The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 186: what you’re looking at

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

THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. 188 against my peace, my liberty, and perhaps my life, admits not of a doubt.” She could not think that the coming there of this man was the result of accident. It was too unlikely, and,therefore, if it were by design, there must be some deep-laid plan inimical to her happiness. How could she know but that he might have con- federates whom he had even now gone down-stairs to admit into the house ? This thought was one full of alarm, and it at once roused her to action. ““T must fly,” she said—‘“‘ I must fly from here at once, and at any risks and chances. Heaven aid me now, or I shall despair indeed.” | It was far easier, however, to decide upon the question of flight, than to carry it into execution; and yet she hastily ar- rayed herself for the streets, and walked to the door of her apartment witbout having, in the agitation of her mind, been able to lay down any fixed course of action. Flight! flight! from the place which contained that fiend in human shape, who had been the bauve of her young existence, was the only tangible idea which she thought of. She could not pause to consider its dangers, or if it were a practicable or a safe step, or if by any more judicious course, she could save herself from the necessity of adopting it; but she left her room, and with trembling steps, and in a state of mental agitation which transcends description, she commenced de- scending the staircase, down which, so shortly before, she had watched the disappearance of her enemy. While she saw no light she considered she was safe from en- countering him. and all was darkness, but she knew the stair- case wel] enough to descend by the aid of the balustrades in the dark as she in a few moments reached the passage unmolested. The secret door was gained. To open it was the work of a moment, although to the agitated mind of Mabel it seemed as if it never would obey the lock, and then she was in the street. CHAPTER XXXVII. THERE was only one circumstance which cast a gloom over the hopefulness with which the Mortons came to London, and that consisted in the fact, that it became necessary to com- municate to Monsieur Rouvselli the sad end of the young man enon he had sent to England to make inquiries concerning abel. The necessity of making this communication, after the argu- ment which Captain Morton had used in favor of it, was admit- ted by bis brother, who promised. since he might be said to have a kind of acquaintance with Monsieur Rouselli, to be the medium through which he should, with as much consideration as possible for his feelings, be made acquainted with the )ainful ‘truth. it was toward the latter part or the day that the Mortons, comicbooks. com