The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 100: what you’re looking at

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

THE WATCHWORDS OF OLD LONDON. «J 85 face, and disordered tresses, she towards her father. “What ails you, Alicia?” he cried, for, thongh by no means partial to her side of the question, he loved her as his child. “See here ; the news |” she cried. She placed in his hand a piece of printed Peper, which he eagerly perused. ™ t ran as follows :— “ The cause is lost. The Royal Army has been utterly . Aftera vain attempt to rally his followers, the T Henrietta The armourer smiled as he perused this doca- ent, “80,” he cried, “the royal traitor is at last vanquished. I rejoice in the news; but, as for you, Alicia, I cannot conceive why you should place this letter in my hands, for the royal cause has always been dear to you.” Alicia’s cheeks became suffused with crimson, “I have a favour to ask you,” she said, hesi- “e a4 know, Alicia,” returned her father, “that I will grant you any favour that lies in my power. Tell me, what is it ?” ‘‘ The loss of the king’s cause affecta me less,” said the young girl, ‘than the danger which will threaten Leicester. Will you consent for a time to receive him back into your house upon the same footing as before ?” A dark cloud the armourer’s brow. ** Alicia,” he said, placing his great hand on the shoulder of his fair young daughter, “I oon- sented once before to receive him into my house to save him from his enemies, and I believe that through me his life was preserved.” “T know this, father,” said Alicia, “and you know also how grateful I was to you for it.” “ Yes, yes, you were grateful,’ said the ar- moun’ “but what of him ?/—how did he reward me 9 Alicia remained silent, “Well you may fear to trust yourself to speak,”’ said the giant: “I will tell you how he rewarded me — by betraying me; by plotting against me in my own house; by holding Roy- alist meetings in my very workshop, and in the vaults beneath it! For such a man I will not again run the risk of compromising myself with my friends.” ‘Ie this your irrevocable decision?” askei Alicia *‘ It is,” said the armourer, firmly. The young girl turned away sorrowfully. “‘ T will save him myself, then !” That night London was in a state of intense excitement, Throughout the hours of darkness the tramp of men, the clattering of horses’ feet, and the heavy roll of artillery waggona, betokened the passage of a conquering or a conquered army. Towards morning the roll of musketry and the loud booming of cannon, showed that an engagement of some kind was taking place near the metropolis. Ere dawn, however, had broken over the quaint old city, and awakened its streets and ita Silent Highway into activity once more, the sounds of battle had died away in the distance, and the burning cottages, and atill smouldering stacks, were all the evidences left of man’s mortal strife with man ! [ZND OF BOOK THE FIRST. ] BOOK II. THE OUTCASTS OF ALSATIA. ee) CHAPTER L LINKED TO THE FATE OF A LOST ONE, BENEATH the high archway of a house situated in the heart of the old City of London, a man was standing, either concealing himself from enemies or protecting himeelf from the storm of rain and wind which was raging over the metropolis. It was past midnight, and the denizens of the neighbourhood were all asleep. There was evidently in his mind a fear that was not born of the storm, for his eyes wandered from one end of the street to the other, and peered into the dark corners opposite, as if he expected some one to start up from the shadows, At length, when the storm lessened ita fury, he took one hurried glance up and down the thoroughfare and hastened away. From the point where he had been standing four streeta diverged, and on reaching the corner of one of these he glanced along it timidly as if expecting an enemy to rise up at any moment. He had not proceeded many y down this second thoroughfare before a man, habited in the ordinary dress ef the period, but most of whose form was hidden by a large cloak, appeared suddenly from a house. The firat man waited not a moment, but turn- ing, as if from an instinctive fear, rushed towards the point whence he came. Each of the thoroughfares was blocked in the same manner. No sooner did he make his appearance than OS COMED OOKSEEON