The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 54: what you’re looking at

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

THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. 51 had done. ‘‘ What a trouble—it is hard a poor fellow can’t have a sleep without being bothered. There goes that fellow again, I do declare. I’d makea row, only it is such trouble. I thought 1 heard a noise just now, but, really—ah, what a trouble!” Down lay Troubled Tom to sleep again, and in another few moments he was as sound in repose as before. But he had seen the mendicant now twice, when that personage little suspected any human eye was upon him, and although, slow thinker as was Troubled Tom, he placed no importance upon the circum- stance, yet he would soon be doomed to discover that it was of the greatest possible interest to some one. The report of the istol simultaneously awakened every one in theinn, The land, ord, Master Toggs, sprung out of bed with a bewildered look and cried out aloud, — ‘‘Coming, coming, coming!” Jem, the hostler, awakened, and sat bolt upright with a half sleepy stare, as he said,— ‘* What’s the row now ?” At the moment that he said so, something fell on his bed, and this extra circumstance so bewildered him, that he began rub- bing his eyes, and remarking to himself,— ‘‘T suppose I’m fast asleep still, and it’s some odd dream; that’s all I can say about it.” But Toggs felt convinced that his alarm was no dream, espe- cially as he now heard the banging of doors, as some of the female part of the establishment were aroused. ‘Is it a fire, or thieves ?” he heard the cook exclaim, in a loud voice, and then came a scream from Susan, who was the ‘‘ odd woman ” of the establishment. ‘‘ It’s something or another,” said Toggs, and accordingly he rose, and opening his window, which was to the front of the house, he commenced springing the rattle which had caused so active a pursuit, and so nearly a capture of the mendicant. The springing of the rattle at once convinced Jem, the hostler, that there was something more in it than a mere dream, and he at once rushed out into the corridor. In the state of drowsiness he was in when he had so sur- reptitiously taken possession of No. 6, he had not thought it nec- essary to divest himself of all his apparel, so that he was quite dressed sufficiently to be able to make an appearance. ‘* Hilloa, Toggs—Master Toggs,” he cried, ‘“‘what’s the row? Who’s got hold of you ?” ‘* Nobody,” cried Toggs. ‘* What’s the matter?” ‘‘Can’t say, on my life. You are making such an infernal riot with that rattle that Idon’t think we shall ever know.” ** Dido’t you hear a noise ?” ‘Yes, I did, Lut what it was Ican’t guess, Here comes some- body with a light. I suppose you are quite aware, Toggs, that the somebody who’s a-coming is thecook or Susan. It’s no busi- ness of mine, but you've forgot your breeches, and that shirt of yours isn’t so long as it might be.” ‘*God bless me!” said Toggs; “really, I did forget;” and he comicbooks. com