When London Burned

ad the insolence to try to address her yesterday in Cheapside, on her way back from St. Paul's, that you prevented his doing so, and that there was quite a scene in the str

t vagabonds of the Court venturing

ght, having, when we first came over, often gone down to Whitehall with my father when he was

e as in ours, but it is better that she should have the presence of an older person. It is not that I doubt your courage or your address, lad, but a ruffling gallant o

ide as long as there is any fear of further annoyance from this fellow. I should ask nothing better than to try a bout with him my

e did so her mother always accompanied her if it were in the daytime,

ow was. The man sauntered about looking into the shops for full half an hour, but it was apparent to Cyril that he paid little attention to their contents, and was really waiting for someone

a short distance, and then ha

ake it at present. Keep a hundred yards or so behind it, but ro

then, as the other boat still kept in the middle of the stream, Cy

I want to get to Westminster before the other boat, an

the stairs, walked away fifty or sixty yards, and waited until he saw the man he was following appear. The latter walked quietly up towards Whitehall and entered a tavern frequented by young

looked round. The man had joined a knot of young fellows like himself, seated at a t

y maiden we saw when we were with you at

fins, her father and mother. 'Tis fortunate they do not know me by sight, and I have thus chances of slippi

y daughter, is she not, ho

ng a good business; but as to what I shall finally do, I shall no

se," the one who ha

g up a clandestine correspondence with him. Cyril felt that were he to listen longer he could not r

e steps to prevent the possibility of such a thing taking place. The more he thought of it the more he felt of the heavy responsibility it would be. Anxious as he was to save Nellie from the anger of her father, it was of far greater consequence to save her from the consequences of her own folly. At last he resolved to take John Wilkes int

ve a talk wit

d the man we have got in the yard now is an old mate of mine. He was a ship's boy on board the Dolphin twenty-five

s serious as the last. I have got half an hour before I have to start to do those books at Master H

e I go to, and I have no doubt the landlord will l

talking here; and, besides, I think one can look at a matter in

nards of a question when I am walking up and down the deck on night watch with just enough wind aloft to take her along cheerful, a

h a glass of grog before him, went up to the landlord, who formed one of the party. He had been formerly the master of a trader,

nt to overhaul, Peter. I suppose we ca

will find pipes on the table. You will wa

desired, a view could be obtained of the general room, but there was a curtain to draw across this. There was a larg

g disturbed here. There has been many a voyage talked over and arranged in this 'ere room. They say that Blake hi

wo steaming glasses of grog on the table.

Cyril. You have got a fair course

, I must tell you that I rely on your keeping abs

a first-rate pilot in that last job, and I am content to sail under you this time wi

frequently by angry ejaculations

gether, Master Cyril. One can engage a pirate and beat him off if the crew is staunch, b

or shall we try to take the affair into our own hands, and

r a minute or two, puffi

nd. She is just the apple of his eye. Then, on the other hand, if we undertook the job without telling him, and one fine morning we was to find out she was gone, we should be in a

ways on the watch, but I think that you and I together would keep so sharp a look-ou

uring the day? There am I in the shop or store from seven in the morning until we lock up before supper-time. You are out most of your time, and whe

in bed. He would have a chair waiting somewhere near; and there are so often chairs going about late, after city entertainments, that they would get off unnoticed. I should say the most dangerous time is between nine o'clock and midnight. She generally goes off to bed at nine or soon after, and she might very well pu

the house he could very well watch wherever she is, till I slip round after supper to relieve him, and he could watch outside here in the evening till either you or I could steal downstairs and take h

you home.' If she orders him off, or the man she meets threatens him, as is like enough, he must say, 'Unless you come I shall shout for aid, and call upon passers-by to assist me'; and, rather than risk the exposure, she would most likely return with him. Of course,

er toe for the rest of his life. I tell you what, Master Cyril: we might make the thing safer still if I spin the Captain a yarn as how Matthew has strained his back and ain't fit to work for a bit; then I can take on another hand to work in the yard, and we can put him on w

u get there, you should at once take off your boots, slip downstairs again with them, and go quietly out. I often sit talking with Captain Dave till half-past nine or ten, but directly I can get away I will come down and join you. I think in

d begin my watch at

wever, we will begin to-morrow. You can take an opportunity during the day to tell Matthew about it, and he can pretend to strain his back in the afternoon, and you can send him away. He can come round again n

y, and would therefore be the less cautious. Matthew kept watch during the day, and followed if she went out with her father to a neighbour's, remaining on guard outside the house until John Wilkes relieved him as soon as he had finished his supper. If she remained at home in the evening John went out si

mood had changed. She talked and laughed more than usual. There was a flush of excitement on her cheeks, and he drew the conclusion that in the morning she had n

