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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..11be742 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #51629 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51629) diff --git a/old/51629-8.txt b/old/51629-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 0451a40..0000000 --- a/old/51629-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6332 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Delaware;, by G. P. R, (George Payne Rainsford James) - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Delaware; - or, The Ruined Family Vol. 2 - -Author: G. P. R, (George Payne Rainsford James) - -Release Date: April 2, 2016 [EBook #51629] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DELAWARE; *** - - - - -Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by the -Web Archive (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) - - - - - - - - - - - -Transcriber's Notes: - - 1. Page scans provided by the Internet Archive, - https://archive.org/details/delawareorruined02jame - (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) - - 2. The diphthong oe is represented by [oe]. - - - - - - -DELAWARE; -OR -THE RUINED FAMILY. - - - - - - -EDINBURGH: -PRINTED BY M. AITKEN, 1, ST JAMES'S SQUARE. - - - - - - -DELAWARE; -OR -THE RUINED FAMILY. - - - -A TALE. - - -IN THREE VOLUMES. -VOL. II. - - - -EDINBURGH: -PRINTED FOR ROBERT CADELL, EDINBURGH; -AND WHITTAKER & CO., LONDON. -MDCCCXXXIII. - - - - - -DELAWARE; -OR, -THE RUINED FAMILY. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - -The sand in the hour-glass of happiness is surely of a finer quality -than that which rolls so slowly through the glass of this world's -ordinary cares and fears. Oh! how rosy-footed trip the minutes that -lead along the dance of joy! How sweetly they come, how swiftly they -fly, how bright their presence, and how speedy their departure! Every -one who has ever had a pen in his hand, has said exactly the same -words before me; and therefore, though a little stale, they must be -true. - -The hours flew as lightly at Emberton Park as if they had plucked all -the down from the wings of their good father Time, in order to furnish -their own soft pinions; and many of the days which intervened between -the signature of the bill for twenty-five thousand pounds, given by -Sir Sidney Delaware to Lord Ashborough, and the time when it was to -become due, slipped away unnoticed. The worthy baronet suffered them -to pass with very great tranquillity, relying perfectly upon the word -of Mr. Tims, that the money would be ready at the appointed period. As -comfort, and happiness, too, are far less loquacious qualities than -grief and anxiety. Sir Sidney thought it unnecessary to enter into any -farther particulars with Burrel, than by merely thanking him, in -general terms, for the advice he had given; and by informing him that, -in consequence of his son's second journey to London, his affairs were -likely to be finally arranged in the course of a month or two. The -miser also suffering himself, for a certain time, to be governed by -his nephew--who well knew the only two strings which moved him like a -puppet, to be avarice and fear--did not attempt to give the young -stranger at Emberton any information of the events which had taken -place, till long after Captain Delaware's return; and, within five -days of the time when the bill became due, Burrel, who had delayed his -promised visit to Dr. Wilton till he was almost ashamed to go at all, -rode over to his rectory to pass a couple of days with the worthy -clergyman, whom he found deep in all the unpleasant duties of his -magisterial capacity. William Delaware, also, more active though less -clear-sighted than his father, allowed himself likewise to be deceived -by the assurance of Mr. Tims, that the money would be punctually -ready; and thus the days might have passed by unheeded by any one, -till the very moment that the money was required, had there not been -another person concerned, whose views demanded that Burrel's -twenty-five thousand pounds should not only be drawn for, but paid -into the hands of the miser at Ryebury. - -This person, who was far more suspicious and more on the alert than -any of the party, was no other that Mr. Burrel's silent servant, -Harding, who began to grow very uneasy at the delay which was taking -place. This uneasiness was increased after his arrival with his master -at Dr. Wilton's, inasmuch as, at the very moment of their coming, the -worthy clergyman was engaged in investigating some particulars in -regard to the fire that had taken place at Mrs. Darlington's, which -had given rise to considerable suspicions of some foul play. The -first, and perhaps the most important point, appeared to be, that of -the whole plate which that worthy lady's house contained, not one -ounce was to be found either fused or in its wrought state. In the -next place, two or three persons who had first taken the alarm at -Emberton, on the night of the fire, and had set out instantly to give -assistance, deposed positively to having met a man, to all appearance -heavily laden, coming down the hill--which circumstance, considering -the time of night, was at least extraordinary. No one, however, could -identify this person; but from these facts, as well as from other -minor incidents, which it may be unnecessary to mention, it seemed -very clear that robbery had been committed during the progress of the -fire, if not before. - -On their arrival at the rectory, both Burrel and his servant were -called upon by Dr. Wilton, to state their recollections. Of the -evidence given by the first, the worthy clergyman took a private note, -but the servant was publicly examined. He gave a clear, calm statement -of all that he remembered, mentioned the situation of the room in -which he slept, declared that he had been woke by some sounds below, -and had shortly after perceived a strong smell of fire, which -increasing, he began to put on his clothes. Finding, however, that -the smoke was growing thicker, and that other people in the house -seemed alarmed, he had not staid to clothe himself completely, but had -run out; and, seeing that the house was on fire, had proceeded to call -his master. Mr. Burrel not moving as fast as he thought prudent, he -said, he had left him, and got out of danger as fast as he could. - -All this was delivered with amazing coolness and perspicuity, and Dr. -Wilton complimented him publicly on the clear and straightforward -manner in which he delivered his evidence. Nevertheless, there was -something in the whole business, which we--who see into the mechanism -of our people's hearts--conceive, not to have been pleasing to the -silent servant, and he felt it absolutely necessary--according to his -own particular notions of benevolence--to remind his master, that the -twenty-five thousand pounds which had been left idle, losing the -interest all the time, in the hands of Messrs. Steelyard and -Wilkinson, might soon be necessary to complete the charitable purpose -he entertained towards the family at Emberton. - -To act remembrancer was not very easy, however, as his habitual -silence cut off a great deal of even that small gossip which usually -takes place between a man and his valet-de-chambre; but Harding was -not a person to be foiled, and what he could not do cunningly he -always did boldly. - -It was on the second night, then, of their stay at the rectory, that, -while undressing his master, he began, after two or three preliminary -grunts, "I wished to ask your permission, sir--if you are going to -send me to London"---- - -"Send you to London!" exclaimed Burrel, "I am not going to send you to -London, What put such a thing into your head?" - -"Oh, I beg pardon, sir, I did not mean to offend!" replied Harding. -"But when you first sent me to Mr. Tims at Ryebury, he asked me a -great many questions about you, and told me that you were going to pay -off the incumbrances upon Sir Sidney Delaware's estate." - -"Which, I suppose, you have been good enough to spread throughout the -village!" said Burrel, not a little angry. - -"I have never opened my mouth upon the subject, sir, to a living -creature, upon my honour!" replied the man, with a solemnity of -asseveration that was very suspicious. - -"And pray, how is all this connected with your going to London, -Harding?" demanded his master. - -"Why only, sir, as I hear the money is to be paid in three days, and -you did not speak of going up yourself, I thought you might be going -to send me for the sum," was the cool and self-complacent reply of the -worthy domestic. - -"To be paid in three days!" exclaimed Burrel. "There must be some -mistake in that, surely." - -"Oh no, sir, I can assure you!" replied the man earnestly. "The last -time I was up at the park, when I brought the horses to come over -here, I heard the Captain saying so to Miss Delaware--and he said, -that he hoped that Tims would have the money ready, or it would be a -sad affair." - -"Indeed!" said Burrel, "This must be looked to. But you misunderstand -your situation, Harding. You are a person very trustworthy, I have no -doubt; but I never send my servants for such sums as that you mention, -especially when they have not been with me three months. So now, you -may go--and when I want to send you to London, or elsewhere, I shall -be sure to inform you." - -The servant accordingly retired with a mortified and somewhat dogged -air; but, although he had not been entirely without hopes, that his -master might indeed despatch him for the money, yet his purpose was -sufficiently answered, to prevent his feeling deeply the -disappointment of expectations that had never been very sanguine. - -The tidings Burrel had heard, annoyed him considerably; for, although -a doubt never crossed his mind, in regard to the payment of the money -having been made by Lord Ashborough, it seemed so extraordinary that -Mr. Tims had not made him acquainted with the day of payment, that a -vague suspicion of something being wrong obtruded itself upon his -imagination, and kept him for some time from sleep. - -"Which is my nearest way to a house called Ryebury, my dear sir?" was -one of Burrel's first questions to Dr. Wilton at the breakfast-table -next morning. "It belongs to an old miserly money-lender, named Tims." - -"The way to the money-lenders, like all those roads that lead to -destruction, is wide enough," replied Dr. Wilton. "But I hope, my dear -Harry, you are not going to borrow money?" - -"No, no, my dear sir!" answered Burrel, laughing. "Heaven knows what I -should do with it, if I did. Within the last six years, I am sorry and -ashamed to say, I have accumulated near five-and-twenty thousand -pounds." - -"Fie, fie, that is almost as bad!" cried Dr. Wilton. "I would never -advise any man to live quite up to his income, for if he set out with -such a determination, he will most certainly live beyond it; but I -would recommend every man who has enough for himself and for those who -may come after him, to spend very nearly his whole income. We are but -stewards, my dear Harry! we are but stewards! and we are bound to -dispense the good things that are intrusted to us." - -"And yet I have both heard you cry out against luxury," replied -Burrel, "and declare that indiscriminate gifts of money did more harm -than good." - -"True, true!" replied Dr. Wilton. "I have done all that you say. But -there are thousands of eligible ways in this world by which a man may -discharge that duty to society imposed upon him by a large fortune, -without injuring his own mind, or enervating his own body by luxury. -How much may be done to promote the instruction of youth, to furnish -employment for the poor and industrious, to encourage