The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 85: what you’re looking at

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

82 THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. parents of Mabel—I do not, but if you really do, and will im- part . me that information I will give you a reward of twenty ounds.’ ae Twenty what?” “Twenty pounds.” *D—n your assurance!) Twenty pounds! Why, how long do you suppose twenty pounds would last a man like me? I tell you what it is, Captain Morton—you either do, or you do not, wish to keep Miss Mabel all to yourself. If you do, lam the only man in existence who can enable you to do so, and I will be well paid. If you do not, say so at once, and leave me to adopt my own course.” ‘‘Candidly I do,” said Morton; ‘‘ but if the parents of Mabel are in a rank of life such as would enable her to associate pleas- urably with them, God forbid that I should step between a parent and a child. however much my heart would be grieved at her loss. Besides, under such circumstances, it would not be a loss. for such people would consult her happiness by leaving her with those who had so long stood to her in the place of natural protectors.” ** Ah, that’s all very well, captain, if such were the case. Under those circumstances you would have seen nothing of me: but it is because the friends of Mabel, who can claim her, are not such as she or you would much admire, that I think you will consider it worth your while to come down handsomely to me for the sake of keeping them separate.” ‘* This you must prove to me.” ‘ **Prove! D—n it, PU swear it.” ‘‘T would not take your oath. If you can give me such par- ticulars and such references as shall convince me beyond the shadow of a doubt that this child of the battle-field—whom I swore to protect, and whom, Heaven knows, I have done my duty by—has parents, or a parent, who may be in such a position in life, not through poverty, for that can be amended, but through cha acter, that her heart would be shocked to own them, I will pay vou for keeping her from them, or rather, them from her, till she is of age, and can act for herself, legally as well as precisely.” ‘+ Well,” said the fellow, with rather a look of discomfiture, ‘‘you take tolerably high ground in this affair.” ‘* Why should I not ?” ‘‘ Please yourself; please yourself.” ‘** Be assured that I mean to do 80.” ‘*Good; but that isa game which twocan play at. Now, IJ tell you, Captain Mcrton, that you must, if you deal with me at all, take my word for what I state; and then you must deal toler- able handsomelv.” ‘* Your word t—the word of a ruffian such as you are ?” “é Yes. Ain’t my word as good as another's, because my coat is not?” ‘*T premise that our conference ‘is not likely to lead to any satisfactory result, and therefore I shall apprehend you at once and have you Jodged in jail,” comicbooks. com