The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 371: what you’re looking at

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

7 THE YOUNG APPRENTICE; OR, [i ae forced. You are, as far as Iam concerned, ae safe as any vestal. And now again I drink to the health of my worthy friend your guardian ; and if you speak of me, ray that I respected your honour, or your prejudices, call them which you will,” * Stay, sir,” said Alicia ; “ don't say that.” ‘it ia the truth. Well, well, now listen to me. I rescued you from Sir—no, I ought not to mentionnames, Let it suffice that I rescued you from one who might have acted very differently from me had he been in my place this evening, and I hope for so exercising such forbearance [ am entitled to a little gratitude. You think so ?'” ‘“T do not, sir.” “ Ah, that is because you still suspect me.” “‘ Have I not reason ?” “No, quite the contrary. But come now, I will place you at yourease. You see this sword ; its point is sharp andits edge keen? Take it, and keep it in your grasp. If I failin respect to you, use it against me. I shall be unarmed while it is in your keeping. Take it,” As he spoke Lord Lovaine drew the gold-hilted rapier that he wore from its sheath and handed it to Alicia. She took it, and grasped it with a feeling of desperation. “ There, now you are more assured,” ‘T am.” “Good. Now, then, Alicia, I have told yeu that Ihave done you service, and I ask yon, previously to your liberation and restoration, in all faith and honour to your husband’s name, to do mea favour ?"’ “ What is it?’ * Don’t atart at it. It is not much ; all I ask of you to do is for five minutes to sit with me in this room—I will appoint the special time—and seem as if, by your tears and smiles, you had yielded to the passion you have no doubt, in your own mind, very rroperly condemned,” A crimson glow of indignation overspread the face, and neck, and bosom of the young wife on hearing these words, She, the virgin wife of Rupert, to be asked to play the part of a wanton to serve the purpose of Lord Lovaine ! She flung his hand angrily frem her, and stood up before him glowing with anger, her breast heaving, her whole form quivering with indigna- ion. “ Never !” she cried, “never ! sooner would I die ! Do as you like ; insult me, keep me captive as you please, but ask me not to act in ancha manner as would for ever degrade me in my own mind and in thet of the world.” “ Stay, stay, Alicia |" said Lovaine, gazing at the indignant beauty in undisguised admiration. “ Stay, stay, do not be angry, I only asked that. you would——’ “Say no more, my lord!” she cried. “I am in your power, but to nothing of the kind will I consent. I will keep myself pure in mind, if your villany will not permit me to be pure in body.” Lovaine was sorely perplexed. He had never before been met with such determined resistance. He had had the luck before of coming across a pecullar class of women whose honour is to be destroyed by any pertinacioud wooer; and it may be imagined, therefore, that the resolute RR CS Ee ewe Cy attitude of Alicia astonished him as much as it raised his ire and inflamed his passion. He rose and paced the room. Alicia leaned against the lintel of the baltony door and waited. She trusted that her determined virtue would conquer this man, and at any rate, for a time, induce him to desist from his solicitations, b At length he approached, and stood before er. His brow was contracted in evident anger, and his cheeks and lips were very pale. Alicia,” he said, ‘I will leave you for awhile. I could have loved you—I could have loved you enough to cast off all my old life and made you my wife. You are now the wife of another ; I cannot be your husband. I leave you now. I quit you as a prisoner in your chamber, for you are a prisoner to me for ever, if you refuse to do as [wish. Farewell, Alicia, for awhile ; but ere I go, even if you kill me for it, I will havea kies from those lovely lips, whose nectar I might have tasted when you lay insensible in my arms, but when I was too mach a gentleman to take such an advantage of your helplessness.”’ With these words he clasped her in his arms, and imprinted one long passionate kiss upen ber lips before she had power to resiet. In another moment he was gone. ‘‘ Oh ! husband, oh ! Sir Henry !" cried Alicia, - bursting into tears as she fell upon the couch ; “save me! save me! from thie man !” And while she eaid this there was cne endeavouring to save her whom she had quite forgotten, This was Bob Wrexham, the scn of the Woman who kept the house. CHAPTER IX, BOB WREXHAM AND HIS FRIEND—THE PROPO- SITION FOR ALICIA’S SAFETY—THE EAVES- DROPPER — THE MURDER — THE TERRIBLE VOICES OF THE NIGHT—THE TALE THAT THE OLD BARN COULD TELL—WHAT ALICIA HEARD AND SAW. IT will be remembered that when Alicia had appealed to Bob Wrexham in his mother's pre- sence, and made him the offer of the hundred pounds, a gleam had shot through his eye, and he had made it pretty evident to both that his wish was to aid her. When he left the room, his thoughts were running upon nothing but the hundred pounds. Bob Wrexham was like other young met, he had a sweetheart, whom he loved dearly. Bob was very young. Seventeen years had hardly passed over his herd. But he had nevértheless strong parsioris, and with a hundred pounds— oh ! It seemed a fortune. It would furnish a house, it wonld enable him to buy a home, it would enable him to say to bis beloved Sophie, “I am aman; I have money ; let us be married, and startin life at once.” So when Bob quitted the room he rumi- nated. Ruminated strongly. ‘“ A hundred pounds, by all that’s sacred,” he said, “a hundred pounds, and only to release a ( t a © he GOhVCEIOO O1KSECO