Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 192: what you’re looking at

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

agg ta ATEN I PRIS ENS fp APOE 2 Da RP ELLA. SRE eames 1e° — anes PI ag: IIT A Pay PE OL ELE, Mee LY SS Der SE RTT Br” ee 190 ipa ay ILUESKIN: A ROMANCE. they would have hanged me too. Would they had done He had, however, but little hores of finding her after so—wwould they had done so—for what has life been to me? | the elapsion of so long a time, but yet he could not quite A curse—a curse !” Flood and Blewitt looked at each other in silence. They knew not what to say. “But a time will come, John Roots, when you will bitterly regret the way in which you acted, and when it is too late, then you will wish you had done otherwise. Beware! beware!” “ Come, Jack,” said Blewitt, as he tapped him on the arm, “‘Come along, and. don’t kick up such a row, or you will have all the blessed people in the street looking out of winder.” “Trye—true!’? replied Sheppard, recovering himself ina moment. “I had forgotten where I was.” ‘¢ | thought so.” “TJ will tell you some day,” he continued, “the whole history; but now we must be on the look out for a place where we can hide, for Jonathan will be sure to make sharp search after us.” “You may say that, Jack,” remarked Flood. ‘© T don’t feel at all comfortable,” added Blewitt. “Como with me,” said Sheppard, who, fortunately, re- collected all at once the place spoken of by Blueskin, in Gilbert’s-passage, Clare-market. “I know of a safe retreat. This way.” He turned down a court as he spoke, and from his intimate acquaintance with the ramifications of that locality, soon reached the place of which he had spoken. Jonathan Wild’s two late janizaries kept close to his heels. Having taken the decided step they had, they felt that their safety depended upon their keeping close to him. The “ Fountain,” was the name of a small beer-house, kept by one George Stokoe, in Gilbert-passage, and it was betore this house that the three paused. It was closed, and there was no sign to indicate that it was inhabited by any one. But Jack, without ceremony, mounted the crumbling steps before the door, and turning his back to it, kicked furiously with his hcels against the panel. So imperious a demand for admission was quickly attended to. The mention of Blueskin’s nayie was quite sufficient. A capital repast was quickly spread before them, for upon entering they found the interior belied the exterior, for the inmates were all astir. This disposed of,they lay down to rest, a thing of which Jack stood greatly in need, but his mind was too much agitated for him to enjoy a refreshing slumber. When it was dark they ventured to descend. The first question Jack asked was whether they had seen Blueskin. The landlord replied in the uegative. This made the two men hang back a little. Sheppard noticed the difference in their behaviour in- stautly. He was unwilling for them to leave him, so he said— ‘ Blueskin will not be long before he comes.” ‘* Are you sure, Jack ?” ‘* Quite certain.” “ Beeause if I thought ’’—— “What?” “That if he was not coming pretty soon [ should be of” io should I,” said Blewitt, for 1t was Flood who spoke. —- * Pho! pho!” laughed Jack; “TI tell you it will be all right; take my word forit. [owever, not to keep anv- thing from you, I think it very hkely Blueskin won’t be here until to-morrow morning.” “To-morrow morning ?”’ *“ He may come before, but I don’t expect him.” As the reader knows, Jack had no grounds for speaking in the way he did, but having commenced the deception, he was obliged to keep it up, at any rate, a little longer, and tlien, if no tidings of his comrade could be heard, he would have to break it to them gradually. But somehow he had a feeling at his heart, amounting almost to conviction, that Blueskin would not fall into the hands of Wild. Time will show whether he was nght. Edgworth Bess, and the circumstance of her inysterious disappearance, was uppermost in his mind. relinquish it. ** Mat,” he said, addressing Flood. “Yes, Jack.” “I want to go out on a little expedition to-night; will you come with me?” ‘“‘ T have no objections. Have you, Blewitt ?”’ ‘*'No, none as | knows on. But what’s the lay?” ‘* 1 want to find some one.” 4 Oh ! 23 ‘Some one who I managed to get out of the clutches of Jonathan Wild, but somehow or other she has disap- peared.” ce She I 33 Yes. Do not ask me for any further explanation now, , because I cannot give it. Will you come with me! With all my heart.” “Then make what change in your dress you can, in order that you may not be readily known, and I will do the same.”’ “* Agreed.”’ A few minutes after this all three were in the street. Jack Sheppard remembered the conversation he had had with Blueskin as to the mode in which the search should be conducted, and he resolved to act according to it. He went, therefore, by a circuitous and unfrequented route to Newgate-market. After a little trouble, he found the place where the secret door was situated leading into Wild’s house. Fron this point he searched over the whole market ; but, of course, without meeting with anything to reward his trouble. Then he went to the gateway leading into Warwick- ane. Chat narrow, dismal thoroughfare was now quite silent and deserted. There was no one of whom he could make an inquiry. Passing down Warwick-lane, he went into Paternoster- row. At Amen-corner he paused. Four routes were open before him, either one of which he thought was just as likely to be taken by the poor girl as another. Ilis heart sank when he saw how very, very faint was the chance of discovering any clue to her whereabouts. In fact, he was almost ready to despair. Here, also, there was no one of whom he could make inquiry. The whole neighbourhood appeared deserted. At Jast he emerged on to Ludgate-hill. “Twill take this way to Johnson’s,”’ said Jack, to him- self. ‘‘ It is the most direct route. inch of the way, but I fear it will be to no purpose.” With these thoughts in his mind, he descended the hill, and made his way into Fleet-street. At the corner was a watchman’s box. Here, he thought, was a chance, though a bare one. This watchman might have seen her. He would qnestion the man and sce. After a while, the guardian of the night was aroused from a deep slumber into which he had fallen. “VInllo!” he said, ‘thieves! murder!”’ He would have sprung his rattle, only Jack seized hu ‘by the hand. Then he questioned him upon the point so dear to him, but in vain. He could obtain no satisfactory reply. Wearily he walked up Fleet-street until the corner of Fetter-laue was reached, where he espied another watch- OX. He knew it would be useless to inquire, or, rather, feared it would be, but yet he determined not to let any chance, however remote or faint, pass by. CHAPTER CXXXII. JACK SHEPPARD HAS AN INTERVIEW WITH JOHNSON, THE LANDLORD, AND FLOOD PROPOSES TO BREAK {INTO JOHN ROOTS’ HOUSE. It will be remembered when the Mohawks chased poor Edgeworth Bess aloug the streets, some of their number had noticed the very watch-box before which Jack and his two compauions now stopped, and had gone through the pleasant little diversion of “ coftining”’ him. _————— _aeneentedl — en pen EP CE Ps PN A En Se ewer x, I will examine every . MICLOO© 5}