The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 224: what you’re looking at

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

THE WATCHWORDS OF OLD LONDON. “¢ And the second ?” “Is a young lady, the wife of one Lord Raymond, who is mad, and imagines herself some one else.” Villiers could not repress a curse. “Lord Raymond's wife!” he cried; “ that is my wife. She was brought here and confined as a mad woman because she would not yield to the vile blandishments of that villain, Raymond. Let me see her at once or it will be the worse for you.”’ Unseen by Lord Villiers, the old man had, during this conversation, made repeated signs to the man who had first admitted them. Now, when Lord Villiers uttered these words of mgnace, there was a rush from the passage, and six armed keepers entered the room. “These persons talk of force,” said the old man ; “clear them from the house.” “ More easily said than done,” cried Villiers. “ Let us pass there, or we shall cleave a way through you with our swords, Come, my men, let us search the house,” Though unused to such scenes as this, the keepers were no cowards, and stood their ground manfally. Against practised men they were of little avail, however. It was not long before two of them were stretched on the ground desperately wounded, while the others were penned up ina corner. * Cease this idle conflict,” cried Lord Villiers, “You cannot gain anything, and may lose your lives, Let one of you at once show us the way to the vault where the young lady is confined.” The man whose throat he was grasping at once answered— “I will show the way, my lord, only do not choke me.” When Lord Clement released him, he at once rose and led the way along the passage, until, arriving at the further end, they saw before them a narrow winding staircase.. On descending this they could hear wild and terrible cries, proceeding evidently from persons who were really bereft of their senses, Carses, loud and deep—-appeals, wild and appalling, mingled with shrieks and sobs. , The sounds smote terribly upon Lord Villiers’ eart. “Ob !” he murmured, “oh ! to think that my Blanche is among these," “ Here is the cell,” cried the man, suddenly stopping. “I will admit you, and, when you are once in, take the 4 as quickly as you can, for master’s gone, and Fd bet something he has gone to bring the watch.” On entering the vault with Ben Firebrace, and another of the keepers, a sight met the eyes of Lord Villiers which made him tremble with sorrow and fear. On the ground, on some straw in the corner of the dismal vault, lay Lady Blanche Villiers. It was a maddening sight, The graceful form was lying listlessly, dressed in the low-cut fancy dress in which he had left her, her beantiful tresees lying in wild oon- fusion over her creamy shoulders, and the white, soft bosom, her pretty arma lying by her side inertly, her cheeks pale, her lips hueless, her eyes closed. He knelt down beside her, and kissed her rapturously ; trying, as it were, by his caresses to bring life back to her cold, white lips, “Tashe dead?” he murmured, as he placed his hand over her heart. She was just warm, but her heart beat but faintly. ‘ She is under the influence of some narcotic,” cried Villiers, “I will raise her up, and carry her from this place ; do you cover my retreat.” “ Be quick, my lord,” said one of the troopers, “be quick, I hear voices above. Is there no other way but to return?” he added, turning to the man who had shown them the way. “Yes; come quickly; lose no time, and I will take you out by the back way.” Following the man, and pressing his lovely burden to his breast, Lord Villiers soon found himself in the back grounds of the eld mad- house, and it was not long before he reached the spot where his horse was being held by one of the men. ‘Mount on the horse, and convey Lady Villiers away in safety,” cried Ben Firebrace. “We have no horses, and shall only impede you. Hurry on towards an inn which stands on the edge of the highway, not far from the beacon light ; await us there, if you desire our company to London.” ‘“‘T will,” said Lord Villiers. “I fear we may be pursued,” n this, however, he was wrong. He reached London in safety, and conveyed his beautifal wife once more to their pretty home, where they felt, more strongly than ever, the joys of re-united love, Here we must leave them for awhile, while we return to Harold Fordyoe and the armourer. OHAPTER VI. TIME’S CHANGES—THE SECRET DISPATCH-—THE JOUBNEY~THE CRIES OF DISTRESS~-THE OVERTURNED CARRIAGE—THE BEAUTIBUL LADY=THE ATTACK—THE RESCUE—AN UN- PLEASANT DISCOVERY—DOES SIIE MEAN TREACHERY ? TiME has gone by. Lord Raymond has not appeared again on the scene, The dive into the dismal sea seems to have truly, as Lord Villiers hoped, blotted out his existence for ever, Life at the armourer’s has relapsed into its old atyle. But again we see Harold and his master plunged into the vortex of political excitement. Cromwell had at length resolved to bring King Charles to London, that he might be arraigned for “ levying war upon his subjects,” and, when looking round for messengers to entrust with the important mission, he could discover no one whom he cared to trust so well as the armourer and his Young Apprentice. — We find them now, therefore, approaching Northampton, where their way lay at first over a chain of hills, or, as they were termed locally, “ Downs.” But after about an hour’s riding, they found themselves in a narrow lane bounded on each side by tall hedges, and further shaded by the book CO