The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 254: what you’re looking at

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

THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. 251 would pass away. leaving behind it no bad effects permanently, may prove fatal here. I donot say that it will, because the vital energies may rally; but all I have is a hope that way.” This was saying quite as much as any medical man could be expected to say of a very bad case, the chance of which ending favorably was very remote indeed. The Mortons consulted together whether they should let Mabel know the worst. or keep her in ignorance of it, until something of a more decided character occurred to prevent them from being able to do so with effect. ‘* Tell her all,” was what Henry said. ‘ Mabel is not a child. She has a heart full of the best and dearest affections: but yet she has a mind which it would be an insult not to inform of anything which nearly concerns her.” ‘‘T of course yield to you,” said the captain. ‘‘ You have, Henry. a righf to dictate our conduct to Mabel.” Heury was pleased to hear this recognition of his engagement to Mabel from his brother’s lips, and he took upon himself the task of breaking to her the adverse opinion of the medical man regarding her grandfather. Tears gushed from Mabel’s eyes, and for a time she seemed completely to gainsay the expressed opinions of Henry, that she had mind enough to govern any affliction. The affections alone seemed to dictate to her. ‘‘ Alas! alas!” she said. This will bea cruel blow to me. I shall then lose the only being to whom I can claim kindred, and I shall be alone in the world!” ‘¢ Alone, Mabel!” said Henry, reproachfully ; ‘‘is this kind to me? or I may go so far as to ask, is this just to me, who have loved you well and coaostantly? Oh, Mabel, Mabel, I did not think to have heard such words from your lips!” ‘Forgive me, Henry,” she said imploringly, as she placed both her hands in his; ‘‘forgive me, that for one brief moment I forgot your love.” “It is I, dear Mabel,” said Henry, ‘‘ who ought to ask you to forgive me for uttering the shadow of a reproach to you at such a time as this. But love such as mine is foolishly sensitive, and feels even a.fancied slight worse than a wound.” ‘1 will go at once to the chamber of my grandfather,” she said. ‘*‘ Who but I should watch by his couch ?” ‘‘ No, Mabel,—no, Mabel. Let meimplore you not to do so. 1 know the kindly and noble feelings of affection that prompt you, but strangers, such strangers, I mean, as can form a full and intimate knowledge of them, and can be relied upon, are ever the best to attend upon the sick; I-know that in saying this much, I am saying what is adverse to general opinion, but yet I think that I am right.” Mabel answered that he might be right, but still it did not influence her, and in a few minutes more she had taken up her station by the bedside of her grandfather, and commenced her task of attending him with all the solicitude of a daughter. He remained for many hours in a strange apathetic sort of state, but then suddenly all his faculties seemed to return to him, and, turning his eyes upon Mabel, he pronounced her comicbooks. com