The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 301: what you’re looking at

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

hardened. “Look at his eyes, now ; THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI’S YOUNG CAPTAIN. thought he must surely be some foreign king in disguise - ‘“‘ And have you safely securedthis great villain, Mr. Magistrate ?” asked the baron, very loftily. “Ob, yes, sir; he is well guarded in an ante- chamber below.” # J Would you bring him up? I should like to see im.’ “Perhaps my lord would be displeased, most mighty baron : ae “No, no,” Duncoff replied, twisting his mous- taches. cf Whatever I do meets with my father-in- law's approbation. Bring up the criminal—what’s his name !” “ Well, names,” “Yes, yes, I know, but his real name— “ Jack Dingles, baron.” “Oh, indeed,” said the baron, laughing. “ Why, Iam told he is very aristocratic in his style and manner.” ‘So I have heard, baron. When he can get sufficient money to keep it up; but it is for no small crime that he isnow arrested. u “Indeed! For what, then?” 3 ‘ For murder, Sir Baron, murder |” “ Oh, indeed,” said the baron, “ Then the rascal must die, that's ‘all. P © Yes, baron, we magistrates have every reason for believing that the poor old gentleman who was robbed and murdered last week, owes his death to this villain.” “ Bring the rascal forward, I wish to see him,” “With pleasure, my lord.” “Had you much trouble in capturing him ?” “Oh, yes, a very great deal, I can assure you, for he is a bold bad man.” “True, true. Did you fight at all?” ey Well, yes ; but not much to speak of,” « You will be promoted for this, Mr. Magistrate,” said the baron, in a condescending tone of voice. The little functionary bowed, and in a few moments Morris was brought into the room between two policemen. ' He stood erect, and smiled. “Why, the rascal is laughing,” said the baron, “Yes, my lord, these great rascals are always how bright and most mighty baron, he has _ several That is, IE have heard go ; villanous they are?” ‘“ Yes ; and his nose, see how crooke and hooked it is,” the baron remarked. ‘His mouth, sir, look at his large mouth; the sure sign of a rascal. Pe “Without a doubt,” said the baron, your nanile, prisoner ? “ T will write all the particulars down, Mr. Magis- trate, so that when my intended father-in-law, Lord Rattletrap, comes, the case will be plain and simple for him. “ Your name, sir?” “T refuse to give my name at the asking’of such a person as you are,” said Morris, with a flush of indignation in his looks. “You hear that, Brown?” the magistrate inter: rupted. ‘‘ The rascal refuses to give his name,’ “Tf he were in my country instead of England we would soon force him,” “ How, baron ?”’ a Why, whip his bare back until he did so.” “Ha! ha “ laughed the little magistrate, “ quite a novel idea “ And if you were justly dealt with,” said Morris, “Calcraft would have a job very shortly, baron, I think, ” the detective remarked, laughing, “What is 295 “The impudence of the fellow,” said the little magistrate, in surprise. ‘ Whoever heard of such audacity he ‘“‘ Never mind, we have his name already. Dingles, isn’t it 2” “ Yes, baron ; Jack or John, if you please?” it S Have the officers any positive charge against 1m 39 “Oh! yes, my. lord ; dozens. “ His name has been ,in,the ‘ Hue and Cry’ for the past twelve months.’? ‘Very good. \ What for ?” ‘‘Tn the first place for housebreaking,” “ Very well; what else?” “For highway robbery.” “ Go on.” “Thirdly, for horse stealing.” ‘““What a rascal he must be. Well, what next?” “He broke into a church, and stole all the com- munion plate,” “ Next ?” “Got into the patson ’s house and. took his money.” f Yes.” “Tied the reverend gentleman to the bedpost, pinata ded him, and tarred him from head to: oot.” “ What else?” ** Passed counterfeit money.” ‘In notes?’ “Yes; in notes as well as base metal,” . Anything else ?”’ “Yes; a hundred other things can be. brought against him.” ‘‘And has he managed to escape. justice so long?” ‘“ Yes, my lord; we haye been on the look out for him for over a year or two, and so have. all the police between here and London.” “What an accomplished rascal he. must, be, thea.” “Oh! the very devil, sir, at all manner of knavery.” Morris listened-to all this dialogue between the count and the little pay bauy of a magistrate very quietly, . Yet he spoke not. There was a good-humoured glitter in his bright eye. His mouth twitched frequently, as if he were on -the point of speaking, but he restrained himself. Much conversatiou ensued, and during Lord Rat- tletrap’s absence, the count brought i in his intended bride to gaze at the celebrated criminal. She entered the room, smiling and langhing at her intended husband. But directly she caught the eye of Morris she stopped suddenly, as if rooted to the ground. She turned deadly pale, and would have fainted, but the count held her up, and asked the cause of her sudden indisposition. It was only a sudden faintness, she said. But she remembered the stranger at the inn, and his kindness to her, and could not conceive it pos- sible that this person could really be one and the same man. What appeared to her so very strange was, that she was not also recognized by the innkeeper and others in whose custody she was but yesterday. True, ber attire on this occasion was far different to what it had been on that, and instead of appear- ing now in the garb of a simple peasant, she came out before them radiant in all the gorgeousness of fashionable silks and satins. The stranger, though’criminal he might be, she Gom ee soales,com S.Com