The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 83: what you’re looking at

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

80 THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. light, and beauty, and goodness above, that would yet make his guiltlessness apparent to all behoiders. CHAPTER XVI. THE reader will probably recollect that, at a time when Cap- tain Morton and his lady were in the midst of their great anx- iety for fear some claimant was about to arise for the possession of Mabel, the mendicant, upon whose shoulders popular opinion was correctly enough fastening the odium of the dreadful crime of murder which had been committed at the inn, had had the insolence to come to the Hall and demand to see Captain Mor- ton. When Captain Morton entered the apartment in which the mendicant was, he found him standing near to the door of an in- ner room, and apparently in as free an attitude as he could, as if he knew not how quickly he might be called upon for some vig- orous action in the shape of self-defense. | ‘* This is,” said Captain Morton, who spoke first, ‘‘a piece of the most unparalleled audacity.” ‘* Indeed!” was the reply, in tones half-subdued and half-inso- lent. ‘‘ Indeed! and yet you come at my demand to see you, because you do not know but I may have power to touch you nearly.” “Te is useless to disguise from you,” said Morton, ‘that I consider you a scoundrel, capable of inventing any tale to the prejudice of anybody. J presume your errand here is for money ?” ‘‘ Indeed, Captain Morton,” said the medicant, ‘‘ you have a ready wit, A young girl, named Mabel, resides under your roof.” 66 e mis ; ‘‘It is well, so far as it has gone, I ,have no doubt; but it re- mains to be seen if it continues well. She is not your child.” ** Not my child ?” ‘‘Come, come, this is useless prevarication. It can do no good between us whatever. We shall come to an agreement, or we shall not; but concerning the facts there can and need be no dispute. You remember the battle of Waterloo?” ‘* All who look back on that great struggle cannot forget it.” ‘‘True. You ahd I were both there, and when the fight was done, or nearly so, you lay wounded on the field.” ‘* Well, well.” ‘* Don’t be too hasty, captain. By the bye, you were only lieu- tenant then. I am coming to the point. A wounded officer placed the child in your care, whom you now call Mabel, and would fain pass off.as your own. Itisof no use your denying these facts. I was an eye-witness. Let that suffice.” ‘*Be you whom you may, I have neither desire nor skill to deny what is true; but what then ?” ‘That is your only remark. When then? I will tell you. A claimant may come for the child.” “Well ?” ‘*Oh, you think that well, do you? but I can see through the comicbooks. com