Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 92: what you’re looking at

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

fee a EEE NETO, OE AF EI arnay tS z 0 ey was returning from Tilburyness in a lugger I was asleep, so you see [ am not very much in need of it.” ** Here, pan is the bottom of the stairs. propose to do? ‘““T leave that to you. 4s there any outlet to this plaee save the one by which we entered ?’ “Oh! yes. I noticed two small doors.” “© Where do they lead?” “That is more than I can tell. My knowledge of the place is confined to the places you have already seen.’ “Then you do not know what is on the other side of those doors ?”’ ‘*No more than you.” “Then I shall not feel eomfortable until I do. very curious and restless in that respect. = “Well, we will look if you like. It will serve to pass away the time.” They now paused before one of the doors of which Blueskin had spoken. It was a surprising thing that the wood should have resisted deeay in the manner it had, for, although it must have been some centuries old at least, vet there it was firm and strong upon its hinges. The lock, however, was a very rude affair, with a key- hole large enough to put three fingers into, so that Blue- skin unfastened it with the greatest ease. « Ah! Jack,” he said, “people are beginning {o under- stand loeks a little now. When this was made they hada notion that the larger the loek and the heavier the key the more seeure it would be. That was a grand mistake, and some day people will find that a small loek is a better defence for a door than a large one.’ He pushed open the door as he spoke, aud erossed the threshold with Jack elose at his heels. Neither were exactly prepared for the maguificent spee- tacle which now presented itself. ‘The little door Jed into what was evidently the chapel of theabbey. It was in an excellent state of preservation. The red gold tints of the rising sun lighted it up with imagie splendour. ‘There was a magnificent oriel window —or rather the remains of one, tor much of the fine carving and the whole of the glass had disappeared—in the eastern portion of the chapel, and it was through this tniut the sun's rays came. It would have been impossible for anyone human to gaze upon such a scene as that was w ithout the keenest sensations of delight, and Jaek, who had a warm appre- elation of the beautiful, was especially enchanted. Blueskin, too, who beneath the rough exterior he had assumed earried a mind that had been w ell informed and a nature almost as gentle as a woman’s, was scareely if any less pleased. Had it not been for the unfortunate ehain of circum- stances which had eonspired to fix upon him the abduetiou of the young lhiress, how different 1n every respect would he have been. He had now, though, the consciousness that he had au important duty to fulfil. He would devote his life to the restoration of his master’s daughter to her lawful rights, and, as le reflected upon the strange events whieh had made her acquainted with him, he faneied he reeognised in them the tinger of that mysterious power ealled Provi- dence. May he sueceed! The task, though, would be one of fearful dithiculty and danger. No one knew how much the power of Jonathan Wild was to be dreaded better than he did, and he could not help trembling tor the result. Lord Donmull, too, as the reader has seen, was not a man to stick at trifles where so important a thing as ousting him from h: estates was eoneerned. He had all the resources which abundant wealth ever places in the hands of its possessor, while they were fugitives from the laws. Bitterlvy, most bitterly, did Blueskin repent that he had led Jack into erime. But it was now too late. The mis- chief was done. Sueh is a sumtary of the train of thoughts that passed through his mind as he gazed rpon the ancient chapel. Jack noticed his abstraction and spoke of it. ‘It is nothing,” he said. ‘‘Come, we have, I faney, seen all there is in this place to be seen. Let us return. There may be no danger, still we ought not tor a moment to leave her unguarded.” his was quite sufficient to make Jack turn back, and What do you Iam 4 BLUESKIN: A ROMANCE, hasten to the foot of the turret-stairs. Ail was still there, however, and just as they had left it. The second door wag now opened. The lock was so eorroded with rust that it for a long time resisted all Blueskin’s attempts upon it. At last however, it yielded. Hullo!” ** What now ?”’ ** Why, look, the place 1 is as dark as pitch. It must be the way to the vaults.” Jaek peeped over his friend’s shoulder, and eertainly the black-looking space on the other side of the door did look as though it led to the vaults. A damp, earthy smell, too, was perceptible. The turret-staircase itself, which was of course a cir- cular one, received ample light from the loopholes, whieh were at regular intervals let into the stonework, 0) ‘that the comparison between the two places was very | great indeed. : ne have got a lamp, Blueskin, liaven’t you ?” “Light it, and then, perbaps, we shall be able to see what kind of place it really‘is. «yy was just going to do so when you spoke. minute.” The httle lantern was quickly lighted. It was a bull’s- eye, and a broad bright ray of light issued from the lens. “Why,” said Blueskin, ‘‘it is just a continuation of the turret- stairs.” ** So it is,” replied Jack, as, leaning forward, he eon- ee himself of the truth of what his friend had just sai ‘* Where they lead to of course I don’t know. where underground. The cellars, most probably.” *¢Ts it worth our while to go down P”’ ‘7 hardly knew. Are you inelined for an exploring expedition ?”’ ‘“ Tam; and independently of that, in my own opinion, I think it ought to be a kind of duty upon our part to make ourselves thoroughly aequainted with every nook and corner of the plaee, and all its intricacies, in ease at any time, we should be attacked here.” “You are right. Not that I mueh fear such a thing. Still it is possible, and in the event of it, why such a knowledge as you speak of would prove most’ service- able “Tam glad you think as I do.” “It would hardly be possible, on sucha point as that, to hold a eontrary opinion. “How differently you talk, and how differently you seem 1n your manner to what ‘you did when I first knew ‘Do I, Jaek!” ** You do, indeed.”’ ‘* Then it is beeause I am more like myself. The other was assumed. The truth is, | was sick and weary of the world. J hated it beeanse it had so unjustly persecuted me, but now that I have found my master’s daughter I have something like a purpose in living, and so you see the mask is slipping off my face, and ] am becoming more like I once was. ** T am glad of it.” Well—well! Let us leave it. “Quite!” “Then follow me.’ You think we ean + Teave the turret in safety.” “Oh! yes. I do not think we have anything to fear. Leave the door open and come on.’ Blueskin at once began the descent of the winding steps. ie held the lantern so as to diffuse as much light as pos- sible As they got lower and lower, however, the dampness and chillness of the place perceptibly inereased. The walls, when the light fell upon them, were seen dripping with wet, while in many places they were over- grown with a kind of green moss. a descending some thirty steps, Blueskin eame to a halt “There seems no end to this plaee,”’ he saia. mueh lower do the stairs go, I wonder P “That I expect we shall only be able to ascertain by going down.” ‘‘T shall try twenty steps more, and if we don’t reach the bottom then, I shall feel inclined to give it up.” Stop a Sonie- Are you ready ?”’ *< How ee al CO DOO (C SS (SO) 5}