The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

THE WATCHWORDS OF OLD LONDON. Lizzie, and you will be all alone to—forget me |" ‘Forget you! Never! And I shall not be alone. Dear uncle is very kind to me; and then Harry, he is here to protect me.” “Yes, indeed, Lizzie, he his good and kind. Under his protection I will leave you. But, dearéat love, my heart bleeds at the idea of _ leaving you.” Tears stood in the girl’s eyes, as she flung her aros around the strong man’s neck. “Oh! Ben, it will be harder, still harder for me to bear than you,” she said, “ when I know that you are not only away from me, but in deadly peril. But, hark! Who ia this that comes?” ~° A heavy tread wag heard coming along the passage. Ben had just time to spring to his feet when the new-comer entered. It was Harry Martin. ‘Ah, Ben,” he said, striving to appear jovial. “Ab, Ben, I thought I should find you here, Your captain has returned,” * So soon ?” “Yes; and he says that in ten minutes you must be in the saddle.” Lizzie clung to the young trooper’s arm. “Oh! Ben,” she cried. “Are you going now /” | “ You see I must, dearest,” he said, in a low voice, playirg unmeaningly with his sword-belt. “ But come, cheer up, lass; don’t give way to tears, they won’t do your dear bright eyes any good. Harry, this is quick work, I had no idea I should have so short a notice of leaving. I leave Lizzie in yeur care for me. Do what you can for her while I’m away. Protect her when Tam away, and if ever you want theaid of a strong arm, here is one to help you.” ‘“‘T'll protect her, Ben,” said Harry, “ never fear for her. No man shall touch her while I am near her.” Ben Firebrace was too intently engaged in giving to his weeping betrothed a last kiss and a last word that he did not observe the double meaning of Harry’s words. So he shook his hand ere he left the room, and commended her again to his care, and left the chamber with a choking heart. In afew moments the troopers were in the saddle ; in a very short time after they had de- filed out of the yard, and passed away along the high road. As soon as they had gone Harry Martin quitted the presence of the weeping girl, and, hurrying out into the yard, called the ostler. “ Whither are they bound, Jack ?”’ he said, ‘‘To Maister Laurence’s.” ‘Ah! for what?” “ Except it be to take un and his daughter, I don’t know,” said the man. - © Ah, well, I will be there before them. Come, Jack, with me,” said Harry, and, with these words, he passed out at the back of the yard, where there was a short cut across the fields to the residence of Master Laurence, the wealthy brewer, a friend and aider of Charles I. Long they hurried across the dark fields until they reached the old mansion. Not a sound of approaching feet was to be ‘Ah! I am there first. This will not be the only time I shall thwart thee, Ben Firebrace,” said Harry, Knocking loudly at the door and giving their names to the servant who cautiously opened it, they were in a fow moments admitted through an archway into a square court surrounded by buildings, Opposite to the arch was another door, which the serving man in like manner unlocked, and thus introduced them into a stone-paved parlour where there was but little furniture, and that of the rudest and most ancient fashion. The windows were tall and ample, reaching almost to the roof of the room, which was com- posed of black oak ; those opening to the quad- rangle were obscured by the height of the sur- rounding buildings, and, as these were traversed with massive shafta of solid stonework, and thickly painted with religious deities and scenes taken from Scripture history, by no means ad- mitted light in proportion to their size, and what did penetrate through them partook of the dark and gloomy tinge of the stained glass, They waited some space of time in the apart- ment ere the master of the mansion at length made his appearance. Prepared, as he was, to see an inauspicious and ill-looking person, the ugliness of Master Laurence considerably exceeded what Harry Martin had anticipated. . He was of middle stature, built strongly but so clumsily as to border on deformity, and to give all his actions the ungainly awkwardness of a left-handed or one-legged man. Master Laurence had had always a bad repu- tation in the neighbourhood. All kinds of mal-practices, in fact, were laid to his charge ; yet Henry Martin, in his deep desire for revenge, never once thought of this. He had overheard the plan of the Roundhead colonel, In the house of Master Laurence were concealed some papers which were of great importance to the cause of the Commonwealth, and it had been resolved both to take him prisoner and to seize these papers, as well as carry off from him his neice, whom he was believed to be detaining there against his will. Harry Martin had always pretended to be on the side of what might, at this time, be called the Revolutionists. But on this occasion he resolved to sacrifice his opinions to his spirit of revenge. To frastrate any scheme in which Ben Fire- brace was the chief actor, seemed to him the acmé, the ne-plus ultra of vengeance. The person whom he saw, however, was, as I have said far, from being prepossessing. His hair escaped in sable negligence, from under a furred bonnet, and hung in elf-locks which seemed strangers to the comb, over his rugged brows and around his very singular and unprepossessing countenance, is attire was a doublet of russet leather, like those worn by the better sort of country folks, girt with a buff belt, in which was stuck on the right side a long knife, and on the other a sword. He raised hia eyes as he entered the room, and fixed a keenly penetrating glance upon his two visitors. GOMPEI OG | oe ‘(£3 : 13 KA (are Cc @ ) .)