Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 202: what you’re looking at

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

200 —_®> Uf what material it was made it would have puzzled any one ata first glance to tell, but upon one of the four aides was an inscription of some kind, 1n white letters. And now, having described the box, we feel ourselves bound to extend the same courtesy to its possessor. He was a young man probably twenty or two-and-twenty years of age. His form was slight, and his bones hung loosely ts& gether, or, as one would say, “ half-set.”’ His face was pale and emaciated. The cheeks sunken. Three little tufts of downy, sandy hair were on his face. One—the largest—was situated upon the extreme point of his chin, and, when pulled out quite straight, might have been an inch or an inch and a half in length. The other two tufts, which were very much smaller, grew ou his cheeks, where whiskers should have been. _ His eyes, which were very deeply set, had a peculiar dreamy expression. His hair, which was very black, was suffered to grow toa great length, and was combed down with scrupulous straightness. His attire was black as well. Such was the strange being who answered to the name of Mr. Glucks, and, if we have succeeded in sketching him properly, the reader will agree that his personal appear: ance wags quite upon a par with his name. In a bashful, diffident kind of way he followed Quilt Arnold, and presently he stood withiu the lion’s den, and face to face with the lion himself. Jouathan Wild gave a grin as this peculiar specimen of human kind presented itself before him. - BLUESKIN: A KOMANCE, Jonathan drew back as it fell, but seeing all continued as before, he took courage, and poked it with the cudgel again, until the part with the letters on it was turned towards him. Then, to his intense surprise, he read as follows :—= —_ Fetal Take this Boa immediately toa MR. JONATHAN WILD, NEWGATE STREET, LONDON, And he will Reward you for your trouble, Jonathan Wild read this inscription twice. Then he raised hig head, and looked inquiringly into the face of My. Gluckg ,* “What's that mean ?;’ he cried. ‘“‘Mind!’’ and he flourished his bludgepn ominously, *‘ mind what you're saying.” * T don’t kuow wat it means, Mr. Wild.” ** What made you bring it to me ?”’ ** Because of the inscription.” ‘Then where did you get it ?” * Found it, Mr. Wild.” ** Found it P” ** Yes, sir.” “Where? Speak! Tell me! Beware of speaking “Mr, Wild,” said Mr. Glucks, in a diffident tone of | anything but the truth, for though mine is a most amiable voice, and shifting the box about ag he spoke, ** My. Wild!” Ya—ah.” The horrible sound was almost too much for Mr. Glucks. He started back, and looked very much as though he medi- tated a wild rush to the door. But Jonathan’s next words stopped him. ‘* Now then,’ he growled. .‘‘ What do you want. Speak uick, and don’t use any more words than you are obliged. o on.” Mr. Glucks licked his lips. He was in a state of the greatest possible trepidation, and it was quite a minute before he could command his voice sufficiently to speak. Jonathan enjoyed his confusion immensely. ‘I have ventured to call,” said Mr. Glucks, at length, * upon something I fancy of importance to yourself,” ‘* What is it?’ “This box, Mr. Wild.” As he pronounced these words, Mr. Glucks handed Jonathan the mysterious-looking box. Now Wild had, in a general way, a sort of dread of auy- thing mysterious or unusual. On the preseut occasion, this feeling so far had the mastery of him that he would not hold owt his hand to take the box. ** Put it down,” he said. Mr. Glucks obeyed. It balanced just on the railing before the desk. “ What’s in that?” said Wild, snappishly, after eyeing it for some few moments suspiciously. ‘* What’s it gut to do with me?” *T don’t know, Mr. Wild,” replied Mr. Glucks, whose alarm had by no means subsided. “Then what did you bring it to me for, eh P” ** Be good enough to look on the lid.” “The lid ?” ‘“Yes. There’s an inscription on it.” Jonathan Wild looked at the box again. But as it was placed, he could not read the inseription, though he could see it. Why it was he had such a repuenance to touching the box he would have been put about to tell, But bs bad, and there was no mistake about it. After straining his eyes and neck ina vain endeavour to decipher it, he gave it up. But his bludgeon lay on the desk Leside him, convenient to his grasp, and so, taking it in his hand, he polred the box with it till it fell off the railing on to the desk itself. It did not fall as thongh there was anything very heavy an it, but it did not sound empty for all that. temper, yet I am not a man to stand trifling with.” of wouldn't trifle with you for the world, Mr. Wild.” “You had better not. Now, where did you find thia infernal box ?” ** Infernal box ?” ‘“< Yes, or damnable box, if you like that better, or box without the damnable. Ya—ah!”’ Wild made a hideous roaring neise, and accompanied it with a contortion of countenance so traly horrible to look upou, that Mr. Glucks, whose nerves did not appear to be over strong, almost fainted outright with terror. But he could see his best plan of action was to reply without delay to the questions asked of him. “Dover! Dover!” he gasped. ‘I found it at Dover, Mr. Wild.” ‘At Dover! Whereabouts ?” “On the sea-shore.” The” Jouathan stopped. But Mr. Glueks finished the sentence, ‘* Sea-shore.”’ ‘Speak out!” roared Jonathan. suspense. Speak out, I say!” “Tam, Mr. Wild. It is my delight, for I am a wor- shipper of the Muses, and those celestial goddesses have infused poetical inspirations into my soul. Itis my delight, in the early morning, when the inhabitants of the earth all slumber, to fly from my restless couch and repair to the margin of the sea, where alone and unseen I can commune with nature in all ber glory. On such occa- sions my soul soars as upon the pinions of an eagle, above base, sordid humanity, wherewith I am _sur- rounded. I pace with reverent footsteps along the pebbly beach, and from every object draw a subject for a poem, and when, as J walked, I saw that mysterious box cast up at my feet”’ Ya—ah!’’ said Wild, who tried iu vain to make some- thing of Mr. Glucks’ narration. “ Ya—ah! Shut up your spooney trap, and answer me.” “Tama poet, Mr. Wild,” said Mr. Glucks—“ a seusi- tive plant—a—a—ain fine, a poet, and ’’——~ A poet,” mimicked Wild; “bah! bo! Shutup! You say you were on the sea-shore, walking along, when the tide washed this up to your feet ?”’ ‘‘ Such is a progaic rendering of a most poetical inci- dent.” * Ya—ah!” said Wild, again, who had the greatest contempt for all poets and poetry. ‘ Will you take your oath ta what you have said ?”’ © Yes, Mr. Wild.” ‘6 And was the box addressed as I see it now P* “Don’t keep me in aad Qn eet oe = oe OR RT OE CE I, I CIEL Sas cn PRS SPDs REREAD SE ELE ~— and THREE Splendid | SIX Coloured Pictures and TFHREE Splendid es — SIX Coloured Pictures COmiIcboooks (SO) 5}