The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 113: what you’re looking at

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

in his grasp, drawn half back so as to force a stronger blow. ‘ Give me py ale, ruffian,” cried the latter, ‘Come, yield us the man!” shouted Harold, as he sprang forward, while the Alsatian bully quickly took advantage of the diversion in his favour to rush away behind his men. ‘‘T am nearly killed,’’ he said, as they marched out of the house with their saved prisoner ; “they have wounded me in ten places.” “Mostly in the stomach are your pains, I should guess,” said Harold, “ when they fright- ened you out of your wits.” Without further delay the victorious friends issued from the house, carrying the reledsed captive with them. : No one molested them, The whole country was quict. None, indeed, suspected the inroad, and the few inhabitants who lived in the scattered houses were too glad to rest after the noisy passage of arms to look out for stray prowlers, They had soon once more entered their boat, and without any mishap reached the tavern. Here Lizzie was delivered over, after a hearty supper, to the mercies of the landlady, and the men retired to rest after their exettions, Harold (if being now too late to return to the house of the armourer) retire with the ‘others, resting in a room which was bet trifle greater in the way of comfort than the Gark and dingy holes he had in earlier life called his bed- ‘ There was no rest for@myone very long. A stifling smell of fire, and dense voluwes of smoke rolling up the dark eid staircase, warned them in the middle of the night that the old edifice was on fire. | Ricketty and ift-buikt, amd aaized also fift years before completely ef wood, % bad Gried, as it were, in the sums of these mahy summers, and now, as the firat rush of flates aseended from the basement, it orackied Mercely and terribly, Ben was the Grat to apring Prom Mts ‘bed. Hurrying on some of his and sumpet- ing that there’ might be human foes besides Che fatal element, he seized his aword and rwviell out. His destination was the room where his lately won mistress slept. A few yards only separated him frem the chamber, but, ere he reached it, a fleree wall of flame shot up, and the lowd screams of women resounded in the still air. “Ob! heaven save her!” cried Ben, as he pressed forward. It seemed really a most terrible position, for the heat, and the smoke, and the flames, appeared to present an almost impenetrable barrier. ‘‘ Help, help, help!” cried the shrill voices of women within. “Wire, firc!” shouted the loud voiees of excited men withont. Over the old ricketty houses of Whitefriars rolled the black smoke; over the dark river floated a myriad of fiery sparks, while the crests of the tiny waves caught up brilliantly the reflection of the fierce conflagration. Ben Firebrace's mistress was in the very heart of the fire—this was his only thought—and dashing through the smoke and flame, wating his sword in his excitement above his head, as THE YOUNG APPRENTICE; OR, if he were combating some mortal enemy, ‘he made his way to the door of the women’s apartment. Now, it so happened that our friend Gobbler, the landlord, had indulged that evening in a more than ordinary stiff glass of prog, and had been quite unable to move from his room below. Mrs. Gobbler also had imbibed quite enongh to make her comfortable, and had been nnable, therefore, to render him any assistance. Leaving him, therefore, to sleep out his drunken fit, she had staggered up to her room by herself, and had, as I have hefore said, accommodated Lizzie with part of her bed. Being stunned, accordingly, by the effects of the heavy drink she had been imbibing, she was now quite unconscious of the fearful danger she was in, and, while Lizzie was shrieking out for help, she gurgled out the same words from the . Fi , Ben battered at the door, ‘* Open “here, open |’’ cried he, Lizzie knew the voice; and with «® presence of mind waetthy of a man, at once came through the@moke and flames, and threw open the door, . She was already partly dressed; and Ben, rushing to the bed, was about to seize one of the blanketa off it, and wrap round his sweetheart, when Mrs. Gobbler, uste¥ing a dismal how), seized him round the neck. ‘Ben Firebrace was not prepared for this extraordinary onslagg&mt; and, naturally sup- posing that it was sense‘enemy who had atéacked im, he ahook off the old woman's gtasp with no Hout hand. ‘“@h 1 @ave me, save me! Mr. Fivebrace,” she cried inamaudlin voice; “that drumsen husband of misve has set the place on fire, ubt. For heaven's aake, don't leave me heweto@ic,” Here was a dilemma. | He certainly did not Hike 8 i&ea of teaving a woman, even of Mrs, Godiiter’s class, to be berned to death, but Lissie, 6f course, claimed tris first attention. He rushed despairingly Safvards the window, r bat a single glane ¢onvines Bim that there. was no possibility of « descent from that point. “ There is ‘@ seeond room Wwitta Chere,” cried Lizzie ; “petkeps from that wai@aW we may be able to readh tHe banks ef the vee” As she pole, @ Voice was hentd 9: Weedjoin- ing roeth, dhelltfing loudiy— - “This way, Ben, this way,” @@ fa Gnother moment the door was thrown vidlently open, and Herold Fordyce, the Your: Apprentice, rushed excitedly into the burning Ghamber. To our young hero Bes Firebyace was com- pelled to confide entirely the tabk of saving his mistress, for Mrs. Gobbtek, With a terrible per- tinacity which ip @vér the characteristic of women in such round his neck, still maudling out her en- treaties to be saved, This was no time for jealousy, or the hot- blooded trooper would have felt some degree of annoyance at being thus obliged to deliver over to another the task which was so peculiarly his own, The slightest delay would have been fatal, and, seizing the old woman, therefore, in his are )\ > a *. trond 4! ngers as this, clung fiercely EDOO <S) CO