The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 328: what you’re looking at

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

' > | . Nae (eon THE WATCHWORDS OF OLD LONDON. and grasping the earth with his convulsed hands for a few moments. And then all was still. ‘* Hilloa !’ said a voice, from a window of the house, and a head was projected with a torch, ‘What is all this in the Temple Garden? Watch—watch—watch! I say. Hilloa !’’ “‘T am here, sir,” said Changeling, “I am here,”’ ““ Rupert ?” “Yes, Sir Henry. Oh! sir, I have such a tale to tell. Where is Alicia?” *‘ She is in her chamber,” “I thank Heaven,’’ ‘‘ Amen, my good Rupert, amen ; but I thought I heard the clash of swords.” “* You did, sir. I will tell you all—I will come in at onoe, and you must advise me what to do, Are the guests gone P" “Yes, Ra the last has just left by the front of the house. Oome in, my good youth; Margaret is with your cousin, and we have time to say a few words together. Come in— come in, aad tell me what is the meaning of that brawl? I thought all would go on happily on such a night as this,” : “It ought to be, sir,” said the young man, with a smile of pleasure, The young man entered the house again by the window on the ground floor, which opened upon the garden. The moment he was fairly gone, Leicester rose to his feet aud gave himself a shake, “‘ Rather a lucky escape that,’ he said; “the fellow’s rapier passed as nearly as possible under my arm, taking a shred of my doublet and a small portion of my skin along with jt. Well— well, since Alicia, for whom I have again and again dyed my hands in blood, has thought proper to deceive me, I will punish her in my own way. Ha, ha! When the old fool comes to visit his young and charming bride, he will find her gone, and all his dreams of love in vain. But stay ; to accomplish my object, which will now be against her will, I must adopt some dis- guise,’ He lcoked round him, and his eyes caught sight of Blacklock, _ “Poor wretch |” he mustered, * he has suffered in my service ; but he can serve me yet. He has, I’m well aware, in his ample pockets, a wig and false moustache and beard, which he used to avoid recognition when engaged in certain adventures. Twill search him and see if my conjectures are true. 1 will carry off my fair one, even if it be from her bridal bed,” A short search within the pocketa of the Alsatian enabled him to discover a huge tawny beard, a moustache of the same colour, and a wig also, which he carefully adjusted upon his Leicester, upon this, made his way towards the house, and creeping close to one of the win- dows, that opened upon the garden, he listened intently to hear if any sound within would give him notice that the room, that that window was connected with, were vacant or not. The blind was drawn down on the inside, so that he felt a little puzzled upon the subject. After a few moments of intense listening, he considered that he must be right in the suppo- 807 sition that the room was empty, and with a confident nod of his head, he said, “It's all right, I do think. Now, it will yet go hard if I do not obtain possession of this young beauty. I believe that if I can but pass old Sir Henry on the stairs, I am safe, and she ia safe too, or there is no wit left in this brain. We shall see—we shall see.”’ With great dexterity he took out a pane of glass from the window, and then inserting his and at the opening, he drew up the blind of the sash sufficiently to enable him to see if the coast was clear, and such in trath being the case, he undid the simple fastening of the win- dow, and lightly sprang into the room. ‘‘ All dark,” he said, in a whisper, ‘I wonder now, in the name of all that’s gallant and chivalrous, where [am in the house? Well, well, the stairs cannot be far off, Itake it, Let me see. The little phial with the narcotic, Ak! yea, I have it here; and if old Wizard, as they céll him, has not lied most unmercifully about it, why it will answer the purpose nicely. Ourses! What's that?” | In making his way acrow the room with great care, as he intended, Leicester run against the corner of a table, and a crash of glass upon it sufficiently testified to the fact that somethiag was broken. “Now, this will cut both ways,” muttered Leicester. “If it gives an alarm it will let me know exactly where I am, and who in the house is a upon the alert, and if it don't—why, the evil |” Leicester had just time to step behind what he thought was an open door, but which in reality was one leaf of a tall screen that was in the corner of the room, when the door of the apartment was opened, and a woman appeared with a light. ‘Who is there?” she said, as she held up the light, so that it cast a tolerable radiance over the room. ‘“ Who is there?” Leicester was silent. Curse that cat.” ‘ Amen,” thought Leicester. The woman went to the window and closed it rather impatiently, and then left the room again, slamming the door noisily as she went, and leav- ing Leicester in what seemed to be a darkness that was doubly intense in comparison with the light that juet a moment before flashed in his eyes. Te A narrow escape,” he said, as he emerged from behind the screen. ‘‘ A very narrow escape, by Jove. I’m in luck’s way to night, if the constantly being in great jeopardy and then getting out of it again be considered as such.” Leloester had, however, gained one great advantage from this little circumstance of the room having been entered by some one with a light. He had been able to see exactly the posi- tion of the room, by which he might leave it, and of the various articles of furniture which it contained. It seemed, by the disposition of decanters and glasses, and plates of rare fruit and confections apon the table in the centre of that department, that it had been used as a refreshment room for the wedding guesta, and hence was it that coming against the table accidentally as he had GOVE OOO eS ’ © eee CO