The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 90: what you’re looking at

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

THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. 87 ‘¢7'll do anything for drink and money.” ‘“'Then come this way.” They both walked further into the wood, and after earnestly conversing for about an hour, the confederates shook hands, saying: ‘*It is an agreement, then?” ‘* Yes, I promise ” CHAPTER XVIII. THESE two very questionable characters now having settled in their own minds some diabolical plan, no doubt inimical to the peace of persons who were, compared to them, as angels to devils, began to look cautiously from the covert they had chosen, for the purpose of ascertaining if it would be safe to emerge therefrom. ‘* All’s right,” said he whom we have called the mendicant, but who was named by his companion Solme, and therefore, whom we may as well call by that name, whether it be or not his correct one—‘‘ali's right, Ned; there’s no one near now, and if there were, this costume that I am in would be amply suffi- cient disguise to protect me and enable me to protect you.”’ ‘* Well, mind you stick by me, Solme. I don’t want, if I can help it, to get into the hands of these infernal rustics. When once they catch a fellow, they father upon him all the horse- stealing, and hen-roost robbing, and burglaries that have hap- pened for the last twelve months.” ‘‘ And perhaps they would be right enough in your case, Ned,” said Solme. ‘**No, d—n me, no. London got too hot, you see, to hold me, that was the fact, and I came down here to rusticate a little, that was all, and more for the benefit of the change of air than anything else, I can assure you.” ‘* Why could you not keep yourself quiet, then ?” ‘‘Oh, you know what’s bred in the bone will come out of the flesh. Keep myself quiet, indeed!—stuff! I only took from a farmer’s wife the proceeds of her poultry and eggs as she was coming from market, then the old dame set up such a yelping, as if she were not sensible of the honor of being robbed by me, Dashing Ned of Newington.” 7 po you still, then, retain your old name ?” 66 0.” ‘* And I dare say deserve it. Now, go to the village, and just on the outskirts of it, on this side, you willsee a little huckster’s shop, where they sell everything; get there a sheet of paper, a bottle of ink and a pen.” ‘* Do you think I shall be safe?” ‘*Quite. The pursuit has gone the other way altogether, and died off in the distance, as you are aware.” | ‘* But you haven’t told me why you can’t go yourself.” ‘* There is a special reason. An accident bas bappened in the village, and they seem inclined to blame me for it,” _ **Whew! A bad accident?” comicbooks. com