Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 138: what you’re looking at

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wee ee a eee —_—— eee ee ¥56 ee 6° @ SS a _ ewe vee Se SS a OT, display of his zeal as he could; so at an early hour be waited upon the Secretary of State, told him the whole affair, and obtained his sanction to act in the way he thought best. Thus armed, the thief-taker collected all the police- officers he conld, and placing himself at their head, marched with them in a body to the house. His men reported that no one had lett the house. The arrival of Wild and the officers raised quite a eom- motion. The public-house was open, Jonathan entered beldly at the head of all the rest. wee Se a A hard-teatured woman was standing at the bar- couuter, and as soon as she saw the officers, she turned ofan ashy whiteness. “ Arrest that woman,” cried Wild, “ and every one else you find in the house. ’ The oticers quickly spread themselves over the building. Two servants were found and taken prisoners, and they scene”, with the landlady, to he the sole occupiers of the onse. Being quite assurcd that there was no one else, and, moreover, being assured by the neighbours tnat there was no landlord, Jonathan had the doors all fastened up, and he walked back with his prisoners in triumph. The body was removed from the cellar, and was recog- nised by Mr. Stansbury as being lis son. Over his grief | we draw a veil. The whole affair made a great stir when it was made | public, and Jonathan Wild came in for a large share of | undeserved commendation, aud it is certain that he was. just then more popular than he was at any other portion | of bis career. | The landlady of the “‘ Pied Bull,’ who was a widow, | was duly brought to trial, condemned, and executed at. Tyburn. Her two servants, who were found accessories, | shared the sanie fate. : <And so was broken up one of about the worst of all the dens that then existed in London, an into the disgusting | and horrifying details of which we do not choose te go, for | the reasous before given. Jt wae now that Jonathan thought more seriously than | ever of quitting hie profession as thief-taker, and, by a , marriage with Edgworth Bess, obtaining undivided pos- ‘ session of the Donmull estates. : How he fared will be quickly seen, but we fear that he | has engrossed our attention for a considerable period, and think it high time that we turned to some ot the other. characters 1n our history, all of whom, strange to say, are separated from each other. It will be a reliet, too, if we can turn to some more pleasing scene than the one to which we have just been introduced, and which would never have been touched | upon at all had not the exigencies of the narrative required. re we last left at the public-house at Hammer- smith. Jack Sheppard we have not seen since he so blindly fell into the suare which Wild bad laid fer him, and dashed out of lis house and round the coruer of Warwick-laue, with Wilkinson at his heels. To neither of these can we now turn our attention, for we are obliged to lay before the reader some of the most startling incidents that it is possible to conceive. CHAPTER XCIII. FOLLOWS THE FORTUNES UF EDGWORTH BESS, AND RELATES WHAT HAPPENED TO HEB AFIER “HE ESCAPED FROM WILD’S CELLS. THERE is ove of the characters in this history in whon, | ca 7 a Pe. aa ET ee SE —————————e thoroughfare wit it is hoped, a mere than common iuterest is felt, but of’. whom we have for some length of time lost sight. We allude, of course, to Edgeworth Bess, whose trials, sufferings, privations, and ill-fortune, borne,’as they were, with such a meek and gentle spirit, ought to have en- deared her to all our hearts. But the busy whirl of exciting incidents which have, from almost the first line, kept our attention wholly oecu- yied, have afforded scarcely any opportunities for her ventle woman’s nature to develop itselt. or this, however, there is yet ample time. When, iu obedience to the earnest entreaties of Jack, whe left the cell, and sushed along the passage as he ~~ ~ ote ek eet we ee eae a one vii Ras See Cn BLUKESIN: A ROMANCE, a - had told her, she was suffering acutely from the effects of Wild’s brutal usage, and more than once she felt as though she must have fallen to the earth. ! But, by a strong effort of the mind, she kept herself up, and, only partially conscious of the route she took, and the different objects she passed, she presently found herself in tne yard at the back of Wild’s house. From that place, as the reader already knews, a dark passage led into old Newgate-market. Down this she ran, with all the speed she could make, but when she reached it, the horrible stench which filled the place almost overpowered her. She leant against the wall at the end of the passage for support. hile she did so, her quick ear caught the sound of ap- proaching footsteps. The fear that it might be her much-dreaded enemy, who, atter vanquishing, perhaps murdering, Jack, bad started in pursuit of her, bereft her, fora moment, of all motion, aud then, feeling it would be madness to fly, she shrunk back behind a massive pillar. The footstep came nearer. She scarcely dared to breathe. . In another moment her worst forebodiugs were reulized. Jonathan Wild emerged trom the passage. The outlines of his bulky form were only just distin- guishable from the surrounding gloom. But if she had any doubt as to his identity, it was dis- pelled completely when she heard his voice. There was no mistaking those harsh, grating sounds. In a state of the greatest conceivable agitution she listened to his tootsteps, as he threaded his way through = intricacies of the market to the entrance in Warwick- ane. She bad fertunately sufficient presence of mind to re- inain where she was. And yet, if the truth was known, it was more hkely from fear than calculation, that she acted as she did. searcely venturing to draw her breath, lest the faint sound should reach her enemies’ ears, she still remained erouched up behind the pillar. And well was it for her that she did so, for, as the reader knows, Jonathan Wild came back. . But he did not look about him. Strange to say, the idea that she might be hidmg somewhere in the market never eutered his mind. He madesure her first act would be to place as great a distance as she possibly could between herself and his house. Jonathan re-entered the passage. With an intentness, of which no words could possibly | convey an adequate idea, she listened to the sound of his returning footsteps. In that silent plaee she heard a heavy door swung shut, and the creaking of rusty bolts as they were shot into their sockets. But even now the fear that he might come back again made her loath te quit her hiding-place. So minute after minute passed away, and yet she stirred © not. But the silenee of the dark and miserable place still continued, and she took tresh heart. Cantiously, and trembling in every limb, she crept from behind a pillar, hstened, and then took her way at random ; all she did was to choose the widest route. Presently, although she reached it circuitonsly, she emerged into Warwick-lane, and stood as near as possible upon the same spot as Jonathan had. She looked up and down the dismal and deserted h an aching heart. Which way to run for safety, or where to look for a frieud, she knew not. 7 Aud as the full wretchedness of her position forced | itself upon her she sobbed aloud. A fugitive from the much-dreaded Jonathan Wild. Alone and unprotected. Destitute of all means. Could anyone be ina more forlorn situation than she was. To remain where she was, however, was but to necd- lessly court danger, and yet she could searcely Snd heart to move away. At that very moment was not Jack a prisoner in Wild's power for her sake: perhaps, by this time, was murdered. Fresh tears struamed from her © vs as sic ma23 tha reflection. . ey Oe A RE tr a A= Png SS — 0 ow a ee Oe Sree OE ens 8d =o eee on Sire > (SO) MICLOOOKS CY, (SO) 5}