The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 44: what you’re looking at

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

THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. 41 ‘“‘Thank you, sir, thank you. Very much beholden to your honor. This way, sir, if you please.” ‘“ No. 8,” muttered the mendicant-—“‘ humph! No. &, and the bedroom adjoins that room. °Tis well—'tis well.” ; He gave the horse a kick which set it rearing and shying, and then he walked into the house again, whither had gone Toggs, the hostler, and the traveler, whose steed, had it not been so weary as it was, might have started off after the rough usage it received from the beggar. . ‘‘ A pretty fellow you are to mind a gentleman’s horse,” said the hostler, when he came back. . ‘‘ Mind it yourself, and be d——d,” was the polite reply. *“'You are a beauty.” ‘‘ There’s two of us then.” ‘‘ How long are you going to stay here—I should like to know.” “‘Should you ?” ‘Yes, I should. Because if anything’s missed we shall know pretty well who’s got it. You look so very honest!” “Hark ye, friend,” said the mendicant; ‘‘there’s one of my looks that you have not yet translated. I’m a little dangerous now and then.” ‘‘ Are you, indeed? There’s an old muzzle in the stable that I'll pop on you in a moment, whenever I think you want it.” Feeling quite satisfied then that he had got the best of the en- counter, Jem, the hostler, walked away, leading the horse, and whistling as he went. “Fool that I was,” muttered the mendicant, ‘‘to waste words upon such a man as that. When shall I be able to subdue this headstrong passion which has caused me to fail in so many of my schemes and projects, and which will ruin this, the greatest and most important of them all, if lam not careful? t me consider—let me consider. I have done no harm as yet.” He threw himself into a seat, and for more than half an hour was lost in deep thought. No one came near bim for the whole of that period, for the whole establishment was busy with the new guest, who seemed a man of wealth and eubstunce, for everything he ordered was directed to be of the very best description, and he never asked the price of anything, so he was considered to be a guest well worth attending to, and just the sort which Master Toggs would have been glad to see come a little oftener to the Morton Arms than they did. The night was a very dark one, but the air though was pleas- ant and refreshing, and as the window of the room in which the young traveler was placed opened upon a well-kept garden, he ad opened it, and there sat silently examining some papers which he had taken from a carefully secured pocket in the sad- dle hejhad been so particular about, and which lay on the ground close to his feet. e had two candles upon the table, and the rest of the room, for it was a good-sized one, was in that state of sont dareneee which the inefficient light of candles always pro- uces, There was upon his countenance'a look of great anxiety as he appeared to. be comparing some of the papers with others, comicbooks. com