Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 50: what you’re looking at

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

ew SE Say SN ae ES A rem, le ae $8 BLUESEIN: A ROMANCE, rn ee an BT — Tonks lost no time in closing the door, and leaving his | ference there, and, secure of not being overheard, talked imperious master and his visitors alone. _. | freely of the matter. ; With a horrible contortion of the facial muscles, wich The end of it was that we resolved to carry the girl cn Jonathan’s countenance did duty fora smile, he spoke— | off that very night, for Steggs had ascertained that she “Good morning, gentlemen,” he said. “ In what way always left her work at a little after nine o’clock. can I be of service to you ?” “We chose the corner of Gate-street and Great Queen- A For a moment this question was unanswered. street for the place to lay in ambush, and accordingly made " His lordship felt rather embarrassed. He scarcely knew our way there at Once. . how to approach the subject. _ A hackney coach was hired, and by Steggs’ instruc- - Steggs was silent. Without instructions from his em- | tions drawn up in the square, while we steod near those | ployer he, of course, could not venture to say anything. | 1ron railings at the corner of the street wnieh I ‘daresay t At length his lordship spoke. you have noticed. “Mr. Wild,” he said. I know the spot perfectly well, my lord, and I must say { Jonathan made a bow and a grimace, which said as that scarcely a better for your purpose eould be found in f plainly as though his lips had articulated the words— all London. “ Yes,that isme. What do you want P”’ The information which Steggs had obtained turned At any rate, his lordship so interpreted it, for he went | out to be perfectly correct, for just after the clock in the on,— Old Square, Lincoln’s-inn, had struck the hour of nine we “The business upon which I have come to obtain your | heard a light footstep rapidly approaching us, and then co-operation, is secret and important. Can I confide in | 48 she passed under a lamp I saw her features. It was you po the girl I sought!” ‘* Yes—yes.” You cau, my lord.” * How?” exclaimed his lordship, aud evidently, by the ‘We sprang forward, and made her a prisoner so sud- tone in which he spoke, more surprised and chagrined denly that she scarce knew what had happened. I was than he was delighted, “do you know me ?” felicitating myself upon the success which had so far ‘Perfectly well,” said Jonathan. ‘ Youare Lord > |} crowned our expedition as we bore her rapidly towards “There—there! that will do!” said his lordship, the hackney coach, when we were taken aback by a horrible hastily interrupting him, “there is no occasion for men- | yell, and then were assailed with the greatest fury by some- tionlug my name.” one. °s As bic please, my lord. But you asked me a rather 7 Steggs was the first to fall. unusual question, that is, whether you could confide in Then this unknown assailant grappled with me, and me ?” to defend myself I had to let go my hold of the young ‘* Exactly.” girl. “Well, then, to save time, I will simply assert that you To_ be brief, I was worsted by this fellow, for his can confide in me freely, and without fear. Indeed, if | strength seemed sieberiana hat and I carry now ( you would allow me to advise ”—— the marks of his blows. However, before I lost all con- Jonathan broke off suddenly. He wanted to feel his | sciousness, I saw and reeognized him. It was the lad way. 9 ‘“ What is your advice, Mr. Wild?” ‘house. ‘* Indeed.” “Yes. He must have mauaged in some way to over- hear our conversation, and so thwarted my plans. Now —— “Simply this. When you do confide in me, do so without reserve. Keep nothing back. The importance of the pursuance of this policy with either your doctor : or your lawyer is well known. It is more important still the girl I must have at any risk, and that at once. The that you should pursue that policy with me.” lad as well must be found, and then I will settle accounts “ Well—well; perhaps so. Listen to me, Mr. Wild, if with him.” — you please. I daresay you will find what I want you to do _His lordship then proceeded with the aid of Steggs to | an easy enough matter.” give a minute description of the shroudmaker. ‘T hi ing with the greatest attention, my lord,”’ Afterwards of the lad. said Wild, as he took up a ocr and a sheet of papel, for | So correct was this latter one, that when he had written he always'made notes of what was said to him, though, it Jonathan muttered— ,s as he did this in cipher, they were legible to no one but Jack Sheppard by all that’s damnable! himself. — “You must know, in the first place, that a few days agoa young girl, of whom I wished to get possession, resided in Charles-street, Drury-lane, and obtained a livelihood by working for a Mrs. Roblet, of No. 16, Princes-street, Lincoln’s-inun-fields, whose occupation is that of a Shroudmaker.? ** Just so, your lordship, | quite understand so far. Pray go on.” “Having resolved to carry her off, I sent my con- fidential servant, Steggs, here, to make inquitis3 respect- ing the time she left her dlace of work, and so on, in order that we might concert measures for the execution of our design.” | | who looked so curiously at me while a‘ the public- | { { CHAPTER XXAXITI. JACK SHEPPARD AND JONATHAN WILD HAVE A SLIGHT DISAGREEMENT. IN a moment now Jonathan Wild connected Sheppard’s non-appearance, and, being mixed up in this affair to. gether, made one event account for the other. The reader will not fail to have perceived that, though his lordship had given Wild what appeared to bea very circumstantial and candid account, yet it was not a correct one, since he had made no mention of the relationship which existed between himself and the young girl. Itis not surprising that he should have hesitated or altogether shrunk from putting Jonathan in possession of so tremendous a secret ; and therefore he led the great thief-taker to suppose that his motive for abducting the young girl was because he had taken a fancy to her. Jonathan was used to affairs of that sort, so he at ounce took it for granted that that was what his lordship wanted with the young girl. ; ** And this took place last night, you say.’ His lordship nodded. “London is a large place, but I think I may give you ihe assurance that ina day or so the girl will he in your “Oh! certainly. Well, I waited in the ro6om some ! hands, and the lad as well. But there is one little point time, and this lad sat there also near the fire. At last | which has not yet been taken into consideration.”’ Steggs came, and he began to tell me the result of his} ‘‘ Whatis that, Mr. Wild? 7 | errand when I stopped him, for I perceived this lad was “Why, you see, it will not be possible for me to prose- trying his best to listen to what we had to say, and this, | cute these inquiries for your lordship without expending Wild nodded. “We arranged that Steggs should meet me at a public- house in Middle-row, Holborn, and accordingly, about halt-an- hour before the appointed time, I repaired thither, and sat down in the public room to wait his arrival.” ‘* Scarcely had I seated myself, than there entered a boy, I was going to say, for such anyone would take him to be at first sight, though I should think his age must have been about twenty or twenty-one.” a T suppose,” said Wild, “that this all bears upon the case?” of course, I wished to keep a secret. money. ~ 1s “ Porceiving this, I say, I asked fora private rorm,and| “Of course not. Now, Mr. Wila, what value do you Vag shown to one on the first floor. e had cur con- | set upon this service COMICLHOOKS.EC@ CY,