The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 238: what you’re looking at

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

we f ‘ ; b =~ —s CD) jp From several windows men and women in their night dresses leaned to watch the fight. Presently another batch of gleaming lanterns was seen at the corner of the river lane, Then the quick trampling of fect was heard, and about thirty soldiers came running down the street, Fighting was no longer of use. The roysterera, many of whom were severely wounded, had to yield at last, and, after raising up the body of Leicester from the blood-stained stones, the watch and their prisoners made to- wards the watch-house, Feeling assured that all pursuit of the Alsatian, Captain Lackland, was useless, Simon Lawless accompanied them, At the lock-up he gave his own version of the fight, and his name, together with the watch- word, which was his safeguard always in old London, Then, while the cavaliers were placed under lock and key, he pursued his journey. We necd not deacribe this journey or the in- terview with Cromwell which formed its termi- nation. - We have already seen that the king was brought to London, and it may, therefore, be understood that Oliver Cromwell acceded wil- lingly to the terma of the letter which Colonel Ireton, Nasebrigg, and the others sent to him by the hands of Simon Lawless. Time again has flown by. With Simon Lawless it has fared in the same way as it has fared with the king the Commons, and the people, He has watched and waited. In hia mind was the idea fixed still—that de was to strike the blow which was to achieve England's freedom and greatneas, It was one evening towards the close of night that tho king, who, now in St. James’s Palace, watched and waited with the rest who were seated in his room. The room was a dark and gloomy one, Yet he had wished to be alone. The moon poured in through the casement, and shone in weird patches on the floor and on the suits of armour which stood grim and silent round him. Without could be heard the plashing of the river and the voices of sentinels and other murmurs from the great city. Yet he preferred being alone. Alone—without his guards—he would be a king once more, The past was in review before him—the plea- sant past which had never foreshadowed any of the horrors of to-day, Bat, amid all this, there was another vision which came to disturb his peace. The vision was one which many times before had been dimly shadowed forth before his eyes. This time there was no dimness, It was all terrible reality. Sitting in his chair near the wood fire, whose merry flames lapped up the broad chimney, he had seen portraits of old friends, betrayed for the sake of those who were never friends. And, more than all, he had seen Strafford—the victim of a terrible injustice—the one of all others whom he mourned the most. Then turning from the fire, to avoid, as it THE WATCHWORDS OF OLD LONDON. were, the faces of those whom he mourned, now that he could not save them, he saw a vision more terrible still. Upon the dark wall opposite to him there appeared a cloud of white vapour. Then this resolved itself into a clear trans- parency, And on this transparency there came a number of small figures, These faded away one by one. Yet Charles knew them ail, Headed by Strafford they marched past. Like the ghosts in Hamlet, “they came like shadows, and so departed.” Friends deatroyed—friends cast from favour— friends sacrificed. And as a finale to the procession, came his own form, beckoning frantically to them to come ack, But in vain. As well might he call on Time to stay its ad- vance, as to endeavour to recall those whom his tyranny or his weakness had consigned to de- straction. Then the vision changed again. A third figure came on the scene. THE HEADSMAN, masked, and leaning with one hand on his axe, stood pointing with the other to the block ! Then the vision disappeared, and Oharics was once more alone. He had scarcely awoke, as it were, from this terri ble dream, when a knock at the door aroused m, He had just time to say “ Enter,” and to rise, when the door was flang open, and a masked man entered, CHAPTER AL, THE KING AND THE UNKNOWN-—A TALE OF WRONG — STRAFFORD AGAIN — CHARLES'S TERROR—THE VISION ONCE MORE — THE WORDS OF DOOM, THE king rose, and remained standing while the masked figure advanced slowly and solemnly towards him. ‘Who are you who comes uncovered before the king?” asked Charles. “ One who desires for the present to be un- known,” returned the other; “but enough of that. I come not here for the sake of courtesy. I come to speak of stern duty—to call upon you for reparation for the past, or to warn you of approaching doom.” The king's lip curled in contempt. The language seemed truly like that of ali the Puritans of the day, who delighted in nothing 80 much as gloomy and wild presentiments. “I am a prisoner,” said the king; “I can redress no wrong.” ‘Youcan., You can restore to the friends of the murdered the treasure you stole from them.” “Enough of this,” said the king, sternly. ‘I like not enigmas. Speak plainly, or I will decline all converse with you.” ‘Well, then,” returned the masked figure, “I will speak leas in riddles; but I doubt much if by so doing I shall increase your courage. In the firat place I will unmask.”’ Raising his hands slowly, as if conscious that ~~ = GOVE OOO SS) CO