The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 253: what you’re looking at

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

THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI’S YOUNG CAPTAIN, “Yes,soamlI,’ said Tom. “I am monstrously fond of it ; but if I recollect right, when we were at school, you always opposed us having it, because it was bilious.” “Oh, decidedly bilious—very. But I perceive you have raspberry and current pudding, which is not bilious,” said Jonathan. des (6 L believe not,” said ;Tom, very coolly, pro- ceedin# with his dinner, and smacking ‘his lips over it. “Ty ‘that old port you are’ drinking?” ee Jonathan, with an apologetic cough. : “No; it is LB Yea one guinea per bottle. ” “ Indeed ! what a price !”” said Jonathan. “Yes, but’ what a’ wine !—excellent. ever taste it ?” “No,” said Jonathan, eagerly, “I should very much like to'do 80.’ “Sorry that this is ‘the last glass,’ said Tom, tossing it off,,calmly.; .: Thus the dinner:passed off, Tom thoroughly en- joying himself, and Jonathan almost collapsing with hunger. Did ' you a Se ——— “ . When the table was cleared, Tom said, very . coolly, “By the bye, Mr. Jonathan, you must excuse my absence of mind, I never thought of asking whether you had dined or not.” “‘Well, ah, ye-s-s, thank you,’ Jonathan replied ; ‘*T have ‘already dined. In fact, a party of friends honoured me wiih their presence, and a new servant we have hired this morning dished up_ for us a.splendid repast of soup, fish, flesh, and fowl.” “IT won't let him see that I’m famished, ” thought the old master. At the same time, however, the winds of hunger were audibly rolling in Jonathan’s capacious stomach like a small hurricane howling in a cavern. 5, “JT thought you would be glad to see me,” said Jonathan, with a grin, — “Yes; oh, of course, Iam delighted ; glad to see you looking so well. You are monstrously fat, to what you used to be.” “Think so?” said Jonathan, with a ghastly smile. At the same time he felt his clothes hanging about his bony, fleshless limbs like wet sails flap- ping against a mast. In fact, J onathan’s coat fitted him like a coal-sack, and from constant wear, was almost as shiny and dirty. “You have been abroad?” I hear. “Yes,” said Tom, “ both to Italy and Mexico.” “Of course you have heard the sad news ?” said Jonathan. “Of my uncle’s murder you mean? Ah! yes. Ah! it was a sad affair, that.” ~ ‘‘ Yes, wasn’t it?’ said the old lawyer. “T hear they ran away with all the money—the villains ?” Tom’s simple, careless manner, fully disarmed Jonathan’s guspicions. “T suppose the news was a great shock to your nerves ?” said Jonathan “ Oh, quite so; but the deuce of it is, they can- not find out who "did it.” ‘No, that’s the worst of it; but I'll tell you what T’'ve heard.” ‘“* What ?” “Why, you see, lam ereatly in debt, and dare not be seen out in public much for fear of the Sheriff's officers ; but if I had a little money tospare, I could soon find them out.” ‘“c You Y bd “Yes, me.” 7 Why, are not the detectives after them ?” *hundred or two, I could do it all.” 247 “ Detectives be hanged !, Conldn’t old Flint buy all the lot of them ?” : ‘“ Perhaps so.” ““ My dear young friend, I know so,; and ‘ii,I only had the paltry sum of a hundred or two pounds, [ would warrant to ferrit out the whole transaction from beginning to end, As I said,.fora.paltry “Yes, it ts rather a paltry sum when you eome to think of it,” said Tom, jingling.a lot of ;gold.coins in his pockets ; “but do you think, two .or,three hundred would be enough? ‘What do you say. to £300—would that be sufficient ?”’ “ That’s just the sum I was thinking about,”’ said Jonathan, with an eager eye, -* You have plenty of loose change, and £500 to you is—"’ “ Oh, nothing, a mere fly-blow. I'd give £1,000 ; yes, £10, 000, if I could only bring the villains to justice,’ “Ah, you speak likea true. man, my young friend. You always were a noble-mmded youth, . said Jonathan. ** And do you seriously mean to say that you could discover this old vagabond, Flint, the lawyer, if you had sufficient money ?” | ~ Tl swear it—he is in London.’ = Gen, Miri. onathan, you shall have if.” “ Not for my sake, you know, Captain Thomas, but for the sake cf your dear, kind, benevolent old uncle, Ford,” said Jonathan, “ Ah, LTalways loved that old man,” “He was so generous !” ** So kind and Christian-like,”’ “ Charitable.” “Good to the poor, and all. Ah, Captain Ford, you can never know how much I. respected the venerable departed.” “‘T dare say not,’ Jonathan's dirty raz was again and again inserted into the corner of his blear y eye, and it swas' as much as Tom could do to refrain from Jaughing. He did so, however, and looked very grave, Jonathan began to leap with joy at the prospect of having two or three hundred pounds in his pos- session, and in his imagination he was seated in a French restaurant demolishing pyramids of the choicest viands money could purchase. Well,” said Tom, “as you are an old friend, and one to be trusted—”’’ _ “Me trusted! Why, my dear young friend, you might in such a ca e as this entrust me with the Bank of England,” “I know it, said “Tom. enough ?”” . “That is just what I wished to: propose, em “Tet me see, then, how much I have in small notes and gold,” said Tom. And before the astonished eyes of Jonathan he bag of “ei World £500 be produced a roll of bank notes and. a sovereigns, | Jonathan was almost dancing mad, The sight of so much money made lim feel dizzy. and feeble in the legs. ‘‘That’s plenty,” said he. “No, no, you are mistaken,” said Tom ; is but £300 here.” “Well, that will do,” said Jonathan, impatiently, and trying to seize some of it. “No it won't,” said Tom; ‘‘there’s not enough,” “There is I tell you.” ‘No there isn’t ; I will send a messenger with the full amount to-morrow.” ‘No, no ; delays are dangerous,’’ said Jonathan; “Jet me commence my pursuit of the yillains to- night,” ‘there Ccomicbool CO