The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 240: what you’re looking at

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

THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. 237 about you, darling? But where’s the rosy color that used to sit upon the cheeks of you >” ‘‘ That will soon come again, Rafferty, when [am in my happy home once more.” ‘* Harrah! hurrah!” ‘But you forget, Rafferty,” said the captain, ‘‘ that this is the first time you have seen Mabel since you so unhandsomely got into a tree where she was in danger. instead of protecting her.” ‘‘Do I forget, captain?” cried Rafferty. ‘* Miss Mabel, you may have a shot at me if you like, and M’ll forgive you. The captain has got a pair of dueling-pistols snug at home.” *‘ Rafferty. I have no quarrel tou make with you,” said Mabel. ‘You did all for the best, and that is all thaf Heaven asks of ita creatures, Rafferty, so I have no fault to find with you, had the consequences been ten times worse than they have been.” ‘* Now, there you are wrong, Miss Mabel,” said Rafferty; “‘T’li own to you, of course, that I did it all for the best. There's no manner of doubt about that; but it was mighty bad general- ship for all that; and I haven’t from that time to this known a happy hour.” ‘- Well, Rafferty,” said Henry, ‘‘ you see that with all your cleverness we have beaten you, and succeeded in finding out Mabel first.” **Oh! be aisy,” said Rafferty; ‘‘I shouldn’t wonder after all, that you just heard of her by some accident, which can’t be called finding her sut. How wasit now, Master Henry? You may as well tell the truth, you know, just for once in a way.” “. oe once ina way! Why, Rafferty, do you think I am like you ?” ‘‘ Like me, sir! Oh, bedad, not like me. It’s a proud man you'd be if you was. Why, the paving-stones in the street wouldn’t be good enough to hould you up, if you thought you was like me. Conceit would get the better of you entirely, and you'd be put in some lunacy asylum, you would.” “‘ Henry,” said Captain Morton, ‘‘] think you will find your- self no match for Rafferty, so you had better let him have the last word at once.” ‘True for you, sir,” said Rafferty; ‘‘an’ if you never say a bigger lie than that, sir, you’ll do well.” “ Agreed, agreed!” cried Henry. ‘‘ And now all is forgotten and all forgiven, and I am sure no one can entertain a more lively sense of all that we owe to you, Rafferty, than I do; but for you both Mabel and my brother would have perished on the field of Waterloo.” ‘‘ Oh, botheration!” said Rafferty. ‘‘ That’s all such a might long time ago, that it ain’t now worth remembering at all at all. But where’s the ould gentleman ?” ‘* What does he mean?” said Mabel. ‘* He alludes to a circumstance, dear Mabel.” said the captain, ‘fof which we have as yet said nothing to you, because you have really not been with us long enough to enable us to do so; but now, at once, I will tell you that we have another most agree- able surprise for you,” comicbooks. com