The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 259: what you’re looking at

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

256 THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. well for sometime. When my vacation occurred I was hronyht home and presented to my mother-in-law, who received me ver raciousty; but I thought there was more show than real feel- ng inher manner. I was resolved, young as I then was, that I would never treat her as if she had my entire confidence, but that I would be reserved and never trust her. My vacation over, I returned to school, without either sorrow or regret at having to leave home, though I had certainly no reason why I should desire to go back to school. Time flew by and I returned home, and there found my father had increased his family; he had another son by his second wife, and I soon found out that there was a change in the house as well as an increase of its in- mates. ‘*My mother-in-law seemed to have taken a fancy that I was an impediment to her plans, Jjand to remove me from my father’s sight was her great object. If she could get me out of the way, that would enable her to have a complete com- mand over him; do that and she would be satisfied. She did all she could to succeed; all things were in her favor; my father was fond of her and of the child. I do not quarrel with him for that—it was perfectly natural he should; but it blinded him to some of my mother-in-law’s faults; she had acquired a sort of command over him, and he got, at length, in the habit of surrendering his will to bers, and his inclinations were rather curbed, or they were entirely suppressed, as she appeared to oppose them more or less energetically than before. She used to show ber ill-will to me by informing him, upon every pos- sible occasion, of the little peccadillos of which I had been guilty, and especially commenting upon them. At length my father grew so weary of my enormities, and the trouble and the long lectures they brought with them, that I believe he be- gan to Imagine that I was born especially for the purpose of tormenting him. This, I have no doubt, was the cause of his ermitting me to do as I pleased, and allowing my mother-in- aw the full power of disposing of me tosave himself the trouble of having anything to do with an unruly boy; he was somewhat of an indolent disposition, and averse to any contention what- ever, ‘‘It was a plan of my mother-in-law’s that J should be sent away; she wished me to go to sea, and I had an objection to that; I was, moreover, too young for that, which my father said himself, and he thought I might do elsewhere. “** Do elsewhere!’ I remember her very words; ‘ do elsewhere! he never will do anywhere; you bad better send him to sea than let him stay here to be hanged.’ ‘«* But he did not do so badly at school,’ said my father;. ‘ he’s not old enough to take away from school yet, and he was never complained of by them, but has had a very good character; he is bad here; well, let it be so; all children are worse at home than they are when they are out.’ | ‘*«Then send him out, if that be true,’ said my mother-in-law; *send him out.’ ‘** Very well, he shal) go,’ said my father, who was by 29 comicbooks. com