The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 41: what you’re looking at

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

88 THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. ‘‘What do you mean?” said the mendicant. ‘‘ Who asked you for anything, eh ?” Lee “ Why—a—a—lI certainly cannot say—a-hem!—that you did; but, my friend, I had good reason to suppose so, surely —a-hem id ‘“‘T will give you a word of advice, friend. Don’t estimate people by their looks, or you may make some odd mistakes oc- casionally, I can tell you. A gentleman may strut about in the costume of a beggar. Look here.” The fellow took from a concealed pocket in his tattered ap- arel some silver, which he showed to the landlord, and which ad-such a mollifying effect upon mine host of the Morton Arms, that he did move out of the way, saying: ‘‘Well, my friend, if you really came to spend, instead of begeing money, you will find the tap-room the first door on the right.’ ‘*Good. Let me have brandy and something to eat.” ‘*Humph!” said the landlord, when his ragged guest had passed into the house; ‘‘ brandy and something to eat. A very tidy order, truly, for a vagabond such as that. Howsomdever, one man’s money is as good as another’s any day in the week, so here goes. [ill serve him myself, though, and take care to have the money before he takes any of the drirkable or the eatable.”’ With this prugent resolve, the landlord, whose name was Toggs, set about obeving the order of his mysterious guest. Toggs then himself took into the tap-room the ardent liquid which had been ordered, along with some bread and cheese. He found his guest looking as much at home as any one well could. The tap-room of the Morton Arms at that time boasted of no other occupant, and the fellow sat with his legs upon a chair he had drawn opposite to him, looking for all the world, as Toggs said to himself, as if he were the sheriff of the county. -‘ Fifteen-pence,” said Toggs, as he laid down the refresh- ments. but not so far out of his reach that he could not, should be see occasion so to do, lay hold of them again with sufficient rapidity. **Good.” said the stranger, as he threw down a shilling and a sixpence, which after ascertaining they were both good, Toggs transferred to the canvas pocket in the apron he wore, and from the similar receptacle on the other side produced the change. ‘‘Have you sprightly neighbors hereabouts?” said the men- dicant. ‘‘Oh! ah—yes.” ‘¢ What sort of neighborhood is it ?”’ ‘Why, a very good sort of neighborhood in its way.” ‘‘T saw a large, handsome-looking house in the neighborhood, close to the lake.” ‘¢Ob, that’s Captain Morton’s.” ‘‘Indeed! Then it was his daughter whom I saw, I suppose, in the grounds—a pretty, dark-haired girl, of about sixteen?” ‘‘ His daughter—‘well—but it’s no business of mine; bus they do say that the young lady is a natural daughter of Captain comicbooks. com