“Where is your accursed master?” demanded Blueskin, holding the sword to his throat.

The Jew did not speak, but pointed to the audience-chamber.  Committing him to the custody of the others, Blueskin, followed by a numerous band, darted in that direction.  The door was locked; but, with the bars of iron, it was speedily burst open.  Several of the assailants carried links, so that the room was a blaze of light.  Jonathan, however, was nowhere to be seen.

Rushing towards the entrance of the well-hole, Blueskin touched the secret spring.  He was not there.  Opening the trap-door, he then descended to the vaults—­searched each cell, and every nook and corner separately.  Wild had escaped.

Robbed of their prey, the fury of the mob became ungovernable.  At length, at the end of a passage, next to the cell where Mrs. Sheppard had been confined, Blueskin discovered a trap-door which he had not previously noticed.  It was instantly burst open, when the horrible stench that issued from it convinced them that it must be a receptacle for the murdered victims of the thief-taker.

Holding a link into the place, which had the appearance of a deep pit, Blueskin noticed a body richly dressed.  He dragged it out, and perceiving, in spite of the decayed frame, that it was the body of Sir Rowland Trenchard, commanded his attendants to convey it up stairs—­an order which was promptly obeyed.

Returning to the audience-chamber, Blueskin had the Jew brought before him.  The body of Sir Rowland was then laid on the large table.  Opposite to it was placed the Jew.  Seeing from the threatening looks of his captors, that they were about to wreak their vengeance upon him, the miserable wretch besought mercy in abject terms, and charged his master with the most atrocious crimes.  His relation of the murder of Sir Rowland petrified even his fierce auditors.

One of the cases in Jonathan’s museum was now burst open, and a rope taken from it.  In spite of his shrieks, the miserable Jew was then dragged into the well-hole, and the rope being tied round his neck, he was launched from the bridge.

The vengeance of the assailants did not stop here.  They broke open the entrance into Jonathan’s store-room—­plundered it of everything valuable—­ransacked every closet, drawer, and secret hiding-place, and stripped them of their contents.  Large hoards of money were discovered, gold and silver plate, cases of watches, and various precious articles.  Nothing, in short, portable or valuable was left.  Old implements of housebreaking were discovered; and the thief-taker’s most hidden depositories were laid bare.

The work of plunder over, that of destruction commenced.  Straw and other combustibles being collected, were placed in the middle of the audience-chamber.  On these were thrown all the horrible contents of Jonathan’s museum, together with the body of Sir Rowland Trenchard.  The whole was then fired, and in a few minutes the room was a blaze.  Not content with this, the assailants set fire to the house in half-a-dozen other places; and the progress of the flames was rapid and destructive.