The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 261: what you’re looking at

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

268 THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. ‘¢*T am,’ I replied. “6 ou are not, for you were not born in wedlock; you are a nobody. “<T was so enraged and so far forgot myself that I struck her hard in the face, and struck her down; the imputation upon my mother was too great and grossfor me to bear; for though I could recollect little or nothing of my mother, yet I had heard her spoken of, and knew well this was a falsehood. ‘¢*¢ Where is my father’s will ?’ ‘“‘*TLeave the house,’ she exclaimed-—‘leave the house, and never enter it again; if so, you sball be transported for an at- tempt at murder and robbery, you scoundrel.’ ‘So violent and so strong was her paresyem of passion, that I was completely amazed, and could hardly believe my senses. But I left the house, quite convinced that my father had prop- erty, but that it was safe in her hands, and that I must first find out what it was, and where placed, before I could do any good. Again I must ascertain if any will had been proved; but to do all this required Jmoney, and I had none to spare. I had scarce enough to enable me to secure a decent living. ‘Well,’ thought I, ‘time and attention will do something; if not, she shall not have the gratification of seeiig that [ want anything. She will glory in my misery and misfortunes, and my half-brother will do no less than endeavor to make my situation worse than it is.’ It was strange to say that he had taken a dislike to me, and appeared to hate me in proportion as his mother did. She hated me, I knew, and he derided all my wishes for independence. He dresesed like a gentleman and rode his horse, while I had to attend one; there was all the difference between us that there is between master and groom. We were not in actual contact; he kept clear of that. But I heard he had run through a good deal of money, and he treated her, his mother, very badly. I got away from all the places I had formerly frequented, and endeavored to settle somewhere where I was not known, until time or some circumstances should happen that would make my return to society probable. I often heard of my mother-in-law. She palmed off her own son as the eldest son of my father, and got some friends to avow it; they believed what they said. I had been kept out of the way, and was unknown to most of our family friends. The mother wanted to marry the son well, and then secure a good fortune; but he was perverse. He ran about the town committing great extravagancies, and flagrant acts of dissipation and debauchery. J am assured that his mother did all she could to prevent this; she was an unscrupulous and ambitious woman, and desired to see her son settled in life with- out any loss of time, because she knew, though she might suc- ceed in keeping me from my own, yet shecould not reckon upon any transfer of property; or, atallevents, when people stand over a mine, they are always in dread lest it may blow up. This was her state, I am sure, but she had unruly material to act with; she could not bring her son to do what she desired. She had so in- dulged him, and permitted him to have his own way when he comicbooks. com