The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 227: what you’re looking at

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

904 THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. But Jet us glance at the Mortons. With the most trembling eagerness did Henry Morton and his brother reach the door of the house where they were told they again would see the dear object of their utmost solici- tude. It was the officer himself who knocked so Joudly, for though on his account he would not have done so, he felt the impatience of the visitors he brought, and considered that the summons he made resound from the knocker was on their account and not his own. His wife had no suspicion that it was he who knocked, so she opened the door in a great flutter, thinking that it was at least some of the magistracy, who required the services of her husband in a wonderful hurry. ‘¢ Well, I’m sure, John,” she said, when she saw him, ‘‘ you are a nice article to come knocking at that rate, and putting me out of sorts.” ‘‘ Hush, wife, hush! here are some gentlemen; it was for them J] knocked, not for myself. Will you walk in, gentlemen, if you please? Chairs, wife, chairs.” The officer’s wife when she really saw that there were visitors, guessed at once their errand, and she exclaimed— “‘ Oh, it is the friends of the young lady!” ‘‘ Hush! for Heaven’s sake!’ said Captain Morton; ‘‘I dread giving her too sudden a shock.” ‘Oh, where is she? Let me fly to her!” said Henry. ‘‘No, no; pause a moment,” added Captain Morton, as he sat down, and looked very pale. ‘‘I could not have believed that I should have been s0 agitated. Pause amoment or two, I be- seech you, Henry.” Henry, was, however, all impatience, till the officer said— ‘‘T think it would be prudent to prepare her by degrees for the unexpected appearance of those whom she has been so longing for.” ‘* Be it so,” said Henry, ‘‘ but how is that to be done ?” ‘‘ Leave it to my wife.” ‘Yes, yes, madam; do you go and prepare her as well as you can for the news, so that it may not come upon her with too sudden a shock. Tell her—nay, 1 cannot instruct you; you must tell her what you please, only be as brief as possible in pity to our impatience.” ‘<7 will do my best, sir,” said the officer’s wife; and she as- cended to Mabel’s apartment, leaving those below in a fever of impatience which it was no easy matter for them to combat. The good-hearted woman tapped gently at the door, and Mabel herself opened it, and made a weak attempt at a smile, for she knew, and felt grateful that she, the officer’s wife, had come to cheer her in her solitude. ‘“‘Come, my dear,” said the woman; “you don’t seem so happy to-day, you must hope for the best, you know. Ihave some news for you.” A cry of joy came from the lips of Mabel, and she said— “‘'Yes,—oh, yes—oh, yes—they have written!” ‘They bave; and what is more, they have written to say that comicbooks. com