The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 220: what you’re looking at

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

THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. 217 night, he could slip quietly in in the morning, and no one be any the wiser. In London there is no difficulty in pooae a bed, and Rafferty walked on till he came to one of those early breakfast houses which abound in some parts of London, and which, what with being late supper houses as well, are, somehow or another, never shut at all. An announcement in the window of ‘‘ good beds ” was just what Rafferty looked for, and he at once entered the place. In answer to his inquiries if he could have a bed there, he was told—certainly, if he paid beforehand for it; but he was further informed that he must sleep in a double- bedded room, one of the beds in which was already occupied. “On!” said Rafferty, ‘‘ that don’t matter to me; I’ve often slept in a five-hundred bedded room, my good woman.” * Lor, sir!” ‘Yes; I’m an old soldier, and have enjoyed many a comfort- able nap with my regiment in a field.” ‘¢Oh! I understand what you mean, sir. Here, Jem, show the gentleman up-siairs to No. 7—you know where the strange man. sleeps.” ° ‘“‘Oh! a strange man, is he?” said Rafferty; ‘‘ blood-an-ouns, he won't disturb me!” ‘No, sir; he seems as quiet as a small lamb, and not very well; be isn't strong enough to disturb any one.” ‘* Very well; I’m sleepy, so come on, master Jem, as you are the chambermaid.” A boy, with a broad grin upon his face, lighted Rafferty to the room, which was a low-roofed, long, rambling-looking apartment, with two beds in it, one of which was up at the fur- ther end, a long way from the door, and the other you ran a good chance of tumbling against the moment the door was opened. It was the latter that was unoccupied, and the cur- tains of the other were all drawn scrupulously close. CHAPTER XLII. Now that so much had been discovered concerning the identi- fication of the beautifu] and persecuted Mabel, and now that there could be no further doubt at all upon the minds of any of those who were so much interested in her fate, that she was the daughter of Colonel Rouselli, and consequently the grandchild of Monsieur Rouselli, there remained nothing but to stir heaven and earth to discover her. Captain Morton and his brother held together a long and serious consultation on the subject, the result of which was an organized system of operations to be entered upon immediately, from which they hoped for success. They hoped that a very short time would suffice to procure some clew to the proceed- ings of the mysterious man who had been concerned in her abduction, and since nothing now but the utmost publicity could do any good in the way of discovering the retreat of the mendicant, they made up their minds that that publicity should be at once complete and ample. comicbooks. com