The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

reply, and quitted the room, rolling out with a sidling gait, like a crab. In avery few minutes Harold was metamor- phosed. : No one who had seen him rise from among the ooze and slime of the river on the preceding night would have recognised him in the well- clad, clean-looking, handsome young apprentice who presently made his appearance in the work- shop. ‘Come, we look trim and nice, now,” said the giant, proudly. “ We will go and see my wife now. Follow me.” Quitting the shop, he once more led Harold up the stairs to the first-floor, where, in a beautifully-furnished room, sat Mrs. Leslie and her two daughters. The former was a stout, tall, commanding woman, as genial and pleasant-looking as the giant himeelf. The two daugbters—the one about eighteen, the other somewhere about Harold’s own age, were very different in their appearance and manners to their mother. The eldest was a dark beauty, with long curls falling over her shoulders, black, piercing eyes, and a pretty, disdainful mouth. The youngest had bright golden hair in waves on her pretty-shaped head, large blue eyes, and a mouth as beautiful as that of her sister, and a figure quite as pretty as ker sister's also, but that it was more petite. Both, however, had the same peculiarity, which was a look of pride and malice about the mouth, and a fierce gleam in the eye, which told of an indomitable self-will. Mrs, Leslie received Harold kindly, and talked to him about his futare prospects ; then, presently she quitted the room, and left him with the two girls. They were embroidering, and never even cast their eyes on him, though Harold thought every now and then that the youngest one sent peculiar looks at him from beneath her meek, drooping eyelids, She was very beautiful, and Harold had had scarcely more than flitting visions of such beings, and so bis glance was cons’antly upon er, Suddenly she turnog ‘‘ Boy, what are you ooking at?” she said. - There wasa kind of pride and self-conceit mingled in her expreasion, with anger as she spoke, and then her eyes lingered on his face in surprise, as it were, that he was noble and handsome, when he was only a common ap- prentice, picked up out of the “slough of despond.” ‘‘T am looking at you,” he said, innocently. “Then don’t look at me. Wo don’t like rude boys here,” she answered. And then her sister smiled—still not looking at him—and patted the young girl's head, aa if she had said and done something very clever. ‘“¥ didn’t know I was doing anything wrong in looking at you,” said Harold, flushing, “and I am sorry if I have offended.” “Why did you look at me?” asked the girl, playing with her embroidery. ‘‘ Because,” said the boy, who had never been THE WATCHWORDS OF OLD LONDON. eae LS eer “es taught to disguise his thoughts, ‘“ because you are so beautiful.” _ J The young thing muttered something im- patiently, and the elder sister pouted, and seemed annoyed, but no more was said about his looking, He looked to his heart's content until Master Leslie came in, who seemed surprised, and not best pleased, that he was there, and sent him down into the workshop to have his supper. The nicely-dreesed young man and the dwarf had supper with him; and the former, whose name was Leicester Talboys, cracked jokes about his altered appearance, and the dwarf said rpite- ful things, so that what with the good-natured fun of the one, and the spiteful jests of the other, Harold was glad when he had finished his meal, and was able to go to bed. He had been used to sleep beneath the old river archcs, and upon heaps of straw, any- where. Aud now he crept into sheets-as white as snow, and a bed as soft as down. He was so comfortable that he could positively scarcely sleep at firat; and at length when he fell into a heavy slumber, and dreamed of the two beautiful girls he had seen, and the strange woman, and the scene in the old house, he was suddenly awakened by the opening of a door, and the sound of vcices. They were the voices of Leicester Talboys and Alicia Leslie. “Ts the horse ready?” asked the armourer’s daughter, ‘© Yea, Migtress Alicia.” “Then underneath the coat of mail in the workshop, with the gold embossed work on it, you will find the letter. Go quickly.” Then all was silent, for the steps of Leicester Talboys as he retreated could not be heard. Harold's window overlooked the workshop, and he threw it open and looked out. All was in darkness at first; but after a moment he saw Leicester Talboys move along the yard, and then searching in the workshop by the aid of a lamp. Then he went out again, and the house once more relapsed into silence; and so ended the first night's mystery for Harold. The morning found him at work with the others, under the tuition of Quelf, the Dwarf. f CHAPTER IL WHAT DABOLD SAW AT THE ARMOURERS SHOP. GLEaMs of lightning vivid and frequent ushered in the following night. Work had becn little cared for that day. The giant and the dwarf had done their best to initiate the new apprentice in the secrets of his trade, and, in spite of the over officiousness of the one and the intensely disagreeable man- ner of the other, he had contrived to pass a not unpleasant day. ery early in the evening, long before bed- rN GOVE OO © TIN