arts and -sciences, to reward the manufacturer even for his toil and skill, and -the merchant for his risk and enterprise, without being the least -luxurious in one's own person. Ximenes walked through halls tapestried -with purple and gold, and yet lay down upon a bed of straw. Fie, -Harry, fie! It is a shame for any rich man to accumulate more wealth -while there is a poor man in all the land." - -Burrel smiled at the lecture of his old tutor; not indeed because he -undervalued his precepts, but because he evidently saw that the lapse -of ten years had been skipped over in the good doctor's mind, and that -he himself stood there as much the pupil in the eyes of Dr. Wilton, as -ever he had been in his days of boyhood. - -"Well, well, my dear sir!" he answered; "as some compensation for my -negligence hitherto, I think I shall find a means of spending this -twenty-five thousand pounds in such a manner as even your severe -philosophy will approve." - -"Ah, Harry! I see you are laughing at your old pedagogue," said his -friend. "But never mind; if worthy Dominie Sampson--a character I -revere and love, although the dolts on the stage have degraded him -into a buffoon--If worthy Dominie Sampson boasted of having taught -little Harry Bertram the rudiments of erudition, I will boast of -having taught you, Harry Burrel, the rudiments of virtue--So mind what -you do; for every action you perform is my pride or my shame." - -"Then I will try to make you a proud man," replied Burrel. "But I must -now leave you, my dear sir, and seek this money-lender, if you will -direct me thither." - -"Well, well, whatever be your purpose, take care what you are about -with him!" answered the doctor. "He is a wily knave. But I shall see -you again, ere you leave the country--which, if I judge right, will -not be soon"--and he fixed a gay glance upon Burrel's face, which -fully repaid the smile he had remarked--"Remember, Harry," he added, -"I am to speak the blessing." - -Burrel laughed, and shook Dr. Wilton's hand, and the worthy rector, -conducting him to the door at which his horse stood prepared, pointed -out the direct road to Ryebury, which lay straight across the country, -at about six or seven miles distance. - -Harding, at the same time, received orders to convey the little -baggage he had brought with him back to Emberton, and, that personage -internally congratulating himself, with the words, "All is right!" as -he heard Dr. Wilton direct his master on the road to the miser's -dwelling, proceeded calmly to lay out his plans for that which he -considered as his _coup de maitre_. - -Burrel had no difficulty in finding his way; and at about eleven -o'clock he was standing before Mr. Tims's slate-coloured door, -enduring the reconnoissance which master and maid always inflicted on -those who visited their dwelling. At length Sally appeared, and Mr. -Burrel was ushered into Mr. Tims's parlour, where the miser received -him with as much cordiality as was in his nature, having from one -accidental circumstance acquired a particular regard for his present -visiter--a fact in natural history which perhaps requires some -explanation. - -The simple truth, then, was merely this. On Burrel's first visit, the -miser, knowing him to be a man of large fortune, whom it might be well -to conciliate, had offered him a glass of ale; and then even went the -length of offering a glass of wine. Doing it--like most generous -people--with fear and trembling lest it should be accepted, he was -inexpressibly relieved by Burrel's declining both the expensive kinds -of refreshments that he offered. The matter sunk deep into his mind, -and at once created a fund of esteem and gratitude towards the -self-denying stranger, which was only augmented by the consciousness -that he himself always ate and drank that which was offered to him at -other houses, looking upon it all as a saving. - -On the present occasion, as soon as Burrel entered, he again made the -offer of the ale, and would fain have offered the wine also--but there -was something within him which this time rendered it impossible. So -much was he of opinion, that the wine is the best which is drank at -other people's expense, that he could not believe it possible that -Burrel would refuse it twice. While this struggle was going on in his -bosom, however, Burrel, who saw that he was somewhat agitated, and -never took into consideration the important question regarding the -glass of wine, imagined that Mr. Tims felt ashamed of not having given -him intimation of the state of Sir Sidney Delaware's affairs, and -proceeded to speak of them at once. - -"You have done wrong, my good sir!" he said, "in not letting me know -that the money required for redeeming the annuity is to be produced so -soon. You did not consider that a day or two's notice may be -necessary, in transactions to such an amount. However, it so luckily -happens that the money is ready!" - -"But, my dear sir--my dear sir!" cried Mr. Tims, "How could I give you -notice when you were out of the way. I called upon you twice, at no -small expense of shoe-leather." - -Such indeed was the fact--that is to say, that he had called--and as -the internal economy of Mr. Tims's heart is not unworthy of -investigation, as a curious piece of hydraulick machinery, it may be -well to state what were the contending feelings which made the miser, -at last, act contrary to the directions of his dearly-beloved nephew. -In the first place then, it would appear, that in regard to the -arrangements for the redemption of the annuity, a liberal commission -had been insured to him on the completion of the transaction, and -consequently he was a party interested. The injunctions, therefore, of -his nephew, to throw every quiet impediment in the way, to keep Mr. -Burrel in ignorance of the facts, and, if any thing should retard the -remittances which that gentleman expected, to refuse all assistance, -were clearly contrary to the general principles on which Mr. Tims -acted, namely, direct views of self-interest. To correct all this. -Lord Ashborough's lawyer had held out the prospect of his patron's -friendship on the one hand, and his wrath on the other, and had added -many vague promises of more golden rewards, to be procured by his -nepotal influence. But Mr. Peter Tims, although he had very little -family affection himself, forgot that his uncle possessed as little; -and though the only tie between Mr. Tims, senior, and the rest of the -world, existed in his nephew's person, yet the miser of Ryebury felt -that he could never be without friends or relations, as long as there -were pounds, shillings, and pence in the world. Mr. Tims, junior, as I -have said, forgot all this, and forgot too, that his uncle would be, -perhaps, less inclined to receive vague promises of compensation as -current coin, from him, than from any other individual; and, at the -same time, in order to show him how deeply Lord Ashborough was -interested, and how much it would behove him to reward the conduct he -pointed out, the lawyer committed the egregious blunder of letting the -miser know who the pretended Mr. Burrel really was. - -The desire of making his own bargain instantly seized upon Mr. Tims of -Ryebury, and he at once wrote to Mr. Tims, of Clement's Inn, with a -puzzling question, as to what was to be the specific _consideration_ -for acting in the manner prescribed. The reply was not so definite as -he liked, and he immediately called at Mr. Burrel's lodging to inform -him of the time appointed for the payment of the redemption money. His -calculations at the same time were partly true, and partly incorrect, -in regard to the probable advantages to be gained by courting -Burrel.--No man ever did, or ever will, make a correct calculation, -where self is one of the units. He is sure, by adding a cipher to it, -to multiply it by ten, in every shape and way, and thus throw the -whole computation wrong together. Mr. Burrel, or rather Mr. Beauchamp, -was heir to Lord Ashborough's title and estates, and likely to outlive -him by forty years; and therefore, thought Mr. Tims, is likely to -patronize me a thousandfold more than Lord Ashborough can. But Mr. -Tims forgot that if Henry Beauchamp was likely to outlive Lord -Ashborough, Lord Ashborough was fully as likely to outlive Mr. Tims. - -These considerations, however, gave the miser a great leaning towards -Mr. Burrel, in the whole business, though he was not without some -speculations, in regard to catching all that he could from both -parties, if a way were to present itself. At present, he assured his -visiter that he had called upon him twice for the express purpose of -communicating with him on the subject of Sir Sidney Delaware's -affairs; but that, not having found him at home, he did not think fit -to leave any message, on so momentous a subject, with either the woman -of the house or the groom, who were the only personages he saw. - -"Well, well, Sir!" replied Burrel. "The question now before us is -simply, how we are now to proceed? Must I go to London to receive this -money, and bring it down?" - -"Why, I should think that would be an expensive way, sir," replied the -miser. "Forty shillings going and forty shillings coming, and -eighteenpence to the coachman each way, makes four pound three; and -then you may well calculate three shillings more for food and extras -going and coming, making four pounds six. Then you would not like to -carry such a sum about you; so that you would be obliged to do it by -draft, therefore the stamp would not be saved; and I am always for -saving the money of my clients--it is the duty of an honest man--No, -no, sir! I think you had better draw a letter of credit, in my favour, -on your agents, and I will direct them to lodge the money in the hands -of the London correspondents of our county bank, of which I am one of -the poorest proprietors. I will give you an acknowledgement in form -for the letter of credit, which, being duly satisfied, I will give you -a receipt in full, with a lean upon the mortgage from Sir Sidney -Delaware, as I settled before with Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson." - -"But can all this be done in time, Mr. Tims?" demanded Burrel. - -"Oh, no fear, no fear!" replied the miser. "This is but the -twenty-first. We can get the letter off to-day. The bills given by Sir -Sidney do not come due till the twenty-fourth; and we can easily have -notice of the money being lodged by the twenty-third in the afternoon, -when the post comes in." - -Burrel mused a moment. He saw no objection; but yet he thought it -might be safer to go himself. He mused again; but then he thought of -Blanche Delaware, and that he had not seen her for two whole -days--That settled the matter in his mind. There could be no possible -obstacle, he persuaded himself, in London--therefore, neither pleasure -or necessity called him thither: one of those two great motives -chained him to Emberton, and therefore he determined to stay. - -The miser agreed immediately to join him at his lodgings in the little -town, where all that was necessary for completing the business was to -be procured more easily. Burrel rode off; Mr. Tims reached Emberton in -half an hour; the letter was drawn; another written by Mr. Tims to his -London bankers; the whole were put in the post; and Burrel, after -dining alone, sauntered slowly and happily up the park, to take his -tea in the little octagon parlour of Emberton house. - -He was received with those sparkling eyes which left no doubt that he -was welcome; the next day also past in happiness; and Burrel, somewhat -too sure perhaps of success, fixed in his own mind, as he strolled -homeward, that the morning which saw Sir Sidney Delaware freed from a -part of his difficulties by his exertions, should also see the -declaration of his love to her who had inspired it. