The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 256: what you’re looking at

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

THE WATCHWORDS OF OLD LONDON. 237 ‘It is from Lord Hamilton,” he cried. “ Lord Hamilton !” “Yes, indeed, He says——" Then he stopped. “ I forgot,” he said, “ you’re a friend of Crom- well, Harold.” Harold smiled, “ Bat Iam no traitor, Harrok Dyser,” said e. “No, no, my boy, I know it, You are no traitor ; but——” The Young Apprentice interrupted him. ‘But you would say you would rather not entrust me with the contents of that letter. I should simply be a traitor were I to jlisten. I will retire to my room. Good night, and even though the king is no friend of mine, and you are saving him, or trying to save him, I can wish you well through your of the trouble,” He shook hands heartily with the mountebank, and passed out. Harrok stood and watched him. Regret was in his face, ‘¢ Ah |” he said, as the Young Apprentice dis- appeared, “ Ah! though I like Bowden well, there goes the one whom of all others I should like to see her husband ; but it is useless to think of that. He loves another who loves him well, and his heart is not for Nelly.” Then he turned to the letter. Even now he did not understand how little a third person’s ideas were concerned in the matter. Even now he did not see how useless it would have been to suggest to Nelly any other husband but Max Bowden. The strangely forwarded epistle was not long, and ran thus :— “ To HARROK DYSER. ** You have been betrayed. The meeting at the ‘ Golden Fleece’ was attended by a spy. Meet the Friends at Martin's Ferry-house in three nights from this. See that ho one comes with you. | ‘Ss HAMILTON.” To this was a postcript, as follows :— “‘ It has come to the knowledge of the friends of Charles Stuart that you are in constant oommunication with traitors and Roundheads—that your future son-in-law is a Roundhead, and that you have maltreated this very evening, Peter Quelf, who saved the queen's life, and have killed Clement Morpeth, one of my most trusted messengers. For these things you will have to answer to the Council, and also in regard to your frequent companionship with Harold Fordyce, the apprentice of Frank Leslie, the Round - head armourer.” “Who saved my daughter from Royalist traitors,’’ muttered Dyser. He threw the letter into the fire. “Well, well,” he said, “a little more only is required to make me a Republican also. Let the king only escape execution, and fly to France, and a shall be a Roundhead as much as the rest.” CHAPTER XVII. SIMON LAWLESS AND THE RING=—-THE BECRET DRAWER-~—THE FRIEND OF CAPTAIN LACK- LAND — BRANDOCK THE ALSATIAN — THE HIDDEN- THIEF—THE SLEEPING BEAUTY— THE ROBBERXY—THE DEATH—-THE HORRIBLE DISCOVERY. WHEN Simon Lawless quitted the side of the mysterious woman, who gave him the emerald ring, he was followed, as I have said before, by two suspicious-looking men. But their purpose seemed not to attack him. They only watched him as he went home- wards, and when he reached the door of his own house and entered, they went away as quickly as they had come. When Simon entered his room, his wife was sleeping, while her maid was sitting by the fire nursing the child. She started up on seeing him and threw her arms around his neck. * Oh! Iam so glad you have returned,’’ she cried, “I have had such a terrible dream,”’ “ A dream !” “'Yes—about you. [cannot tell it you now. But, oh! it was so horrible, and you were in terrible danger.” “Ah! well, I dave been in danger, and have been obliged to fight for it before now,” he said, tting her little hand. ‘“ But this time I have in no peril, except from bright eyes. Do you see this ring ?” “Oh! what a beauty. Howdid you get that 7’’ ‘A lady gaye it to me,” said Lawless, smil- g. She looked up curiously into his face. “A lady !” “Yes, Are you jealous, dear wife ?”’ ‘‘ No indeed ; but tell me all about it.” He told his story. She listened eagerly. “I like it not,” she said, when bh : : ad finished speaking, “Then you are jealous.’’ ‘*No—no ; but [ fear it. means no good. It seems to me a lure to entice you into some danger. Take my advice, Simon, and do not wear it.” Simon smiled, “TJ will not wear it,” he said, “for I affect not | jewellery, but I will preserve it as an emblem of a strange adventure.” ; So saying, he removed it from his finger, and spproaching the opposite side of the room, placed it in a drawer. “ There, in my secret drawer, it will be safe,” he said ; “and now, as Iam tired and uungry, we will sup.” Supper over, Lawless and his wife retired to bed, while the maid also was dismissed to her room. But she did not retire. Evidently she had other things in view. Carefully locking her door, she washed herself, and then having arranged her hair in the mirror, and admired the beauty of her bright eyes and pretty pink shoulders, she sat down by the table and glanced over a book containing pictures. Gradually the dull light of the lamp seemed to act as a soporific, and she fell back upon her chair in a deep asleep. She had been thus for about half an hour when there was a slight tapping noise at her window. She started in her sleep, Yet she did not wake. Like all the daughters and the sons of toil, her alamber was a heavy one. Again the tapping came upon the glass. .Then a rough head was seen peering in. ) mw J Y~ SS) CO COME O