Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 213: what you’re looking at

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= 6 = PO Pata s “awa ett = =a em! Bram, oe ee ten a amie BLUESKIN; A ROMANCE, 6s Wh LE 211 both ydrines had rissn to a higher tone than was con- “i shouldn’t have taken it 90 easy as, you have, that’s | sonant with satety. ITow have I taken it?” “Why, easy.” “1f I have, I have made up for it now. He isa beggar. I shall ruin him—ruip him, even as he has ruined “That remains to be seen, Jack. We have got a good swag, that’s certain.” “We have, and, therefore, let us get off with it in safety.” *"Whiere’s the danger? If there had been any, we should have found it before now.” And once, when Jock spoke so excitedly, the familiar sounds lad pexetrated the chamber of John Roots. Ile woke. Ile heard the murmuring of voices. The idea of thieves at ouce eutered his mind. But he was, for a moment or two, too frightened to move hand or fout. Then he recovered himself. Ile sprang out of bed. The voices had ceased. Tae iuterior of the room, from so long having been an inmate of it, was very familiar to bim, and, therefore, ho “Do not be too coutideut, Flood. Follow me. You! was able, withcut trouble or delay, to make his way to are too much elated at our success, and absolute necessity tlero is for caution.” ““No, 1 don’t; but if you go away from here without ce the old man, I shall consider the job as only half one. “Would you have me murder him ashe sleeps?” asked Jack, ina tone of horror. *‘No! bad I may be, but Lam not bad enongh for that.” * Well, ns you like; but T tell you, if anybody served me so, I should not sleep while he lived.” “No,” said Jack. “Let us depart. I am satisfied with what 1 have done, aud such being the case, surely you ought to be.” * Oh! I am satisfied, Jack; hut don’t you be chicken- hearted. You are a brave, likely young fellow, and 1 say, death to the man that’s against you!” * Euough, enough, Flood. Descend, descend.” But Matthew Flood stood obstinately at the top of the ataircase, and Jack was afriid to make any attempt to pass te lest a struggle should ensue, and an alarm be raised, ‘Look here, Jack. I say, death to the man that’s against you!” ** Yon are mad!” “* Not a bit of it.” ** But you are.” 7 say I ain’t, and not only that, if you don’t like tho rk of stopping the old man’s breath yourself, I'll do it or you ** No—no,” said Jack, “I don’t desire his death. I tell you I am already satisfied. Descend, I say, and let us make the best of our way from the spot, tor I have no desire to be recognised.” “Ob! well—well! Have your own way. But if you go away and leave the job as it is, I shant think half so well of you as what 1 Lave douse.” “Twat I cannot help,” said Jack, firmly, for his patience was almost exbausted. “ But I have never connnitted murder yet, and 1 shall try to keep my hands free from the crime!’ “ Pish!” “ Deseend! Descend, I say, and do not by your folly imperil us any longer. I tell you I will not take Jobo Reots’ life, nor will I suffer you to take it, until you have taken mine first.” * “Ob! very well—very wellf If that’s your game, I give in at once. Come on!” So saying, Flood begin to descend the stairs. Jack Sheppard and Blewitt, who bad kept perfectly silent duriug the rapid conversation which had taken place, followed. He had not taken the part of either, for he every moment expected that an open quarrel would result. Ile knew, from former experience, the obstinate nature of Flood’s disposition. . He knew that when he once took an idea into his head, there was the greatest conceivable difficulty in turning him. But on this occasion, though it waa most reluctantly, he had given way. : Bitterly indeed did he live to repent his fc" y. The moments that they spent in this profitless dis- course upon the landing, should havo been usec ia getting clear of the premises. ; The conversation had been carried on rapidly, aud it had tnken up but a very small quautity of time indeed ; oe ee & moment is enough to decide the destinies of nations, More than once during the brief dispute, the voices of ET Bocmatied you forget the | the door. Ile tried it, To his borror, it was unlocked ! Dreading the worst, and driven slmost mad by the idea that his house lad been broken into, be, without a thought of what danger he might be meurring, dung the door open, and dashed out upou the tinding. The candle on the balusters was still burning. It showed him his box—the precious ehest in which his whole worldly wealth was deposited ~—lying open at his fect, and despoiled of its most valuable coutents. . A shout—an irrepressible shout—cume from his lips when lie saw it. He fancied be heard a noise upon the stairs. Still Leedless of his danger, and thinking only of the frightful and irreparable loss he bad sustuined, urged on by a wild and insane bope of getting some portion of 1l back again, he began to descend. When he reached the angle where the staira torwed a kind of supplemental landing-place, he caught sight of three figures. ae The moment he did so, he shouted at the top ct his voice—= ‘Murder! thieves! Help, help! Police! Help! he”’—— The word was arrested on bis lips. There was 2 bright flash and a report, succeeded by 2 groan. Flood had fired. He hit hia mark, too, for the carpenter fell headlong down the remainder of the staircase. CHAPTER CXLVI. GIVES AN ACCOUNT OF BLUESKIN’S PROCEEDINGS AFTER H!tS ESCAPB FROM THE MURDER DEN ON THE RIVER SIDE. TuaT necessity, which the proverb saya knows no law, compels us most reluctantly to leave Jack Sheppard iu his present very perilous situation, while we relate somo otber events which were occurriug at the same time, and with which the reader must be made acquainted without delay. When Blueskin had the good Inck to escape with his life from the horrible den he had so unwittingly entered, he had turned his face towards the river, with the ex- pressed determiuation of finding out Jack Sheppard. He turned towards the river for that purpose. But ere he had got very far, the deadly sensation of weakness, which excitement had enabled him to overcome, now forced itself upon him. Hlis brain reeled. His feet gave:way beneath him, and he would have sauk to the ground had he not supported himself by clinging against the angleof a building. Here he steadied himself, and to some extent recovered the use of his faculties. The reader will remember that he had received a rather ghast!y sort of wound from Wild’s pistol when he rose to the surface of tlhe Thames, near the buttress of Blackfriars- bridge. T fis had bled profusely, though, of course, the cold water in which he bad been go loug immersed checked it to a great extent. Still, the quantity of blood he had lost was encugh to reduce any one to the utmost stage of exhaustion, without taking into account the immense exertion he had bean compelled to make. Indeed, when he sought Thieves! murder! shelter in the murder den, tt oe neces AES CREEP a SPR yA AE ET TY I TET * Rat YT ee | | | | | EO DOO S (SO) 5}