[Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens]@TWC D-Link bookBarnaby Rudge CHAPTER 59 8/21
She was very pale, and the hand which Dolly held was quite cold; but she bade her, nevertheless, remember that, under Providence, much must depend upon their own discretion; that if they remained quiet and lulled the vigilance of the ruffians into whose hands they had fallen, the chances of their being able to procure assistance when they reached the town, were very much increased; that unless society were quite unhinged, a hot pursuit must be immediately commenced; and that her uncle, she might be sure, would never rest until he had found them out and rescued them.
But as she said these latter words, the idea that he had fallen in a general massacre of the Catholics that night--no very wild or improbable supposition after what they had seen and undergone--struck her dumb; and, lost in the horrors they had witnessed, and those they might be yet reserved for, she sat incapable of thought, or speech, or outward show of grief: as rigid, and almost as white and cold, as marble. Oh, how many, many times, in that long ride, did Dolly think of her old lover,--poor, fond, slighted Joe! How many, many times, did she recall that night when she ran into his arms from the very man now projecting his hateful gaze into the darkness where she sat, and leering through the glass in monstrous admiration! And when she thought of Joe, and what a brave fellow he was, and how he would have rode boldly up, and dashed in among these villains now, yes, though they were double the number--and here she clenched her little hand, and pressed her foot upon the ground--the pride she felt for a moment in having won his heart, faded in a burst of tears, and she sobbed more bitterly than ever. As the night wore on, and they proceeded by ways which were quite unknown to them--for they could recognise none of the objects of which they sometimes caught a hurried glimpse--their fears increased; nor were they without good foundation; it was not difficult for two beautiful young women to find, in their being borne they knew not whither by a band of daring villains who eyed them as some among these fellows did, reasons for the worst alarm.
When they at last entered London, by a suburb with which they were wholly unacquainted, it was past midnight, and the streets were dark and empty.
Nor was this the worst, for the carriage stopping in a lonely spot, Hugh suddenly opened the door, jumped in, and took his seat between them. It was in vain they cried for help.
He put his arm about the neck of each, and swore to stifle them with kisses if they were not as silent as the grave. 'I come here to keep you quiet,' he said, 'and that's the means I shall take.
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