The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 78: what you’re looking at

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

THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. 7% and the disagreeable effects were, even now, felt incident to the race. ‘¢ He is gone, he is gone,” he muttered; ‘‘ Heaven’s own will be done, but he’s gone.” *% *% * + * * & The gray dawn of morning was fast breaking in the east, when the hostler taking once more a careful survey of the church, approached the door which he opened cautiously and carefully. Once again he stood in the open air; he felt refreshed and the drowsiness that had overtaken him seemed to vanish before the pure air of Heaven. He looked round the old graveyard, he walked round, and looked at the spot where he had last seen the supposed murder- er, and yet still he could not believe he could have escaped any other way; he must have seen it. There was nothing that could have hidden him from his view for one moment. ‘It is strange,” he muttered, ‘‘ very strange. Here I saw him, and I believe I could swear Isaw him enter; indeed, I can see no meaus of escape; I can see nothing that would have hidden him for a second, and yet he was not inside, that is equally true.. It is strange, very strange,” he muttered, and he turned his back upon the church, and passing through the churchyard, he made for the cottage of old Dame Strangeways, ‘‘I will, however, make this all known,” he muttered, ‘‘and he shall have no safe abode there. What could induce him to hide in this neighbor- hood? has he not finished his work here? Are there more to ae his knife, and others suffer in reputation for the eed ? Absorbed in these thoughts, he arrived at the cottage of the dame, and tapped at the door. ‘‘Who is there?” inquired a voice from within, which he knew to be the dame’s; he said: “°Tis I, Jem, the hostler.” No answer was made; his voice was well known, and she straight undid the door. ‘*Come in,” she said. . The hostler walked in, and taking out the key of the church door which she had Ient him, he threw it on the table, and the pistol also with an air of a man sorely vexed and fatigued. He threw himself into a chair, and sat gazing upon them both with an air of distraction, when the dame said: ‘* Well, Jem, did I speak aright? You have got heartily tired of your watch ?” | “‘ Look at the pistol,” said the hostler, sententiously; ‘‘ look at the pistol, and then tell me what it says.” The old v oman took the pistol in her hand, and seeing the pan open and the hammer down, said, **‘ Ah, you have used it. at news? Tell me what has happened.” Jem now related the details of the night’s adventures. ‘* And what do you intend to do next ?” inquired Dame Strange- ways, when he had concluded. ‘Why, give information concerning the man, and relate what I hive told you to the justice, and see if he cannot be secured,” comicbooks. com