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - -On the twenty-third day of September, Sir Sidney Delaware had some -slight symptoms of a fit of gout, which rendered him somewhat -irritable and anxious. Three times did he give particular directions, -that, when Mr. Tims of Ryebury came, he was to be shown into the -library, and, as often when he heard any unusual sound in the mansion, -usually so still and tranquil, he demanded whether Mr. Tims had -arrived. Still Mr. Tims did not make his appearance, though about two -o'clock Mr. Burrel did; and the worthy baronet, in conversation with -his young friend, forgot his anxiety for a time. At length, however, -it began to resume its ascendency, and its first struggle was of -course with politeness. He was evidently uneasy; he moved to and fro -in his chair; he complained of some pain; and, at length, was in the -very act of desiring his son to take a walk, and see why Mr. Tims had -not kept his promise, when the daily bag arrived from the post, -and--together with a billet or two, apparently from some female -friends for Miss Delaware, which she carried away to her own room; and -a letter for Captain Delaware--appeared a lawyer-like epistle -addressed to Sir Sidney, and bearing the London postmark. - -"I will go to Mr. Tims as soon as I have looked over this letter, -sir," said Captain Delaware; but Sir Sidney at the same moment opened -his own, and, after he had read, he exclaimed, "No, no, William, there -is no necessity! You and Blanche were going to walk with Mr. Burrel; -and here Lord Ashborough's lawyer tells me that he cannot be down on -the precise day--that is to-morrow--but will come the day after, or -the day after that, with a thousand apologies for not coming. If I be -well enough, I will go to this person, Tims, myself to-morrow. If not, -you can go. So call Blanche, and take your ramble while it is fine. -The clouds are beginning to gather." - -Captain Delaware went to seek his sister, who, as we have said, had -retired to her own apartment; but he soon returned saying, that she -had a slight headach, and would stay at home. He would show Burrel the -way himself, he added, to what the people called the Sea Hill, so -named because the sea was thence first visible; and, though the spirit -of their proposed expedition had all evaporated, Burrel did not choose -to decline. "If she did but know!" he thought; "If she did but know -what is going on here in my heart, I do not think a slight headach -would keep her at home! But I must bring this matter to some -certainty--it is growing painful!" and more than one-half of his walk -passed in silent musing. - -On his return, he went into the library with Captain Delaware. Blanche -was there with her father, but she was deadly pale, and Burrel felt -more than anxious--alarmed. As soon almost as he entered, Sir Sidney -Delaware pressed him to stay to dinner, and Burrel, who had often -declined, mastered by strong anxiety, agreed to do so on the present -occasion; though, as the invitation was given and accepted, he saw a -passing blush, and then a relapse to snowy paleness, come over the -countenance of her he loved. - -The evening was no longer one of joy. Burrel hoped that some -opportunity would present itself of gaining a single moment of private -conversation with Blanche Delaware in the course of his stay; but it -was evident that she avoided every thing of the kind, and, at an early -hour, complaining of increased headach, she retired once more to her -room. Soon after, her lover took his leave, and returned home in a -state of feverish anxiety, difficult to be described; while Captain -Delaware perceived that something had gone wrong, but could not divine -what; and Sir Sidney, without seeing any thing deeper, felt that the -evening which had just past to its predecessors, was the dullest he -had spent since he had become acquainted with Henry Burrel. - -To Burrel the night went by in sleepless restlessness; and, though we -would fain see how it flew with Blanche Delaware, we must take up her -story in the course of the morning after, when, rising as pale as the -night before, she found that the hour, instead of nine--which she had -fancied it must be at least--was only seven. Putting on her bonnet, -she glided down the old stone staircase, and proceeded into the park; -but it was not towards Emberton that she took her way. On the -contrary, turning her steps through the wild woodlands that lay at the -back of the mansion, she trod very nearly the same path which she had -pursued with Henry Burrel during the first days of their acquaintance. - -She traced the walk by the bank of the stream. The kingfishers were -flitting over the bosom of the river; the waters were pouring on, -fretting at the same pebbles, dashing over the same little falls, -lying quiet in the same still pools, as when she had last seen them. -But the feelings of her heart were changed, and the light, which -nature had then borrowed from joy, was now all overshadowed by the -clouds of care. As she gazed upon the stream, and the wild banks, and -the hawthorn dingles round her, and felt that a bitter change in her -own bosom had stripped them of all their beauties, as ruthlessly as -the hand of winter itself could have done, the pain was too much, and -she wept. - -Still she trod her way onward, pondering slowly and gloomily, till she -came so near the little glen that had terminated that happy walk with -Burrel, that she could not refrain from going on. A few minutes -brought her to the spot where the Prior's Well was first visible, and -a few minutes more found her standing under the rich carved canopy of -gray stone that covered over the fountain. - -For several moments she gazed wistfully and mournfully upon the -waters, as, with a calm unobtrusive ripple, and a low whispering -murmur, they welled from the basin of the fountain, and trickled -through the grass and pebbles. "Oh, would to Heaven!" she thought, -"that yon calm water did really possess the mysterious power the old -legends attribute to it. But two days since, nothing on earth would -have made me taste it, though I believed not a word; and now I am -almost tempted to drink, though I still believe as little." - -As she thought thus, she stretched out her hand to the little iron -cup; and, after a short pause, filled it, and gazed upon the water, as -it lay pure and clear, with that peculiar cold sparkling limpidity -which the old monks so greatly prized in their wells. Her hand shook a -little; but, after a single instant's consideration, with a smile -which was mingled of sadness and of a sort of gentle scorn, at the -drop of credulity that still lay at the bottom of her heart, she was -raising the cup to her lips when a hand was laid gently upon her arm. - -She started, but without dropping the cup, and, turning round, she saw -beside her, Henry Burrel. Pouring the water carefully back into the -font, as if every drop were precious, she let go the chain, while, -with downcast eyes, and a cheek burning like crimson, she uttered a -scarcely audible good-morrow, in answer to some words that she had -hardly heard. - -Burrel's hand still rested on her arm, while his eyes were fixed upon -her face, tenderly, but reproachfully. The action and the look were -those of intimacy, but not of presumption; and, indeed, there had been -of late a kind of mute language established between Blanche and her -lover, in which many a question had been asked, and many a feeling had -been acknowledged, which would have expired in shame, had words been -the only means of expression, and which gave Burrel some right to -enquire into the change he could not but perceive too plainly. - -"You were about to drink, Miss Delaware!" he said. "But if you taste -of the enchanted fountain, I must drink also; for Heaven knows, then, -I shall have more need of the waters of oblivion than you have!" - -He spoke with a smile; but there are smiles in the world more -melancholy than a world of sighs; and his was so full of pain, -anxiety, and disappointment, that Blanche, as she turned away, made -the only answer in her power--by tears. The drops from her eyes fell -thick, and as her left hand rested on the little carved border of the -stone font, over which her head still hung, partially averted to hide -the deep and varying feelings that passed across her face, the tears -dimpled the clear still waters; and though Burrel, as he stood, could -not see her eyes, he perceived that she was weeping bitterly. His -fingers, which had rested lightly on her arm to prevent her from -drinking the water, now glided down and circled round her hand, -clasping upon it with a degree of gentle firmness. - -"Miss Delaware," he said, "for Heaven's sake, tell me, have my hopes -been all in vain?--Have I, like a presumptuous fool, dreamed of -happiness far greater than I deserve to possess? And do you now, by -the striking change which your demeanour towards me has undergone, -intend to rebuke my boldness in fancying that you might ever become -mine; and to crush the hopes which your former kindness inspired?" - -Blanche Delaware wept, but she answered not a word; and Burrel gazed -on her for a moment in silence, in a state of agitation which might -have well prevented him from judging sanely of what was passing in her -mind, even had it been expressed by more unequivocal signs than the -bitter, though silent tears, that rolled over her cheeks. - -"For God's sake, speak!" he exclaimed at length. "Oh, Blanche! if you -did but know the agony you are inflicting on a heart that loves you -better than any other earthly thing, you would at least save me the -torment of suspense--May I--dare I--hope that you will be mine?" - -Blanche Delaware passed her hand across her brow, and brushed back the -rich long ringlets, that, as she stooped, had fallen partially over -her eyes. She turned towards her lover also, still grasping the edge -of the fountain with her left hand for support, and, with something -between a gasp and a sob, replied to his question at once--"No, Mr. -Burrel! No! You must not hope!--Oh, forgive me!"