The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 140: what you’re looking at

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

——— - 134 thee ?” : **T could not be mistaken now = “Tt was the same young Englishman whom all thought was dead. ‘There stood before me, not five yards off; one of the bravest young men who had-faced the enemy that day. ; , F an him by his yoice, but not from’ anything e. “He was so much changed. indeed, to what he had been at Bromley Hall that he looked more like the ghost of his own self than anything else. * | approached, and tapped him on the shoulder. ‘He turned his head, and almosé staggered from weakness. “He shook me cordially. by the hand, and in a ric gas told me all his history since I last saw Ttaly; who would. not ficht and shed their blood for ‘“‘ While listening in amazement to all bis trials and sufferirgs I could not utter a word m reply, for it was through me he had been cast into prison, and it was, he said, because poor, broken-spirited, and without-a ray of hope in life worth hvins for & he had suddenly left England and joined Gari- baldi’s men in hopes of »meeting: death: in the first battle. ‘* While my old friend. and yours also; Tads, was speaking to me thus, I heard a voice calling ont for me loudly, “Tt was an aide-de-camp of Garibaldi. “The general was at that moment passing through the Plazza with a brigade of volunteers, and wished to speak to me for 2 moment. “T left my. poor friend still standing under the dark colonnade, and rushed towards the old general. bursting with joy, as I said— “« General, the brave young Englishman we spoke of is not dead, he only received a slight scratch by falling from his horse (for the animal he rode, I must inform you, was struck dead by a cannon shot), and, what is more, general; he tore the Austrain flag from dts stafi, and wound it round his body. -He is there yonder, standing under the shadow of the. colonnade. He is: my» imend, general, and I need not say that his unexpected discovery has made-me overjoyed.” ** I'm glad to hear it,” said old Garibaldi. “* In- troduce your brave youns friend at once, I will honour bim with promotion on the spot.’ **T hurried back to the dark colonnade. - ** The stranger had fled ! “TI was sadly disappointed and annoyed, and searched far and ‘wide for him in all the cafes and wine saloons of Crema, but nowhere could he be discovered. “When I returned home to my lodgings that night in the hotel, El Re Victor Emmanuel, I felt very miserable with all the young stranger had told me, for most of his hardships had been occasioned more‘or less through'me, and F sighed to return to England again in order to confront ‘the dastardly enemies who had so cruelly blasted my character with the suspicion of ghastly crimes, “ Day after day my thoughts were of him and our strange meeting, and I felt sick at heart. “ One evening, when returning home at dusk, a poorly-dressed young man hurriedly passed me by, and glided into a dark, narrow, back street, as if afraid to be seen in the gay, thronged, and ‘gas-lit Plazza, - «Tis he, or his ghost!’ [ muttered, and quickly followed. “ For sometime he walked along hurriedly, and ————— i es frequently tuned hits head to "See that he was not — observed. se ah ose | of the way. “He suddenly stopped, looted around, and entered-an old, dim-lighted, gun-smith’s shop. “ After knocking on the counter some time, © the old gun-maker came out of the back-pariour, and in a trembling voice the stranger called for a revolver he had left to be mended a few days prior'to the battle before Crema. — . * He had not money to pay forif, he said- « As T looked throngh the window, I Hstened and heard he ‘w#s begging the smith to trust him until the morrow, when he would call and pay. — “The features were now unmistakable. “ Jé was our old friend of Bromley Hall, centle- manly in manner as usual ; but seedy, care-worn, and scarcely able to stand from weak- ness. “ He took the pistol, and left the shop. « T hid from view, and followed him home. “When he had gone into the old tumble-down house in which he ledged, I quietly rapped aé the door, 2nd enquired for the landlady. *“<Does Mr. ——— reside here, madame? I asked, almost in a whisper. «No. sir, there is nosuch person living nm my house. The only parties living with me are two married couples on the first and second floors, and a poor young Englishman, of fhe name of Smith, in the third floer back” ~as “As she mentioned this ‘poor young English-— man” she sighed, and added, ‘and a very mice person he is, indeed, poor fellow. Always pays reo’lar—reglar as the clock, and that’s saying 3 a good dest tn Giese: hit ee ee especially as I am 2 poor widow, ve many cares and troubles, “and all my sons have turned out soldiers under the king.” : «Oh! yes, madame,’ I said, feeling certam it was my friend under an assumed name. *‘T meant Mr. Smith, although I said Mr. ———. With your permission T will go upstairs and see him-* “Noiselessly : proceeding aif my boots at the second landing, and mounted the last fight. = “The door of the third-floor back was a3jar, and the supposed Mr. Smith was pacing the room to and fro tn great apparent trouble. ' “He was in his shirt sleeves, and often stopped before the table on which Iay his revolver, ready loaded and cocked. , + «<¢ Five minutes more,’ he said, ‘and then—— * He sank downiin an old arm-chair, and gazed attentively at a miniature he held in his left hand. ‘* Peould perceive that his whole frame shook with emotion. ’ © “Would to heaven it had been otherwise P he sighed, and, turning to the table. seized the pistol. , “T noiselessly entered, and suddenly seizing ee behind, jerked the weapon from his and, ““He was astonished. - “He looked at_me like an fidiot for a moment, and sank mto the chair as powerless as a child “*My old friend, I said, seating myself beside _ him, and ‘shaking him by the hand, “what means all this? Come, be a man again. . While J live you have always a friend.’ “He did not speak, but buried his face in his” hands, “For some time neither of us broke silence with a single word. up the stairs, I pulled THE BOY SOLDIER: OR; GARTBALDIS YOUNG CAPTAIN.