Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 106: what you’re looking at

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

eR cet ee aire a, LL IE AIT AY =e eS —S— Se ee ee ee ee crema eames & —_—_—_—— ee = eA) er OR ie ES | 7; LQ4 BLUESKIN : ° wees OS, re pay ee ee - s A ROMANCE. ee eer epee a a ar authority to keep him iu charge. I will take him before the magistrate to-morrow morning.” “ Allright, Mr. Wild. Good night.” “Good morning,” growled Jonathan, as he passed through the wieket into the Old Bailey, and walked towards his own house. In the meantime, Jaek had been hurried £-oug a number of passages, and up and down numerous flights of steps, until his brain grew bewildered in the attempt to remember the route by whieh he had eome. They paused at length before a small but massive door. The wood of which it was made was oak, strengthened in every way the imagination could suggest by bands and rivets of iron. It was fastened by means of an iron bar, two huge iron bolts, one at the top and one at the bottom, and a lock that must have weighed a quarter of a hundred weight at least. The key that the jailer produeed to unloek it with was real'y quite a formidable-looking piece ot metal, aud, in desperate hands, would have formed au effective weapon. This huge key was then inserted iuto the still huger lock, and Bain, applying both his bands, and putting out the whole of his strength, shot baek the bolt. The other fasteuings were then undone, and Jack was very roughly thrust iuto the dungeon. But he expected some sueh triek to be played him, aud was ou his guard accordingly ; but in spite of that, he reached the hard stones with rather a heavy fall, tor his hands, being secured together as they were, were unible to save him from the effects of the fall. Bang went the door, and then Jack was half couscious that the bolts were shot into their soekets, and the bar vut up. but the force with which he eame iuto eontact with the stones deprived him partially of the use of his faeulties. Ife soon recovered himself, however, from the etlects of that, and he raised himself painfully to his teet. fe imew when he last looked up at the sky that the daiwa of the uew day was visible, but all around him now was as black as the very grave itself. In a few miuntes afterwards he saw a hght shining beueath his dungeon door, aud heard the souud of voices and teet in the eorridor without. CHAPTER LXXT. THE STRONGEST CELL IN ALL NEWGATE PROVES NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO RETAIN ITS INMATE. Jvcx Suepparp had for the moment quite forgotten the woyeruors iustructions about the irons, and that those instructé4ons had not been carried out, so he was at a luss to know the meaning of this sudden visit. When be saw them enter his cell, he immediately re- iwembered it, and comprehended. He was too mueh hort by his fall to make much re- sistauce to the irons being riveted upon his limbs, but still he took eare not tv let them see he was 10 any way injured. The operation of putting on the fetters was very quickly performed. Jack was freed from the handeuffs, and also from the belt that contined his arms behind his baek. For this he felt thankful, and his irons were almost pleasant in eomparison. No one who has not known what it is to have the arms bound tightly in one position for many hours can tell what a dreadful feeling it is. Just as the last rivet was put in and the smith pieked up his tools, the governor eutered the dungeon, in order to assure himself by personal observatiou that his commauds had been properly carried out. He even walked up to the prisoner, and felt that the joins were all seeure. You needn’t take so mueh pains, it will amount to the same thing in the end.” ‘What do you mean ?” “You are evidently afraid that I shall win my bet, and yo I shall!” “Then you will have a little more trouble, that’s all,” said the governor, with a coarse laugh at his own wit, in ee a ! | | | which, of course, out of compliment, the two jailers and the smith heartily joined. ‘“'You may laugh ;”’ said Jack, “ but when you find yonr- self with your ugly old head off, you’ll change your note, I’m thinking.” “Come away,’ said the governor. leave him to it.” ‘Good-bye, then, for I tell yon, again until I come to claim the stake.’ The door was banged, shut, and then the three re- trated. When they had fairly gone, a great change took place in Jack’s behaviour. A few rays of daylight now struggled in through the erated window, and made the different objeets in the dun- geon visible. He seated himself upon the stone bench that was in it, leaning his head between his hands. There he was loaded with so mueh iron as to make the least motion almost impossible, in the strongest cell in the strongest prison in England, with people doubtless keep- ing a sharp eye upon his movements. Butit was not so much of himself as of bis companion, Edgworth Bess, that he thought. There she was in peril, doubtless of her life, surrounded by those anxious for her destruction, while he was power- less to help her. This was a thought that drove him almost to distrac- tion. Then lis mind reverted to Blueskin, the only other person iu the world that the young girl eould look upon is a defender. Where was he? A bleeding corpse. Another victim to Jonathan's bru- tality. The sole occupaut now of the little chamber at the tap of the turret iu the old abbey ruius. Jaek fairly groaned as all these thiugs foreed themselves upon him. What shall J do?” le ered, as he threw himself back upon the hard stone seat. “‘ What shall ldo? Escape! Yes, that is it. Inu a moment of bravado I said that 1 would eseape, and | will keep my word.” A great deal is actually accomplished when we make up our mninds to anything, aud so Jaek found. He had firmly resolved to eseape, let the dithenlty be what it night. As well as he could, he looked about him at the different objects iu the cell. | ‘fhe walls were composed of immense pieces of stone, upon which had been engraved imitials and the names ot celebrated characters who had found there a temporary resting-place. A step led upto the strong door, whieb on the imside was covered with one sheet of iron tightly secured by tumunierable rivets to the wood. To have looked at such an obstaele to freedom would, one would have thought, have daunted the most san- ruine, From this door Jack’s eyes roved to the window. It was as high up im the wall as it well could be, and was divided into little squares by horizontal and perpen- dicular iron bars. Through this came the first rays of the eoming day- ight. There was little encouragement to be got from that~ so little, that Jack turned his gaze upon the door again. IIe rose to his feet. **Come away, and you won't see me 3 ‘The door,” he said; *‘ that is the only chanee I have. | Curses on the villain Jonathan ! when I am free. How came he to diseover our rctreat ?” he added. ‘He walked up as though he knew exaetly where to find us. Can it be possible that le has the power of knowing what is going on without seeing it? No, 00; I will not think that.” As these words reaehed his lips, he reached the eell- do But he shall repent or. He looked at it in every part with the closest attention. Then he passed his hands over it, especially the sides. He tried to shake the door, but it did not move the least in its setting. A calm speetator of the scene would at once have pro- nounced it an impossibility for him to get free, even though he was provided with tools best suited to the purpose. — ‘ Eg Sere So, Deemer 0 Pas i Om or Mp SE me __p ernie co Ee ae = i —— —_ _ GO DOO AUUC <SHIGO > Mme | 6a Tanda -_. wm Ses Dp _ _. _ wer