The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 253: what you’re looking at

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

250 THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. “IT did not abduct her,” said Sternholde. ‘I had as much right to the custody of her as they who arrogate such a duty to themselves.” ; ‘<You are remarkably incorrect there,” said the magistrate. ‘“‘Captain Morton, by the laws of this country—and I expect, for the proposition is really too reasonable a one to entertain a doubt upon, by the laws of every other European state—became the natural guardian of Mabel Rouselli. The dying request of her father, that he would accept such a.trust, and his ready accept- ance of it, were amply sufficient.” ‘‘J know well,” said Sternholde, ‘‘ that every point will be strained against me. This is the country of all others, in which the poor and friendless have no chance against the rich and powerful. But do your worst. I defy you all, and may thwart ou yet.’ 7 “For how long would you like the prisoner remanded ?” asked the magistrate of Captain Morton. ‘‘In one week,” said the captain, ‘‘I am confident that I shall have all the evidence which it is in my power to procure. The murder of which J accuse him was perpetrated at an inn in the country, called the Morton Arms.” Sternholde looked at Captain Morton with such a savage ex- ression of countenance, that it was quite evident he would hace gloried in inflicting upon him some injury; and no doubt his powerless condition, which so effectually prevented him from doing so, was no small aggravation of what he suffered. He was about to say something else; but as the first few words were those of invective, the magistrate would not hear him, but ordered that he should be immediately removed; at the same. time, he directed the officers to look most specially to his safe custody, for there was all the appearance about him of one brewing mischief. This the officers were pretty sure to do, for their own sakes: and they were quite sufficiently acquainted with such’ characters to deal with them properly. Captain Morton made an appointment with the magistrate, in order that he might relate to him the whole particulars of the career of Sternholde, and how he had rendered his name so extremely obnoxious to the Rouselli family. They then left the police office, and soon perceived that the roceedings had had a most prejudicial effect upon old Monsieur ouselli. He had supported himself firmly while there, and in the presence of the man who may be said to have brought upon him almost all the distress he had suffered, and he got home tolerably; but when there his firmness forsook him, and he fainted in the arms of Henry Morton. All was confusion for some moments among the Mortons; for the state into which the old man fell so strongly resembled death, that for some time they feared that either it had arrived, or was about to do so. They, with all the tenderest solicitude, had him conveyed to bed, and a physician of eminence was immediately sent for, who looked upon the case rather seriously. | ‘‘The mental shock,” he said, ‘‘ which in a younger subject comicbooks. com