--she added, seeing -the deadly paleness that spread over his countenance. "Forgive me! -Forgive me! But for your sake--for your own sake--for both our sakes, -it is better said at once--I must not--I cannot"---- - -The rest died upon her lips. Enough, however, had been spoken to make -the rejection decisive; and yet it was spoken in such a tone as to -betray deep grief as well as agitation on her own part; and to -awaken--not suspicions--but a thousand vague and whirling fancies in -Burrel's brain. - -"And will not Miss Delaware," he said at length, "at least console me -for broken hopes, and the first love of my heart crushed for ever, by -assigning some cause for this change in her opinion of one, who is -unconscious of having done any thing to offend or pain her?" - -Blanche was again silent, and turned away her head, while the sighs -came thick and deep, and the tears were evidently falling fast. Burrel -paused for a moment, and then added, in a sad but kindly tone--"Or is -it, Miss Delaware, that I have imagined a heart free, that was before -engaged? Perhaps, long ere I knew you, some more fortunate person may -have created an interest which can be inspired but once--perhaps even, -circumstances may have prevented you from rendering him as happy as -you might otherwise have done--Oh, tell me, is it so? For though all -men are selfish, I should find it easy to gratify my selfishness in -contributing to your happiness. I have interest--I have power--and if -I could render Blanche Delaware happy with one that she loves, it -would be the next blessing to possessing her hand myself--Tell me, -Miss Delaware, I beseech you, is it as I imagine?" - -"Oh! No, no, no! cried Blanche, turning her glowing face towards him. -No, upon my word--I never saw the man that I could love but"---- - -The deepening blush and the fresh burst of tears concluded the -sentence as Burrel's heart could have desired; and again laying his -hand upon hers, he besought her to tell him what then was the -obstacle. But Blanche drew back--not offended, but sad and determined. - -"It is in vain, Mr. Burrel!" she said; "and I am bound to tell you so -at once. My mind is made up--my resolution is taken. You have my -highest esteem, my deepest gratitude, my most sincere regard, but you -cannot have"---- - -She paused at the word love; for no circumstances to the mind of -Blanche Delaware could palliate a falsehood, and she felt too bitterly -that he did possess her love also. She changed the phrase in the -midst, and added, "I can never give you my hand!" - -One only glance at the countenance of her lover made her feel that she -could bear no more, and that it were better for them both to part at -once. She drew back a single step, and then, with a look of painful -earnestness, while her hand unconsciously was laid upon his arm, she -said, in a low sad tone, "Forgive me, Mr. Burrel! Oh, forgive me!" and -the next moment Burrel was standing alone by the side of the fountain. - -He remained there for several minutes, with every painful feeling that -it is possible to imagine struggling together in his bosom. First, -their was the disappointment of hopes that he had encouraged to a -pitch, of which he had had no notion, till they were done away for -ever--the breaking of a thousand sweet dreams--the vanishing of a -crowd of happy images--the dissolution of all the fairy fabric which -the enchanter Fancy builds up round the cradle of young affection. -Then there were the doubts, the fears, the jealousies, the vague and -sombre imaginings, to which the unexplained and extraordinary conduct -of her that he loved gave rise; and then, again, was the rankling -sting of mortified pride, shooting its venom into the wound inflicted -by disappointment. - -Burrel paused by the fountain, and suffered every painful thought to -work its will upon his heart in turn; and, oh! what he would have -given to have wept like a woman; but he could not. At length, steeling -himself with that bitter fortitude which is akin to despair, he turned -his steps towards the little town. He avoided, of course, the mansion; -and, though he gazed at it for a moment with a bent brow and quivering -lip, when he caught a sight of it from a distance, yet, as soon as he -withdrew his eyes, the sight only seemed to accelerate his pace. - -"Have my horse at the door in a quarter of an hour!" were the first -words he addressed to his servant, as he entered the house; "and be -ready to take up the baggage to London by the coach." - -Harding gazed upon his master in horror and astonishment; for the -newly-proposed arrangement did not at all coincide with his views and -purposes. But Burrel, having given his orders in a tone that left no -room for reply, walked on into the little parlour; and it was several -minutes before his worthy valet could so far recover from the shock, -as to find an excuse for evading the execution of his commands. He -soon, however, summoned sufficient obstacles to his aid; and, having -proceeded to order his master's horse, he returned and entered the -parlour uncalled. - -"I have ordered the groom to bring up Martindale, sir," he said, -"because the bay needs shoeing. But I am afraid, sir, I cannot get all -the things ready for the coach. There is every thing to pack, sir, and -all the bills to be paid, and not above three quarters of an hour to -do it in." - -Burrel had been gazing forth from the window, seeing nothing upon -earth; but his habitual command over himself, was too powerful to -suffer him to get deaf as well as blind, under any disappointment; and -he turned immediately that the servant spoke. "I forgot," he said, -taking out his pocket-book; "You must go up to-morrow morning. There -is money to pay the bills;" and he noted down as carefully as usual -the sum he gave, adding, "I shall sleep to-night at Dr. Wilton's, and -shall be in town on Saturday. Have the travelling chariot taken to -Holditch, to be put in order, as soon as you arrive. Call in all my -bills in London; and get things arranged to set off for the continent -in the course of next week." - -The man bowed low, with his usual silent gravity; in a few minutes -more the horse was at the door; and Burrel, riding slowly out of the -town, took the road towards the house of his former tutor. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - -"Hush, Master William! hush!" cried the old housekeeper, who, having -lived from ancient and better days in the family at Emberton, could -never forget that William Delaware had been once a boy, nor ever -remember that he was now a man. "Hush, Master William! Miss Blanche is -not well, poor dear--not well at all; and, indeed, I think----But -there he goes!" and as she spoke. Captain Delaware, who had been -calling loudly to his sister to come down and make breakfast for him, -as he was in haste, hurried into the breakfast-parlour to perform that -office for himself. It was not, indeed, that William Delaware was in -the least indifferent to his sister's health or happiness, but he -possessed that sort of constitution, which hardly permits one to -understand what sickness is; and although, had he known that Blanche -was suffering under aught that he could assuage or even sympathize -with, he would have hastened to offer comfort and consolation, with -every feeling of fraternal affection, he now only muttered to himself, -"Oh, she has got one of those cursed headachs!" and proceeded to spoon -the tea into the tea-pot, as if he had been baling a leaky boat. -"Blanche has got a headach, and is not coming down," he added, as Sir -Sidney Delaware entered; "and I have made tea, because I wish to reach -Ryebury, and speak with the old miser before he goes out. The fellow -must be shuffling." - -Sir Sydney expressed his anxiety at the continuance of Blanche's -headach, more strongly than his son had done. His eyes had been less -quick than those of Captain Delaware, in seeing the growing love -between Burrel and his daughter, for such feelings had long before -passed away from his own bosom; but his personal experience of -sickness had taught him to sympathize with it far more than his son -could do, and he was about to visit Blanche's chamber immediately, had -not the business of Mr. Tims first attracted him for a moment, and -then detained him till breakfast was over, and his son was about to -depart. - -With manifold directions to express surprise at the miser's want of -punctuality. Captain Delaware was dismissed by his father, and took -the way direct to Ryebury, fully determined to enforce Sir Sidney's -rebuke, with many more indignant expressions. "Here," he thought, "my -father might have been pressed severely by this time--insulted--nay, -even arrested--because this scoundrel has not thought fit to produce -the money--doubtless, keeping it to get the additional interest of a -single day. If it were not for creating new obstacles, I would -horsewhip him for his pains!" - -William Delaware was naturally quite sufficiently hasty in his -disposition; but people who are so, have not unfrequently a way of -lashing themselves up into anger before there is any necessity for it, -by conjuring up a thousand imaginary injuries or insults in the -future, as soon as they have begun to suspect that Mr. A, B, C, or D, -intends to offend or wrong them. Thus, it must be confessed, did -William Delaware, as he walked along towards the house of the miser. -First, he thought that Mr. Tims might strive still to delay the -payment he had promised, in order to increase his gains by a day or -two more interest--next, he imagined that he might wish to prolong the -matter, in order to augment Sir Sidney Delaware's difficulties, and -exact a higher commission; and then, again, it struck him that the -miser, whose repute for double-dealing was rather high in the -neighbourhood, might have in view so to entangle the affairs of the -family, as to get possession of the estate itself. Notwithstanding all -this, it is true that William Delaware was not of a suspicious nature. -All these phantoms were conjured up by anger at the foregone -disappointment. A very slight circumstance--the delay of the -payment--had raised them; and a less--even a few fair speeches--would -have dispelled them. The distinction is necessary to the appreciation -of his character. He was hasty in all his conclusions--rapid in his -expectations of good or evil, as soon as his mind was set upon either -track--but not suspicious; and, consequently, easily turned from the -one road into the other. - -It so happened, however--unfortunately enough--that while in the very -height of his indignation at Mr. Tims, with that personage's evil -deeds and qualities--real and imaginary--past, present, or future--all -red-hot and hissing in his mind, who should he encounter but the miser -himself, with his sharp red nose turned towards Emberton, and his -hands behind his back. Mr. Tims saw him instantly; and as there were -various questions which he was anxious to have settled and resolved -before he entered into any discussion with either Sir Sidney or his -son, he thought that he might escape by a side-path, which opportunely -lay just at his left hand; and, consequently, making a rotatory -movement on his right heel, he was turning in amongst the bushes, when -he was arrested by the voice of the young officer, addressing him in -not the most placable tones in the world. As Mr. Tims was well aware, -that amongst the _stadio-dromoi_, he could not compete with so young -an opponent as Captain Delaware, he instantly turned and met that -gentleman, whose previous wrath was not a little heightened by this -evident attempt at evasion. - -The most difficult thing for a man who has been secretly coaxing his -own anger, is to begin to give it vent without appearing unreasonable; -and Mr. Tims's countenance was so cold, dry, and calm, that nothing -could be made out of the "Good-morning, Captain Delaware!" with which -he opened the conversation. - -"I thought, sir, that by making my visit so early, I should have found -you at home," was Captain Delaware's brief rejoinder. - -"Business called me abroad," replied Mr. Tims, as laconically. - -"Were you going towards Emberton Park?" demanded the young officer. - -"No, sir, I was not!" answered Mr. Tims, whose manner towards the son -of "poor Sir Sidney Delaware," was always very different from that -which he assumed to rich Mr. Burrel, and was peculiarly simple on the -present occasion. - -"You were not!" cried Captain Delaware, "then, let me tell you, sir, -you should have been there yesterday. I beg to know, sir, why you were -not to the time you yourself appointed for the signature of the -mortgage, and the payment of the money advanced." - -"Because it was not convenient, sir, and because the money was not -ready," replied Mr. Tims with imperturbable calmness. - -Captain Delaware's command over himself abandoned him; and, raising -the whip he had in hand, he shook it over the miser's head, -exclaiming, "Not convenient! Not ready! By Heaven, if it were not for -your years, I would make you find it convenient to keep your word when -you have pledged it, and to be ready at the time you promise!" - -He was dropping the whip, though his eyes were still flashing, when a -voice close beside him, proceeding from an honest neighbouring farmer, -whose approach he had not observed, exclaimed, "Captain, Captain! -Don't ye strike the old man! Don't ye, now! Don't ye! Oh, that's -right, now--reason it with him, like--but don't ye strike him!" - -"No, no, Retson, I am not going to strike him!" replied Captain -Delaware. "Go on, my good fellow, and leave us--I will not strike -him!" - -"Well, well. Captain," said the farmer, laughing, "I'll go--but your -word's given, mind.