reeled in such a manuer in the saddle that they seemed every moment in danger of falling tothe reund, Wild led the way homewards at a swift pace. He was capable of much clear thought. Violent and hot-tempercd as he always was when the least thing went wrong with him, he was now ina state of absolute trenzy. T'o think that he had so nearly accomplished his desires —that actually ali his tronble had been rewarded—that he had then been dolt enough to let them ge, was madden- iug iu the extreme. Over and over again he cursed himself for heeding the storm; had it rained fire, he ought to have made his way direct to his own home. In a state of mind that boded ill for any one who crossed him in the least—burning with inward passion— he aliehted at his own door. The oebsequious Teuks was there, and, apparently, awaiting his return. Ile held the horse, and Jonathan, stamping savagely at every step he took, crossed the pavement aud went up the flight of steps leading into the passage. Tonks scemed to have something or ether upon bis lips which he wished to say, but the aspect of the thief-taker’s countenance dismayed him, and he was silent. The news he had to communicate was not of the most acrecable description, and he dreaded some personal ill- usage if he spele. Quilt Arnold, who was in the lower part of the house, new ascended to the ground-floor, for he had heard his master return. Like Touks, he seemed to want to say something, for his visage expressed it. Indeed, he opened his lips to speak, but he closed them again without emitting a sound. Ile had caught a glimpse of the ferecions countenance af the great tlief-taker, and he knew in a moment that sometuing had occurred which had put him iv a bad temper. So he judged by that his most prudent course would be say nothing. Jogathan himself took no notice of him whatever, except to glare malevolently at him as he passed. Wild took his way direct to the stairs, which he ascended slowly one after the other until le reached the first land- ing. er IIe naused before the door epeuing into his sttting apartment, and where he generally betoek himself when he wished to be quiet. Ile turned the handle and entered. No sconer, however, was the door opened than his nose was assailed with a strong smell of tebacco smoke and hot spirits. Indeed, the room was quite filled with the former, ao? to art aermeag~ % eed COmiIcboooks (SO) 5}