The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 370: what you’re looking at

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

THE WATCHWORDS OF OLD LONDON. assassin by Lord Leicester, he was placed under the surveillance of armed guards, In the second place, as he was known to be a friend to the Commonwealth, and was very ill, he was allowed to have a nurse to attend him ; and being permitted to choose his own nurse, he chose, as might have been expected, Lizzie Woodhead. Leaving him for awhile to her tender care we will now return to Alicia, CHAPTER VIII. THE LOVE LETTERS—THE UNKNOWN LOVER— THE ANTICIPATION —THE REALITY — THE AUDACIOUS LOVER RECEIVES A CHECK— VIRTUE TRIUMPHANT-—-THE PROPOSAL~—THE RESOLUTE REFUSAL~—THE ANGER OF LORD LOVAINE. WE have said that Alicia had been persecuted in times gone by, by the attentions of Lord Lovaine, Yet strange to say she had never seen him. He had watched her at her window ; he had written the most fervent and amorous letters ; yet she had never yet beheld his face. The person who sat now by her side and drew her so ardently towards him, was not the kind of person she expected. The peculiar wording of the letters, was such as to lead her to the conclusion that the one who signed himself ‘‘ Lord Lovaine,” was anold man, struck, nay maddened, as we might say, by the beauty of a young girl. The man who entered the room was a gay, nandsome, though dissipated looking man, about He was well dressed,—dressed, in fact, with taste and elegance, and without any of that affectation of grandeur which stamps one at once a8 wanting in taste, refinement and common sense, He had an easy, daring manner with him, too, as if he were master of the place, and he sat down beside with a resolute air, as if he had fully made up his mind in the matter, and was moreover absolutely resolved not to allow him- self to be baulked by circumstances. Alicia drew back, and the colour fled from her face, as now she could no longer doubt but that she saw before her the audacious libertine who had been the cause of all her present wretched- ness, and who, no doubt, was the master of the house in which she was. “ Why this alarm?” said Lord Lovaine. * Dare you ask, sir ?”’ T dare, Alicia,” “Oh, God help me 1” ‘‘T hope so, and say amen tothe wish. You are a foolish girl, to be in such a atate of alarm. I tell you that I saved you from one who would not have been so scrupulous as Iam; probably you are the daughter of a gentleman, and so you are screened from all violence. You are bere, and I love you, for there is no such thing as denying that you are beautiful." “ Sir, sir.” ‘‘ Nay, near me out, We are quite alone, and it is better that you should do so, believe me,”’ Alicia trembled as she listened. “I say that you are beautiful, and I know enough of your history to be aware that you have consented to sacrifice yourself by becoming the wife of a man who is old enough to have the honour of being your grandfather. You are young and you are handsome. Heaven and yourself only know what can have been your incentive in uniting yourself to Sir Henry, but about the fact that you have done so, I believe there can be no dispute.” “ Go on, sir.” “Thank you. Well, I was going to say that you may confide in my honour.” “ JT hope so, sir,” “T assure you that you may, and therefore as you are here you comprehend your husband and the world, if they find you out, will hardly be convinced that you were such a heroine as you fain would make them think you. Why,: you may as well taste of the cup of pleasure which every one will believe you have drained to the dregs, eh ?” “Sir, I do not comprehend you,” “ Is that possible !' “ As there is a heaven above us, it is so.” * Oh, Alicia, Alicia, I will tell you a fable.” ‘‘ Release me, sir, from this place. I want to hear no fables.” “ Nay, but just hear this one. There was a fair and gentle bee, which had never tasted honey, but by chance finding itself in a rich garden it reasoned with iteelf thus, ‘If I abstain m sipping the sweets of this flower no one will eve that I have so abstained, I am here, and therefore, as I shall have the repute of having tasted of stolen sweets, I may as well have the sweets, for if my word be taken that I have never tasted of them, it may as well be taken one way as another.’ ”’ Alicia wrung her hands and looked the picture of woe. ‘Dear girl,” added Lord Lovaine, “let me advise you. Life is short! Ob, catch pleasure as it flies! I love you, I adore you! you are oung, charming, you are surely haman. By this Lord Lovaine stepped towards her, and tried to clasp her in his arms, but sho started up and eluded him, crying Oh, Rupert, Rupert ! 3 “Oh, God help me! Mercy.” Lord Lovaine paused, and folded his arms across his chest as he surveyed the lovely creature who shrank in trembling horror from m. ‘‘ Alicia,” he said, “ you are safe.” “« Safe 2” ‘Yes, without your free and full leave and consent I have nothing further to say to you, and you have nothing to fear ; you never were in any danger except from yourself. I have tried you and I have failed. You arecold. Be it so. I would not owe a triumph to violence which I cannot owe to ion. I pray you to beseated and to forget the past.” ‘ Dare I trust you ?"’ “ Oh, yes, freely and fully. The fact is I feel very differently regarding you to what I should if nature had endowed you with different feelings, You chance to be cold and virtuous, asthe world calls it, andso you marry. I offered you love ; you rejected it. That is very unfortu- nate, But love, in my opinion, never can be GOVE OO ©