The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 250: what you’re looking at

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

ma “Oh, Max,” she exclaimed, “oh, Max, how came you here?” She had no time to reach him. With a loud laugh Peter Quelf rushed at her, andy seizing her rudely by the arm, dragged her back. “ You thought you would free him, I suppose, my beauty?” repeated Quelf; “but you are wrong. Upon you will now depend whether he lives or dies.” “Upon me?” " “Yes ; I will explain to you now, and then we will give you until to-morrow to decide upon what course you will take.”’ ‘T understand you not,” exclaimed the yonng girl, shrinking from his look, Clement Morpeth advanced and interposed. Gentler than Quelf, his manner was infinitely more alarming to Nelly than that of the hideous dwarf, | ‘‘T have carried you away from your father's house,” replied Clement Morpeth, ‘for two rea- sons. In the firet place, I wished to take you out of the power of your friends, and in the second place I desired to have an opportunity of explaining to you some circumstances which I desired no one but yourself to know.” “Was it necessary to commit such an outrage as this?” she answered. Clement smiled. “Yes,” he said, “what you call an outrage was necessary, Quelf,’”’ he added, turning to the dwarf, “remain here, and guard Maximilian Bowden, while I take our fair captive into the adjoining chamber.” He moved towards the door of an inner room, and, throwing it open, disclosed a second and less dismal subterranean apartment. ‘‘Come,” he said to Nelly, “ follow me.” The girl moved not, She cast an imploring look towards her lover, who could neither speak nor assist her, and re- mained standing, with clasped hands and pallid face, in the centre of the room. “Come,” repeated Clement, more sternly, “I must speak with you alone, and, therefore, if you do not come willingly, you will do so by force.” He made a movement as if to advance towards er. Nelly saw that it was in vain to resist. With another look of despair, therefore, to her lover, she passed into the inner apartment, Clement Morpeth, aftera few whispered words to Quelf, entered also and closed the door behind im. He smiled sneeringly, as he took a seat near her on the bench upon which she had sunk despairingly. ‘JT am glad,” he said, “that you begin to see my power over you.” “You are a coward to triumph over me thus,” she murmured. He took her hand and held it in such a tight grasp that she could not draw it away. “T am not triamphing,” replied Clement ; “I wished you to enter here with me that I might tell you a secret, and I will now tell it to you. In the first place, I love you.” * You !” The voice and manner in which this was said plainly showed horror and disgust. THE WATCHWORDS OF OLD LONDON. 231 A gleam of anger flashed from Morpeth’s eyes. But by an effort he restrained his emotion. “Yes, Nelly,” he said, “I. When I have told you who I am, you will no longer be surprised. Time has, no doubt, changed me, but I still am astonished that you do not recognise in me one who was your friend and companion for so long a time.” If he had had any doubt of the sincerity of Nelly’s ignorance of him, one glance at her face would have been quite sufficient to prove its truth. She was evidently bewildered and confounded at his words. “ Friend and companion!” she repeated ; “why, Mr. Morpeth, it is not more than six months since you knew my father first.” ‘‘T will soon disabuse your mind of that idea,” he said. ‘Six years ago, when you were scarcely thirteen years of age, there was with your father, in the capacity of assistant, a youth of some six- teen yeara. He had a reason, as you know, for hiding away; and he adopted the disguise of a mountebank, as being less likely than any other to be penetrated. Is it not so?” ‘‘ Yes, it is,” said Nelly. As she spoke she narrowly inspected his features. He smiled. ‘‘ You are trying to remember me,” he said. ‘‘Tam; but do not succeed,” she answered. “ Well, you will understand me better, per- haps, as I go on,” he said. “Very likely—very likely. Nelly. She spoke impatiently. She had two reasons for so doing. In the first place, she was anxious to hear his story, and penetrate the strange mystery which seemed to surround him. In the second place, she was earger to quit the chamber, and return to that in which Max Bowden was confined. What would Max think of remaining so long and 80 quietly in this room with Clement Mor- pet “Well, continued the latter, “this youth of sixteen was always with you. His name, if you remember, was Lionel Darlingford, and he claimed to be a member of a noble family.” ‘“ Yes—yes,”’ “ He watched you day by day; he saw you growing from the little girl into the lovely maiden, Many a time has his heart beat wildly when he has seen you dancing before admiring crowds ; many a time has his heart beat more wildly still when he has carried you over rough country roads, and pressed your form to his breast. Well, his love grew with the time ; and as he saw you ripen and fill ont into the peautifal girl, he took an oath you should be 18. “ And yet,” said Nelly, “ he left us suddenly.” ‘ He did; yet not withqut an explanation.” “You are wrong,’ returned the young girl. “ me gave no explanation ; but ran away in the nignt."’ Clement smiled bitterly. “ You thought so,” he said; “ but you were wrong.” ‘© You knew him then?” Proceed,” said Y ; On = -- GOHVEDOOKSHEO N i , - NS