The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 289: what you’re looking at

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

286 THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. ‘‘Oh, ah! to be sure. Were you on the tiles, Rafferty? But that was very wrong, you know.” “Oh, you don’t know that Loudon, else you’d know it is a sea of tiles. Besides, an old soldier would follow an enemy any- where, and there is no mistake about it. But come, we are going to have a feast. Get the people together—get them to- gether. I’ve got the captain’s orders. We'll have a cup to begin with; there’s a barrel of ale on tap, we'll finish that now, and we'll have another to-morrow—one tapped on purpose.” There was a great shout given by the servants at ‘this, and some others came in at that moment, and a scene of joyous riot and disorder ensued instanter. The exuberance of Rafferty Brolickbones’ spirits was so great, that when the beer was drunk out, he got upon the cask, and executed an Irish jig upon the end of it, with such right good will that he knocked the head of the barrel in, and he disap- peared suddenly, to the great joy of the spectators, some of whom thought he had done it on purpose. However, he soon rose again, and convinced them it was quite an accident, for the edge of the barrel had taken the skin very cleanly off the end of both his nose and chin, as they disappeared in the bar- rel and close to its edge. * * * *% * * # There was a beautiful arbor in the garden, and one that had been a great favorite with Mabel. It was impervious to the eyes, and was a cool, sequestered, and sweet retreat in summer. But who are the occupants now? They are lovers—the volumes of unspoken love that beam from their eyes stamp them as the happiest of the happy. They seem to have given up the restraints of ceremony—they are accepted lovers. And who are they ? They are too well known to the readers. Harry Morton and Mabel. ina quiet moment he had followed her to her favorite bower, and there declared, fully and impassionedly, the love he felt. He knew she loved him—shbe admitted it; and, more- over, he had induced her to name the day, and, as he snatched a kiss from her lips, and as they rose to leave the bower, he paid: ‘‘Then, this day month, dearest Mabel, will see me one of the happiest men that the earth contains. Between this and then, how shall I not pray for the time to fly, and, after that, may it linger long—ay. longer than any impatient lover ever knew it to do so, when it stood between him and the object of bis wishes.” SG + aD CHAPTER LI. THE fate of the wretched but pre-eminently guilty Sternholde was fast drawing to a close. After the recent attempt to es- cape by means of the priest, double care and caution was ob- served. He was placed in another cell, and as his frantic efforts were directed against himself as well as others, he was secured comicbooks. com