Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 332 — page 28: what you’re looking at

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

<= . boat. 28 Spring-Heel Jack. time that Spring-Heel Jack had uttered an , him. He started up to get his pistols, when audible sound, since he had met him. he was seized and a aa dealt him with Then the figure advanced on him again | something—he knows not what—which with a leap, and he struck it a third blow. stunned him. I think it was a blunt and He dealt the cut with all his strength, and | neo: weapon of some kind, like a club.” it met the mark fairly. | ‘*Is—can I see—Miss Reid?” Spring-Heel Jack uttered a wild yell of | The doctor hesitated. pain, and turned to flee again. ‘‘] hardly know whether it is safe. She George, excited by his success, followed wants to see you, and has asked for you; the fleeing figure, dealing blow after blow at , but she is in such an excitable state that I its back, but it was too fleet for him, and | fear to permit the interview.” took its way straight for the river, so that he betas Does her father object?” did not succeed in sending home another | ‘‘ No; that is the strange thing about it. blow, till he reached the borders of the | When she asked him if he would allow it, water. he said he wouid interfere no more. He There was some light, owing to the re- | seems to be broken down by the last visit of flection, and he saw the dark outline of a} this scoundrel. But 1 must warn you of one boat, into which Spring-Heel Jack leaped, | thing.” with one of his flying bounds. ' ‘And what is that?” George shouted for help, and heard the | “That the young lady is a little light in steps of men, running from the side of the | her head, and.that you must not believe Tower by the stairs. every fancy that she will tell you.” But the boat was already moving Ae | in|; ‘Has she told you anything?” the darkness, and he longed fora pistol to | fire at it. He could distinguish, against the | leam of the water, that there were two men | in the boat, and then it was swallowed up in , you, and all that sort of thing. In short, I the fog, that hung over the river at all sea- fear that she has taken a notion into her head sons of the year, more or less, just as the | that she has discovered the identity of this men at the water-stairs came running up. man, that has baffled everybody else, and To get out another boat and pursue was | I would not trust to her fancies too much, the affair of a few minutes, and the young | or it may lead you into a law-suit. That is officer was soon moving rapidly over the | all.” stream, in search of the mysterious visitor. And the doctor waved his hand toward But when the men had pulled for an hour | the room whence he had just come, into in all directions, and found nothing, they be-; which Howard went, thoughtfully and gan to realize that Spring-Heel Jack had | gravely, not knowing what to expect exact- escaped them again, and Howard was com- | ly, from the doctor's account, pelled to pull back to the Tower, disappoint- He found Rose lying back on a sofa, her ed once more. father near her, and her ayah weeping at her Then he went to the rooms of the old Con- | feet. stable, and found that General Reid had re- It was the first time he had seen Suryia, covered his senses, and, had she been alone, he would have been tempted to ask her what had become of ber, CHAPTER XXXIX. at the time when her mistress was in dan- THE SECRET REVEALED. ger. Tum news that General Reid was sensible But the sight of Rose took away all other again excited but little interest in the mind thoughts from his mind; and his coat beat of the young officer, compared to what had | so that he fancied that it could be heard, as become of the general's daughter, whom he | she raised her eyes to his, and said: had not yet seen; and Howard anxiously ‘Oh, Lam so glad you have come!” inquired whether the young lady had been He saw that her neck was bound up, just found. as his own had been, showing that she had It was old Sergeant Hodge who told him, | been hurt, as he himself had been; but her with a grave face and a voice of great | voice was quite strong, as she spoke. sorrow, that the poor young lady had been Then she turned to her father, and asked found in the lower passage, where the mon- | him: ster had dropped her, her throat torn as by ‘“ Will you let me see him alone?” the claws of a wild beast, and that the doctor The old general rose slowly from his seat, feared that she would not outlive the fright | and said to George, with a weary air: and injury. ‘“You have conquered, sir. ‘‘She’s been took to her own room, and loves you, and I can deny her nothing. I| she’s been axin’ for your grace ever since she recall my decision, and you are free to say come to,” the honest sergeant said, what you like.” George hurried to the rooms where he He seemed to be broken down with his knew she had been taken, and met Tatham | hurt, and the grief that consumed him at the at the door. sight of his daughter's injuries. The doctor beckoned to him to come into ut Howard, with a profound bow, said: a side room, and said to him, in the hushed ‘‘T shall take no advantage of your kind- way in which people are apt to talk in cases | ness, sir. As far as J am concerned, you of severe sickness or hurt: : can remain.” ‘‘This isa bad business. Did you catch ‘* No, no,” said Rose, eagerly, ‘‘ What I the villain at last?” have to say to you, no one else must hear. It ‘‘No, but I think we have marked him. I | concerns yourself alone.” hit him twice with a bullet, and twice with The general added, with less sadness: my sword, but he got off, in the river, ina ‘* You are quite welcome to speak to my The man has confederates, and we | daughter, sir, and | will return when she has shall find them out now.” spoken.” Then he reverted