--So, don't ye strike the old man, though he were -the devil himself,--He looks more like a wet hen under a penthouse, -howsomever." - -The fanner's description was not far from correct; for Mr. Tims--who -had expected no such fierce explosion as that which his words had -occasioned, and had fancied he could be insolent in security--now -stood aghast as the rhetoric of Captain Delaware's horsewhip seemed -likely to be applied to his shoulders. His knees acquired an -additional bend, his nether jaw dropped, his arms hung distant from -his sides, his cheeks grew paler, and his red nose stood out in -prominent relief, under the very act of fear. The good farmer's -interposition, however, calmed him sufficiently to enable his tongue -to falter forth some words of apology, declaring that he did not -intend to offend Captain Delaware--far from it; but how could that -gentleman expect him to speak boldly upon such subjects, out in the -public high-road? Who could tell, he demanded, that there might not be -robbers in the immediate neighbourhood of the place where they then -stood? - -"Well, if that be all," answered Captain Delaware, "I will protect you -against robbers, till you get to your own house; and there you will be -sufficiently at ease to give me a proper explanation of your -unaccountable conduct." - -Mr. Tims would fain have evaded this immediate consummation; as his -purpose in walking to Emberton was to see Mr. Burrel, and ascertain -exactly which way would be the most advantageous for him to act; but -Captain Delaware was peremptory; the mediating farmer had walked up -the lane, and Mr. Tims was obliged to turn his steps homeward. When he -had entered the house, and led his unwelcome visiter into his little -parlour, carefully closed the door, and listened to hear that the -steps of even his faithful dirty Sally no longer haunted the passage, -he began his explanation in a low tone. - -"As you say, Captain Delaware--as you say, indeed," he went on. "It is -a most unfortunate circumstance; but how can I help it? I depended -upon another for the money--the letter of credit that he gave for the -sum was duly presented; but it appears that a bill for ten thousand -pounds, which he expected to be paid by this time, had been -dishonoured, and that his agents had not sufficient assets to meet the -demand. But as you say, sir, it was impossible that I could help it." - -Captain Delaware sat for a moment in silent but bitter disappointment. -At length he exclaimed, "And who the devil is this gentleman, from -whom you were to receive this money?" - -Mr. Tims hesitated. "Why, as to that, Captain Delaware," he said, "I -was expressly forbidden to tell; but since the matter has come to this -pass, I dare say there can be no harm in it. He is no one else than -the gentleman calling himself Mr. Burrel, or, in other words, your -cousin, Mr. Henry Beauchamp." - -William Delaware started off his chair, as any other quick-blooded -person would have done, if such a tide of sudden and unexpected -information were poured upon him. For a moment the blood rushed up -into his cheeks--the first feeling of laying one's self under a deep -obligation to any one, being always painful. As long as he had thought -that the miser advanced the money on mortgage, it had seemed a mere -matter of traffic; but when he heard that it was Burrel, it instantly -became an obligation, and the first feeling, as I have said, was not -altogether pleasant. Neither was the fact, that the gay, the wealthy, -the dashing, the sarcastic cousin, of whom he had heard so much, -had--notwithstanding the chilling coldness with which Sir Sidney had, -a year or two before, repelled some advances which Beauchamp had -made--neither was the fact, I say, that he had opened his way into -their family circle, taken a place by their fireside, and witnessed -all the poverty and decay of their house, agreeable at its first -aspect. But a moment's thought--by recalling all the delicacy of Henry -Beauchamp's conduct, the kind and unaffected regard which he had shown -towards them all, the persevering friendship with which he had -followed up his purpose, and the real services he had so zealously -planned--soon took away from the mind of William Delaware, all that -was painful in the sudden news he heard, and the glow was almost at -once succeeded by a bright and happy smile. - -"I see it all now!" he cried, "I see it all now! and since such are -the facts, Mr. Tims, the matter will be very easily arranged." - -"Oh, doubtless, doubtless, sir!" replied Mr. Tims. "As you say, every -one knows that Mr. Beauchamp has the wherewithal to do any thing that -he likes. His fortune is immense, sir! His fortune is immense! His -father made a mint of money when he was Governor of ----." - -"How much did you say was the deficiency?" demanded Captain Delaware. - -"Only ten thousand pounds, sir!" replied the miser. "A mere nothing to -Mr. Beauchamp; and as you say, sir, he could raise it in a minute, if -he liked. I was just going to see him upon the business, when I met -you, and you were so violent, Captain Delaware." - -"I beg your pardon, Mr. Tims! I beg your pardon!" said the young -officer. "I was in the wrong; but now I will save you the trouble you -were about to take, and go on at once to my cousin myself. It is high -time that I should acknowledge his generous kindness, and thank him -for it." - -"But, I trust, Captain Delaware--I trust," faltered forth the miser in -an agony of fear, lest the job should be taken out of his hands by the -meeting of the principal parties. "I trust that the business may be -suffered to proceed in the regular train--I cannot be expected to lose -all my little emoluments." - -"Do not be afraid--do not be afraid, sir!" replied Captain Delaware, -who soon saw the current of the miser's thoughts. "Do not alarm -yourself. The whole business shall pass through your hands; and you -shall get as much upon it as you honestly can." - -"Ay, sir! Now, that is what I call something like!" replied the -relieved Mr. Tims. "Captain Delaware, will you take a glass of wine -after your walk, or a glass of ale? But, as you say, time presses; and -perhaps you may be anxious to see your excellent and worthy cousin, -who doubtless can set all right--and high time it is he should do so, -I can tell you--for my worthy nephew, Mr. Peter Tims, solicitor of -Clement's Inn, who is agent for my good lord and former patron, the -Earl of Ashborough, is to be down early to-morrow--and he is a smart -practitioner, I can tell you--and the bill being out, you know"---- - -"The whole of course requires promptitude," interrupted Captain -Delaware. "Not that I think Lord Ashborough, or Lord Ashborough's -lawyer, would act an ungentlemanly part in the business; but I know it -would go far to break my father's heart, were the bill he has given to -be presented before he could pay it. So now, Mr. Tims, good-morning. I -will call upon you again when I have seen my cousin." - -Away sped William Delaware like an arrow from a bow, his breast full -of mingled emotions, and his heart throbbing with contending feelings. -He did not, it is true, reason much with himself, as he went, in -regard to his position relative to Henry Beauchamp. He felt that he -owed him a deep debt of gratitude--he felt that he had every reason to -love and to admire him; and although he could not but experience -likewise, a sort of generous distaste to the mere act of borrowing -money from any one, yet he determined to meet his cousin frankly and -openly; for his heart had arrived at the same conclusion that his -father's had reached before, and he thought, that if there were any -man on earth on whom he would choose to confer the honour of accepting -an obligation, it was Henry Beauchamp. He was soon in the streets of -Emberton, and soon at the door of Burrel's lodging. His application -for admittance was answered by the landlady, who told him that Mr. -Burrel was gone; but that the valet was still there, and was settling -some accounts with a gentleman in his own room. - -"Gone!" cried Captain Delaware. "Gone! You mean gone out, Mrs. Wilson, -surely--but, send the servant to me." - -"Oh no, sir! Sorry I am to say, he is gone for good and all, too -surely," replied Mrs. Wilson. "But if you will walk into the parlour, -Captain, I will send Mr. Harding to you directly--and I hope, if you -should chance to hear of any good lodger, Captain, you will not forget -me." - -"No, no!" replied Captain Delaware, somewhat impatiently, as he walked -forward into the little parlour which Burrel had inhabited; "but make -haste, Mrs. Wilson, and send the man to me directly. What can be the -meaning of all this?" he added, as the good woman shut the door. -"Phoo! There must be some mistake," and he walked towards the window -which looked out into the road. Two minutes after he had taken up that -position, steps sounded along the passage, and, the street door being -opened, Burrel's servant, Harding, ushered out a coarse, vulgar man, -whom, as we have described him before, when he made his appearance in -the stage-coach with Burrel, we shall not notice farther on the -present occasion. A few brief words, which Captain Delaware neither -could nor would hear, concluded that worthy's conversation with Mr. -Beauchamp's servant; and the next moment Harding himself made his -appearance, and, after a silent bow, stood waiting the young officer's -commands. - -"Mrs. Wilson must surely have been mistaken just now, in telling me -that your master has left Emberton?" was Captain Delaware's abrupt -address. - -"No, sir; she was quite right!" replied Harding, in a respectful tone. - -"Good God, this is most unfortunate!" cried Captain Delaware. "And, -pray, what was the cause of his abrupt departure?" - -Under ordinary circumstances, Harding would have adhered to his -taciturnity; but Captain Delaware's declaration, that his master's -absence was most unfortunate, excited his curiosity--not in the -abstract, but personally, inasmuch as he did not know how far the -unfortunate circumstance complained of might affect himself--and he -therefore determined, as a nice feat of strategy, to provoke the young -officer's loquacity, by showing that he knew or suspected more of his -family concerns than the other imagined. - -"I really cannot tell, sir," replied he in a low and deferential tone, -"what was the absolute cause; and perhaps I might offend you, if I -were to say what I fancy it was--although nobody can regret it more -than I do in my humble sphere." - -"Not at all! Not at all! I shall not be offended at all!" replied -Captain Delaware quickly. "On the contrary, I shall be glad to hear any -cause assigned for what seems to me quite inexplicable on many -accounts." - -"Why then, sir, the fact is," replied Harding, "that I could not help -seeing that my master--I beg your pardon, sir, I am afraid I shall -offend you--Well, sir, that my master seemed to feel very differently -towards my young lady at the park than I ever saw him feel before for -any one; and I naturally thought, sir, that he was not going to be a -single man much longer. But then, last night, he did not come home at -all at ease; and this morning, after having been out for a long time -in the park, or at the mansion, he returned as if he had got his -death-blow--ordered me to get every thing ready to set off for London; -and