Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 87: what you’re looking at

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

74 JOSEPH WILMOT; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. “ Heseltine ?” I ejaculated, the wildest terror | made a movement as if to push my master from sweeping through my brain. the door. “Yes. But good heavens *€ “Come, come, be calm, Joseph,” he said, grasp- “For God’s sake, signor, tell me—tell me|ing me forcibly by the arm. “Treat me as a quickly how you obtained this intelligence !”—and | friend—I am not playing the part of the master I feit that I was as pale as death; while so dread- | now—1 see that something has occurred to drive ful was my excitement that I could have started | you almost to frenzy—I can make allowances for away at once to run madly towards the Apen- | you: and besides, I have not forgotten your noble nines. conduct on a recent occasion.” “T see that the intelligence I have given you! I dared not strike my master, nor make use of has afflicted your mind cruelly. The name is| violence; and I could not force a passage without evidently familiar ¥ doing so. His words calmed me somewhat; and “ Yes, yes!” I said, literally writhin¢ with the | seeing their effect, he hastened to add, “ What- excruciations of suspense. “But tell me—+tell} ever has occurred, cannot I am sure be amended, me f but is very likely to be rendered worse by such “T will, without another word of unnecessary | wild precipitation. Tell me everything, and rest comment,” answered the Italian, appearing par- | assured that I will assist rather than thwart your tially to catch the infection of my Own excitement. | purposes.” “It was a travelling-tarriage, containing a gentle-| I was smitten with a feeling of gratitude to- man and two ladies—a valet and a maid sate | wards Captain Raymond; and at the same time outside—there were four post-horses—and it was|my eyes were opened to the folly of rushing in in the evening, three or four days back, that the | that headlong fashion upon an enterprise which equipage was passing amidst the Apennines when | did indeed require some serious deliberation,— it was stopped by Marco Uberti and his band. | without which it would fail, and involve myself in The postilions were ordered to dismount and go | destruction, instead of enabling me to achieve the their ways as they thought fit—an injunction | deliverance of those whose images were uppermost which they lost no time in obeying. Thus the | in my mind. entire equipage remained in the hands of the out-| “Forgive me, sir,’ I said, “for my indecorous laws; and the postilions, having found their way | conduct towards you A back to Florence, brought the intelligence.” “No apology is needful: the state of your “And that is all you know?” I inquired, still | mind is a sufficient excuse. But what has hap- with a most fevered and anguished excitement. pened? Some persons in whom you are in- “All!—and enough too, I fear, my poor | terested, have been captured r friend ty = Yes, sir—by those accursed banditti!” I re- But I waited not for the remainder of the sen- | sponded with the bitterest vehemente. tence; and flew away from the spot with a “Ah! and you were going to rush of madly speed that must have made the Italian think his | into the lion’s den? If I admire your magna- narrative had goaded me to perfect madness. And | nimity,” added the Captain with a good-hutnoured it was indeed well nigh to such a state that it had | smile, “I cannot give you credit for prudence. driven me: for the thought that the adored} Come, be reasonable! Whatsoever you meditate Annabel should have fallen into the hands of that | will not be marred by five minutes’ rational dis- gang of miscreants, was sufficient to turn my| course. Now tell me what plan you think of brain and hurl down reason from its throne. It} adopting—if indeed you have as yet got any was back to the hotel that I flew; and on the! scheme properly digested in your mind.” threshold I met Captain Raymond. Utterly for-| “I am resolved, Captain Raymond,” was my getful of the respect which I owed him as my | firmly givén answer, “to risk my life in the en- master, I rushed by him; and im the same frantic | deavour to rescue these persons. Pray do not ask manner ascended to my chamber to take the | me why it is my secret——” money which I possessed: for I had no other; “And rest assured I shall not impertinently thought than that of setting off at once to the | attempt to fathom it,” responded the Captain, in Apennines and doing something for the rescue of|a kind and encouraging manner. ‘ But let us Annabel and her relations—though what that | talk the business over, and see if I can assist with ' something was to be, I had not the remotest idea. / my counsel or otherwise. What do you propose Searcely had I taken all my money out of my box} to do in the first instance ?” and secured it about my person, when the door) [I reflected for a few moments—and then said, opened and Captain Raymond entered the chamber. | “I shall penetrate into the midst of the Apen- “ Detain me not a minute!” FT cried: and there | nines under some disguise; and I shall endeavour was still the wildest excitement in my looks, my | to obtain an interview with” IT had it on the tone, and manner. tip of my tongue to say “Siznor Volterra,” but ¥ Joseph, you must be calm,” he said, placing | instantaneously recollecting myself, I substituted his back resolutely against the door. “ There 3s | the words—“ that friendly bandit who assisted me something unn: atural in all this 7 | on the former occasion.’ | “Let me pass! let me pass!” I frantically ex-| “ But what if you get captured im spite of your | claimed. “At your peril keep me back! I am| disguise? what it you fail to find the friendly | | desperate—I am mad!” | bandit? or if finding him, what if he should “TI see that you are,” responded the Captain | refuse to peril his own safety by succouring you | coolly = “and it is my duty to learn what it all again P” means.’ | “All these are the risks I must encounter,’ 4 “They haye taken her—I mean friends of mine | was my response; “and I am fully prepared for —they are prisoners let me go!”’—and I! them.” | ea GR ar ae I COMmicboooks.Gom