The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 159: what you’re looking at

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

156 THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. way to rest, and to shelter herself from the wind that blew so cold. CHAPTER XXX. THE party of officers who had taken the mendicant prisoner, were in search of a notorious offender, whom they believed to be the principal of a gang of daring and unscrupulous men, who hesitated at neither robbery nor murder. The unfortunate gentleman who had been murdered was a country gentleman named Pearson, who had only recently come to town, with the idea of discovering his daughter, who had been seduced, and who was living in some part of London. He Pde a man of some wealth and rank in the county in which e lived. The deluded girl had been decoyed from home some months before under a promise of marriage, and her flight and pro- longed absence had driven her father to the verge of insanity. Her seducer was, in reality, an abandoned villain, who gained a precarious subsistence by consorting with a large gang of thieves, burglars, resurrectionists and assassins, by whom he was, on account of his superior criminal talents, elected chief of the entire band. Mr. Pearson, at length, almost despaired of finding his daugh- ter, when one morning hereceived the following note: ‘‘Smr—If you will bring two hundred pounds to the corner of —— street, and wait for half an hour after nine o’clock at night, and then follow the man who shall speak to you, until you come to a house, you may see me and your daughter; but unless the money be forthcoming, and secrecy observed, you’il see neither. Yours, etc., PHILIP.” The letter was opened by Mr. Pearson, who at once resolved to accept the terms; and, placing the two hundred pounds into his pocket, he determined to go to the spot indicated; but before he did so, he had the precaution to inform a party of officers of the occurrence, ‘You had better not trust yourself with him, sir,” said one, ‘¢ you'll find he will rob you.” ‘‘Oh, no; I don’t think that; besides, I want to find my daughter, aud if he get not the money he will ill-use her.” ‘‘Well, what had we better do? Watch youata distance— eh ?” suggested one. ‘* That will be the best.” ‘¢ And when you enter a house, we'll come in after you ?” ‘* You had better not.” ‘“‘ What shall we do?” “ Wait till Iand my daughter come out, and then you can go in and take him; he deserves it—a villain, as he is.” ** Tt is, indeed, sir. JI have half a fear that we shall miss him, somehow or other.” “Ob, no! you cannot, in consequence of this arrangement,” comicbooks. com