mounting his own horse, not half an hour ago, galloped away -before. So, of course, I thought he had been refused--and that is a -thing he never was in his life before, I can answer for it." - -Captain Delaware threw himself down in a chair, in a state of -confusion, perplexity, and distress indescribable. He instantly -combined Burrel's conduct with Blanche's illness of the previous night -and that morning; and, cursing internally what he called all the silly -caprices and ill-placed delicacies of womankind, he was first about to -set out to accuse his poor sister of having cast away the affections -of a man whom she evidently loved, and to insist upon her recalling -him. Then, however, he remembered the immediate business that had -brought him there, and despair took possession of him. The ten -thousand pounds were not forthcoming, Burrel was gone, Lord -Ashborough's agent was to be down the next morning, and William -Delaware knew that the effect upon his father's mind was likely to be -terrible, if the necessary sum could not be procured in time. - -"Good God!" he exclaimed at length. "This is most unfortunate indeed. -What is to be done? Do you think your master could not be overtaken? I -have business to settle with him of the utmost importance, which must -be concluded to-day." - -"My master left me a great many things, sir, to settle for him," -replied the servant; "and perhaps that which you speak of was amongst -them. He told me to call upon Mr. Tims, and"---- - -"That is exactly the question," cried Captain Delaware, interrupting -him. "Have you got the money?" - -"What!" cried Harding, almost as eagerly. "Has the money not been -paid?" - -"No, indeed!" answered Captain Delaware. "His agents declared that -they had not assets--that a part of the sum--no less than ten thousand -pounds--had not been paid into their hands!" - -"If's a juggle!" cried the servant. "I see it all! It is a juggle of -that rogue in grain, Peter Tims--No, no, sir, my master never dreamed -that the money would not be paid; and he only ordered me to tell Mr. -Tims at Ryebury, that he was to send up all papers for him to the -lawyers in London, as my master talks of going abroad. But I can set -all right yet, sir, I think. Mr. Burrel has only gone to Dr. Wilton's -at present, and I know he will not be angry with me for going after -him, to tell him all that has happened, and I will make bold to tell -him, too, a great many things he does not know. So make your mind -easy, sir. I beg your pardon for the liberty--but, depend upon it, the -money shall be at Ryebury before to-morrow morning." - -Captain Delaware paused a moment to think; for there was something -unpleasant to his feelings in seeming to press for Henry Beauchamp's -assistance, especially as he knew not what might have passed between -him and Blanche. But there was no choice but to do so, or to plunge -his family into ruin; and his meditation on the subject was brought to -an end by Harding--who was a man of fine feelings himself when it -suited him--declaring that he held it his bounden duty to inform his -master immediately, whether Captain Delaware liked it or not. - -Captain Delaware, however, reflecting that Beauchamp was his cousin, -and that no other resource was open to him, did not oppose the man's -determination; and it being settled that Harding should mount one of -his master's horses, and follow him to Dr. Wilton's rectory -immediately, the young officer, with a mind much relieved, returned -towards his paternal dwelling, meditating a severe cross-examination -for Blanche, and internally declaring, "That Harding is a very honest -fellow!" - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - -The very honest fellow was soon upon horseback, muttering to himself, -"Ten thousand pounds short!--that would never do!--but I must mind -what I am about, else he will go back and pay the money to this young -chap, and then the whole business will be spoilt. Let me see;" and he -set himself seriously to consider the best means of getting Burrel -either to intrust him with the money--in which case he thought he -might be able to cheat his accomplice, and appropriate the whole of -that part of the spoil--or to pay it at once to Mr. Tims; and in that -event, Harding still calculated on coming in for a share. It was yet -early in the day; but, nevertheless, Master Harding rode as if for -life; for being one of those personages who calculated _almost_ every -chance--the _almost_ is very necessary, for he did not calculate -all--he foresaw that it would be necessary for Burrel, who could not -be supposed to have so large a sum about him, to procure the money -from some other source, and, knowing that Messrs. Steelyard and -Wilkinson, his master's agents, were part proprietors of a county bank -at about twenty miles distance from Emberton, he concluded that -Burrel's first application would be there, where his means of payment -would be best known. - -The reason why things seldom answer, which are so beautifully -calculated before hand, is probably, because the smallest event in the -world is brought about by such a compound piece of machinery, that the -most minute wheel going wrong--a pin, a pivot, a spring, a link of the -chain, a cog, a catch, a lever, a balance wheel, getting the least out -of place--the whole machine falls into a different train of action, -and strikes six when we thought it was about to strike seven. This -trite fact was beautifully exemplified in the case of Harding, who had -calculated to a word what he was to say to his master, and how soon -either he himself or his said master was to set out for the bank -at ---- --how long it would take to go, so as to arrive during banking -hours--how long it would take to settle the business with the -partners, and at what precise moment of time either he himself or -Burrel could be back in Emberton. It so happened, however, that, on -reaching the rectory, to his horror and astonishment, he found that -Mr. Burrel, on arriving at that place before him, had got into Dr. -Wilton's carriage, which had been standing at the door, and had gone -out with the worthy clergyman. - -How soon they would be back, no one could tell, and where they were -gone to, was as little known, so that worthy Master Harding had to -remain at the rectory, suffering pangs of impatience, that were not -the less severe because he covered them over as usual with a face of -calm indifferent gravity. Nevertheless, in order to lose no time, he -immediately proceeded to the stable, and there put his master's horse -in a complete state of preparation to start again at a moment's -notice, while, at the same time, he supplied the beast that brought -him thither liberally with oats, feeling, like Mr. Tims, a sort of -Diogenesian satisfaction at feeding either his horse or himself at -another person's expense. Still he was called upon to practise the -copy-line virtue of patience for no inconsiderable length of time; -for, notwithstanding all his aspirations, Mr. Burrel, or rather Mr. -Beauchamp, did not appear for at least two hours; and the vision of -the banking-house, and its speedy arrangements--the transfer of the -money, and the ultimate ten thousand pounds--floated faint and more -faint before his mental view. "He's a devil of a goer, however, that -Mr. Beauchamp when he has a mind!" thought the man, consoling himself -with the usual straw-catching delusions of hope, as probability waxed -weakly. "He's a devil of a goer when he has a mind! No man gets over -his miles sooner; and as for Martindale, give him but easy ground, and -the beast would do it well in the time without turning a hair." - -As he thus cogitated, the roll of wheels sounded past the stable; and, -on looking out, Harding saw the plain chariot of the divine glide -forward with merciful slowness to the door. The step descended with -the same quiet and tranquil movement, and Henry Beauchamp, with deep -and unusual gravity on his countenance, got out, and entered the -house, followed by Dr. Wilton. - -Harding lost no time; but immediately made his arrival known to his -master, and, in a private audience, informed him of Mr. Tims's -betrayal of his secret, and of all he had gathered from Captain -Delaware, at the same time, throwing in dexterously a few of those -apparently casual words which he judged most likely to prevent Mr. -Beauchamp from holding any direct communication with the family at -Emberton. He still took care, however, to insinuate the necessity of -immediately supplying the deficiency in the sum promised, and clenched -the impression by directing his master's suspicions towards Lord -Ashborough, and Peter Tims, Esq. of Clement's Inn, solicitor, &c. All -that he dared not urge, on his own part, lest he should ruin his -particular plans by the appearance of impudent intrusion, he allowed -Beauchamp by implication--which is generally a sort of semi-lie--to -attribute to Captain Delaware, trusting that any want of vraisemblance -would be covered by the agitation of his master's mind. In all this he -was wonderfully successful; and the more so because every thing that -he said was fundamentally true, and therefore Henry Beauchamp had no -difficulty in believing it to be so. That gentleman, however, -expressed no surprise. In fact, he had been lately troubled with a -great deal more surprise than he liked; and he was returning fast to -his old habit of taking every thing as a matter of indifference, or, -at least, of seeming to do so. Beauchamp thought calmly for a few -minutes, and then asked, "How far is it to ----?" naming the town -where the county bank was situated. - -"About twenty miles from Emberton, sir," replied the man; "sixteen or -seventeen from this place." - -"What is o'clock?" demanded his master, who, in the agitation of the -preceding night, had forgotten to wind up his watch. - -The man drew a fine French repeater from his pocket, and examined its -face; but it lied like himself. Hope backed him against time for ten -thousand; and though the watch was too slow by quarter of an hour, he -took off ten minutes more from the hour it noted. - -"Saddle Martindale!" said Mr. Beauchamp, when he had pondered the -man's reply. "Bring him up directly! Then go back to Emberton, and -to-morrow to London, where, do as I bade you before. If you have not -sent over my dressing-cases here, you need not send them--If you -have--have them brought back, and take them up with the other things." - -The man bowed and withdrew; and Burrel, after another moment's -thought, descended to Dr. Wilton's library, and informed his worthy -tutor that he had received a sudden call to a different place, which -compelled him to set out immediately. The cause of his departure he -did not disclose, as he felt a great repugnance to make even so -intimate a friend of all the parties as Dr. Wilton, acquainted with -the circumstances of his cousins' difficulties, although he had not -scrupled, during their drive, to inform the good clergyman, that there -was no longer any probability--if there had indeed ever existed -any--of an alliance between his own family and that of Sir Sidney -Delaware. The cause of his different conduct, in regard to these two -affairs, might perhaps be, that generosity is always taciturn where it -is real--love is always loquacious where it is sure of not being -laughed at. - -Whether, in a longer conversation, the good doctor might or might not -have seduced Beauchamp into telling him more, can hardly be -ascertained; for scarcely had he announced his intended departure, -when he was informed that his horse was at the door. Dr. Wilton had no -time to express his surprise; but grasping his young friend's hand, he -repeated twice, "Now mind, my dear Harry, mind! I tell you, I am sure -there is some mistake, or some very base man[oe]uvre, and you have -promised not to quit London till you hear from me." - -Beauchamp shook his head mournfully. "It is no use, my dear sir," he -replied; "but, nevertheless, of course I will keep my word." - -At the door his servant, while holding the stirrup, demanded, in a -peculiarly humble tone, "Pray, sir, may I expect to see you at -Emberton to-night, for there are several things"---- - -"I shall be at Ryebury, but certainly not at Emberton," answered -Beauchamp. "If there be any thing unsettled when you come to London, -it must be done afterwards." - -The man bowed low, perfectly satisfied; and Beauchamp and his horse -went off at a gallop. "That will do it!" said Harding, as he saw his -master depart; and, mounting his own beast, he returned calmly to -Emberton, calculating to a nicety, at what hour his master would have -paid the money into the hands of Mr. Tims. - -In the mean time, Beauchamp rode on, with a light hand and an easy -seat. He was one of those men who bring in their horses quite fresh, -when every other horse in the field is dead beat; and feeling -confident that he could arrange the whole business and return to -Ryebury before night, he did not put Martindale to the top of his -speed. What was his surprise, however, on passing a village church, -after an hour and a half's riding, to find the hand of the dial--that -fatal indicator, which, in every land, has pointed out from age to age -the dying moment of hopes, and wishes, and enjoyments--demonstrating, -beyond a doubt, that the hour was past, and his journey of no avail. - -He rode on to the town of ----, however, but the bank was shut. He -enquired for the partners, but there was only one in the town, and he -was nowhere to be found. - -Beauchamp bit his lip, and asked himself, "What is to be done now?" -Some men would have thought, that, having exerted themselves so far, -they had done enough, and would have let matters take their course; -but he was not one of that class. The idea crossed his mind, indeed; -and, to use one of his own expressions, he let it strike against his -heart, to see whether it would ring with the sharp, cold, brazen sound -of worldly feelings; but his heart was of a different metal, a great -deal too soft to respond to such hard selfishness. "For his sake, for -her sake, for all their sakes," he thought, "I must save them from -disappointment and disgrace. This Ryebury miser may very likely have -the money with him, and if not, he is, as he informed me, a proprietor -in the neighbouring bank, and therefore can easily arrange the matter. -I will tell him who I really am, and give him a power of attorney to -sell out and pay himself." - -With this resolution, he gave his horse half an hour's rest, and then -turned his rein once more towards Ryebury, where, we have already -seen, that the way was prepared for his purpose, by the previous -knowledge of his rank and fortune, which the miser had obtained from -Lord Ashborough's lawyer. As we have endeavoured to show, in the -preceding pages, Henry Beauchamp had his full share of weaknesses, -amongst which was a very tolerable portion of irritable pride. A -certain modification of this feeling had made him determine, from the -first, not to set his foot in the streets of Emberton again. That -place, it is true, had likewise, in his mind, a painful association of -ideas as connected with a bitter disappointment; and although he was -always ready to meet such regrets boldly, if they came alone, yet as -they were mingled, in this case, with mortified pride, his resolution -gave way. He was a rejected suitor--a disappointed lover. He who had -fancied that his heart was proof, had been captivated by a simple -country girl, had danced attendance upon her for several weeks, and -had ultimately been rejected. From the words that his servant had -purposely let fall, he felt sure that the whole town of Emberton were -by this time aware of his disappointment; and if ever you have been -skinned alive, reader, you may have some idea of the irritable fear -which he felt of running against the rough and rasping pity, even of -the insignificant animals of a country town. - -Two miles, therefore, before he reached Emberton, he turned off from -the high-road, and having by this time refreshed all his boyish -recollections of the country round, he directed his course to a -hamlet, which lay at the distance of about a mile and a half from -Ryebury, and which was possessed of a little public-house, in the -stable of which he could put up his horse, while he himself proceeded -on foot to the dwelling of the miser. The sun was just down as he -reached the hamlet; and after having examined, with habitual care, the -accommodation for his horse, he walked out, and took his way towards -Ryebury, in the midst of as splendid an evening as ever poured through -the autumnal sky. A flood of rich purple was gushing from the west, -with two or three soft clouds of rose colour, and gold, hanging about -the verge of the sky, while all the rest was blue, "with one star -looking through it, like an eye." On his right, lay the rich -cultivated lands between Emberton and Ryebury; so full of tall trees, -hedgerows, masses of planting and park, that the yellow stubble -fields, or the fresh ploughed fallow, could hardly be perceived amidst -the warm, though withering greens of the foliage. On his left, lay a -high wooded bank, above which, peered up the edge of a more distant -field; and beyond it again the hills, and wide downs, that stretched -away towards the sea-side, in the dim purple shadow, that covered all -that part of the prospect, taking an aspect of wide and dreary -solitude, very different from the gay sunshiny look the whole assumed -in the daytime. Yet the scene, though full of repose, was any thing -but melancholy. The partridges were calling in the fields round about, -the blackbirds were flying on, from bush to bush, before the -passenger, with that peculiar note, something between a twitter and -song, with which they conclude their melody for the year, and some gay -laughing voices in the hamlet, which he had just left behind, came -mellowed by the distance, and seemed to speak of hearts at rest, and -the day's labour done. As Beauchamp walked slowly on, with feelings in -his bosom which harmonized indeed with the scene, but which carried -all that was solemn in the aspect of the dying day into a sense of -profound dejection, the light waned; and though the purple became of a -still richer hue, the blue assumed also a deeper shade; the stars -looked out as if to supply the place of the glory that was passing -away, and the long shadows of the high grounds around, spread -something more than twilight through the valley. - -I wish it were possible to tell all the mingled feelings that were -then to be found in the wayfarer's heart, as he walked on; and to -point out how weaknesses, and virtues, and fine and generous -sentiments, and human perversities, all linked arm in arm together, -walked along with him on the way: how he felt that life was to him a -blank--that the heart had grown old--that the bubble had burst--that -the toy had lost its splendour: how he felt a pride in the very idea -of serving her and hers, whose conduct had dashed the cup of happiness -from his lip for ever--and how he thought that his affection might -have been worthy of a higher estimation; and how he cursed his own -folly, for ever suffering his heart to become the debased thing that a -woman could trample upon. But his feelings were infinite, and not to -be defined; for in the rainbow of the human heart, the colours and the -shades are so blended together, and softened away into each other, -that it is impossible to say where one ends and the other begins. - -Deep thoughts are most beguiling companions.--Why wilt thou write such -truisms, oh, my pen?--But deep thoughts are most beguiling companions, -and Beauchamp found himself within a hundred and fifty yards of the -miser's house, ere he thought that he had threaded half the way. It -was just where the path he had been following joined the little wooded -lane that led from Emberton, and rose up the high bank on which the -house was situated. The increasing elevation brought a little more -light; and, as Henry Beauchamp advanced, he saw a man and woman--who -had been apparently walking together--part as he came near. The male -figure turned hastily towards the little town; the woman glided away -in the direction of the miser's house, and was lost in the obscurity. -All was again still; but a moment after there was a low plaintive -whistle, which called his attention for an instant. He heard it again, -but at a greater distance, and thought, "It is the curlews upon the -downs;" and, without giving it any farther heed, he walked on, and -rang the bell of Mr. Tims's house, in such a manner, as to insure that -his visit would not be long unknown to the inmates. - -A bustle within immediately succeeded; and, from the very highest -window in the house, the head of Mr. Tims himself was thrust -cautiously forth, like that of a tortoise from its shell, or a -hedgehog beginning to unroll. The next moment he retreated, and his -voice was heard calling from the top of the stairs to the bottom, -"Don't open the door, Sarah! Don't open the door! It can be nobody on -any good errand at this time of night! Don't open the door on any -account!" and again he came to the window to examine once more the -aspect of his nocturnal visitant. - -As soon as Beauchamp perceived the black ball, which he conceived to -be the crowning member of Mr. Tims's person once more protruded from -the flat front of the house, he raised his voice sufficiently to -convey the sounds to the elevated point from which the miser was -reconnoitring, and desired him to come down, and give him admission, -adding, "It is I, Mr. Burrel!" - -"Mr. Burrel!--No, no!" cried the incredulous miser. "That is not Mr. -Burrel's voice--No, no--I'm not to be done--Go along, sir!" - -"Mr. Tims," said Beauchamp, quietly, "come down to me directly. I tell -you again, I am Mr. Burrel--and having heard that a part of the sum -that Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson"---- - -"Hush, hush!" cried the miser, now convinced, "Hush, hush!--I will -come down, sir; I will come down directly. I did not know you at -first; but I will come down in a minute. Sarah, get a light -there."--No reply.