The Young Apprentice; or, The Watch-Words of Old London — page 388: what you’re looking at

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

ma % “3)) (oe canvas toin order to prevent any observation from without. | Then taking off her plamed hat she saffered her magnificent curls to fall over her shoulders, and advancing to Ireton, she knelt on one knee before him, saying— “ Colonel, I have a confession to rake.” ‘‘A woman !” exclaimed the colonel, starting back in amazement. ‘‘ Yes, indeed a woman, and a most unfertu- nate one,” said Lady Grace, still remaining on her knees. “In what can J assist you,” said the stern old soldier, taking her hand, and raising her from her bumble posture. ‘Colonel Ireton,” she said, with tears in her eyes, “I am that unhappy woman, Lady Leicester.”’ ‘What | the wife of the condemned traitor ?” exclaimed the colonel. “ Ave, his wife—his wretched wife,” sobbed Lady Grace; “married te him bat one short month.” ‘And in what caw I assist you?” said the colonel. ‘‘ His doom is sealed—he must die! Convicted upon sure and undeniable evidence, he has but twelve hours to live, and no one could by any reasoning induce Cromwell to reverse the sentence,” “I know it—alos ! I know it,” said Lady Grace, still in tears ; “ but there is sti#] a favour which you can grant,” ‘¢ Name it, thes,” said the coloncl, “and if I oan grant it, £ will.” ‘It is am order to see him—to see him ence more, and bid him adieu.” tae stern Purttan sat down te his writing é. His heart was moved. Strictly just as he was, he saw no reason why he should deny such a simple request. Little did he know the character of the ene he was aiding, or he would have given her a pass to a prison for herself rather than have assisted her to see the assassin who was passing away his last hours ia the gloomy Tower. “5 wiht give you the pass you require,” he THE WATCHWOREDS OF OLD LONDON. 367 ae > a OS iS —_—i—_ -— = —_ eo pasa granted her by Colonel Ireton, passed rapidly through tbe hosts of armed mcn. She had just emerged from the glow of the watch-fires, and considered herself safe, when there was a rush towards her; two horsemen rode up to her side, and ere she could utter a sound, she was gagged and helpless. ‘‘A prize—a prize easily won!" cried one of the marauders, as be bound berarms. ‘This young gallant has, no doubt, a mine of wealth with him.” So saying, they seized her bridle and galloped away across a dark heath in a direction parallel with the Puritan camp. CHAPTER XV. THE LAST HOURS OF A TRAITOR — THE SCAVFOLD—THE READING OF THE SENTENCE —FHE HEAD3SMAN—THE DREAD RECOG- NITION—THE END OF ALL. MEANWHILE we must return to Lord Leicester and the Tower. In perfect igrorance of the proposed efforts of his wife to save him, though expecting some- thing from her energetic character, he remained silent and morose in his cell. Some uncertain hints of pardon had been held out to him on condition of betraying his associ- ates, Bat for two reasons he declined so to act, In the first place, he had somewhat of his pride left in him. In the second place, he had no real faith in the offers made. So the time passed. A. quiek death was to follow his quick trial. In the grey of the following morning he was to die. Haatily—eagerly—all that night the workmen worked upon the scaffold. | Bang! bang! bang! went the heavy wooden mallets upon the t beams ; knook ! knock ! knock !--clank ! clank! clank! went the ham- mers on the big bolt-heads. Men and women in their beds near shuddered said. as they heard the sound. He wrote quickly on two pieces of paper. They had seen on that Tower Hill so many These he handed to her. executions that they felt surfeited and sickened “Here,” he said, “is an order to see your husband, and here is a free pass. Pat up your hair again under your cap. You are safer here as a man than as a woman,” Lady Grace hastily thrust the erdey into her bosom, and then, in accordance with the colonels advice, once more concealed her lovely Then sho raised the old soldier's hand to her lips, and passed out. The stern commander of the Puritans gazed in wonder and admiration after her as she passed out, ‘‘ A beantiful creature,” he oried, “a beautiful creature. A pity, truly, that she is allied to such # villain,” Then, when he had called together his officers once mere, they began to discowss the plan of the campaign, and the beautiful vision passed away Meanwhile, Lady Grace proceeded from the tent, mounted her horse, and by meme of the with the sight of blood. At length the morning came—grey, cold, with drizzly rain. Nevertheless there was a crowd of people assembled—a vast crowd, whose eager, up- turned faces seemed like one white mass, and whose eyes eagerly drank in the horrid pre- liminaries of the terrible scene about to be enacted. “ There’s old Hadrick, the assistant,’ oried one ofthe crowd. “Bee how he feels the edge of the are,” shouted another. “ He'll feel it somewhere else some dwy.” ‘© Where’s the executioner? ” “ Why doesn’t the bell begin tolling ?” ‘Hark | there it is. Hush !"’ Such were the cries which resounded through the open space until the solemn tolling of a bell was heard, and then all was hushed. Soon after this another fhrill and marmur passed through the crowd. ip 2, an | COHVEOOOKSEEON