The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 303: what you’re looking at

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

‘You can follow me,” he said; “release me from these bonds, and I will lead you to the spot where lies the result of years of labour—the ‘toil of an anxious mind, the wishes of a fervent heart, the eager desire of forty years of ardent love. Oh! Nephew Leicester, this is a sore and @ sorry task, but I suppose I was fated by Heaven to be thus treated, and I submit.” He left them no time for talk. He seemed truly on this occasion to have made up his mind for the worst. “ Follow me,’ he said, solemnly, And they followed him. Down gloomy corridors and strange murky passages, where the light of day had not for years penetrated, they passed, winding through roundabout places where no stranger could have found himeelf in the daylight, and proceeded, until they entered a spot where the bright sun could thrust its glaring, daring rays through a hundred openings upon black, murky stones which lay heavily upon dead men’s breasts, There was a place beside the house—an old ruinous place, which had seen, perhaps, many a dark crime before thia, To this place old Sir Loftus Latimer led his nephew and his companion. tween two pillars, supporting a piece of roofing, which seemed so feeble and so frail that a wind could have blown it away, was a a large, square stone, which rose some distance beyond the others, and which appeared to have been, at some time or another, raised from its original bed. Near this stone the old miser stopped, diae consolately. _ Bending his eyes upon it, he sighed, and said, in a solemn voice— “ Nephew, my wealth is below that stone.” ‘*I know it,” said Leicester: “I oan tell it from your looks, Blacklock, take the iron bar from your pocket, and wrench up that stone.” The man drew from his pocket a short, sharp- pointed piece of iron—a crowbar, in fact—and inverting it in the earth around the stone, began to force it up. It resisted his efforts for some time. Evidently great care had been taken to fix it in ita place. Leicester kept eagerly exciting his companion to exertion. The old man, meanwhile, stood with folded arms looking at the marauders and their work. At length the stone was raised. Eagerly, with an exclamation of joy, Leicester sprang forward. Underneath the stone something glittered, “We have it now,” he cried, and knelt down by the side of the hole they had lowering the lantern so that the light fell into the excavation. ‘Great Heavens! What is this?” cried Leicester, springing back in undisguised fear and astonishment, The light fell not upon glittering hoards of gold, put upon the lid of a coffin—a small child’s coffin Springing to his feet, Leicester turned bratally to his uncle, who stood with a strange smile npon eM emi ares, at means this folly ?’’ cried he, “ have you brought us here to play tricks upon ud ”" 7 THE YOUNG APPRENTICE; OR, ‘I have not,” replied Sir Loftus ; “ you asked me to bring you to the spot where my wealth was buried, and I have done so. Beneath that coffin you will find the gold you seek. Take it, and my curse with it.” Carefullytaking up the coffin, which muat have belonged to a child some six years of age, they came upon a chest locked with a padlock, and fartoo heavy for them to move. __ This they opened with a key which the miser gave them, and in an instant before their eager eyes were displayed rouleaus of gold coins in such numbers as they had never seen before. '’ Now,” cried Leicester to Blacklock, ‘did I not tell you truly? Did I not say I would bring you to a place where wealth was to be had for the trouble?” He was jast kneeling down to thrust his hand among the glittering heap when a cry from Blacklock caused him to spring up, and there, standing in the misty light, was a ghostly woman, dressed in white, and four soldiers around her, who seemed not of this world, but who ap- peared truly to stand transparent like beings of another world in the misty moonlight, CHAPTER XI, THE COMBAT—THE SUDDEN DARKNESS—THE FLIGHT OF LEICESTER—THE ARBREST—THE GAOL—rHE SCENE IN THE OELL—LIVING AGAINST HIS WILL. REGARDLESS of the shining treasure before them, Lord Leicester and Blacklock sprang to their feet and drew their swords when they saw the soldiers approach. ‘What seek you ?” cried the old man. “The man yonder,” said the leader of the soldiers, pointing to Leicester; ‘‘he is a con- demned felon—one who has escaped while under sentence of death. He must come with us.” The old man rubbed his hands. ‘“Good, good,” he cried. “Oh! Nephew Leicester, you have outwitted yourself,” “Not so,” exclaimed Leicester, drawing his sword; ‘‘I can bat die, and if I do die, it shall be when I am gallantly fighting, not with my head upon the block before a noisy hooting crowd. Come, Blacklock, let us force our way through these fellows.”’ So saying, he gave the old man a prick in the side, which made him spring away, and then, with Blacklock, he advanced to the soldiers, Blacklock was not like Captain Lackland, He was no coward, Ruffianly he might be, but faint-hearted never, So, side by side with his friend, he advanced, making a desperate rush and endeavouring to force his way through. A sudden darkness aided them. The moon became obscured by a heavy bank of clouds, and not a ray of light penetrated into the sanctuary of the early dead. They could tell their enemies and yet keep in the shadow, which enabled them to draw their pistols with their left hands and fire in the midst of their would-be captors, when such a style of attack was least expected. Then, while the soldiers were in disorder, they rushed through and attempted a flight. It was useless. COED O OG nag } ; « <? 3 “ep CO MOR