The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 296: what you’re looking at

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

THE WATCHWORDS OF OLD LONDON. 1 eu, ‘© Ag you will, Whatever your fate, you can- not say I did not offer to save you from the scaffold, which stares you in the face.” “ T can only reiterate my thanka.” “ Hist!” The deputy went to the door of the cell, and opening it, slightly looked out, The turnkey was at the other end of the gal- ery. He returned to the cell hastily. “Here,” he ‘said, handing a small key to Leicester, “here is the key of the tower ; con- ceal it.” No sooner said than done, Leicester hid the key in one of his pocketa. “Tt’s all right,” said Leicester. ‘‘Good, when you get out (if ever you do get out) go at once ta the ‘Golden Fleece’ tavern, near the river, you will there find your mare, I will leave orders that you are safe. After that you may do as you will, for I shall take no further heed of you. ‘ Never fear,” aaid Leicester, gleefully ; “ once on the back of the mare I am safe.” “Ah!” said the deputy, “you are safe, but it’s the sort of safety I should like to avoid. Oh, Leicester, Leicester, I wish I could make you amend your ways.” “‘ All in good time, ‘In good time, Hang if, man, how much more rope de you want? But it’s nme business of mine. Do as you will, but never say I did not do my best to make a better man of you.” “TI never will, deputy, and if ever you want a friend, you may depend upon it you will find him in the wild, lawless, ungovernable Lei- cester.”’ ‘‘T hope I shall have no occasion to look after you, Leicester,” “TI hope so too, but there is no knowing what may befal a man in this life.” ‘‘That’s true, but Heaven keep off the day when J shall require the aid of a desperate outlaw.” ‘‘So say I, but it may yet come.” ‘‘ Hang the fellow, be quiet. You speak like an evil prophet, and make me feel as if I had a pistol presented at my head, and only two minutes given me to commend my soul to the care of Heaven. But good bye, Leicester, and success attend you.”’ “ Thanks, deputy, thanks ; I dare say you think it’s a silly act to day; but the time may come when you will bless your stars to think that you liberated Leicester.” ‘‘T see you are already thinking how you are to repay the debt you will owe me. Oh, Leices- ter, you are a proud dog.” “T ama faithful one. Above all, deputy, re- member I never yet broke my word,” ‘Oh, hang your word, it gets you into more trouble than enough ; a less scrupulous villain would go through the world much easier,” “FT have no doubt of if, but it’s my pleasure and my boast that my word has never yet been broken.” ‘ A pretty thing to boast of truly, when that word has been pledged to robbery and blood- shed: but that’s one of the contrarieties of human nature,”’ “Tt is, governor, it is; but no matter.” “True, it is no matter, so good bye.” vernor.’’ “Good bye, sir; God bless you.” The turnkey here put his head into the cell, and announced that there were about a dozen women who professed to be relatives of Leicester's, awaiting the deputy in his office in order to obtain his consent to a parting inter- view. “ A dozen!” said the deputy, with well-feigned astonishment; “ why, Leicester, have you a dozen female relatives?” | “Cousins included,” said Leicester, “I have full that number.” “And they all take sufficient interest ‘in you to vigit you here ?” “TI suppose s0; women are generally to the fore when a man is in trouble,” “ So they are, Leicester, but a dozen is rather too great a number to admit at once.” ‘It is a large number, sir, but 1 trust you will allow them to come, It will be the last time they will see me.” “ So it will; I think they may come,” “Thank you, sir.”’ This conversation was carried on with great gravity before the tarnkey, who listened to every word with strict attention. ‘‘Hfumph,” he said to himself, “the old owl makes a deal of fuss about letting a few women see their relative. I wish he was placed in Leicester's position, he’d know then how good it is to get a few words of comfort spoken to him, more particularly as they are the last he'll have in this world.” He was a kind-hearted turnkey, and the appa- rent reluctance of the deputy governor to admit the family, trapped him into an act which he had no right to be guilty of—the quitting of the cell during the interview. “There can be no harm come of it,” he said, “‘and I’m sure E don’t care about hearing the parting words.” If he had it would have been all the same, for the deputy had concocted a plan for calling him away from the scene. “You may show the women this way,” said the deputy to the turnkey, “ 1’!l give them half- an-hour,’’ The turnkey walked away, and the little man whispered hastily to Leicester, ‘‘ Mind, no bungling; it is the last chance,” “All right,” said Leicester, ‘1’! not miss it,’? ‘¢ Good bye, then.” “Good bye, sir.” In another minute the cell of Leicester was half filled by women, who all pretended to be steeped in the deepest grief, to have a painful interest in the fate of the prisoner. ‘ Oh, Leicester, Leicester,”’ cried one, “ this is dreadful to think that you must die.” She clung to him with all the affection of a fond sister. | ‘¢ It’s sad, sad,” cried another. ‘Oh! that I should have lived to see you come to this.” And she hung about him. Another and another followed their example, until Lejcester was quite surrounded. ‘Poor souls,’”’ said the turnkey, “‘T’ll get out- side ; this is the sort of scene I don’t care about witnessing.” He walked out of the cell and seated himself within a few paces of the door, and from there GOVE OOO