The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 304: what you’re looking at

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

4 THE WATCHWORDS OF OLD LONDON. The place was too well guarded. Beyond the point where the soldiers had ap- peared, and whence the mysterious white figure had glided on their arrival, a second group of soldiers were stationed, and these at once rushed upon the fugitives. Resistance was now useless, They fought in vain, Surrounded on all sides by brave and deter- mined men, a few moments only elapsed before they were overpowered and compelled to march away unarmed and helpless between files of soldiers. ‘“ What is to be our fate now ?” asked Leicester, of one of the men near him. ‘¢ What is to be your fate,” repeated the man, morosely ; “ what can you expect ?” “ Anything from Cromwell’s soldiers.” The man laughed, ‘ft don’t suppose that you will be pardoned for escaping from the Tower,’ said the man. ‘*T never yet knew a man to be pardoned for that,”’ Leicester saw that with this man there was no use in talking. He, therefore, followed the example of his companion and kept silence. Passing along a dulland gloomy country road, they presently drow up at the door of a dark- looking building. ‘“ What is this ?”’ asked Leicester ‘The gaol, Did you think you were going to the palace ?”’ He was ushered with his companion into a gloomy courtyard, Up above towered dismal turrets. On either side were high walls. Escape was utterly out of question. ‘Would I had slain myself,” Leicester, Then a thought occurred to him, The phial which had been given him by Alicia Leslie. He-felt for it. It was gone. ‘Curses on my fate,” he muttered, as he entered the buildiag ; “‘ death by my own hand would be infinitely preferable to an ignominious doom upon the scaffold. Never mind, I will see that they are defeated after all.’ The cell in which he was placed—alone—was an oblong shaped one, with a barred window at one end. The window was within reach of his hand, ‘But it offered no chance of escape. The chamber was nearly at the summit of a lofty turret, Along the roof, however, ran a long beam, with here and there a place where the ceiling had worn away, so that you could passa your hand over it. His eye caught this at once. “ There is death for me,” he said, *‘if I wish it.” And all that night, though he had no intima- tion of his probable fate, and thouvh there was no light to enable him to see the beam, the black instrument of death was fixed before his At length, when morning came, and he glanced out of his barred windows, and saw the position of his prison and the guards that surrounded it, muttered and the utter helplessness of his condition, he made up his mind, “T will die,” he said. Tearing strips off his clothes he made them into a firm and strong rope. This he affixed to the beam. Then standing on a stool, he fastened the other end of the rope round his neck, and without another word kicked it away and fell. A few moments after the door was opened and a body of troopers appeared, They started back in amasement and alarm. ‘Out him down,” cried the leader, “he may not yet be dead! Quickly, my men, and see that the justice of the Commonwealth is not thus defeated,” The men at once obeyed. In a few moments Leicester was cut down and laid upon the floor, “‘ Life is not extinct |” cried the officer, as he laid his hand upon his heart, ‘Send for the leech—he must be seen to,” But no leech was required. One of the men having poured a drop of strong spirit down his throat, Leicester slowly opened his eyes, For a moment he could not collect his senses. Was he alive or dead ? Was he in the world or in the land of dreams f He soon realised his situation. “ Curses on ye,” he muttered, “ why could ye rot have left me where I was?” The officer sfhiled. ‘Ss We saved you from committing a crime,” he said, “The Republic will do you the honour you seem so anxious to perform on yourself. Justice must not be defeated. Baxter and Lumley, remain here to guard the prisoner. Now, remember, we start for London to lodge our prisoner in the Tower.” The men departed, and the gaoler brought in some necessary provisions for the prisoner’s breakfast. Compelled now to live against his will, Leicester partook of some food, and at midday, as the officer had stated, the escort started for London. Here, in the Tower, he was placed once more, under a strong guard, and ordered for execution on the next morning. But the execution never came off, How it happened no one knew. However, when the executioner and hia men came on the following morning, there was no prisoner there. The two men who had been set to watch him were lying senselessly drugged, while he had disappeared entirely. All search was in vain. The destined victim had fied, and no one could even give a shadow of a clue to his place of refuge, CHAPTER XII, THE ARMOURERS PRISON—LADY GRACE AND THE GIANT—THE FLEETING SHADOWS—THE DAWNING OF HOPE—THE APPRENTICES AGAIN, . IN a room beneath one of the highest turrets of Lady Grace Cowley'’s mansion, lay the armourer, Frank Leslie. A roXo) a Se eS a J \ CO