The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 298: what you’re looking at

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

offence mind—it seems to me that the god of wine has ssion of you. Therefore, I will defer my confidences till the morning. Then, however, believe me I shall put in your way something which will bring you a plentiful sup- ply of money, if you will but do as I wish.” “Very good, captain,” returned Blacklock, “if there is money to be made worthy of the peril to be undergone, hang me if you haven't come to the right shop for it.” “T believe it, I believe it, Blacklock,” said Lei- cester ; “in the meanwhile I will take a little rest ; and early in the morning I will be with you, and proceed to business.” “Very good, my hearty, very good. Yonder you see a couch; lie on it. It is all wood, and not very soft, therefore, but it has the advan- tage that it will not give way with you.” “True,” returned Lord Leicester, “ that is an advantage, though a very negative one. How- ever, [ shall turn in, and at early dawn we will proceed with our business.” So saying he atretched himself at fall length, called for ale, drank a full draught of it, and was soon wrapped in sleep. By early morning Blacklock, who had slept off his drunkenness, roused Lord Leicester from his stumber. “ Now, then, captain,” he cried, “ the sun’s up, and so let us be up also, What is this business of which you speak? ”’ “A business of money, good Master Black- lock. Get some breakfast ; sit down here by me and I will explain all.’’ It waa not long before Blacklock had ordered in the things necessary for their morning meal, and they sat down together by the fire. “In the first place,” said Lord Leicester, as he quaffed a full bumper, “I want money, and I know where to get it.”’ ‘‘ That is good ; and when? ”’ ‘At once, if you only follow my instruc- tions,” “That you may depend I shall do; speak on.” Leicester dropped his voice. ‘Is any one near?” he asked, in an anxious tone. ‘ None whom you need fear,” “Very good ; but remember this affair is only between you and me,” Blacklock smiled. ‘¢ Fear not,’’ he said, “ I wish for no parties to our transactions. Speak on, and depend on it, if anything is to be done, we together can do it.” “ Well, then,” said Leicester, ‘in the county of Hertford I have a rich uncle.” ‘‘ A good relation ?” “ He is ; but he is a miser.”’ “§o much the better; he saves his money for sb “Truly ; but do not interrupt me. This uncle is at the present moment concealing himself and his money in an old house, where, with only one servant, he lives a wretched, half-starved life,” “The fool! Had I his money I would revel in splendour and luxury.” ‘Wewill. Well, I propose that as soon as it is dark we disguise ourselves, and preceed thither at once. We will then enter the house, and force the old fellow to diagorge his gold.” THE WATCHWORDS OF OLD LONDON. 277 “ Scrag him 2” Leicester made a gesture of dissent. “‘No—no,” he cried, “I will have no violence -—{t must not be. We will adopt some other method of forcing him to compliance, I fancy I know a mode of doing it which may partake somewhat of the comic, bat which will, never- theless, be efficacious.” ‘‘Very well. I will leave it to you. But what is my part to be?” ‘You must procure the horses and the dis- guises,” said Leicester ; “in the day it is not safe for me to venture out even in Alsatia. Cloaks snd different dreases will do. Masks are suspicious things, and I do not wish to ex- cite the admiration and the curiosity of the people as we go along.” ‘True, we will have none of them,’’ said Blacklock; “trust me, we will have no fol- lowers, and that before dawn has broken we will be rich men—at least, captain, if your in- formation is correct.” Leicester laughed. “ye you mean as to the treasure ?”” “ Fear not! ¢hat is sufficiently correct. I have seen it, I have felt it, I have revelled in it,” ‘¢ Then, why did you not prize it ?” ‘In those days such thoughta were not in my head ; in fact, the necessity did not exist. I had hoped to have been his heir. I had ho in fact, before this to have received from him a large sum of money, but my expectations have proved vain. My requests for money are treated with contempt, and s0, it comes to this—I must take it or lose it.” “You are a philosopher, Lord — Captain, I mean,” said Blacklock. ‘¢ T hope to prove that the old man is not one, ere evening,” laughed Leicester. ‘ But come, let us finish our breakfast," During the meal, the mind of the depraved man reverted again and again to Alicia, Among the weeping women who had formed the bevy which had succeeded in rescuing him from the Tower of London, she had been the leader—the prime mover—and when outside the building where he had procured male attire, he had parted with her, swearing to keep her acquainted with all bis movements. She had taken him into aside street, dismissed the crowd of female friends who had accom- panied her, and entered a houre not far from that of Harock Dyser, the mountebank. Here he had changed his dress once more, assumed a false beard, and after tenderly em- bracing her, had sallied forth in the direction of tia. “T have seen her, I have embraced her, I have sworn to love her,” he cried, “and yet, at the very moment of starting, I, in my selfishness, forgot to ask where she was staying, I know she has quitted the house of the armourer, where, then, can she be ?” It was useless thinking. There was no place in London where it would be safe for him to go. Abandoning all idea, therefore, of discoverin her until his scheme for obtaining wealth had been carried out, he elapsed into a reverie, from which he was only aroused by Blacklock's clapping him on the shoulder and saying, vA a G of -, Cc” . , pa, \ COMED OOKSEEO