Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 396: what you’re looking at

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

ove BLUESKIN: A BOMANCE, At ne A: statins gts *“ We are at our destination now,” he said, ‘and I must | that moment Blneskin could not divest himself of the bid vou farewell.”’ idea that unfriendly eyes were upon him. ** Farewell,” said the stranger. That, however, might have been fancy merely. ** Shall I call a eoaeh ?” He made, however, a considerable detour, heaving “Tf you do not mind the trouble.” Westminster Abbey on his left, and gained the banks of Blueskin held up his hand and beekoned ong cs the| the Thames, somewhere about the spot where Vauxhall drivers, who were all on the alert for a fare. Bridge now stands. “T need not prolong my painful story,” eontinued the} Ilaving done this, he walked along close to the water’s stranger. “You must have already heard enough to] eu.e. make you comprehend the eircumstances uuder which Ty ‘Lhe tide was ont, and on the muddy shore were several became a tenant of that living tomb. The next impor. {| people, all searching in the soft ooze for anything that tant event was my liberation by yourself, for which I ghallj might be of the slightest value. never be able to be sutliciently grateful.” I'rom these Blueskin took a hint. “Do not mention that,” said Blueskin, “for I eannot! He determined to make his way along, pretending to see that I have done anything so deserving of your grati- | du as they did. tnde. Chance alone took me to those vaults, andit was| The plan was a good one, and well ealeulated to deceive simply a duty to release you.” any one who was on the watch for him. “‘T like the spirit in which you look atthe affair. And,| And,as the reader is well aware, there were spies of now, one word before we part.” Jonathan Wild’s looking very close after him indeed. ‘Willingly,” said Bloeskin, but, as be spoke, he cast] In this way Blueskin advanced, though somewhat an uneasy glance around, for it was getting light now | slowly, until he reached the identical spot where he had with extreme rapidity, and he did not know what prying | landed. eye might be fixed upon him and observing all his] Ie reeognised it again instantly, and was sure ho had actions. made no mistake. The stranger noticed the look. He was not without the faint lingering hope that he “I will not keep you. In the first place, here is a{ might find Jack Sheppard and his companion waiting for small purse, containing the bulk of the money I have} him. about me. Take it, 1 pray you, and use itin the manner} Ile thought they might have been compelled to push you may eonsider most to your advantage.” off, but, if so, he fancied they would not give him up Speaking these words, the stranger took a smal)! without, at least, an effort to regain him. leather pocket-book from his pocket, and, thrusting it} Jacek might easily contrive, he thought, to keep tho into lis band, entered the haekney-carriage and ordered | boat hovering somewhere about that spot, and have kept the coachman to drive on, thus not affording Blueskin an | a sharp look out for him. opportunity of refusing to receive his bounty. And this is, doubtless, the very course which Jack would Our old friend stood on the footpath and watched the] have adopted had cireumstauees permitted him to do so, crazy vehicle take its way up the street in the direction of | but we must leave that point uutil we can turn our atten- Whuiteball. tion exelusively to bim. lie turned away then, and with a confused feeling about} In the meantime we have to deal with Blueskin. his brain, muttered— Ile stood upright, then, and, shading his eyes with his “What a strange adveuturo. I eannot banish the inci- | hand, looked long and earnestly at the different cratt upon dents tron. my mind, and somehow I feel a presentiment | the river. that sooner or later [ shall hear something more aboutit.} ‘The sun was shining brightly upon the water, the sur- Surely, never in the pages of old romance is anything so | face of which was broken up into numberless wavelets, strance to be found. Uponwhat a mere ehance depended | the crests of every one of which reflected his beams jus liberation from the vault! Had I not beea in a} brightly, and mado the bosom of the Thames appear as mauner of speaking foreed to take shelter there, he would | though studded with diamonds. have remained its tenant still, and then, some many| But, bowever beautiful a spectacle this might have pre- years hence, when the vault was opened, the curiosity of | sented to an ardent admirer of nature, it had a great dis- the public would have beeu aroused by the discovery of a | advantage so far as Blueskin was concerned. skeleton init; but there would havo been nothing left to} It prevented him seeing distinctly. tell the tale!” But nowhere upon the sparkling surface could he dis- Blueskin once more looked around him. tinguish that which he so much longed to sea. Tho sun was already high in the heavens, and many} In vain he turned his eyes round aud round, and looked people were astir. In every direction, rot atrace of the treasure-laden wherry “*I must direet my thonghts to my own safety,” he | conld he see. said. ‘‘'lhis money reaches my hands most fortunately,! At length, with an aching at the heart, a choking p.en- for J have mueh need of it. Where shall 1 find Jack and | sation in his throat, and the dread that some gigautic evil poor Edgeworth Bess? Can it be possible they have | had happened, he turned away. fallen into the hands of the areh fiend, Jonathan Wild,} Where should he go next ? who haunts us like some ferocious animal to the death.| What should he do? Where shall I look for them?” Those were the questions v.hich Blueskin asked him- That was a question to whieh it was not a very easy | self, as satisfied that Jack and Edgworth Bess were not matter to frame a reply. upon the river, he turned away. “Tt is a forlorn hope,” continued Blueskin, “but it is} Ue was badly situated to search for the missing ones the only one. I must go down to the river bank where I | since he was every moment in dread of capture. last left them, and see if there now remains any traces of Sut find them he must, no matter how great the risk. their presence.” With a slow step he walked across the muddy shore of IInving come to the determination of doing something, | the river in the direetion of Westminster. Blueskin felt much lighter at heart, and with something} The idea in his a | was, that Jonathan Wild had of Ins ordinary spirit Le direeted his steps towurds the eapture them while they sat in river’s side. Ile made his approach earefully, however, for he was not without the reasonuble drend that some of his enemies or Jonathan Wild’s spies were about. Blueskin was always vucasy upou that sabject. dhe tew remarks he made to Ross, the landlord, wilt enable the reader to uaderstund the state of his mind. The convietion had lar) hold of him that the Unwef- taker had got up some elaborate system of wateling. Ife fancied that every movgiment le made was ucticed by some one. if it was not so, how could the thiecf-taker so often and Bo correctly arrive ut Ins precise biding-pluce. it was a very disagreeable fecting to lave, and even at managed to surprise a the bout. At that moment he thought they might be prisoners in the dungeons beneath Wild’s house. But how was he to aseertain that ? Yo could not walk to tho thief-taker’s residenee and eg& {ne aeesiton, *, the tirs. place, however, he made up Ins mind that 42 would go somewhere and obtain a thorough change of clothing. Atter thas be would get a meal somewhere, for he could feel himself sick and giddy for want of food. In Westminster, clothes’ shops are to be found iv plenty, so he did not Lave far to go to find what ha wanted. RE AE 7 ee er a ee ENN eee ee eee ee