The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. 48 ‘Oh, the—Mortons. A large family of them, I suppose ?” ‘*No, sir. Captain Morton——” ‘‘ Captain in the army?” ‘« Ags was, sir—as was. He was in a many fights, sir: and the battle of Waterloo, too, sir, ve heard. In course I can’t say on my own knowledge, ’cos I wasn’t there to see him, but they do Bay as such was the case, sir.” ‘‘Indeed! And his family?” ‘‘Oh, he’s got no family —always excepting one.” The Jandlord here winked mysteriously, and the stranger said: ‘‘What do you mean? [reallydo not understand you!” ‘‘Oh, well, he’s got one. A pity it’s a gal, sir; a wonderful pity she’s a gal. That’s what I always do say. A _ wondertul pity, sir—a-hem! There’s two sides to a blanket, sir.” ‘So I suppose.” ‘Well, captains, you know, will Le captains. Miss Mabel-——” ‘* Ah!” cried the stranger. ‘‘ Good God! sir, what’s the matter ?” ‘‘Nothing—nothing. Goon, Mr. Toggs, and never mind me. A sudden sort of spasm, you see, ‘which comes over me, now and then. You mentioned that a young girl named Mabel, formed one of the captain’s family? Is she beautiful ?” **A angel, sir—a angel.” ‘‘ And her age ?” ‘‘ About sixteen—may be younger, may be older. Jem, the hostler, thinks she’s ‘rising’ sixteen, but I don’t.” *¢ And she is known to be his daughter ?” “Not a bit—not a bit. Know, indeed! Lord bless you, of course nobody says nothing to him about it. He’s not the sort of man to ask questions of in an off-hand way, sir. He’d soon put anybody down, he would; only we know she isn’t his wife’s child, and we know she’s nobody else’s; and wheu we put it all together, and take that from this, and this from that, and give ita turn in our minds, you see, sir, we comes to a conclusion, and we says, ‘ Miss Mabel is the captain’s—of ‘ourse, she’s the captain’s and very much to his credit, too, that he will have her home in the way as he does.” ‘‘ He has to exert his authority, then, on that point ?” ‘‘Oh, no—oh, no—oh,-no, They all like her, they do. I heard from Sarah, which is parlor-maid at the Hall, that when the captain thought of sending Miss Mabel to a school some- where to be finished off, Mrs. Morton cried for two days, till the captain had to say he wouldn’t have her finished at all, and she should stay.” “It is strange that so much affection should subsist between the captain’s wife and one so peculiarly situated as this girl.” ‘‘It is, sir. That’s what I often say. It’s wery extra ami- able, itis, sir. A long way over proof, I should say, speaking in a spirituous sort of way.” The young stranger produced an elegant gold watch, and ex- claimed, as he glanced at it,— ‘Past nine, I declare; I knew not it was so late. T shall comicbooks. com