The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 251: what you’re looking at

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

248 THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. ‘“‘whatever may be my private opinion. Witness, will you answet the question I have asked of you?” ‘‘T will, sir: the French officer who handed the infant to Captain Morton, was, to my certain knowledge, Colonel Rou- selli!” ‘‘Thank God!” cried Captain Morton, ‘the truth has tri- umphed.” ‘“No, no!” shouted the solicitor; ‘‘ you mean Colonel Leroux. Think again.” ‘*Colonel Leroux was not there at all. He belonged to Grou- chy’s division—that was not on the field of battle.” ‘¢ And that may now at the bar—who is he?” ‘* He is not Colonel Leroux.” The attorney gave a groan, and the prisoner turned perfectly livid as be clutched the front of the bar for support. ‘‘Who is he?’ added the magistrate. * He is a Prussian by Lirth, and his name is Sternholde.” When the French witness uttered the name of Sternholde, the whole party of the Mortons started in amazement, for that name brought back the most terrible ideas to them, connected as it was with so much of the terrific, as had been recorded of him by the grandfather of Mabel. At once they seemed to see before them, not only the persecutor of the beautiful girl, but the un- relenting foe of her parents—the man who had earned so dread- ful and so unenviable a notoriety by the most atrocious actions that could disgrace human nature. They had suspected him of the murder of the traveler at the Morton Arms, but the truth is, they had not suspected him of the dreadful reputation which he really enjoyed. They all continued gazing upon him for some moments in silence, for there was no exclamation which the human language was capable of, which would have been suffi- ciently strong to convey their detestation of one, concerning whom they bad heard so much, and who, for the honor of human nature, they did hope was no longer in the land of the living. The magistrate saw with wonder the effect which the mere pronunciation of the name of Sternholde had upon the persons present, for it was an entirely new name to him, and as uncon- nected as possible with any previous ideas. But if, upun the prisoner’s accusers the pronunciation of his name had so marked an effect, it had, if possible, a much stronger one upon himself, for from the moment that he heard it declared who he was, he appeared to consider that all further attempt to disguise his real character was perfectly useless, and that the most desirable thing would be to glory in the dreadful reputation he had achieved. He drew himself proudly up, and no longer seemed at all anx- ious to avoid the glances of those around him. The attempted subornation of a witness had failed completely, and since he could not escape the worst consequences of being known for what he really was, he appeared to derive a , oomy satisfaction, in showing that he was really, and to the full, as fearful a char- comicbooks. com