The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 284: what you’re looking at

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

THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. — 281 ‘¢ It shall be done.” said the governor, ‘‘and anything you re- quire, compatible with the prison regulations, shall at once be awarded to you.” “‘I thank you; your kindness will be remembered by me. I can but thank you.” The governor disappeared, and shortly after a priest entered x the cell. The day was fast declining, and the hour for clearing * the prison was at hand; but the priest could not be affected by the general orders. He had the sheriff’s order, which admitted him at all hours that the prisoner desired it, save at such hours as people are all left asleep. ‘“* My son,” said the priest, ‘‘ t have come at your sending, to give you such consolation as the state of your soul may require, and be permitted by Heaven.” ‘* You are a Jesuit, are you not ?” ‘‘Tam an humble follower of the holy order of Jesus,” said the priest; ‘‘ but what of that, my son? Down upon your knees and confess your sins, that I may ” ‘< Brother,” said Sternholde, ‘‘I am a Jesuit, too.” ‘**You? And where were you educated ?” ‘‘In the Jesuit College atGottingen. I was there received into the holy order, and made one of yourselves.” ‘Convince me of this.” “Twill. At that time when I speak of, Father Gregory ruled the College, and he and some more proposed that so many of the order should have dispensations to throw off all their vows, save those which bound them to their order, so that they should mix in society the same as other men, tu enable them to propa- gate the doctrines, and to increase the power and prosperity of ‘the order.” “IT am oneof those monks. I have followed it forward: I have carried my way onward; I have done what I could for the support of the order, even in military circles, where you know they had less power than anywhere else.” ‘‘T do know it, brother.” ‘‘ And, moreover, I have been engaged in military affairs as well; and it is well known among the few at Gottingen that I have advanced the order in a manner that could not be done by other means; and, moreover, I have sown seeds that will in the future produce the more lasting results, because they are slower of growth, in the same manner that the hardest wood is longest of growth.” ‘*True, brother—true; but I must hear some of the secret signs of our order before I can give my entire credence to what you say.” ‘*‘You are hard of belief.” ‘“‘Tt is the rule of our order not lightly to betray our confi- dence to any one; give me the word——” ‘“*T will do more; incline your ear, for even stone walls of a condemned cell may not hear what I have to say.” The monk inclined his ear toward Sternholde, and the latter bowed toward him, and uttered some words, in a low tone, in comicbooks. com