The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 246: what you’re looking at

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

THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. 243 amination of a man who had heaped for a time such misery upon Mabel, but he begged that they would cease to combat his desire to be present, saying: ‘I own that by going I may only inflame the passionate feel- ings that already, as regards that man, have found a bome in my heart; but I wish to see him, and want to know if he is like what I have in my mind's eye pictured him.” . Of course, after this, the Mortons made no further opposition to his going; and as Rafferty went, whether he was wanted or not, the whole party was assembled at the police office. The captain had had a long conversation with the hostler of the village inn, who was so strongly of opinion that this same man would unquestionably turn out to be the murderer of the young traveler, of which murder he had himself been so wrong- fully accused, and the last words which had passed between them on that subject, had been to the effect that he, Captain Morton, should say nothing upon that subject until he saw him, the late hostler, again. | ‘*T will post down to the village, captain,” he said, ‘‘ and get up all the evidence I can as to the identity of the supposed mur- derer; and I hope I shall be back in time to be present at the ex- amination before the police magistrate, which is about to take lace. But if I cannot, he is not at all likely to be discharged rom custody.” ‘Not at all. I will take care of that.” ‘“‘Then I shall go with perfect confidence, sir.” * Are you certain, now, that you have sufficient means of your own to prosecute the necessary inquiries ?” *¢ Quite, sir,” said the hostler, with a smile: “ various circum- stances which, some day when we have all gone back again to the village, for there I shall fix my habitation, I will relate to you, placed me in the position of life in which you first knew me, but all that is changed now.” . ‘*T am extremely glad to hear it.” ‘‘Of that I am certain; and now I will be off at once, with the hope of getting back quickly.” | he only circumstance which at all annoyed Captain Morton as regarded this business of the murder at the village inn, was that the whole affair would bave now, with all its painful and aggravating circumstances, to be told to old Monsieur Rouselli, and so he would have the pang of knowing that one whom he had esteemed had, in consequence of placing himself in a posi- tion of danger for him, come toa cruel and terrible death. When, therefore, so unexpectedly, the hostler had made his appearance, and all the circumstances concurrent upon that appearance had taken place, Captain Morton felt that it would be no longer possible to keep from Monsieur Rouselli a knowledge of the fate of his young friend and relative. But still there was no necessity to take time by the forelock, soCaptain Morton made up his mind not to disturb the serenity of Monsieur Rouselli with the new narration of the murder, until the hostler should return, and it became impossible any longer to keep that affair a secret. : comicbooks. com