to the subject nearest his | So saying, he left the room, and, at a sign you, to tell you something or other. ee heart by asking: | from Rose, Suryia followed him. ‘And Rose, how is she? Is she hurt! Howard, not knowing what to make of it badly?” all, was doubtful what to do, when Rose said “No, the injury, as far as that goes, is to him, in a low, confidential tone: only a scratch, though it was meant for ‘‘I know who the monster is, at last.” death, I am convinced. It seems that the Then he started, and his face flushed, as he man on guard in the lower passage saw the asked her: monster coming and challenged it, not seeing ‘‘Are you ‘sure? Remember that it will in the dark who it was. He says that the not do to make any mistakes.” moment he called out his challenge there ‘*] have made no mistakes,” she answered. was a flame of fire, and he saw the monster | ‘‘ He spoke to me, and I saw him, face to drop the woman he was carrying. After face, at last. It ts your own brother.” that there was a confused fight, and the next | George stared at her in surprise. thing he knew he was grappled by the mon- ‘‘How do you know?” ster, who wrenched his musket from him ‘* He came to me,” she said, in alow voice, and knocked him down. This fellow must | her face pale with the recollection of what be a strong man, Howard.,”’ she had undergone, ‘‘in his horrible dress. ‘‘He is, as I know from experience; but | I was not asleep, though the rest of the peo- there are others as strong as he. Is the plewere. My father was in his room, read- general hurt much, doctor?” | ing, he tells me, and Suryia had asked me ‘* Worse than his child. He says that he for a leave to go and visit Sergeant Hodge's was reading in his chair, when he heard a_ wife, in another part of the Tower. Chundoo sound, and saw the monster close behind was the only servant in the rooms when he | ' came. The-first [ heard of his coming was a struggle in the room where my father was reading. I ran in, and saw the monster deal him a blow on the head with a heavy candlestick. Then Chundoo, who had been asleep, came into the room and attacked him with asword; but before he could deal the monster a blow, it had grappled with him, and dashed him on the floor like a child; of your brother. snatched the sword from Chundoo’s hand, and dealt him a stroke across his throat, which nearly took his head off. Then he threw the bloody sword down, and sprung at me. I do not know what had kept me quiet so long, but I seemed to be bound by a spell. But when I felt his odious arms round me, I was desperate, and I gave a shriek, and tore at his face, as | thought, not knowing what I did. And then the mask he wore came off in my hand, and J saw the face Then he spoke out.”’ ‘‘And what did he say?’ asked George, seeing that she paused. ‘‘No, but she seems very anxious to see | She | eeps raving about its being important to | Rose shuddered violently, as she went on: ‘‘T shal): never forget his words. He al- most crushed me in his arms, and he hissed _in my ears: ‘So you’ve found me out, my | ; ) The child | _as much as our patients. lady! Then that seals your fate!’ Then he caught me by the throat, and I must have fainted; for everything seemed to be grow- ing dark, and I knew no more till I found myself here, with the servants all round me, and my father told me what had happened. But remember that there is no mistake. It was your brother’s face, and your brother's voice, that I saw and heard. Je, is the man, and no other.” Then she sunk back on her couch, as if completely exhausted; and George, fearful that she was going to faint again, called for her father. He waited by the couch till she spoke again: ‘Tl am so glad youcame. Now I can die happy, for you will have your own at last.” ‘‘It will be valueless, without it is shared by her who gave it back to me,” he said solemnly. ‘‘ Rose Reid, if you will not live, I take no steps to get my rights,” She smiled my ‘‘T will try to live,” she said, in a low voice. ‘‘ Life is worth living now.” Then he went out trom the room, and sent in the doctor to her, waiting anxiously for his report. By the time Tatham returned, the light of the dawn was streaming in at the windows of the Tower, for it was midsum- mer, and the sun rose at four o’clock in the morning. ‘Tatham wore a face of much more cheer- fulness than when he went in. ‘She will get well,” he said. ‘‘ After all, there are times when we doctors do not know The talk with you has relieved her mind, and she is tranquil at last.”” ‘‘Then good-by, doctor,” said the beggar duke. ‘‘I only waited for that. Now I am going away, to act on what she told me.” He sent for his orderly, who had not made his appearance all night, much to his sur- prise, and found that Spring had disappear- ed, and was not to be found in the Tower. But he remembered that he had promised the Gypsy a leave to visit his gee h and concluded that Spring, in his usual style, had taken the leave for granted. Therefore he took another orderly, armed himself as if he was going out against an enemy, called a coac rom the royal putes, and drove off in the first blush of the awn, CHAPTER XL, CONCLUSION, ‘‘Drrve to Norfolk House,” was the or- der that Howard gave to the coachman, and the vehicle drew up at the door within a very short time from that in which it left the Tower. Howard sprung out as soon as the man stopped tne horses, and said to his orderly: ‘‘ Follow me, and be ready, if there is any trouble, to stop their nonsense.” ; The man looked surprised but said quiet- y: “Very well, your grace.” Then George ran up the steps and deliv- ered a thundering knock at the door. It was still so early that there was no one in the streets, and the echo of the knock, as it sounded through the great house, was that of emptiness. (ECO AMIS 9001 S.CO ae Ws aN : “a TP ee A ERERES e = _ —