The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 209: what you’re looking at

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

& + 4 ONS 190 THE YOUNG APPRENTICE; OR, Changeling, who, in his shirt sleeves, was wield- ing a great hammer, and singing over his labour, Rupert,” eried the giant, “I have come to give you fresh work,” ‘¢ Yes,” said Firebrace, “we are going to un- earth a traitor and save an angel ; the one bein Peter Quelf the dwarf, the other, the betrothe of Harold Fordyce, your friend. Leslie, where is the place where Harold told you he saw the dwarf disappear and where he afterwards fol- lowed him ?” “Tt was just here somewhere behind these mail figures ; but we will have no obstruction ‘now. Tear down the shelvas and the benches and fling down the mailed figures. We will destroy thie treacherous wall and build another in ite a The three worked vigorously and with a will, and a few moments only safficed to tear down all obstacles, and leave the wall bared to them, In this way they were not long in discovering the spot where the dwarf had made his exit. A smali knob of brase protruded from the woodwork, Ben Firebrace saw it first. ‘Ab ! there it is,” he cried, rushing forward and kneeling down. A slight pressure caused it te yield, and the door flew open, showing the b and yawning shaft down which Harold had seen Quelf dis- pear. “ Ru " cried Ben, his face now beaming with triumph, “go and bid niy men enter at once. Bring them here, fand:mind you lose no ime.’ In five minutes time the troopers, who had acted under the commands of Ben Firebrace, had made their way into the workshop. Ben Firebrace led the way with the armourer, and Rupert Changeling, who, casting his hdm- mer aside, had seized a sword, aud hail-dressed as he waa, went eagerly to the fight. ‘‘On deecendiag to the vault they had beard voloes and aaw Peter Quelf issuing froth a doorway. In an ivetant they rusked forward, guessing naturally that thie was the door of Ettie’d room. A bloodless victory waa theirs. Quelf was so taken by surpriee, that he had END OF no time to call his oomrades or to offer any resistance himself. | Flying with a fearful yell of rage, therefore, he fied up the staircase the direction of the revolving figure. ‘‘ Again you have thwarted me,” he said, shaking his fist savagely at then, “but not for long. No. Frank Leslie you were thy master once. J will be R hid master ere long. .This vaulted place shall be crumbled to the earth, and with its tottering ruins yout house will go headlong to destruction. In the dead of night, when you least expect it, you and your friends and your children shall be swallowed up as by an garthquake, so suddenly, that you shall have no time even for a murmured prayer to heaven ! Farewell! alhof yet When hett we meet it will be when [ stand exulting over your pale faces and your senseless forms. The powers of hell — 1 will invoke ere | fail in my ven- ce $ With these words he fled into the shadows, and the revoiving figure, as it cl to into its place, showed that he had madd good his escape, Within the room, as théy hdd etpected, Httie Leslie was found smiling and joyous, for she haé recognised the murmuring voices of her friends and awaited patiently for her release. Carried up into her home in her father's strong arms, she could scareely realise her happiness — a happiness which was increased tenfold when Harold Fordyce, safe and sound, though tired with hia long journey, arrived from the north after his escape from the old house. Happy as Harold might be also in the society of his gentle betrothed, it was mot long before he had renewed cause of disquietude. He had not been home more then a week when he received a letter from Lady Grace ley. It ran as follows :—= “ HAROLD FORDYc8.— You have foiled me gnce ; you shall not do so twioe. Givo way to no feelings of hb for the future; for, as surely as the night follows the day, I will follow you and overshadow your path for ever. Beware of my vengeance, for it will assuredly fall upon you! ‘‘GRACE COWLEY.' “Good,” said Harold; “I must watch and fear nothing.” BOOK II, GOVE OOO