Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

ny Pe er te ee aed ee ae a tai => AEE Bon mA} CAD eat TO MS 20 aes from which he had been drinking, on to the table. A girl anpeared in auswer to the summons. ‘““Where is your master?’ asked the stranger, 10 &n imperious voice. This was the first time Jack had heard him speak, and he paid particular attention to the intonation. here was something so peculiar about it that he felt sure, let him hear it under what circumstances he might, he should be sure to recognize it. ‘He is in the bar, sir,” said the girl timidly, for the way in which he had spoken had awed her. “ Tell him to come hither, then; 1 want him !”’ ‘‘ Jlow uncommon polite he is in his manner ot speak- ing, to be sure,” muttered Jack. e: ‘The landlord of the public-house entered hastily, wiping his hands upon his aprou. ; “You sent for me, sir, I believe,” he said. ‘‘ What is it you require p” . ‘A private room, if there is such a thing to he had in the house. I will pay you for it.”’ ‘©Of course, sir—ot course! I am sorry, sir, but the only private room we have ’’—— _ ‘Is engaged, I suppose,” said the stranger, rising. ‘No, sir—oh! no, sir, I was not going to say engaged, but it is upstairs, sir, if you please, it that will be no objection !’ ‘“‘ None in the least—none in the least. All the better.”’ Very good, sir, would you please to step this way. It’s the room just over this one, sir, and we use it to sit ip ourselves.” The landlord, who was inclined to be rather morigerous, | preceded his guests out of the tap-room. Jack listened to their receding footsteps along the passage, and then heard them ascend the stairs. * Confound them all. What do they mean by baulking me in that fashion. knowing what it is they have got to say to each other. Some rascality, evidently, or they would not be so afrard | of being overheard.” J ee emptied his glass and looked up at the grimy ceiling. ‘The room just over this, is it ? now am I to hear what they say? I am to do it, or they will be done. 1 ean’t hear where I am, that’s quite clear, and as for going up-stairs, why that raight beawkward; besides I don’t know where they are. Ha! there’s some one coming down. I'll listen.” Jack jumped up and ran to the door. “Oh! it’s the landlord, I suppose, coming down again. Why the stairs must be just on the other side of the passage, surely.” In another moment Jack heard the landlord reach the or. Then a door closed. ““Pli do it,” said Jack. “ Ill do it, and risk the consequences. They had better not interfere with me, that’s all.” He Projected his head a httle way into the passage. An oil-lamp, which burnt in that dim fasbion incidental to all oil-lamps, so tar from lighting up the place, ouly confused it with the numerous shadows which it east. Jack looked both up and down the passage. No one was visible. His hearing had not deluded him. There, on the oppo- gite side to where he stood, and a tew feet lower down, was the staircase. ‘*There’s nobody about, said Jack, “no one at all: so here goes.” He crossed the passage and spraug up the staircase like a ghost CHAPTER XIII. JACK SHEPPAKD ENDANGERS IIS LIFE THROUGH inED- DLING WITH MATTERS THAT DON’T CONCERN HIM. It was most certainly very daring of Jack to run up the. atairs in that manner, but he did not pause to reflect that he was going the mght way to get his head into. tronble. Up he went. The stairs were dark and steep, but without once stum- dung he gained the top. ae * BLUESKIN: A ROMANCE. But Pll be even with them, 1’Il bet. | I don’t know how it is, but I feel nncommonly desirous of | How in the world, | J must make haste if —— ee 2 | He was rather perplexed then what to do. He could positively see nothing, for the staircase had no | windows. ; There was only ore thing to be done. Placing his hand against the wall, and feeling his way ‘along it, Jack crept forward. | When he had proceeded in this manner about half. /a-dozen steps a fresh and apparently insuperable difficulty arose. | Ife could hear some one coming upstairs. | What was to be done? Advance he dared uot, since he had no idea what was before him. There appear d to be no hiding place. Jack was nonplussed. Before he could recover from his bewilderment suffi- ciently to think a httle, whoever it was that was coming had got almost to the top of the stairs. Then Jack saw the reflection of a light. Then the jinghng of glasses. “Oh! hang it all, what shall I do?” he said. Its the landlord, I know, bringing them something to drink, andacandle! It’s all up with this job, for he’ll see me, of course. It’s aggravating not to be able to do what you make up your mind to, but it can’t be helped. Eh! yes it can! dear me! stop now!” These incoherent sentences meant that as he put his hand against the wall he felt a door. Hig first 1mpulse was to turn the handle, but he im. mediately saw how impolitic such a proceeding would be, | so he paused. Likely enough it was the door of the very room in which the two visitors were, and if so, the act of opening it would be to insure immediate discovery. But there was no time to be lost. He listened at the doer. Not the faintest murmur reached his ears. ‘They cannot be in here, surely,” he said, “ or else I should hear voices. There is nothing else to be done. Vl! chance it!” , Jack turned the knob, and found the door open to his and. All was darkness within. ‘“‘ Ilere goes,” he muttered. “I must chance it now!” So saying, he shpped inside the room, and closed the door silently. He heard the landlord in the passage. ‘l'o his surprise, too, he could hear quite plainly the murmuring of voices. Still he did not venture to stir. He waited until his eyes had become familar with the darkness. The landlord passed the door of the room in which he liad so opportunely taken refuge. But he heard him open another, very close indeed to it. At the same moment he heard a voice, which he identi- fied as the first stranger’s, say— ‘* Now, landlord, quick! You have been a long time gone; I don’t like to be left in the dark.” Jack was not a little astonished at the plainness where- with he heard what was said. He could scarcely be- lieve that he was not in the same room with the speakers. And then he noticed, as he turned his face in the di- | rection whence the sounds came, that a few rays of light found their way in, and to some slight extent assisted him to define sevoral objects. ‘It’s a partition,” said Jack, to himself. ‘ Bravo! Fate is in favour of me, clearly. I shall, without the least trouble in the world, hear every word they say with- out any one being a bit the wiser; that is,” he added, “if no one oomes 1n here bothering.” “That will do, that will do,” Jack heard the stranger say impatiently. ‘‘ You can leave us now- and mind that we are not disturbed.” “Yes, sir, I'll take care of that, sir! It you should want anything you will find a hand-bell on the tray.” Jack heard the door close, and the landlord, after tra- _versing the passage, descend the stairs. Feeling then a little more secure, he adventared witb most cautious footsteps to draw yet nearer to the screer oy paugtion that divided the two rooms the one from the other. To do this the utmost caation was necesscry. os ld a —— ——= ee ee es ee ee ee ee oN ee O_] ee Se eee t COMmiIcooo Cc S (SO) >