The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 155: what you’re looking at

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

152 THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. degree that he resolved to start at once for London, and, accom- panied by Henry. to call upon the aged Frenchman. The next morning the whole party were astir at daybreak, and after a hearty breakfast, the sound of horses’ feet were heard at the door; and then, taking an affectionate leave of Mrs, Morton, Captain Morton, followed by his brother, betook himself to the saddle, and then, accompanied by Rafferty Brolickbones, left Morton Hall for London. At first they traveled slowly, but after a short time they put their horses to their mettle, and the sound of their feet might be heard for some distance in a quick and rapid pace. And thus they went forward, stopping at dif- ferent places, waiting only to allow their blown animals to re- cover their wind, and to cool themselves before they started on their journey again with renewed strength and vigor. CHAPTER XXIX: THE knocking at the door of the house in which the mendi- cant had confined Mabel, and in which so deep and terrible a tragedy had so short a time before been enacted, completely con- founded both her and her persecutor. They stood both in the same attitude in which it had surprised them. Again came the startling sounds, and they rang and echoed through the old house in a manner that would have led to the supposition that the house was similarly attacked on all sides. Still the mendi- cant attempted notan escape. He wasso thoroughly‘bewildered and surprised that he could not think of safety, but gazed alternately at the body of the murdered man, which lay at his feet, and then at Mabel. How the body came there he could not conceive. That it was murdered he knew, and that it was murdered in that room, too, was apparent, from the quantity of blood that lay about the body, and collected in a pool where the floor lay ower. That Mabel had done it he could not credit; but at the same time, ae could have done it, and who could have brought it there? — Poor Mabel, too, stood® like one in atrance. She could not think she saw the hideous spectacle. She had been an invol- untary witness of all that had happened and could not but feel her heart chilled by the accumulation of horrors that had that night taken place, and surrounded her. At this moment noises were heard ‘* Force the door in,” said a deep, stern voice. ““ Ay, ay,” was the answer. In another moment there was a crash, and the door was thrown down with a loud, sharp noise. At that moment footsteps were heard in the passage, and the same voice was heard to say:—‘‘ They came here. I am sure we shall find the murderer in the house, and his victim.” Then, and only at that moment, did the mendicant seem to recover himeelf sufficiently to think of self-preservation, « comicbooks. com