The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 157: what you’re looking at

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

154 THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. ‘‘ Place me as I was among my friends; do me justice, and I will say all I have seen.” ‘No, 1 cannot, will not do that.” ““Then my lips are sealed.” “A pretty job this,” said one of the officers, as he looked at the body; ‘* why, he’s tried to bang him, and couldn’t, and then stabbed him; as sure as I'm alive he has; what a hard-hearted brute,—but there, look in his face, and you will tell what he is.” ‘For all you say,” said the mendicant, ‘‘ I am innocent; and, as for you, Mabel, this day’s work will and must be a bitter one to you when you reflect that by refraining from uttering the truth, you have brought me to death.” ‘““What cunning! I say, my friend, your doubling and twist- ing about only makes you sink deeper into the mire. Recollect all you say we shall have to repeat.” “You may say what I say, that Iam innocent of this crime, and she who stands there is well aware that I only speak the truth. Justice, Mabel—justice.” ‘‘ And justice I say, too,” said Mabel; ‘‘ regtore me to the arms of those friends from whom you have torn me; do justice there, and then you may demand justice for yourself.” ‘‘ There, that’s what I call common sense; and if he can’t see it, he ought to be hanged without the benefit of the clergy.” ‘““You see he’s a double rascal; he’s been committing abduc- tion, which is of itself a transportable offense; and were it not that we are sure of his being hung, why we’d have him com- mitted on that score; but I tell you what, we can’t have him transported after he is hanged; and to transport him first would be to put off the final account, and put the country to greater expense than he is at all worth.” ‘* Well, we had better bring him along; he must be locked up safely for the night.” ‘Yes, yes; come along,” said another, to the head officer; ‘““we can make this all right.” ‘‘'Very well; now, then, are you all ready? Now, my ami- able-looking cut-throat, will you please to move? and to move at our pace, too, for a short walk, and then we'll have a coach; we'll endeavor to indulge you as well as ourselves.” ‘“‘T am ready,” said the mendicant, turning to the officers. ‘‘ Mabel, be at the police-office to-morrow, and clear me of this foul imputation.” ‘‘ Where are my friends ?” These were the last words of Mabel that reached the ear of the mendicant. ) Mabel heard the retreating footsteps of the officer with a trance-like feeling. She was scarcely aware of her own position and her own freedom. She heard their steps become fainter and fainter, and then she thought she could hear the footsteps of the mendicant; she could, she imagined, distinguish them from the others. It was with a painful feeling that she remem- bered slowly that she was alone; that, in fact. she was worse than alone, because there was the mangted corpse lying huddled up ip a heap not far from her. Was the mendicant really gone? comicbooks. com