The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 52: what you’re looking at

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

THE CHILD OF WATERLOO, 49 be done for me, if any violence is necessary to-night. You will be hanged or transported, my friend. Your evil genius has de- livered you into my hands.” He now gathered more boldness, for he reasoned with himself, “If he, the hostler, could carry a light here, and create no alarm, why may not I? J have the means of getting a light. Yet, stay; what a glorious thing it would be now to possess my- self of his.” He approached the door of the room inte which the hostler had gone, to listen if he could hear if he were sleeping or waking. When he got close to the door he found that it was but imperfectly shut, and opened with a touch. The candle was upon a table. To secure it was the work of a moment, and then the mendicant left the room again as noiselessly as he had entered it. Looking about him he saw the number 8 upon the door, and he at once opened it and walked into the private apartment of the young traveler. The first glance sufficed to convince him that the saddle which contained the papers he wished to appropriate to him- self was not there. He knew from the position of the house that the next room must have the moonlight in it; therefore, he would not take the light with him, but he placed it in a corner of the room. He then slowly approached the inner door, which opened to the sleeping chamber of the traveler. He placed his ear against the panel, and listened for a few moments; all was still, and then he slowly turned the handle of the lock. It fell back easily, and in another moment the slumbering man was at the mercy of one who had no atom of that quality in his composition. As he had anticipated, the moonlight came into that room sufficiently to make every object in it plainly visible. By the foot of the bed he saw the saddle, in the pocket of which he doubted not were the documents which he had so much set his heart upon possessing. On the table, too, were various articles, one of which was a purse. which, from its weight, seemed to be tolerably well filled, and which the mendicant immediately pos- sessed himself of. He seemed to be fully convinced that rapidity of action now was of considerable importance, and, hastily laying hold of sev- eral small articles—not that he wanted them for their value, but that he intended to cast them into No. 6, where was sleeping the unconscious hostler, in order to throw suspicion upon him — he placed them in his poner and then he laid his hands upon the saddle, and with his knife commenced ripping it open in search of the secret pocket that contained the papers. In a few moments he found a small packet, tied round with a piece of green silk. Hecould hardly keep from expressing his satisfaction as he found it, and, in an instant, transferring them to his pocket, he rose to his feet, and was on the point of rush- ing to the door to escape with his prize, when he heard the bed- stead creak, and casting his eyes upon the bed, he saw the young traveler looking bim full in the face. For a moment fear paralyzed him. During that moment the comicbooks. com