Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 41: what you’re looking at

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

See, ne Re oe aay eee Dek 2 cle SE OS te ee SP SE ley senna, on SD BLUESKIN: A ee worst—-do your worst, I say. While ! can use the faculty of speech, Pill defy you.” aan words seemed to produce no effect upon Jonathan Or if they did he toox it very coolly. With great deliberation he seated himself upon the sil} of the door. And here we should observe that this dungeon, hke the rest, had its floor several feet below the level of the passage. So as the position his geon floor. | As he thus sat, he was cn a level with anyone who. might be there. onathan crossed his Icgs one over the other with on | air of indifference, whilo with his right hand he played with that bloodthirsty weapon he called his pet. He fixed his gaze rvon the inmate of the cell. It was a man—aud by several little tokens evidently one of rank—but in such a frightful state of filth and emaciation, that he was terrible indeed to look upon. He was secured to tho wall by means of a heavy chain, which was rivetted round his waist. Upon hearing the sound of Jonathan’s voice, it would appear as though he had been suddenly inspired with strength, for be had raised himself on his hands and peas as far towards the door as his chain would permit | im. Strange, indeed, was it, and indomitable and courageous | to an extraordinary degree must he have been thus to breathe defiance to Wild, for what means bad he of defending himself. None whatever. The sound of his enemy’s voice had | inspired him with a factitious vigour, but he was never- theless entirely at the mercy of the thief-taker. And as Jonathan sat in that strange fashion on the stone step leading down to the dungeon, his face assumed an expression such as might well have become a fiend. Two things were evident. He treated his captive’s menaces and threats with the utmost derision. He looked upon his miserable state with satisfaction. | Few kindly feelings found a home in the breast of, Jonathan Wild, and most assuredly pity for the sufferings | of anyone was not one of them. On the contrary, almost without exception, le furnished him with matter for delight. With the most careless and indifferent air Jonathan leaned against the upright of the door. The mocking smile which distorted his lips fled the wretched prisoner with infuriation. Foam rose to his lps. His eyes burned with vindictive hatred. “ Hence, villain!’ he shrieked in his impotent rage. “ Hence, villain! Destroyer of my peace and happiness, begone! begone! Spare yourself the trouble of making another attempt to bend me to your hateful purpose, for J tell you it will be useless—quite useless. I defy you.” “Ha! ha!” “You laugh at my defiance and my thyve.. +. * “1 am in a position to do so.” But you will notalways be, Jonathan Wild, not alwaya. And when you are not beware.” *Fool!’’ exclaimed Jonathan, who began to lose hig patience and his temper at the same time, * idiot that you are not to comply with my demands! ” _ “J will never do it, Jonathan Wild; you will never do | it, and therefore I defy you to do your worst.” * Sir Marmaduke Morel, you are a traitor.” “And you, Jonathan Wild, are a villain.” “Granted that I am, ctill it does not negative my | accusation. I tell you again, Sir Marmaduke, you area traitor, and as such your life is forfeit to:lic eovereign you | have outraged.” As Jonathan made this loyal and dramatic specch, he | put his tongue in his cheek, and distorted his visace “ito | a frightful leer. ‘What good is it tome to deny it? Yct, gvoa or not, so longas I hrve .-eath enough left in my body to utter a denial I will utter 14.” @* Yo:: are a Jncobite.” a ‘You lie! to your teeth I tell it—you he, Jonathan | Wild, you lie! Tam not a Jacobite.” —— Breat thief-taker sat in this rather peculiar egs hung down, but did not reach the din- ——— a ae Oe ae el ROMANCE, $9 OM oe ee * Wa! hal” ‘“Taugh on, fiend, and mock me until you are weary, Full well do you know this charge has only been trumped up against me in order that you may extort money, and rob my chilcren of their inheritance. But this time your plan wiil fail, Jonathan Wild—signally fail; for never, never s1il I succumb to you.” “We shall see preseatly,’ said Wild, still affecting unsoncern, as, taking a short pipe from his pocket, he begaa to smote with grcat deliberation. ** You are ob- stinrae, you have held out long, but you will be obliged to give in at last. 1f you had been wise, you would have cone so at first; if you will take my advice, you will do so now.” The prisoucr this time was silent. The reaction was coming. Excitement hrd up to the present moment set uils mngoiness at deiiance, but that excitement consumed itself. He sank down upon the damp earth of’ whick the flocr of the dungeou was composed. * You see,” said Jonathan Wild, as be noted this cir- cumstance, “I wasin the right. You cannot hold out— you must give way.’ Painfully the wasted wretch turned over on his side. He spoke, but it was no longer in the wild, screeching /manuer which had previously characterized what he said. His voice was hollow, and seémed like a strange halt moan, half whisper. * Jonathan Wild,” he said, ‘f you apprehendcd me on a warrant charging me with being a Jacobite auda participator in treasonous designs against my sovereign. You made me a prisoner, ond conveyed me to this noisome place. No one can know beiter than yourself how entirely without foundation was tbe charge against me. I was innocent in word and deed. During all the party strife, which has been for so long prevalent, and which cannot fail to bo fatal to the welfare of the kingdom, I have kept carefully aloof from the contending parties; have preserved a strict neutrality. Whatever my own convictions v-cre, I never allowed them to transpire. Possessed of a sufficieucy o! wealth to enable me to maintain myself and family in comfort, I sought no more; but anxious for their own comfort and security, withdrew from the wo (J, and se- cluded myself far from the haunts of men. But vou, Jonathan Wild, like some foul and v-noznous reptile, coveted the little which I had, aud in the attemp! ‘c obtain it have not scrupled to blast my happiness. As I say, you brought me here unjustly a prisoner, and wrougfully accused me, snd then wished me to male my little all the price for my lifeand freedom. But no, Jonathan Wild, rather than exheridate my children from that which is theirs unalienably I would suffer the torments cf the damned, and die a thousand deaths !”’ Jonathan smoked on in silence. Neither by word nor act did he attempt to interrupt this long speech from his victim, who has already said enough to give the reader somes ideas of the great wrong which he suffered at his ands. Still more exhausted, the prisoner lay upon the floomng of the cell. And yet only a week before he was robust and strong, but starvation and the darkness and dampness of his dun- geon had literally brought him to the Lrink of the grave. He was one of the many victims whom Jonathan Wild, under the pretence of thcir being rebels, contrived to | apprehend and lodge in the vaults beneath his house. Most people, when in this predicament, had been only _tco glad to sacriice what they hadin order tobe releascd ; for, as wo stated in a former chapter, it had becomc no- | torious that chould any one be accused by Wild of Jccobi- nism, it was just tantam-unt to being condemned, for con. viction followed in ever: ¢_.se. lt was injudicious o2 i: part of the Government to | employ such a man as V.icd; but no doubt they @:cucht they were acting for the best. At that time things were very different to the present. The country then was filled 'with malcontents, who were perpetually hatching fresh conspiracies. | Sir Marmaduke Osborn was a baronet, which title haa ‘ been transmitted to him by]: ancestors who had had } it bestowed upon them for services rendered to ‘heir country. | Jonathan Wild had fixed upon him as Leipg @ 2B alee: re ET UO I Re COMICOoOO Cc SS > (SO)