The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 103: what you’re looking at

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

100 THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. amid much wonder and merriment, and made their way toward the Morton Arms, promising the discomfited officer a glass of something so hot and strong that he would forget all his troubles in. drinking it. CHAPTER XX. ‘WHEN the mendicant, aided by dashing Ned of Newington, had placed Mabel on horseback, they soon served themselves with the like means of flight, which they had taken care to pro- vide themselves with, and in waiting but a short distance from the spot where the meeting was to take place. It was not long before they quitted the spot; indeed they were soon buried amongst the trees, for the mendicant led them through a path that was just practicable for them, though not without difficulty and disagreeableness; but then it had this ad- vantage, it led immediately from the spot through a covered and hidden track to a cross-road—one that would lead them clear of the neighborhood, without any risk of meeting with anybody. For some time Mabel was in a state’of stupefaction and insen- sibility. Her feelings had received a severe shock, and she was almost stunned: in fact, she was not cognizant of what was going on around her. Without being perfectly in a trance or ainting fit, she was perfectly passive, and seemed incapable of thought or action. It took her some time to recover from the stunning shock she had received, and before she had completely done so she had been carried some five miles from the place where the scene took place near the lake. In the meanwhile, the mendicant and his companion rode by her side. and urged their horses over every obstacle that came in their way, and exchanging every now and then a few sentences whenever their position required it, or there seemed leisure to indulge in conversation. ‘‘ Well,” said Ned, ‘‘ you have done it, at all events; this will be a good haul for you. I wish J had been in your shoes when you came to think of this job.” ‘*T dare say; but, you know—and we are not all alike—if I have my lucky moment now, you have had yours, and if not, you may have. I have had more than ordinary risk in this af- fair, and it ought to pay well.” ‘* Where will you stop to-night ?” ‘*Upon the common.” hath see—a very good place; it’s one of the right sort of cribs, that.’ They now came to a bank, down which they descended with much care and caution; they succeeded in getting through a ditch also, and then they were all three on the hard, firm road- ‘way—a cross-road, to be sure, but then in half an hour’s riding, at the most, they would enter the main road. The night was perfectly fine, but there was but little moon, and that had not made its appearance. There was a white mist that hung low on the ground—heavy and wet, and made every- thing look gloomy and dark. Now and then, as they came to comicbooks. com