The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 322: what you’re looking at

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

_m_ ) a THE WATCHWORDS OF OLD LONDON. Save the rustling of the gentle wind there was no aound around the old building. ‘‘Qome,” whispered the count, passing out into the night. The Young Apprentice and the, armourer lost no time in following. The night was very beautiful. As I have said, pale Luna was shedding an unutterable brilliancy over the scene. The country, in fact, was flooded with light, and had any one suspected that there could bea chance even of escape, they might, by gazing out of any of the windows, have seen the fagitives plainly as they fled over the bright eath. Bat no one had the least suspicion, and they, therefore, found no difficulty in making their way towards the spot where the count expected to find safety. After proceeding uninterruptedly for two hours, the dawn having now begun to appear, they came upon a large tent pitched upon the edge of the common. At the door of this tent stood a man of the commonest and lowest French t His short nosé was turned up, and had a thick knob at the end, while around his rough head was a fillet studded with glass beads to imitate diamonds. His dress was altogether peculiar, consisting of short trunk hoee, tight-fitting long stockings and shoes ; in fact, the dress of a mountebank, He started in surprise upon seing the three cavaliers, Bat his look of surprise soon emerged into a smile, “ Ah! my benefactor—my good friend,” he cried, dancing about in the most extraordinary attitudes before the count, “I hope I see you well. You are an early visitor.” : “ Yes,” said Beauville, laughing, “ and I fanc that I shall make a longer stay than you expect,” ‘* And theee gentlemen also?” said the little man, bowing profoundly to the, Young Appren- tice and the armourer. “ Yes, and these gentlemen also, But a truce to your courtesy, Scaralache. Weare in great danger. We have just escaped from prison !’’ “ You | the count, in prison |” “Aye, as sure as you see yonder the battle- ments of Paris. Yes, we have escaped from Vincennes, and we shall soon be ‘pursued. You must aid us,” ‘In every way in my power.” “Very well. In the first place, you must hide us Within your tents, Doyou intend performing here to the birds ?” “No, farther on, nearer Paris. Let us ad- vance at once. My daughter is nearly dressed, and we can proceed to our destination, and pitch our tents before we are perceived,” “Be it so, Hasten then,” cried the count, ‘ T fear that ere long the pursuit for us will be fast and furious.” _ Ina few moments, there issued from the ad- joining compartment of the ragged tent, a girl, about twelve years of age, very pretty and very curiously dressed. “That’s my daughter,’ said the old man, proudly, as he pointed to the new comer. “ Marie, make your bow to these gentlemen.” The little girl did as she was bid, and smiled up at them, prattling merrily too, as they helped the old mountebank Scaralache, to remove the tent poles. They did not go very much further. Abont half-a-mile brought them to an open space before the battlements, where the mounte- bank was accustomed to exhibit his feats when- ever he paid a visit to that quarter of Paris. Here Scaralache pitched his tent, and here the three fugitives entered and concealed themselves behind the ragged screen afforded by the man's compartment. Hardly had they done so, when two figures were observed approaching. They were those of a man and a womau. ‘Ah! sacre!” muttered the old man, in a subdued tone of rage. ‘‘ Here come my rivals {” “ Who are they ?” ‘¢ Paolo, the Italian mountebank, and his wife.” As they came nearer and pitched their tent close to the spot which had been selected by Scaralache, our friends could see what they were like. The one was a flerce-looking Italian, with a heavy moustache, dressed in the fantastic costume of his country, with a slouched hat, and large rings through his ears, and a knife stuck in his ample girdle, His wife, although attired in a fanciful dress, reaching only to the kness, and cut down very low in front, was no longer young. She was nearly as tall as her husband, with massive shoulders, muscular arms, and large, powerfal legs, which looked as if they had walked many hundred miles since their youth. She was a fine, handsome woman yet, how- ever, though her countenance was anything but expressive of good nature, ‘“‘ They are a strange couple,” said Harold, to the old man, through the rent in the old blanket which served as a partition, “They are, indeed, and their history is stranger, if I had bat time to tell it. But beware of him; he is an evil man, fall of deceit and treachery, and would do anything to ruin me if he could gain a louis thereby.” ‘* Has he seen us?” “T think not; I trust not. But k very close. These Italians are such devils, that we may be on the brink of some treachery ere we really are aware of it. Here come the market people ; now then for business.” Striking a tamborine, and bawling loudly, the old mountebank soon attracted a crowd, and he and his little daughter began their games. To do the old fellow jastice, he was very clever, and little Marie Soaralache was a well- formed and _tall girl of her age, and a good dancer. So, in spite of the best endeavours of the Italian and bis wife, nearly all the small coins went into the pockets of the old Frenchman. Dire and vengeful were the looks of the Italian and his partner at the crowd which stood round the tent, and laughed and applauded so Then when the performances were over, and the evening time came on, they both approached the tent of their rival.! ) — A ) am GOhVEIOO O1KSECO