The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 386: what you’re looking at

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

tended assassin. In vain you strive to shield ourself by pointing to another as my foe. our face I saw—your face I remember. It was you, and you alone, who struck the trea- cherous blow,” | For an instant, Leicester was so staggered and bewildered as to be quite unable to speak. Then, at length, he recovered his presence of mind. “What means this mummery—this mockery of justice?” he cried. ‘You, who have con- stituted yourselves my judges, must have been fully aware that this man was alive. Why, then, this simulated death—this ordeal of touch upon a living man?” “It was desired to see how far your treachery and deceit would go,” returned thejudge. “As to your guilt, there can be no doubt ; it remains but to give the sentence upon you for the crime of whose author we have long well aware.” Lord Leicester folded his arms, and sternly eyed his judges, “ And, pray,” he said, “as, by this man’s very Presence, Iam acquitted of murder, of what am accused, and for what am I to be con- demned f” “ Attem murder, and a long list of trea- sonable acts towards the Commonwealth,” re- plied the judge. “You have plotted against romwell ; you are even now engaged, together with other traitors, in a conspiracy to place upon the throne one of the proscribed Stuarts, Why need we seek further, gentlemen?” he added, turning to the other judges. “ What say you—is the prisoner guilty of such a crime as warrants us in sentencing him to death ?” It needed but little reflection on their parts to determine this, The attempted murder of Sir Philip Danvers Was among the least of his crimes. They knew well his history from the com- mencement, and could array against him such a catalogue of misdeeds as would have been enough to have convicted twenty men, had they belonged to the first families in the kingdom. , a few moments’ deliberation, they gave in their voices for the verdict— ; ety and to suffer death on the scaf- O 99 There were none there to pity him. His handsome face, his noble bearing, were lost on those who knew him to be the villain and traitor wee © made no reply to the sentence, but simp! bowed and passed out, ” ad _ He knew well that the judges would prove inexorable, and his only hope now was that Lady Grace, seeing how desperate was his position, might endeavour to provide some des- perate means for aiding him. So away he was led towards his gloomy abode once more, and the door closed on him—a doomed man. He felt that this time, truly, he was lost be- yond power of redemption. THE WATCHWORDS OF OLD LONDON. CHAPTER XIV. LADY GRACE’S CONSPIRACY—-THE WATCHBRS— THE NIGHT RIDE—THE VOICES OF THE NIGHT—“WHO GOES THERE ?”—OOLONEL IRETON AND THE FAIR ENCHANTRESS=THE DEATH-BELL—THE EXPIATION, LADY GRACE LEICESTER was a woman who, as we have seen, was iocapable of entertaining any pure and refined love for any one, he was, however, under the influence of a passion for her husband which took the place of a more holy feeling. He had been torn from her, as it were, in the honeymoon. She‘had'but just tasted the sweets of married ite when he was hurried away to meet a horrid oom. She determined, therefore, to save him. In her own garb she knew it was unsafe to move away. She guessed there would be watchers. She was right. From the moment when Lord Leicester had been seized and carried away on the charge of murder, several men had kept a strict surveil- lance over the premises. These were some of Ben Firebrace’s troops. Well acquainted with the character of Lord Leicester’s wife, they were resolved not to lose sight of her, and day and hight they kept on The plan which she proposed to herself was somewhat similar to that by which Alicia had upon a former occasion saved him from the ower, Lady Grace, however, resolved to dress her- self in male attire, obtain admission to his oell, and then change clothes that he might escape n hers, For her own safety afterwards she trusted to her own ilements. On the evening of the day, therefore, when the news of his Tage pany meee reached her, she pared to put an in execution. Pighe had expected his conviction. In her own mind his guilt was well known, and the power of his enemies too was fully appreciated. aying aside her female habiliments, she dressed herself in a hunting dress belonging to her husband. She looked gloriously beautiful in this. The tight-fitting tunic displayed to advantage her beautifally moulded bust, while the tight buckskin breeches allowed to be seen freely the full shape of her large and superb limbs, She looked a splendid specimen of a demon, and her domestica, as she marched boldly into her room with her daring dress, could not help admiring her, ‘A horse was saddled for her at the door, and into the saddle she mounted, regardless of the watchers who surrounded the place. ‘*Remember, Howard," she whispered to the steward, “let no one know that I[ have quitted home, Let all who ask imagine that I remain here in seclusion while my husband's fate is undecided.” Lovely she looked thus seated on her horse, ve >.) 365 .) CO EDOOo eS