The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 110: what you’re looking at

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

THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. 107 will only compel me to act harshly, when I would not do so but for the necessity.” He left the room as the landlord entered with some few re- freshments, which he spread upon a small table, saying: ‘* Hat, drink and be merry, my pretty bird; it will do you good, and thou art not overburdened with too many good things.” . i. Tell me, in mercy’s sake, who that strange, mysterious man is, ‘What, the gentleman who just went out, my dear, as I came inj?” laying emphasis on the word gentleman. “Yes, the man who brought me here.” ‘‘T know nothing of the person you speak of; I never had oc: casion to ask him his name; we give no trust here, and there- fore he may have a name as long as an endless chain, and I should know nothing about it.” Mabel sank into a chair when the landlord said this, and burst into a flood of tears. She was unable to control them, and they flowed plenteously. The landlord exhorted her to partake of the food he had brought and placed before her; but she made him no reply, and he quitted the room, leaving her to herself. The landlord and the mendicant then returned the way they came, and entered the room in which were assembled a large concourse of guests, much greater than would have been gen- erally supposed at all likely to have come together in such an out-of-the-way place. CHAPTER XXII. THE discovery of the disappearance of Mabel created, as may be easily imagined, the greatest consternation and distress at Morton Halil. Captain Morton, besides sustaining his own grief, had also the double task of speaking hope and comfort to his wife, whose agony was of a most alarming character, and of consoling Henry, who was in a state bordering almost upon Insanity. Messengers were dispatched in every direction, in search of her; but they returned, one after another, with looks and ges- tures indicative of the most profound sorrow at their want of success, \ At length one of the grooms, who had been of the searching party, sent up word on his return, that he had something to communicate to his master, and was at once admitted into the lor. pe Well, Robert,” said Captain Morton, ‘have you made any discovery ?” ‘‘T don’t know, sir, whether to call it a discovery or not. I was searching along the banks of the lake, where the old fir tree used to stand that has been for the last two or three years tumbling into the water, and found it had gone at last.” ‘* Indeed!” ‘Yes, sir, and about that spot there were evident marks of comicbooks. com