The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 129: what you’re looking at

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

a =< tf THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI’S YOUNG CAPTAIN. 123 he helped himself to the contents thereof very liberally, for the more aman drinks the more he wants, He even went so far as to light a cigar, and, while puffing it, allowed his imagination to roam into the wild regions of fancy. But the chief subject of his thoughts was of the pretty ballet dancer, Jennie Jackson. “Lovely creature!” he sighed, “Superb limbs !) such hair! sweh eyes! and such fect! Heigho! who wouldn’t be a rich man to have it in his power to dandle and dawdle?with such pretty playthings? Ha! who would not?” And the old rascal, between|the pufis of his fra- grant Hayannah, piously meditated on the misery and horror of being poor, and as he did so he chuckled to himself at the bare thought of how many thousands he himself had acquired by cool- ness and knavery. With legs cocked up on a chair opposite to him, he blew clouds of cigar smoke, which curled round and round his head in light blue circles, until at last the room was half-filled with a narcotic atmo- sphere, Immediately before him was a large mirror, But the light of the candle being dim, and the clouds of smoke combined, prevented him from having a good look at himself as he sat grinning at the success of his own villany through life, “Well, Mr. Flint,” said he, chuckling, “you have been a very clever lawyer, very clever indeed, and can now retire from public life very handsomely. Here’s success, and a long life of pleasure to you.” He raised a glass of wine to his lips, and was about to tossit off, when his astonished eyes caught be of a reflection in the lengthy mirror before im, The glass fell from his hand, and was smashed upon the floor, “Great heavens !” he gasped, ‘It was the reflection -of Jonathan as he stood behind the lawyer's cliaiy, - “Great heavens !” ce Flint, now thoroughly sobered. “Great heavens! where did you spring from? No; it cannot be. Do my eyes deceive me ? No !—yes |—it is my old friend Jonathan !” said Flint, hastily rising, and confronting the stern features of the late master of Bromley Hall, “ Why, as I live, it’s you! Oh! how de-light-ed Iam to see you. Give me your hand, How are you? Why, who’d ever a ,thought of seeing you here? Why, I’ve been looking for you all over the town for the past week or more ; onmyhonourLhave, I am de- lighted to see you.” ‘Indeed !” said Jonathan, very coolly taking a chair, and throwing himself into it. ‘‘ Pass the bottle, I’m very thirsty, Flint.” Flint handed a bottle of port to his “ dear friend,” but with a forced smile upon his ugly, furrowed countenance, internally -wishing that it might poison him. “ Here, my dear friend, help yourself, Oh! how pleased [am to see you, Ifyou had,been my own brother, this visit couldn’t have given me greater pleasure ; and you are looking so well too. Why, you look twenty years younger ; on my honour you do,’ | “Do 1?” said Jonathan, tossing off a bumper, “ Really, how funny.” “ No fun, my friend, it’s the plain truth,” ‘Sorry I can’t return the compliment, for I never, in all my life before, saw aman who looked so pale and grinned so ugly as you do, You look, Flint, as if Calcraft had acted valet to you, and decorated your neck with a stout bit of rope.” Eee sss as H-u-s-s-s-h !” said the lawyer, in a confidential whisper, “I’m Flint no longer; at least, not so while here,” “ What then?” said Jonathan. “To my know- ledge you have gone under a dozen names in private life since I have known you, What's your alias now, then?” “Schmidt, sir — Schmidt; don’t forget, S-c-h-m-i-d-t,”” said the lawyer, spelling it, and counting off the letters on his thin long fingers. ‘Well, it little matters ‘to me,” said Jonathan, “what you choose to call yourself. You know what Thave come for, of course? The four days are past.” “Why, yes; so they have, I quite forgot all about that engagement.” “ But J did not,” said Jonathan, firmly, and with a grimsmile, ‘I haye gone through much trouble since last I ‘saw you, and wish to come to a settle- ment at once.” “But the boy and girl?” said the lawyer, with a quivering lip. ‘Are they safely housed ?” “Of course they are.” ‘‘T intended to call at Bromley Hall in a day or two, but—” “Tt’s no use to go down there, at least for some time,’”’ was the reply; “for I musé not be seen about Bromley.” “Indeed! Why?” ‘Oh, nothing; it is simply a matter of keeping quiet for a little while, and taking another name, as you have done, that’s all. The academy is broken up for the present, and all owing to those two young ruffians, Frank and Tom Ford.” After a pause, and some little explanation on Jonathan’s part, old Flint remarked, drily,— “Well, I’m sorry to think things have taken such a sudden turn for the worst, my dear friend, and if I could help you in any way I would do so with pleasure, but as itis I—” “What!” said Jonathan, rising, and with an angry look, “ What do you mean? ”’ “Mean, my friend ; I simply mean this, that I have nothing more to do’with your concern at Bromley Hall,” said old Flint, trying to cow down and intimidate his long-legged companion; in truth, endeavouring to look and act as_ bravely as possible, although at the same time shivering in his shoes, The possible consequences of any sudden outburst and display of physical force on Jonathan’s part, caused Flint’s heart to quail, The lawyer met his companion’s fixed gaze with a look of icy coldness, as he continued with a trembling lip: ‘I made a certain bargain with you concerning the boy and girl, with the promise that if they died within a certain time, you should re- ceive a certain sum,” ‘Well, and have I not acted up to my share in this agreement, as I have in all others we have had together ?”’ “ Perhaps not,” said old Flint, rising and looking round the room as if in search of something. The truth was that he began to tremble at Jona- than’s vicious countenance, and for a moment walked into the inner parlor in search of a revolver he had there, lying by his bedside’ on a small table. He found it and put it into his pocket, and re- turned to the front parlor. Jonathan smiled viciously at the lawyer's remark, and took another copious draught of wine. Flint, having the revolver in his pocket, now felt very valiant and resumed his seat in a very cool, careless, off-handed manner, QO CoMmicbooks.c©