Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 54: what you’re looking at

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

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SIDA a At aims te nbn ear. 5; RE EE yep TT EY TS — TTT PETC Rs tie however, that they glanced suspiciously towards me, and then the one who was there when I went in called for the landlord, and asked for a private room, who showed them into one on the first floor, and just over the one in which they had been sitting. “T don’t know how it was, but I felt uncommonly curious to know what they had got to say to each other, though, of course, it was no business of mine. _Never- theless, so strong did this desire become, that I deter- mined, let the risk be what it might, to try and overhear their conversation.” “What a courage you must have,’ said Bess “I should have been frightened to death.”’ “Oh! that was nothing,’ said Jack, with a satisfied snule, for every one likes to be thought brave. “I finished my glass, and then went to the door of the room and peeped into the passage. ‘No one was there, and just before me i saw the stairs. “ 1 sprang across the hall and up the stairs hke hght- ning, and after being nearly found out got into a room that was only separated from the one where the two mysterious visitors were sitting by a wooden partition.” “¢ And so you could hear every word they said P”’ ‘T could with the greatest ease and distinctness, and then I found that the one who bad come in last addressed the other as my lord.” ‘My lord! Ife was s nobleman thev.” “Tt appears like it; however, let me go on with my story. You can make your remarks about it afterwards.” Full of wonder and interest Bess listened. ** His lordship called this man by the very funny name of Steggs, and, from what J heard, it appears that this Steggs had been sent to ascertain whether some informa- tion, which had been given to his lordship, was correct.” * Yes, yes.” * Well, that information was, whether a girl who hved in Charles-street, Drury-lane, worked for a woman named Roblet, a shroudmaker, of No. 16, Princes-street, Lin- coln’s Inn-fields.” ‘Why, that is me!” “So it turns out. Well, £ found that this lordship, for hig name was never mentioned, though I think my friend here who is talking to Johnson knows it,—I found that this lordship had had an elder brother who had inherited a great deal of property from his father, but who was now dead, and that this elder brother had a daughter to whom the estates would revert by law.” ‘* [T understand that.” *“So much the hetter then, for you will be able to com- prehend that if this girl was not in existence the younger brother would inherit the estates, but while she lived he could not do so.” ‘* Certainly not.”’ ‘To a wicked and unscrupulous man the thought of destroying or in some way getting rid of this child who stood between him and wealth would, of course, occur, and so this younger brother employed a man to make away with the little heiress ‘* How dreadful ! ”’ “* But this man, like many another before him, found it impossible to murder an innocent and beautiful child, so he gave it instead to some poor people who lived in Charles-street, Drury-lane.” ** Then—then’?—— “Stop and hear the end. Williams,—for that was the man’s name who was to have done the horrid deed,— finding himself drawing near to an end, sent for a comrade of his named Steggs, and disclosed the whole affair to him, and died entreating him to see the heiress restored to those rights from which she was so unjustly deprived. But this Steggs, it seemed, thought he should reay the most profit by siding with this younger brother, and so told him the whole affair. It then became necessary to ascertain whether the story told by the man Williams was correct, and, if so, to concert measures for putting it out of the power of the heiress to succeed to that property bequeathed to her by her father.” - ae ee CHAPTER XXXV. JONATHAN WILD FINDS IT NECESSARY TO READ JACK SHEPPARD A LESSON, “AND so,” iuterrupted Edgworth Bess, “that is the reason why those two men attempted to carry me away.” Se 7 ae oe BLUESKIN: A ROMANCE, OO ile © ~~ “That is the reason.” “And you, as soon as you heard this plot, without thinking what perl you might encounter, resolved to frustrate it P”’ “*T did, and, as you see, succeeded.” “Oh, it was noble of you, indeed it was,” she said, with tears of gratitude and admiration thronging in her eyes. “I shall never be able to recompense yon for what you have done.” ‘Tush! J have done nothing yet to what I mean to do. Johnson here will find you in a home for a little while, and during that time I will ascertain the name of this lord and all particulars, and I will never rest until I havo succeeded in restoring you to your rights.” ‘* And then when you have I shall be able to repay you. That is,’ she added, ‘if you will think what I offer you repayment.” ‘“‘ T should be better pleased,” say nothing about repayment. accept of anything.” “Do not be offeaded with me, but I do not like to be under an obligation to anyone. I suppose it is because I have an independent spint. But it was not money I was going to offer you.” ‘What then P” asked Jack, a wild hope springing up in his breast, “‘ what then ?”’ ** Since you will accept of nothing I will not tell you. It would be useless to tell you.” “No, no. Tell me, do tell me, what you are going to offer me.”’ Bess was silent, and then timidly placed her hand upon Jack’s. “Yourself ?”? he asked, while he pressed it between his own rough palms, ‘‘ impossible! ”’ But even as he said the word he saw upon the face of the young girl an expression which told him it was true. Under the excitement of the moment there is no saying of what extravagance he might not have been guilty had not the voice of Blueskin at that moment recalled him to himself. ‘* Now then, Jack, you have said quite enough, I’m sure. Come along. We must see Jonathan to-night.” Jack rose, and once more pressing the hand of Edgworth Bess, he said— ‘To-morrow I will be here, and I hope with some in- formation that will be worth communicating.” A glance was the only reply Jack had to this speech, but it was so full of meaning that 21t made his heart bound in his bosom and his vems throb with an unknown delight. The young girl loved him. Those who have studied human nature know how easily gratitude merges into affection, and so it was with this young girl. As for Jack, he loved her even before he saw her. As he followed his comrade out into the open street, all things seemed to him to wear a new aspect and appear more pleasing than they did, but the change was in his own breast. The criminal transactions in whieh he had participated faded utterly from his mind. One feeling, one thought alone occupied him, and that was love. oo All the way to Newgate-street he was buried in a reverie, and spoke not a word. Probably enough Blueskin formed a shrewd guess as to the cause of his abstraction, but if he did he made no remark about it. With his pass-key Blueskin opened the door ef Wild’s house. A dim light burned in the passage. py its aid he saw a man seated in the chair near \he door. He slept. The horrible snoring that he made placed that beyond a doubt. Blueskin shook him roughly. The man awoke. He glared about him in bewildered surprise. ‘Thank your stars,” said Blueskin, “that I found you, steeping at your post, aud not Jonathan. Where ig he?” said Jack, “af you would Believe me, I shall never ‘Upstairs in his room,” he said, ‘‘Confound it, I could only have just dropped off.” —— Sa eS aera ne eS ae AAS ea 4 TE weg my _ lis Oe Ce = —— =e Ccomiclboooks (SO) =}