The King of the School, or, Who will Win? — page 128: what you’re looking at

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

122 THE KING OF THE SCHOOL: OR, WHO WILL WIN? pee SS mt | planks, supported on piles, connected the building with the main land. As before said, the mill had for a long time been deserted. A dreadful tragedy had taken place there some years before; the miller, his wife and servant, had been found brutally murdered, and the place plundered. | Who did the deed was never known, but a few days afterwards dense clouds of smoke proclaimed that the place was on fire. | It seemed as though incendiarism had tried to obliterate the track of murder. The fire, however, only partly de- stroyed the interior of the building, and ruined the machinery. The outer walls were almost as good as ever. Some few months after the fire just mentioned, a good gossip from Balls- bury was returning homeone night from the neighbouring town of Haftsbury, and, having partaken plenteously of strong ale by the road, managed to take a wrong turning. That, however, was an affair of little consequence, as he knew the bearings of the country; but to get home from the place whererhe first discovered his blunder, the poor fellow had to pass by the ruined mill. As he neared the building, strange sounds of unhallowed merriment were heard, lights flitted to and fro, and dusky figures were seen inside the building. _ The man told his tale, and was laughed at for his pains, Sceptics said that the light was Will-o’-the-Wisp, and the laughter only the harsh cry of some water- fowl. And yet from that time the old mill bore the reputation of being haunted, * * i * ‘ * Baynes, still keeping his arm fast round Kate Conway’s waist, hurried her along till they came to the bridge of planks before mentioned, tO ee nee nD Then he halted. “Lift her up, Bob, and carry her over,” he then said. Bob caught up the girl in. his ~arms,—Baynes feeling not quite up to the task,—and trotted with her across the frail bridge. Kate made one struggle to throw herself from his arms into the stream, but the boatman was too strong for her. The door of the old mill opened to Baynes’s toucl, and Kate found herself in the interior of the building. , A most desolate place it was, though some slight attempt had been made to render it habitable. — Doors and windows had been con- structed, and a few rude articles of furniture were there, but the beams and rafters, blackened by the action of the fire, looked terribly grim. Round the walls were nets and rods, betokening that the old mill was some times the resort of salmon-poachers. _ Bob the boatman placed his burden upon a chair, and then stood waiting the further commands of his employer. ‘< Leave the place,” said Baynes. “All right, guvnor, shall I wait at the boat?” “No, go home, I shall walk back.” The man gave a rude bow and with- drew. As soon as he had gone, Baynes turned to his captive with a smile, and, coming close to her, said— “Do you know why I have brought you here, Kate?” | “IT do not; but unless you let me go you will be punished for this outrage.” “I brought you here because I love you, Kate.” ‘You have chosen a very strange method of showing your love, Mr. Baynes; but as I cannot possibly care anything about you, pray be kind enough to allow me to depart.” “No. You cannot go till you pro- mise to become my wife.” “A boy like you to talk of marrying ! The idea is absurd.” EO A) DOO EO mn