The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 33: what you’re looking at

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

THE YOUNG APPRENTICE; OR, he must fall! See, they press on him. Now, God have mercy on him! Ah! there comes Lord Clement Villiers. How furiously he rides! Must Ais hand give the finishing stroke ?” Blanche sunk on her knees. ‘‘Oh, Heavens, let me not see that!” ‘‘ See,” cried Esther, as her mistress covered her face with her hands, “see, there is a young horseman in the garb of a London apprentice. See how he rides; and see, too, these who are with him, some in the same garb as himeelf, followed by the black-clothed troopers, They throng round Cromwell—they surround him— they beat back Lord Raymond's men, Ab! there was a terrible thrust.” Harold Fordyce, the young apprentice, and his companions, seemed truly invested with super- natural strength. Seeing the danger—the unexpected danger of the one whose name they had learned to revere —they had pressed forward to the front in time to turn the tide of battle, by creating a diver- sion. ‘“ Back ! back !’” cried Cromwell, ‘let me settle with him.” The men’s arms fell, and they recoiled a few paces, leaving a vacant 8 where the steeds of Cromwell and Lord Raymond met, bit to bit. Then there was a short, wild conflict; and amid a cloud of dust and a loud yell of triumph, they ceuld see that Lord Raymond was stricken to the earth. Esther turned to her mistress ; but her gentle nature was overpowered, and she had sunk down in utter unconsciousness, Neither saw or knew till many hours after what followed—that the tide of fortune had turned in Cromwell’s favour; and deliverance from his peril was at hand when Harold, the Young Apprentice, and his brave friends, saved him from certain death. A detachment from his army had been guided by one of the tn-loyal tenants of the abbey to a fordable passage through the stream. They had wound unperceived round the hills— fallen on the royal reserve corps, and cat it off completely. So, at the very moment that Harold saved Oliver Cromwell's life, the rear of Lord Ray- mond’s forces were surprised by superior num- bers falling on their rear. We must now return to the moment when we left Harold on his road, and in great danger. Quelf, whose vindictive heart had never for- given the scene on the river, and who watched with terrible jealousy the gradual rise of Harold in the affection of the armourer and his youngest daughter, had resolved that thia journey should be Harold's last. It was, as I said before, a lonely part of the road where Quelf whispered his murderous in- tentions to his companion. ‘‘Come on, my friend,” said Quelf, pointing to the bridge over a stream, not far distant ; ‘‘throw him over, the fall is a deep one, He will riso DO more.” Creeping up after him, the two youths placed their horses so that they could both, by a sud- den jerk, spring upon their unsuspecting foe, when it was their intention to leap upon him and cast him over, They succeeded in reaching his side, and had already drawn their knives, when a sharp stone in the road caused Harold's horse to start, and he caught sight of them. In an instant their murderous designs were patent to him, “Stand back, cowards !" he cried, drawing his light rapier; “stand back, or it will be the worse for both of you! Two upon one—a worthy pair, surely—ah ! that stroke was in vain. Max and Leonard ! to the rescue,” The two apprentices who had gone on before heard the cry, but only one responded. Leonard Grey, in fact, was jealous of Harold ; jealous of his beauty, jealous of his sudden rise, jealous that to him, the youngest of the party, should be entrasted the letter which they were simply sent to defend. Maximilian Bowden, however, or Max Bowden as he was called, was of different metal, and, when he heard the voice of Harold, he at once was by his side. His assistance was scarcely required. In fact, it was not for the purpose of a combat that Harold had recalled him, Ere Max arrived, the dwarf lay howling on the ground, and Harold was fighting alone with the other apprentice, ‘‘What have we here,” cried Max, as he reined up his horse; ‘“‘ murder, eh ?” “An attempted one,” said Harold, parrying one stroke, and giving another which passed through his adversary’s coat, and, slightly wounding him in the side, made him recoil and nearly fall from the saddle. “While I give this fellow the punishment he requires, seize that misshapen wretch there and duck him. You can drop him over yonder bridge witb- out hurting him, and give him a pleasant esson.’ Max took the joke at once. Without further parley he leaped from his horse and approached the dwarf, who was still upon the ground. Seizing him in his somewhat vigorous arms, he raised him up; a struggle then took place between the dwarf and Max, but, in spite of the malicious thrusts of his knife, kicking, plunging, and yelling, Quelf was raised upon the parapet of the bridge. ‘Don’t kill him,” cried Harold, as he sent his antagonist stunned to the earth by a well- directed blow on the side of the head which rendered him unconscious without doing him a permanent injury ; “just give him a lesson ; that is ali that is necessary.” In a few moments the dwarf had it. Poised over the water where it was deep and he ran no risk of striking his head against sharp stones, he was suddenly dropped, ani went splash, with a yell of rage and fury, into the stream. “ Let him get out as he can, Harold,” cried Max, sa the young apprentice leaned over the parapet to see whether the dwarf could strug- gle out; “let him get out as he can. Hes made more like a frog than a boy, and no doubt can swim as well, We must hasten on- wards,” Leaving the dwarf and his companion, there- fore, to do as best they could, they hurried EDOOo ill a