The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 129: what you’re looking at

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

146 THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. only want my friends to see me, instead of being hurried on in this shameful manner; besides, this man tells me he is my father,.and——” ‘‘ There,” interrupted the mendicant, ‘‘ you have heard enough to convince you of her madness, and I beg of you not to go near; if you do [ will not be answerable for any mischief she may do; she escaped once, and that is how it happens I haven’t got a car- riage for her; she bolted-once, and I had a desperate job to get her back. Oh, she’s dreadful artful. Have you a strong room ?” ‘¢ Yes,” said the landlord, ‘‘ I have; there’s one next the parlor, and when oncein there she can’t get out again. Oh, the young puss! to be such a tigress.” “Dear me! what can have made such a young creature mad ?” | ‘*Don’t name the cause,” said the mendicant, ‘‘ or she’ll go off furious. Ill tell you more of that by and by: let me place her safe—let her have what she wants, then I will see to my own wants, and talk to you more at leisure.” ‘““Very well,” said the landlord; ‘‘that seems to be fair enough, wife; show him the room, and then he can see if it be safe enough to his liking, and then I will see about getting the dinner ready.” ‘““Come this way—come this way,” said the fat landlady, as she waddled along the kitchen, and her slippers going up and down with a slap every step she took; bestowing a look of com- miseration upon Mabel as she passed her, she said with a sigh, “Qh, poor thiag! if it wasn’t madness I should have interfered, but that is a thing that cannot be interfered with. Poor thing; so young and so pretty. Well, well; it’s no use grieving for her. She’s not sensible, ina manner of speaking, as we should be of the calamity attending such a state.” ‘(Ts this the room?” inquired the mendicant, as the landlady stopped before a large door and turned the key. . ‘Yes, this is it,” answered the landlady; ‘‘this is the place; it will answer the purpose here very well. She cannot escape, Til warrant; and there is a bed in it, so she can sleep or do what she pleases.” And as she spoke she opened the door, displaying to their view oe of those large wainscoted apartments so often seen in old ouses. ‘‘ This,” she said, ‘‘is safe in every point; the windows are barred, and the chimney, too.” | ‘‘This will-do. Let her have what refreshments you have; and when you wish to send them in, I will come too—for until we leave, I will retain the key.” They were about to quit the apartment, when Mabel deter- mined to make one last appeal to the landlady. ‘‘ Stay,” she said to her, ‘‘ oh, stay for one moment and hear me!” The landlady paused. ‘‘ Are you a woman?” she said: ‘‘and can you leave me to such a fate?—a fate a thousand times worse than that of the mad-house—to be made the instrument of that mean, wicked, comicbooks. com