The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 158: what you’re looking at

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

THE WATCHWORDS OF OLD LONDON. bearing of the future Lord Protector of England, & trooper approached the Young Apprentice, and said, ** Young sir, is your name Harold Fordyce ?” ‘It is, my friend,” returned the Young Apprentice,” ‘‘ Follow me, then,” said the man. The speaker was a solemn-looking Puritan, with straight, black, short hair, a moustache, also black, and a complexion of a sallow, yellow colour. . His voice, too, was solemn and gloomy, like that of ‘most those who professed the religion of the times; and had it not been that Harold Fordyce was accustomed to the company and appearance of such persons, he would certainly have doubted the propriety of follow- ing such a leader at all. ; ‘Whither am I to follow?” he asked. “General Cromeell desires to see you,” re- turned the man. “Will you await me here?” said Harold, turning to Lord Clement Villiers, while a flush of justly gratified pride overspread his features. » “JT will,” returned Lord Clement, ‘‘ Cromwell has no particular favour for me at present. He forgets past services, and remembers only that I opposed him when he was about to commit an injastice, In a few minutes, Harold Fordyce stood in the ‘presence of the great general, who was surrounded by the principal leaders of the day. ““Welcome, my brave apprentice,” he said, extending his hand towards him, “I have not forgotten the gallant action to which I owe my life. There are graver and more stirring times yet coming, and I have hopes that I shall now be able to persuade you to accept a command in my regiment of Ironsides. Your master will, I am sure, release you from your engagement to him at my request.” A flush of pleasurable feeling overspread the face of the Young Apprentice as the great general spoke these words. Bat it was a difficult question to answer, The Man without a Name had placed him in the position in which he now was, and it seemed, indeed, as if it would be the height of ingratitude to quit the employment of the armourer to cast himself on the wide waters of military life. ‘General Cromwell,” he said, “ I am most gratified that you should have chosen my most unworthy self to make such an offer as that. you have just made; but I fear at this moment I cannot accede to it. To my own heart the idea of serving among your brave Ironsides is highly acceptable; but I was placed in my present position by one who saved me from destitution and disgrace. I should prove myself a bad friend to you if I began my friendship by an act of ingratitude to my benefactor.”’ “Bravely spoken, lad,” cried Cromwell : nevertheless, you have done good service to the state before, and, doubtless, will not regret doing so again. As for this friend and benefac- tor of yours, I must see him and learn if possible whether he would approve of your entering the . tervice of the Parliament. In the meantime, I have here a letter which I would wish to entrust to you if your master will give you time to take it. It is to Colonel Thornton, the governor of Carisbrook Castle.” ‘I will go, general, if my master permits me.” “Good, I would rather choose you, since, if I send a trooper, he may be intercepted, and may likewise act with less diligence and less trust- worthiness than you who have an interest and a tove for our cause, When will you see your mas- r ? “ At once,” ‘Go, then, and tell him of the long journey I wish you to take. I have heard that he is a good and worthy man, as strong as Hercules and as brave asa lion. If he will accompany you I should be glad.” “TI will ask him, general, and, ere dark, I will return ready for the expedition.” On quitting Cromwell’s presence, the Young upprentice found Lord Clement Villiers await- ng him. “Well,” said the latter, “what cheer? Have you been knighted or made a lord, by the great general ?”’ There was a bitter irony in his tones which the Young Apprentice could not fail to notice. But he made no remark upon it, noticing it only in his own mind in so far that he deemed it pradent to keep the fact of the expedition to m “ No,” he said ; “no, I am still simple Harold Fordyce, the armourer's help. But Cromwell has never forgotten that I saved his life once on the field of bastle,” “And J, no matter what happens, will never forget what aid you gave me, when Blanche was in the power of those villains. Has he given you some fresh commission 7” “ He has,” said Harold, pointedly ; “a secret one.” The young nobleman smiled bitterly. “T see,” he said, “you fear to trust me. I blame you not; when those for whom I have risked my life give you such lessons, I can searcely wonder if you follow their teaching. However, do not let me be the means of com- promising you ; go forward on your own path of success, and when you return from your expedi- tion let me see you. ” He did not wait either for acquiescence or refusal, but with a slight bow to the Young Apprentice he walked away. . Harold’s mind was too busy with the anticipa- tions raised by Cromwell’s words to take much notice of the strange behaviour of his friend, and accordingly, without further disturbing his mind with regard to the strange conduct of Lord Clement, he made his way hastily towards the house of the armourer. It is scarcely necessary to say that Frank Lesliefaccepted with pleasure Cromwell's implied invitation to accompany Harold on his journey to Carisbrook, before nine o'clock that night. - In one of the lower rooms at Whitehall, used as a guard-room, several soldiers were upon this particular evening assembled. They were all of the Puritan type— dark, stern- looking men, with black or tawny beards, and an expression upon every countenance the same— that, in fact, produced by constant attendance at the religious meetings held by the Praise-God- Bayebones class, One of them, a tall, almost gigantic, man, equal in height, strength, and breadth to Leslie the armourer, had been seated for some time by EDOOo i OBE 141 e