The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 173: what you’re looking at

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

THE YOUNG APPRENTICE; OR, The stranger, on the other hand, glowed with different feelings, His eyes flashed; his nostrils dilated; a hectic spot rose to his cheeks. But further than this, he evinced nothing. His was merely the excitement of play. A rich man, he could afford to lose. Young, handsome, wealthy, possessed of a beautiful wife and a happy home, he had no need to be there. He was watching ethers. Beneath the cloak of play, Lord Clement Villiers—for it was he—was there for political purposes. He kept on losing. Max became feverish with impatience, but, beyond the glow on his cheek, and the fire in his eye, there was nothing in the appearance of Lord Villiers to denote his enjoyment of the me. Presently he said, “Young man, I will double this time. A thousand on the black !’’ “ What mean you ?”’ “ A thousand upon this,” “‘ Agreed. ! Ah! it is mine.” ‘‘ Another thousand on this,’’ said the stranger. “Goon. Yea—yes! How the lights fire our eyes. Go on, a! ha! A thousand be it. Black! Lost, by heavens !” “Two thousand ?” said Villiers. Max was eager to recover his one thousand that he had juat lost, and he at once agreed, The luck had turned. In twenty minutes he was a beggar ! He rose from the table, and staggered across the room. The first person he met was Lennox. Grasping him by the arm, he said, in a hissing whisper— « All leat! A Httle fortune blown to the winds, Ali lost!’ “ Lost ?” ‘* Yea—all—all! I had beauty — homage — power—allin my grasp for a moment, and they have fled again. It was Fairy gold, and has turned to dead leaves! All lost! all lost! Is it a dream ?”? He held his hand over his eyes for a few moments, during which Lennox whispered to _ “ By all the shades of darkness, you have Jost it to the very same man who ruined me! He has mulcted us both.” Max laughed faintly. Lennox caught him by the arm . . “What ails you, man?” he cried. ‘Come out of the play-room, if you cannot command your- self better than this. Come—come.” He led Max unresistingly into the ante-room, and not for a moment relaxing his hold of him until they reached the place where they had before drank wine, he poured out a large goblet full of strong liquor, and handed it to Max. ‘“ Drink,” he said, Max drank it as if it had been water. The color returned to his cheek again, and, before be had Dama to renew the subject, Lennox w Max e curtain i to Lord Villiers. 1 and Tilting Ih, pointed “ See !” he cried, “there is the man.” “The man—who ?” er eee AS SE LD — ‘ “The man who has your gold—who carries away with him the means of making Nelly happy —-who carries away from you heaven's sun- shine !” “What man ?”’ asked Max. ‘Does he not carry away your gold ?” ‘Yes! yes! he does. What then?” ‘ Then let us follow him—let us take it from him—let us replace it in your pocket! Come, quickly ! See with what a trim and placid air he walks, the villain! On!” “Whither ?” “ T will show you. Come!” Max staggered on by the side of the tempter. They passed, he knew not how, through the dark room, They reached the hall, and, pushing open the door, passed out into the street. The rain had now ceased, and a few atars peeped from amid the drifting clouds. “There he goes!” cried Lennox. “See, he turns yonder corner! Come, Max, come !” Max obeyed the impulse to follow Lord Clement Villiers ; he knew not why. It was but an impulse, and yet he yielded to it. He asked not, thought not, whither it would lead him, CHAPTER XXIV. THE RESULT OF THE GAME—THE NIGHT-WIND— THE WATCHERS—THE TEMPTER-—THE GOLD- FIEND—-THE BRIDGE OVER THE DARK RIVER —THE ATTACK=THE FLIGHT, How keenly the night air blew and with what a sudden gust it flashed in Bowden's face as, with Lennox Lawler, he turned towards the river. There was ice upon the blast. Lennox heeded not the inclemency of the season, but Max shuddered as he faced the flerce chillin 8 air, which each moment was more and more loaded with drifting icy particles, each one of which seemed to be discharged by some more than common power in the faces of those who, at such an hour, were exposed to the fury of the season. ‘ There,” said Lennox, “there goes your for- tune through the snow-drift. Ha! hal! There it flies! They always said gold had wings, and now we see the truth of the assertion. After it! after it, Max! This way! this way!” Still, without a thought of what was to be accomplished by this race, Max Bowden rushed -after the man, who, with thousands in his pocket, seemed truly to the heated imagination of the half-maddened lover to be like some one robbing him of all he held dear in life. If he had only paused for a moment reason might have resumed its sway; but, as it was, he knew nothing, felt nothing, but that the race was for gold ! And now the driving shower of sleet began to merit something of the name of snow-drift. It came in heavier masses; the wind lessened, the ground became covered with an icy mantle. But through the snow one figure was atill visible. This was Lord Villiers, the man whom he looked upon as having robbed him of his gold. I COMED OOKSEEON a