Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 326: what you’re looking at

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

« ae a SE I SS LE TS ID ILE AAT 324 fellow wau idle, and he made enough out of his lodgers not only to pay the rent, but to keep his wife and children. Consequently, early and late he was to be eecn there adorning the doorway. It would scem as though he had been on the look-out for his new lodgers. Doubtless, the fact of their having paid so long in advance roused his curiosity. | Now, neither Jack nor Blueskin wished him to peruse their countenances, so affecting to take no poe they | brnshed past him into the passage, which was very dark. Jack spoke, for Blueskin feared that this man puyght know the tones of his voice. ‘‘ Where is the landlord ?” he asked. “ Whoare you?” asked the shoemaker, trying in vain to pierce the gloom and obtain a glimpse of his lodgers’ countenances. “We are Jones and Smith,’ said Jack, ‘‘and have come to take possession of the attic which our friend took for us.” ‘Oh! indeed gentlemen; very well; of course. I will show you the way upstairs. Wife! wife!” Well,” cried a sharp, acerb voice, “ what now ?” * A light, to show the gentlemen upstairs.” There was 1 moiment’s silence, aud then, from the lower regious of the house, there came the faint flashing of a ight. The shoemaker stepped forward and took a candle ont of his wife’s hand betore she could get up to the top of the kitchen stairs. “This way,” he said, “‘ this way,’ holdmg the light as liigh above his head as he could, in the endeavour to ob- tain a glinipse of his visitors. But both had thcir hats drawn so close down over their brows, and the candle itself gave out such an insufficient light, that he was able to sce little or nothing.” Besides which Jack said rapidly— “Lead the way upstairs; make haste, because we have no time to spare.” The shoemaker had no resource but to obey, so up he went. without his enriosity being gratified. The stairs did, indeed, seem endless, but at length the top of them was reached, and they were ushered into the attic. “Leave the candle,’ said Jack, taking it out of the landlord’s hand as he spoke, and shutting the door in his face. Very indignantly the shoemaker stumped downstairs, and poured out his sorrows to his wife. “Ah!” said she, in an oracular tone of voice, “ that suvcrii means something.” * But what?” “Something is going to happen; mark my words, if there isn’t.” And this was all that could be elicited. But leaving the landlord of the lodging-house and his wife, we will turn our attention to the proceedings of others in whom the reader must feel a much greater amount of interest. No sooner was the door closed than Jack Sheppard shot a bolt into its socket. He would have turned the key in the lock if there had been one. But from that quarter they did not anticipate any in- terruption. The attic was unfurnished, and the only place where they could put the candle was on the chimney-piece. ur two friends then went to the window. ; It was a small one, and opened upon two hinges like a oor. It was most conveuieut for their purpose. Jack opened it, and crawled out on to the tiles. Ife was quickly followed by Blueskin. The night, like the preceding one, was a very dark one. There was no moon, and not even a solitary star could be seen in the whole sky. Fram the window the roof sloped down toa kind of a parapet, which was about eighteen incheg high. Our friends had to lower themselves down to this, and then stood in the gutter. It was full of mud and water, but they could walk along without much trouble, and in a few minutes, by gontinuizg in a westerly direction, they got fairly on to the roel of Wild’s house. ithe locality of the trap-door was of couree well known eS sae Ue ee eee : ( a a I a a ne ee ne tae ee pra “ole ae = PO Say PER, OG AS AWE Ga agg SIT STO A CY BLUESKIN: A ROMANCE. to Blueskin and Jack. To the former from his residence with the thief-taker, and to the latter becanse he had once ona memorable occasion made his way through it. On reaching it they crouched down on the tiles and listened. But all was profoundly still. Blueskin took his clasp-knife, and with the horn handle of it struck the trap-door in a peculiar manner. Then he waited with patience for a response. More than five minutes elapsed before it came. That fleeting space of time seemed lengthened into halt-an-hour by the waiters on the roof-top. Then the welcome sound came to their cars of the withdrawal of a bolt. It was followed by another similar sound, and then the trap-door was slowly raised. Seeing this, Blueskin took hold of the edge of it and raised it up. The moment he did so Steggs put his head through the aperture. A seared look was on his face. “Where is Wild?” Blueskin asked, without allowing him an opportunity to speak. “Out! Can it be possible you are here?” “Yes, why not P” * Jonathan is like a maniac. He haslearned from some one that you broke into his warehouse in the Horseferry, and took away six hundred pounds worth of silver ingots.” “ Well, what of that.” * Tle has gone there determined to hunt you down. Ile will track you, he says, until he runs you to earth.” Pho! pho! Don’t pay any attention to what he says. {t’s all rubbish. He has not got us, you see, and yet here we are on the top of bis own house.” * T don’t know how soon he may return.” “Never mind! We have made up our minds to take Edgworth Bess away this very night. Itwon’t be safe for her to stay here any longer. You had better come too.” “You had better not try to-night.” Why not P” ** Wild is so awfully savage.” *‘T know that,” replied Blueskin, “and fully expected he would be, and that is why I thought to-night would be the best to achieve our purpose. But we are wasting time by talking here, and I am quite certain we havo not a moment to spare. Ishall keep watch here on the roofs ; you keep guard on the stairs; Jack will descend and speak to Edgworth Bess.” **Come on, then, since you will have it so, though I should advise you to wait. The girl is quite safe where she is, and I will answer that no harm comes to her Besides, while she is here, Jonathan is more at rest.” “It cannot be helped, Steggs. We have made up our minds to take her away, and all our arrangements are completed.” “TI shall have to leave with you.” **So much the better.” “To remain in my present situation after she is gone would only be casting away my life.” ** We cannot stay to unfold our plans now, Steggs, but you shall hear them shortly, and when they are made known to you, I am sure they will meet with your approval.” ** Come on, then.” Steggs and Jack did not speak to eacli other, and there was @ certain feeling of hostility between them that not even the present meeting could remove. The latter, however, as soon as Steggs descended the ladder, by the aid of which he had reached the trap-door, followed him, and also down the attic stairs to the landing from which the door opened that led into the chamber where Edgworth Bess was confined. Steggs, however, went to the head of the next flight of stairs and listened, but as he heard nothing suspicious, he waved his hand to Jack to stand aside while he entered the room and told Bess who was waiting for her, m order that in her surprise at seeing him she should not give vent to it in a ery which should alarm the house. In the meanwhile, Jack, with a beating heart, stood on the landing listening for anything that might indicate the coming of his foes. But in the thief-taker’s houge all was silent. In fact, if Jack had known it, there could not bave beer any moment more propitious than the present, I DORE LD: Ran O D8 VEY FB, ie CE RT SOD ae a aa - ° ms ij f COIN mM CloOOO|KKS.€O