The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 60: what you’re looking at

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

THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. 57 can say is, Master Toggs, that if I can’t find anybody else, I’ll take you up. But who does anybody suspect ?” Mr. Spurgin laid his finger on the side of his nose as he said this, and when he was toid that no one was strongly suspected at all, but that the whole affair was involved in profound mys- tery, all he could say upon the subject was, ‘‘ Oh!” ‘“‘The proper way,” said Captain Morton, ‘‘ will be, asI have declined being in the commission of the peace, to send to some one who is, and I should suggest that a messenger be instantly dispatched to Mr. Ormonde, at Ormonde Lodge, asking him to come here as soon as possible.” Jem was again in request as the messenger, and, as Ormonde Lodge was nearer to the Morton Arms than was Morton Hall, he soon returned with Mr. Ormonde, its proprietor, who, after exchanging civilities with Captain Morton, heard with un- feigned surprise the particulars, as far as they were known, of what had occurred. Matters were now set in train to give the whole affair a most thorough investigation. The chamber of the traveler was first thoroughly looked over, but nothing was there found having any further connection with the murder. Then the outer room underwent the same scrutiny, and the landlord at once said, in a tone of astonish- ment: ‘‘Why, here’s a kitchen candlestick here, such as is never brought up-stairs into these rooms.” ‘“‘T can account for that,” said Jem. 66 You id ‘** Yes, I brought it up.” **Oh, when the alarm was given?” ‘* No—yes—no—yes! How came it there ?—let me think.” ‘What do you mean?” said Mr. Ormonde, fixing a keen glance on the countenance of Jem. ‘‘T can tell you, sir. I fell asleep in the stable last night, without thinking of it, and I woke up cold and stiff through lying half on the stones. I went into the kitchen, and by the nearly dying embers of the fire, lit a kitchen candle, and came up-stairs with it. I was half asleep, and blundered up the wron staircase, so I went into No. 6 and threw myself on the bed, an welt to sleep there.” ‘‘ But this is not No. 6.” ‘* No, sir, this is No. 8,” ‘‘Then how came your candle here ?” ‘*T cannot tell you.” ‘‘My friend, you must yourself feel at this moment that the circumstance is a suspicious one.” ‘It is, sir, But how it came there I cannot tell any more than you can. All] know I have told you justasithappened. I had no business to sleep in No. 6, but I thought n+ harm of it at the time. Indeed, I was too sleepy almost to think of it at all. I remember, though, putting the light on-the table.” ‘* We will now go at once to No. 6,” said the magistrate, ore **Perbaps you will have no objection to accompany Us comicbooks. com