After escaping from the turner’s house, Jack Sheppard skirted St. Sepulchre’s church, and hurrying down Snow Hill, darted into the first turning on the left.  Traversing Angel Court, and Green Arbour Court,—­celebrated as one of Goldsmith’s retreats,—­he speedily reached Seacoal Lane, and pursuing the same course, which he and Thames had formerly taken, arrived at the yard at the back of Jonathan’s habitation.

A door, it may be remembered, opened from Wild’s dwelling into this yard.  Before he forced an entrance, Jack tried it, and, to his great surprise and delight, found it unfastened.  Entering the house, he found himself in a narrow passage leading to the back stairs.  He had not taken many steps when he perceived Quilt Arnold in the upper gallery, with a lamp in his hand.  Hearing a noise below, Quilt called out, supposing it occasioned by the Jew.  Jack hastily retreated, and taking the first means of concealment that occurred to him, descended the cellar steps.

Quilt, meanwhile, came down, examined the door, and finding it unfastened, locked it with a bitter imprecation on his brother-janizary’s carelessness.  This done, he followed the course which Jack had just taken.  As he crossed the cellar, he passed so near to Jack who had concealed himself behind a piece of furniture that he almost touched him.  It was Jack’s intention to have knocked him down with the iron bar; but he was so struck with the janizary’s looks, that he determined to spare him till he had ascertained his purpose.  With this view, he suffered him to pass on.

Quilt’s manner, indeed, was that of a man endeavouring to muster up sufficient resolution for the commission of some desperate crime.  He halted,—­looked fearfully around,—­stopped again, and exclaimed aloud, “I don’t like the job; and yet it must be done, or Mr. Wild will hang me.”  With this, he appeared to pluck up his courage, and stepped forward more boldly.

“Some dreadful deed is about to be committed, which I may perhaps prevent,” muttered Jack to himself.  “Heaven grant I may not be too late!”

Followed by Jack Sheppard, who kept sufficiently near him to watch his proceedings, and yet not expose himself, Quilt unlocked one or two doors which he left open, and after winding his way along a gloomy passage, arrived at the door of a vault.  Here he set down the lamp, and took out a key, and as he did so the expression of his countenance was so atrocious, that Jack felt assured he was not wrong in his suspicions.

By this time, the door was unlocked, and drawing his sword, Quilt entered the cell.  The next moment, an exclamation was heard in the voice of Thames.  Darting forward at this sound, Jack threw open the door, and beheld Quilt kneeling over Thames, who’se hands and feet were bound with cords, and about to plunge his sword into his breast.  A blow from the iron bar instantly stretched the ruffian on the floor.  Jack then proceeded to liberate the captive from his bondage.