The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 240: what you’re looking at

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

- —_— — 934 .\\_ 4.) HH BOY SOLDIER} OR, GARIBALDI’S YOUNG CAPTAIN. ~*~‘ side eS din eee een Eo eee you intrude upon two gentlemen ; be off with you, whoever you are, or else Z will call the officers.” “ And so will I, and give you in charge for the murder and robbery of old Ford.” These words acted like an electric shock upon the two fugitives, “Who are you?” said Jonathan. “‘‘ Where are ou?” pai Here I am,” said Warner, getting over the rail- ings, and boldly confronting the two friends face to face. “Tt is—” said Jonathan, in doubt; ‘‘ but, no 1 isn’t, yet the voice makes me believe it cannot be anyone else than my old friend. Ah! what's his name?” ‘‘ Warner !” 3 Sie “Why, so it is,’ said Jonathan, now all. smiles, - advancing with opened hand. ‘Why, my d-e-a-r friend, how do youdo? Lam so delighted to see tt eee Vis Sin. ¢ grimly, of friendship. pe 7 But they heartily detested each othe¥ for all that, and if smiles could kill, surely Jonathan would have felt delighted. “5 . As it was, he gave his “d-e-a-r friend” such a terrible grip and a shake that Warner began to imagine his arm would come out of its Socket. ~ bending down, and Jooking Flint full in the face. “Oh, a relation of. mine,” Said Jonathan. “You do not know him, I think?’ ~ ron name is Re ee “Schmidt,” saidonathan, <> At last had Warner met him |! Flint felt as if he would rather have en- countered the devil himself than his old friend ‘the doctor.” However, Jonathan introduced these “strangers” to each other, and, as they shook hands, their eyes met. Neither spoke; but the old lawyer felt as if he were shaking the red-hot hand of an imp of dark- ness, and trembled in every limb. _, “At last,” said Warner, in a whisper of terrible meaning. © "CHAPTER XCI, IMPORTANT AND UNEXPECTED REVBLATIONS— WARNER HAS JONATHAN AND FLINT FIRMLY IN HIS POWER—THE COMPACT. THE unexpected meeting of Jonathan, old Flint, and Warner, narrated in another chapter, was a great surprise to all concerned. Flint found it would be all nonsense to pretend not to know Warner, but, although he smiled and shook hands with ‘‘the doctor,’’ as he called the new comer, he had never up to the present moment, explained anything to Jonathan which might tend to clear up the apparent mystery which existed between them. | When, therefore, the old lawyer shook Warner by the hand, it was done in such a peculiar manner, and with such a grip of meaning, that Warner thought— “After all the old scoundrel has not disclosed ou,” dy ) ae es “So am J,” said Warner, who also siniled. yey Ravage <seaety many self.” They shook hands with a great valour and show “ Perhaps not,” said Warner. And your friend’s . “ Or Flint, which?” said Warner. | 5 Bs The lawyer groaned, and held down his head. ~~ anything very important to Jonathan, so I shall act accordingly.” They moved from the scene of the dreadful rail- way collision, and made their way, as rapidly as possible, towards a neighbouring village on foot. Little was said on the road, but when all three had arrived at a public-house, they met with some railway officials and doctors, who were there upon the spot ready to lend all the assistance in their power to the wounded and needy. When old Flint limped into the public-house several doctors ‘employed by the railway im- mediately oflered to examine his hurts, and render all the aid they could. 3 This old Flint at first declined. He, Warnef, and Jonathan, retired into a snug parlour, and by themselves began to speak of various things. — a es “You ain’t much hurt, Flint,” said Jonathan, with a dry grin ; “ but I know your little game very well, and a pretty one it is. I intend to play it And so d6 I,” said Warner ; “ we might as well make sométhifig out of this collision as not.’’ “ But you didn’t come by our train.” “JT know I didn’t,” said Warner, laughing in a quiet way ; “but who is to be the wiser ?”’ ‘pee.’ aiaw gene “ Gan’t I swear that did come by this injured § _ ©°| train? Who ig:to know the difference?” ‘And who is your friend here?” said Warner; | “ Trne, 00 one can swear that you did not.” “Very well then, let us all three pretend to be very much injured internally ; about the brain, ears, oF eyes, but not the body mind you, for if so, they will examine us, and then find out the fraud; if we insist that our reasom, hearing, or eyesight yd has been injured, they caniet swear to the contrary, _ and therefore we can sue thé company for heavy damazes.” «A good thought,” Said Jonathan, “but whois to be our doctor?” “ Let us get to London, where there are hundreds of poor and needy doctors, who will-be only too willing to attend upon us.” “ Excellent idea,”’ “Very well, then, Jonathan; let each of us be afflicted in some way or other ; we might as well get £1,000 each for damages as anybody else.” So say I.” It was agreed upon then and there between them to enact this fraud, Ere long the landlord was called in, and, greatly to his astonishment, he found his guests to be very unwell, One was groaning, and seemed half inclined to be a lunatic. A second was groping his way about the room as if he could not well see what he was about, The third could not hear but imperfectly. This was Warner, Jonathan seized the landlord by the throat, and throttled him, like as if reason had left him, The landlord struggled and released himself. Next moment two doctors entered, and looked very anxiously at their invalids, and,shook their heads, ‘Fright has cased all this,” said one. ‘What must be done with them?” said the other, ‘One has nearly lost his reason, and the other cannot see,” said Warner; “and I myself have suffered a very severe shock to my hearing. Let us be posted off to London forthwith.” ‘But the trains cannot yet run,” ' “ Never mind, hire a coach, and let us hurry away COMME NCOKS. CO