The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 148: what you’re looking at

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

THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. 145 wrote to me, was to love her, and that love, according as oppor- tunity occurred, soon grew into an unconquerable passion. Rut there were circumstances which placed, to all ep peat: an insurmountable difficulty in the way of Marie Mendelson ever becoming his. She was engaged to be married to a man named Sternhbolde, a Prussian, who was highly approved of by her family, but, as it appeared, not at all loved or chosen by Marie herself. This was a painful state of things, and not likely to ss off quietly. Sternholde, the intended husband of Marie endelson, was a man of the most violent passions, and he soon discovered that my son looked with the eyes of affection upon Marie, as well as making the more mortifying discovery that she was not indifferent to the attractions of the handsome young officer, who, in manners and appearance, presented so etriking a contrast to Sternholde, whom she was about to be sacrificed to, for nothing but a sacrifice could it be called. ‘‘Thus matters went on for some time, until, at a ball which was attended by all the French officers, and by the principal in- habitants of Berlin, who had submitted to the new dominion, these rivals met. It became then a struggle between the two which should engross the hand of the beautiful Marie during the dances. She decided in favor of my son, and Sternholde left the ball-room, furious. That night an attempt was made to assassinate my son as he was returning to his quarters; Stern- holde could not be proved to be the party, but he was more than suspected. The family of Marie now took up the business, and insisted upon her at once fulfilling her matrimonial engagement with Sternholde. They were deaf to her entreaties—they were blind to her tears, and she was dragged to the altar an unwilling bride on the same day that orders arrived fora gran movement of the French army of occupation from Prussia to meet the em- peror, and concentrate a large force further south. Despair took possession of the lovers. They had a stolen interview by the aid and assistance of a faithful old domestic of the Mendelson fam- ily, whose heart bled to witness the distress of Marie, and there it was arranged that she should allow the ceremony of marriage to proceed so far as to lull suspicion, and leave her home before the bridal party reached the cathedral where the more solemn rites were to be performed. By some unfortunate circum: stances, however, it appeared that Marie was compelled to fail in keeping her engagement, and, unable to elude the vigilance of her friends, she was compelled actually to allow the marriage to proceed: so that as far as the ritual of the Church could make her, she became the wife of Sternholde. She had made up her mind, however, that death was preferable to becoming really his: and when the shades of evening wrapped the city in ob- scurity, and preparations were proceeding at her father’s house, for the purpose of celebrating the wedding with magnificence and eclat, she watched her opportunity, and being now unsus- pected, in consequence of the ceremony of marriage having actu- ally taken place, she left her father’s house, and fled to my son. In another half hour his regiment must have left Berlin: indeed, he might be almost said to have been mounted and ready, al- comicbooks. com