The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 201: what you’re looking at

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

* (C"- i — : ZA 7 . oh 4m 2 3 = nal ~ THE YOUNG APPRENTICE; OR, days, and Captain Hamiiton’s death shall be avenged !”’ She sprang up as she, spoke, and re-adjusted her mask, Sne was longer than necessary over this, and she walked towards the door slowly. Kividently she expected Harold to speak. But the Young Apprentice was far too wise for this, He had no desire to renew the conversation with her, He sat, therefore, quietly on the straw, while the one who had tempted him passed slowly away. At the door she halted. “Beware, Harold Fordyce!” she cried, in a voice of deep anger; “‘beware of my revenge. Do not for one moment imagine to yourself that you can by any means escape from my power. This place is mine, Lord Varney has long since been dead ; the servants here obey my orders alone. There is no hope for you except in accepting my offer; and since you bave refused that, you can expect nothing but destruction.” “No, madam, I expected it when I first en- tered this house,’’ said Harold. In a few moments he was again alone. He could not disguise from himself the fact that the place was more lonely than ever now. It had been dark and diemal and gloomy before ; but the bright eyes, and the lovely form, the magnificent hair falling over the alabaster shoulders, the voice, the very presence of a woman, all and each had combined to make the place less dismal, All was silent now. Down in the bowels of the earth as he was he could hear but very little indeed of the sonnds of outward life, So silently the day passed. Once only was the stillness broken, when the gaoler entered with food. ton this ail was still again, and silent as the mb, Night approached. The lamp began to burn more dimly. A cold air filled the place, and the Young Apprentice huddled himself up beneath his straw for warmth, At length, after taking another draught of the strong ale which was left for him, he re- Japsed into heavy slumber. How long he slept he knew not. one’s was ewatened by a loud noise as of some eavourin orce n a r whic resisted his efforts. “Pe ”° In the fading light of the lamp Harold For- dyce watched the spot whence the sound pro- ceeded. There was an instinctive feeling in his mind that something unusual, perhaps terrible, was about to happen. The noise ceased for a moment. Then it began once more; scratch, scratch ! thump, thump! against the wall. Then at length it seemed to open, and a tall entered. wt ;cloak hung sooeely round it 80 loosely ppeared as 11 no flesh conld be upon the body beneath, " Pp A horror invaded Harold's heart. He watched the vision with a fascinated AZE, . Something seemed to tell him that the nolse- less step and gliding motion belonged to no human being. The figure approached him. When some three yards from him it halted, and raised its arm. For the first time Harold now saw that it was a fleshless skeleton that stood by his side. It made no sound, but, glancing at Harold, pointed to a part of the wall opposite his bed of straw. Three times it dropped its arm, and pointed towards the same spot. Then it walked slowly to the spot whence it came, and disappeared through the wall. Harold sprang from his bed, where he had before lain in a state of lethargy. ) He rubbed his eyes, as if to see whether he was awake, and then he went slowly round the cell to see whether he could find any outlet through which the figure could have vanished. But he found none. Not the slightest evidence was there of any means of exit. Baffled, and perfectly unable to decide whether he had been dreaming, or whether the terrible visitor had really appeared to him, the Young Apprentice returned to his bed, and endeavoured. to sleep. In this attempt he was*soon successful, and it was not until the following mornine that he awoke, As I have said before, he was unable to ascer- tain the time either of night or day, as his cell was as dark during one as during the other. He knew, however, that it was morning by the entrance of the trooper with his breakfast. “You did not take the advice I gave you, my young friend ?” he said. ‘How know you that ?” ‘From the face of my Lady Grace Cowley as she left this chamber last evening,” returned the man. “She is not clever in disguising her feelings, and I could see plainly that she was in @ great passion.” ‘‘ Well,”’ said Harold, ‘‘ I found it impossible to act a lie, and, therefore, I perhaps offended her with the too open truth.” ‘‘You have acted wrongly, my friend,” said the man ; “except through some dissembling of this kind you will never issue from this place alive. You may have one more chance, but I know very little of Lady Cowley’s pride if that does not prove your last one.” “Let it be so, then,’’ said Harold ; “I will be content to abide by the decrees of Providence and my good luck. I will not pretend to poseess feelings which I have not.”’ The soldier shrugged his shoulders, “ Very well,” he said, “do as you please. It is nothing tome. However, if [ were in your place I should be very little inclined to remain in this underground cellar. There are suspicious spirits moving about here, and at any moment this old house might be blown down about your ears, It is doubtful if you would succeed then in escaping with an unbroken skull.” Harold laughed, “It would be my luck, perhaps, to escape if sXe 4 i) a and =. a -) } EDOOo