The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 55: what you’re looking at

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

§2 THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. dashed into his room again to array himself more properly, just as Susan, the ‘‘odd woman ” appeared with a candle. ‘*Oh, Jem, whatever is the matter?” she said, holding the candle at an angle of about twenty degrees, so that the grease came from it drop by drop on to the floor. ‘‘ What is the mat- ter?” ‘“‘Don’t know,” said Jem. ‘‘Toggs is a-making himself re- spectable, and when he comes out, perhaps he'll tellus. He sprung away at the rattle, and ought to know what for.” Toggs now, having made the necessary addition to his toilet, came out, and the first words he said were,— ‘* What is it all about ?” ‘“Don't you know, sir?” saidSusan. ‘ Cook’sin highstewricks, sir, with the fright of it.” ** Fright of what ?” ‘¢ Ah, she don’t know, sir; and that’s what I thinks makes her so very bad.” ‘*Then, does nobody know ?” said Jem. ‘Not I,” said Toggs. ‘I only know there was a great noise; and I very much wonder that the gentleman in No. 8 has not been disturbed by it, as we all were.” ‘*Hang it all! I forgot him,” cried Jem. ‘‘Something’s hap- ened to him, or he must have been disturbed. It isn’t in uman nature to sleep in the middle of such a racket. Come, and let’s havea look at him. My mind misgives me, Toggs, but something queer has happened to him.” ‘*Good gracious!” said Toggs, ‘‘ you don’t mean that, Jem ?” ‘Yes, Ido. Come on.” ‘‘ Lor, shal! I wenture, too?” said Susan. ‘*Yes,” cries Jem. ‘‘ Let’s have lots of witnesses. Come on, both of you—come on. I feels, as sure as that we are alive, something's amiss with the gentleman in No. 8.” Jem was looked upon at the Morton Aims as a sort of oracle, and, therefore, the words he uttered indicative of a belief that something serious had happened to the gentleman in No. 8, filled both Toggs and the odd woman with so much alarm that they both trembled as if they had the ague as they followed Jem to that room. | The door of the bedroom was a little open, and with a feeling of certainty that something terrible was within, Jem pushed it wide open, and with the candle in his hand, which he had taken from the old woman, he entered the apartment, while the land- lord and Susan lingered for a moment at the door. The traveler was sitting up in his bed, his face was- ghastly pale, and both his hands, through the fingers of which blood was trickling, were pressed upon the wound which the mendi- cant had inflicted on his breast. There was no mistaking the look of agony which was upon his face. He was dying. ‘‘Good God!” said Jem, as he actually reeled back a pace or two toward the door as this dreadful sight niei his eyes. ** Good God! look here!” “Eh?” said Toggs. ‘Don't terrify me; what is it?” comicbooks. com