Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 32: what you’re looking at

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

@ood {OO . eee ROWE GR MRE cman, WE, n OeRO Sewer ey G6) Ls ow GPa = = Qewes eee = ao ee ~ and follow ~ to such perfection. eee Seen As eS oot What that was will be quickly secn. Having allowed, as he considered, a sufficient time to elapse, he turned his horse’s head in the direction of Tot- tenham Church. All these movements were quite incomprehensible to ult. . ‘What in the world is he after?” he muttered, as he once more placed himself in the rear of the thief-taker. CHAPTER XX. HORROR—JONATHAN WILD BELIEVES IIIS LAST HOUR HAS COME. ABoUT two hundred yards from old Tottenham Church Jonathan Wild pulled up and dismounted. It was before a gate leading into a meadow that he had stopped. * Undo this gate, Quilt,” he cried, * and turn the horses into it. Then follow me on foot.” As it happened, the gate was not locked, but merely fastened with a spring latch. Arnold had no ditheulty in doing as he had been bid, and he ran along tie laue after Wild, who had almost got out of sight. At the small wooden gate leading into the churebyard, Wild paused and looked carefully all about him, as well as hstened with all his ears. But all was still. He made a rapid gesture to his follower to be silent him. Dreading lest, in the perfect stillness which prevailed, that if he trod upon the gravelled path the sound of his footsteps might be heard, he walked upon the turf. Twenty steps brought him to the door of the church. Before it was a fantastic-looking poreh completely over- grown with parasitical plants. Once nnder this place Jonathan felt himself pretty secure from observation. IIe lighted a dark lantern which he took from his pocket. He, however, only partially withdrew the shde before the lens. His object was to mane an examination of the lock. From what the maker of it had said, Wild fully expected to find some very complicated piece of mechanism. But to his astonishment the keyhole of the lock was large enough for him to put his httle finger in. A grin of derision came to his lips. A SCENE OF ' BLUESKIN: A ROMANC®, Tt was quite soft. But now a great difficulty arose. The slab was lara and consequently heavy, while he was unpossessed of any tools that would properly assist him to elevate it. _ However, shght as the prospect of lifting the stone from its setting seemed, Jonathan put the lamp down on the floor, and with a large clasp-knife commenecd picking out the mortar. | In a very short time he had completed this part of hig task. The whole of the cement was removed. His coat pocket now provided him with an implement which he never went anywhere without taking with him, This was a small crowbar. With the same air of quiet deliberation as he had all along exhibited, Wild inserted its point into the space where the mortar had been, and began to prize the stone, He worked gently and steadily. Gradually the heavy piece of stone was raised, and it was soon high enough for him to insert the thin end of his bludgeon as a kind of wedge. After this the work became easier. But, nevertheless, he would have been glad enough of Quilt Arnold’s assistance, only he considered it to be essene tial to his safety to have Quilt there on the watch for the approach of any oue. That individual felt the greatest interest in what Wild was about. His visit to the “ Tiger’s Head,” and afterwards apparently aimless mde into the country and back to Tot- tenham, roused Quilt’s curiosity to such an extent that it became almost unbearable. Ile strained his eyes, and endeavoured to pierce the thiek obseurity in the old church. Iie could just see a shadow occasionally, which he iden- tified as his master’s body. The sound of prizing the stone, however, came io his ears with perfect distinetness. “What is he after?” he muttered. ‘I'd give a trifle to know; but, of course, it’s more than my head’s worth to move from here and try to find out. Hang it all, who is he afraid will come I wonder to the church at this time of night? Hallo! what’s up now?” A fall, and then a bitter execration. Those were the two sounds that Quilt heard in quick succession, and which interrupted the chain of his medita- tions. Both are easily explained. The bludgeon which Jonathan had so cunningly put The locksmith was but a novice of the art now brought | underneath the stone had slipped from its position, and He had fallen into the prevalent error that to be impregnable a lock should be large. But now they are made upon quite an opposite principle. From a pocket in his vest Jonathan produced a queer- looking httle instrument. Bidding Quilt hold the light, he inserted it into the ' keyhole. He worked it about for some time unsuccessfully. The ' lock resisted him. OS RP ENS IY RRR, CRANE A SMES RASTER OD ES GPT Olea e@ Maas OSS aoe + = fer ererepnr wesw ewe -— - = But Jonathan persevered, and the result was that at last the bolt of the lock shot back with a snap. In spite of themselves both started. In the silent church it sounded almost as loud as the report of a pistol. The door creaked open. After waiting to assure himself that no alarm had been given so far, Wild entered. He took the lantern into his own hands again. ** Close the door, Quilt,” he whispered, “and stay at it on guard. I am going to the other end of the ehurch. If you hear anyone coming, give me the alarm at once.” Having made this arrangement, which was certainly an admirable one, Jonathan, allowing the faintest possible cleam of ight to fall upon the ground before him, ad- - yaneed with the greatest confidence as to his destination along the nave of the church. It had been mentioned in the conversation that the vault wherein reposed the young bride so inopportunely stricken down by the hand of death was immediately opposite the altar. n reaching this spot Wild looked about him for the indications of ove of the slabs having been recently re- moved. This he was not long in diseevering. , He stooped down and pressed with hig thumb paul upon the cement between two of the stones, the slab fell back again into its setting. All Wild’s labour was lost. No wonder he vented the curse be did. It was certainly aggravating in the extreme. But, undeterred by this mishap, he recommenced his work with fresh vigour. Ife called Quilt to his aid. Never before was Jonathan so willingly obeyed. Their joint exertions of course effected a great deal, and at last both, by pushing with all their might, succeeded in getting the slab on to the flooring of the church. But they did not remove it altogether; an aperture just large enough for the thief-taker’s body to pass through was left, but that was all. Jonathan Wild took the lantern in his haud and pre- pared to descend. ** Now, Quilt,” he said, * back again to the door.” Yes, Mr. Wild.” ‘¢T am going down here, you understand. What to do doesn’t in any way concern you, so don’t trouble your head about it; but just keep inside the door, and the mo- ment you hear a sound indicative of the approach of any one give me the alarm instantly.” Very well, Mr. Wild.” ‘J shall trust to you, recollect. If anything occurs, the best thing you can do to make me aware of it will be to blow your whistle.” ‘f Yes, sir.” * Not loudly, you uuderstara. <A long, low note, f shall hear that.” Quilt resumed his station at the door. Jonathan Wild slowly lowered himself into the vault. He felt steps under his feet. 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