The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 47: what you’re looking at

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

44 THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. go early to bed to-night, Mr. Toggs, for I have ridden far to- a “9 The bottle of Madeira was now exhausted, and as Toggs had sufficient rationality left him to understand that the consulta- tion of the watch was a hint to be gone, he rose accordingly, saying,-— f Sir, if there is anything else the house affords, I can only say you have but tosignify your commands, sir, and it’s yours.” ‘‘Thank you; in half an hour I shall retire for the night.” ‘Very, good, sir.” ‘‘ Do not let me be disturbed; and before I retire, I shall go and look at my horse, as I make it an invariable rule so to do before going to bed myself.” ‘* Certainly, sir, certainly.” Toggs again bowed himself out, and off he ran to Jem, the hostler, to announce the intended visit to the horse. ‘* And quite right, too,” said Jim. ‘*‘How’s he to know what sort of a conscience resides in my busem, eh? How’s he to know as the most conscientiousest ‘ostler as never lived is me? He'll find the ’oss as right as a trivet, let him come when he will; I know he will, I’ve give him a hard rub down and a soft rub, a brush of the feet, and I've stopped his fore-feet as well as ever a fore-foot was stopped.” ‘‘ Here he comes, Jem.” The young stranger came down-stairs, and Jem, stepping up to him, said,—— , ‘* Want to see the ’oss, sir? ‘6 Yes,” ‘* This way, sir, please—this here’s the way.” Holding his stable- lantern as high as he could, Jem led the way to the stables, where, to do him justice, he had done ample jusiice to the gentleman’s horse. ‘*T have not visited the stable from any suspicion that you had not properly attended to my horse,” said the young man; “* but asl siwave proportion what I give a hostler to the state in which I find my steed, I always go myself and look at it.” ‘* All right, sir.” ‘‘A half-crown placed in Jem’s capacious hand, showed the estimation in which the stranger held him; and then they were both on the point of leaving the stable, when they were con- fronted by the mendicant, who said in an insolent tone,— “You seem mighty liberal, sir; perhaps you'll pay me now for holding your horse.” ““'Who are you ?” ‘* You may well ask, sir,” said Jem. ‘‘ He’s a vagabone, sir, a out-and-out vagabone, sir, that’s what he is, and you don’t ought to give him a farden.” ‘‘Nor shall I.” ‘*Then you may be damned” said the fellow, ‘‘ and I tell you what it is—I did intend to sleep here, but I won't now; Pll walk on, if it’s ten miles further, to the next inn.” “How dreadful!” said Jem. ‘‘ Why, I'd a stood a pint at avy time to get you in that mind, old fellow. He’s disgusted ‘ecomiclbooks.com