afternoon and to-morrow, John. I think the time is close at

this here spying, and I don't care how soon it is over. I only h

itting at table with her and Captain Dave and her

p she knows nothing of and has probably never spoken with for an hour. I knew her head was a bit turned with young fellows dangling after her, and by being noticed by some of the Court gallants at the last City ball, and by being made the toast by ma

l be able to manage it all so that the mat

uster, but he will say nothing about it because he would get

would have the laugh against him among all his companions for having been outwitted in the City. S

e him a sound thrashing? It w

d the watch might come up, and we should all get hauled off together. In the morning the whole story would be known, and Mistress

he grain to think that a fellow like that is to get off with a whole skin. Howeve

ener to his stories that evening, and,

Your wits are wool-gathering, somewhere. I don't believe

t I do feel a little out

uld be like to go to pieces if I were to

lf remaining outside. Then he took off his boots, and, holding them in his hand, went noiselessly downstai

I bid him stop till I came out, then sent him round to have a pint of ale at the tavern, and when he came back told him he had best cruise about, and look for signs of pirates. He came back ten minutes ago,

then he can run up to our help if we need it. We will post ourselves near the door. No doubt Harvey, and perhaps one of his friends, will come and wait for her. We can't interfere with them here,

agreed. "Matthew is just round the next corne

n a doorway on the other side of the street, some thirty yards from the shop. They had scarcely done so, when the

tirring," one said. "W

popular at the time, and they then drew ba

ure stepped out from Captain Dowsett's door. The two men crossed at once and joined h

ots, so as, he said, to muffle the oars. Their steps, therefore, as they followed, were almost noiseless. Walking fast, they came up to the three persons ahead

aid. "It seems to me as you are runni

g the voice, while the man beside her

re you, and what are

is John Wilkes, and, as that young lady will

ame maybe, that if you don't at once take yourself off, I will let d

ooden-legged man was heard hur

se," Harvey exclaimed, "while

was shivered by a blow from the latter's cudgel, which a moment la

il said, pricking Harvey sharply in the arm

, in a tone of fury. "My boy of Cheapside!

with him, my lord!

aughed. "So he has

changed

urt, one John Harvey, a disreputable blackguard whom I heard boasting to his boon-companions

s clashed, there was a quick thrust and parry, and then Harvey staggered ba

e your deserts I would pass my sword through your body.

be true?" Nellie cried, addressing H

and seeing that the game was u

a step towards him with his sword menacingly raised. "Begone, sir, before my patience is ex

with a blow with his cudgel, he stretched Harvey on the ground, and belaboured h

may thank your stars that you have escaped with nothing worse than a sword-thrust through your shoulder, and a sound drubbing. Hanging woul

leaning against the wall in a half-fainting state. N

n that must have resulted from your listening to that plausible scoundrel. Go quietly upstairs. We will wait here till we are sure that you have gone safel

and held the door open for her to pass in. Then he clos

a good night'

girl as one would want to see. Given a little over-much, perhaps, to thinking of the fashion of her dress, but that was natural enough, seeing how pretty she is and how much she is made of; and yet she is led, by a few soft speeches from a man she knows nothing of, to run away from

the dozen, and you might as well shout a thing out at Paul's Cross as drop it into her ear. I th

he chap who has been in your place is a landsman, and he d

e, and now you save his daughter. I look on Captain Dave as being pretty nigh the same as myself, seeing as I have been with him man and boy for over thirty years, and I feel what y

ne way or the other. I hope this will do Mistress Nellie good. She is a nice girl, but too fond of admiration, and inclined to think that she is meant for higher things than to marry a London citizen. I think to-night's work will cure her of that. This fellow evidently made himself out to her to be a nobleman of the Court. Now she sees that he is neither a nobleman nor a gentleman, but a ruffian who took advantage of her vanity and inexperience, and that she would have do

as they made their way upstairs to

in Dave asked, when they

she is going to have a fever, for her face is pale and her eyes red and swollen, just as if she had been well-nigh crying them out of her head; her hands

the girl has never ailed a day for

d headache-that all she w

there were several cases last week of that plague that has been doing so much harm in foreign parts, an

everish, but there is no occasion whatever for thinking that it is anything more. There is nothing unusual in a girl havi

uffle. It was up at the other end. There is some mystery about it, he thinks, for he says that one of his mates last night saw a sedan chair escorted by three men turn into the lane from Fenchurch Street just before ten o'clock, and one of the neighbours says that just after that hour he heard a disturbance and a clashing of

ohn Wilkes said, "but there is nothing unusual about that. As e

mine, so we need not bother ourselves about it. I am glad to see you have got Matthew at work