The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 247: what you’re looking at

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

ae : ae -. ee ee as er ee \ (> THE YOUNG APPRENTICE; OR, Se tt 228 wicket-gate at the back of ‘the houre at eleven to-night, Pray come.” She leaned out again. “Yes; I will be there,” she said. The figure then waved its hand, and dis- appeared, As she closed the window the clock struck the hour of ten. Impatiently she awaited the passage of the hour which was to elapse before she should be able to speak to her beloved. All became still as death. Tbe noises in the house ceased one by one. The voices of the night without became sud- denly still also, as if the wind were lulled in expectancy of some crime, — But Nelly Dyser did not observe this. Allshe thought of was that those who watched her were asleep, and that she would be able to sce and speak with her lover unobserved. — At length the hour passed. Opening the door she listened intently. There was no one stirring, and, descending the stairs, therefore, she made for the lower gate, and was soon ont in the open air. The cool air came refreshingly upon her brow, and she sped onwards light-heartedly. She would have been far less light-hearted had she known that within five minutes after Max Bowden had spoken to her violent hands had seized him and borne him away. Gee Ane GED CHAPTER XIV. THE MAIL COACH—THE ATTACK=—THE OLD MAN AND HIS DAUGHTER—THE COWARD'S ADVICE—THE COWARD'S WEAPONS — AND THE COWABD’S END, On the night following that which saw the arrival of Nelly Dyser and her father at Fern- dale House the mail coach left Dorrington about eveven o'clock, and came rapidly along the dark road. Within, were only two passengers—an old man and his daughter. Without, was the driver and the guard. As they approached Ferndale the father was nearly asleep. - Indeed both of them were so drowsy when they left the inn that they did not observe that yey were followed by three persons on horse- These three persona were Peter Quelf, Clement Morpeth, and the Alsatian, Captain Lackland. though Clement was connected with noble families he had very little money at his command, and he gladly, therefore, fell in with the proposition of his companions that they should replenish their purses by robbing the royal mail. It was still styled royal, altheugh the king had virtually ceased to reign, but Clement Mor- peth salved hia conscience by pretending to think that the property contained in the mail belonged to the crop-eared Roundheads, They had approached within a quarter-of-a- mile of Ferndale House when a loud voice rang out upon the night. ‘Halt, on your life !’ shouted a man, spring- ing on horseback over the low hedge, . ~enphem ¢ © The driver took no notica of him. Seeing but one enemy he lashed his horses as he crested the hill, and drove them down at such a tremendous speed that, highwaymaa or no highwayman, he could not have stopped them till he had reached the bottom. Long ere he arrived on the even ground once more he saw that the attack upon the coach was made by more than one foe. Clement Morpeth, who was the first to leap over the hedge, was joined in a momemt by Quelf and the Alsatian, the latter of whom found his courage become greater the faster the coach drove away. All three were disguised in masks and coun- trymen's smock frocks, which entirely concealed the shape and appearanee of their dresses. On arriving at the bottom of the hill the three horsemen, who were in advance now of the coach, rushed forward and seized the horses’ reins, The terrified animals stopped at once, whilc the guard at the back began to prepare his blunderbuss. Before, however, he had time to use his un- wieldy weapon, he was knocked off his seat by the cowardly Alsatian, who struck at him from behind. Dispatching him by a heavy Llow on the head with the butt end of a pistol, Lackland then rushed with Quelf to the carriage door, leaving the driver to the mercy of Clement Morpeth. The Alsatian knew well that he could only have a woman to deal with, or, at any rate, a feeble old man. He did not act on hearsay. He had ascertained this at the inn. Advancing boldly, therefore, he flung open the door. ‘‘Descend at once!” he cried, in a voice of thunder. Like most cowards, he had a loud and com- manding voice, and could bluster like a trooper when he was certain that he would not be bart. It was only when he was boldly attacked and there was a chance of a little blood-letting that he whined and howled like a beaten cur. The old man and his daughter descended at once from the coach, They did not, however, show any desire to yield without making some attempt at resist- ance, and in spite of kis and his feebleness, the old man drew his sword and stood on the defensive, The Alsatian, seeing the gleam of the weapon, left Quelf to attack the traveller, while he turned his attention to the young lady. From ber, atleast, heimagined that he would be free from all attacks. He was, however, mistaken. The young lady had inherited from her father some of his firmness and courage, and drawing a small pocket pisto! from her belt she aimed it fall at the face of the cowardly captain and red, Her agitation was too great to allow of her taking a steady aim, but she contrived to inflict a wound of sufficient depth to cause the blood to trickle down his face and make him shriek with alarm. He soon, however, found that it was but a GOVE OO © S