--"Sarah, get a light!" again shouted Mr. Tims; and -a moment after, Sarah's voice was heard, demanding what was the -matter. - -Mr. Tims now speedily descended; but, before he would admit his -visiter, he again made him speak through the door, and took a view of -his person by means of a little grated aperture, practised in the -upper part thereof. The examination was satisfactory, and speedily -bars fell and bolts were withdrawn, and Henry Beauchamp was admitted -within the walls of a place, whose precautionary fastenings were -exactly like those of a prison, with the only difference of being -intended to keep people out, rather than to keep them in. He was -instantly ushered into the invariable parlour, where, by the light of -a solitary tallow candle--white and perspiring under its efforts to -give light in a warm autumn evening--he explained to Mr. Tims the -purpose of his visit. - -Mr. Tims, as we have already seen, well knew who Burrel, as he called -himself, really was, even before he told him; and he had also employed -means to ascertain the amount of his property; but, in the present -instance, the prospect of deriving some usurious benefit from his -companion's evident anxiety to furnish the money to Sir Sidney -Delaware, forthwith made him take good care to be utterly ignorant of -every thing concerning him, except that he had drawn upon his agents -for a sum which they had not sufficient assets to pay. - -He hummed and he hesitated for a considerable time--declared that he -did not doubt that he was Mr. Beauchamp; but, nevertheless, he must -remind him that he had drawn in the name of Burrel--he might be -perfectly solvent; but such things were never safe without good and -sufficient security. He was quite ready to hand over to him the sum he -had received from Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson; but as to advancing -the ten thousand pounds more, really he did not see his way in the -business clearly. - -Mr. Beauchamp, who was not to be deceived by all this, reasoned with -him for some time; but at length he assumed another tone, and rising, -took up his hat and stick. - -"Since this is the case, Mr. Tims," he said, "the matter must be -arranged otherwise. I had proposed to ride on towards London to-night -in the cool; but, as you doubt my respectability, I shall return -to Emberton, and by daylight to-morrow set out for the town -of ----, where, you know very well, that my agents, to whom I before -referred you, are part proprietors of the bank. There the matter will -be done at once, and I shall be back again before Lord Ashborough's -lawyer can arrive. You will therefore be so good as to give me the -money which you have already received; we will exchange all vouchers -on the subject; and we will do without you in the farther transaction -of this business." - -This plan, of course, was not that which Mr. Tims proposed to himself, -and the very mention thereof at once brought him to his senses. He -declared that he had no doubt of Mr. Beauchamp's identity, and -respectability, and solvency; and he should be very glad indeed to -accommodate him; but, of course, Mr. Beauchamp would not object to -give him a trifling commission in addition to the ordinary interest, -in order to cover the risk. - -"There is no risk at all, sir!" replied Beauchamp, somewhat sharply; -"and you are just as much convinced at this moment that I am the -person I represent myself to be, as I am myself. However, name the -commission you require; and if, when weighed against a ride of forty -miles, I find it the least troublesome of the two, you shall have it." - -After undergoing a slight convulsion in his anxiety to gain all he -could, and yet not to break off the negotiation, Mr. Tims named the -sum; and although, at another time, Henry Beauchamp would have ridden -ten times the distance sooner than yield to his exaction, yet the -bitter disappointment he had received that morning, and the sort of -mental lassitude that it had left, made him agree to the miser's -demand, though he did it with a sneer. This, however, by no means -concluded the business; for Mr. Tims, calculating on the bonus -promised him by Sir Sidney Delaware, proposed to pay the money over -himself the next day; while Beauchamp--who, from the shuffling he -observed, and a strong suspicion of some foul play on the part of his -uncle's lawyer, did not choose to trust him--required that it should -be immediately given into his own hands. On this point Mr. Tims fought -inch by inch most gallantly. First, he declared that he had not so -much money in the house; next, the necessary stamps could not be -procured; and lastly, when he saw that he had fairly worn his opponent -out, he acknowledged that he expected a commission from Sir Sidney -Delaware for raising the money; and, showing Beauchamp a letter from -the baronet to that effect, he prevailed upon him to add that sum also -to his note of hand for the ten thousand pounds, trusting to his own -ingenuity to be able to wring it a second time from Sir Sidney -himself. As soon as this was done, there was no longer any difficulty -about the money; and while Beauchamp, furnished with pen and ink, -remained writing in the parlour, with every now and then passing over -his countenance a sneer at himself for having yielded so tamely to the -miser's exactions, Mr. Tims visited some far distant part of his -dwelling, and, after a considerable interval, returned with the whole -of the sum required, which, thanks to the blessed invention of paper, -now lay in a very small compass. - -The rest of the business was soon settled, except the matter of a -stamp; and as the miser--although he now frankly admitted that he knew -the quondam Mr. Burrel to be Henry Beauchamp, nephew and heir to Lord -Ashborough--seemed not a little anxious upon this matter, alleging -sagely that Mr. Beauchamp might die, might be thrown from his horse -and killed, _et c[oe]tera, et c[oe]tera_; his young visiter both drew -up such an acknowledgement as might be afterwards stamped if -necessary, and desired him to send down to Emberton for what was -farther required, promising that he himself would return in an hour -and sign the document, which was still more cautiously to insure the -miser against loss. - -He then rose and departed--Mr. Tims viewing, with that mixture of -pity, wonder, and admiration, wherewith cowards regard heroes, the -young gentleman issue forth into the dark night air, loaded with so -large a sum, and armed with nothing but a small ash twig not thicker -than his little finger. Burrel, however, like a great many other -heroes, never suspected for a moment that he was in any danger, and -walked on quite calmly, though he could not help noticing the same -peculiar whistle which he had heard before. Nothing, however, occurred -to interrupt him. A bright moon was now rising up; and, at the -distance of a little more than a mile from the miser's house, just -where the lane opened out upon a wide upland field, he perceived the -figure of a man coming rapidly over the rise. He himself was hid by -the bushes and trees; but, by the walk and air, he immediately -recognized Captain Delaware in the person who now approached. There -would be no use of staying here, at the fag-end of a chapter, to -analyze or scrutinize the train of feelings or of reasonings that made -Beauchamp at once determine to avoid an interview. Suffice it that his -resolution was instantaneous; and pushing through the hedge, near -which he stood, at the cost both of gloves and hands, he walked -forward on the other side of the hedgerow, while William Delaware -passed him within a couple of yards' distance. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - -We must now return for a moment to the morning of that day, whose sun -we have just seen go down, and to Blanche Delaware, who sat in her -solitary chamber, with the world feeling all a wide lonely desert -around her. Not a month before, there had not been a happier girl upon -the earth. She had been contented; she had possessed her own little -round of amusements and occupations. She had music, and books, and -flowers, and nature, and two beings that she dearly loved, constantly -beside her, and she had never dreamed of more. The buoyancy of health, -and a happy disposition, had raised her mind above the low estate to -which her family had been reduced; and a refined taste, with that -noblest quality of the human mind, which may be called the power of -admiration, had taught her, like the bee, to extract sweetness and -enjoyment from every flower that Heaven scattered on her way. But -since that time, she had been taught another lesson--She had been -taught to love! That passion had given a splendour to the world that -it had never before possessed. It had painted the flowers with richer -colours--it had spread a sunshine of its own over the face of -nature--it had given new soul to the music that she loved. The dream -had been broken--the adventitious splendour had passed away; but it -left not the flowers, or the music, or the face of nature, as they -were before. It took from them their own beauties, as well as that -which it had lent them. All had withered, and died; and the world was -a desert. - -She had wept long, and bitterly; but she had dried her eyes, and -bathed away the traces of her tears, when her father entered her room, -and enquired tenderly after her health. "You do not look well, indeed, -my dear Blanche," he said. "I wish you would send to Emberton for Mr. -Tomkins." - -Blanche assured him, however, that it was nothing but a headach--that -she would be better soon--that she was better already--and that she -was just thinking of coming down stairs. There was, indeed, a sort of -trembling consciousness at her heart, which made her fear, at every -word, that her father was going to touch upon the subject most painful -to her heart; but she soon perceived that no suspicion had been -awakened in his bosom; and she trusted that her brother would share in -her fathers blindness, especially as he had been absent so long in -London. In this hope, and as far as possible to remove all cause for -doubt, at least, till she was able to bear an explanation, Blanche -nerved her mind to restrain her feelings, and soon followed her father -to the library. It was some time, as we have seen, before William -Delaware returned, and Sir Sidney had walked out a little way towards -Ryebury to meet him; but as he had been since at Emberton, he came of -course by a different path, and arrived alone. His mind was in no -slight degree irritated and impatient, from all that had passed; and -poor Blanche had unfortunately so far fallen under his displeasure, -from the facts which the servant had communicated to him, that he was -prepared, as he mentally termed it, to give her a severe scolding; but -when he entered the library, he found her looking so sad and -woebegone, that his heart melted; and sitting down beside her on the -sofa, where she had been reading, he took her hand kindly in his, and -asked her after her health, with a look full of fraternal affection. -Blanche fancied that he too was deceived, and answered, that her -complaint was only a headach, which would soon pass away. - -"Are you sure, my sweet sister," asked Captain Delaware, "that it is -not a heartach, which may be long ere it leave you, if you do not take -the advice of some one who has a right to counsel you?" - -The blood rushed burning into Miss Delaware's cheek, and she trembled -violently; but her brother folded his arm round her waist, and still -speaking gently and kindly, he went on:--"Hear me, dearest Blanche--We -have been brought up as brother and sister seldom are--shut out the -greater part of our lives from the rest of the world--loving each -other dearly from the cradle--I, seeing little of mankind, except -within the sphere of my own vessel; and you, seeing nothing of mankind -at all. I believe that I have been the only confidant you have had -from childhood, and I do not intend, dearest, that you should withdraw -that confidence from me, till I put this little hand into that of the -only man who ought to be your confidant from that moment."--The tears -rolled rapidly over Blanche Delaware's cheeks.--"Although it may seem -strange," continued her brother, "that you should be expected to make -a confidant of any man at all in love matters, yet, for want of a -better, Blanche, you must tell me all about it; and, perhaps, I shall -not make the worse depository of a secret, for being a sailor.--We are -all tender-hearted, Blanche," he added, with a smile; "at least when -we are on shore. So now tell me--has Mr. Burrel offered you his hand?" - -Blanche was silent, though her brother waited during more than one -minute for a reply; but the blood again mounted into her cheek, and -the tears dropped thicker than before. "Well, well," he continued, -"if you cannot answer by words, dear sister, I must try and make out -your signals, though I have not, perhaps, the most correct code -myself--Burrel has offered you his hand?" Blanche gently bent her -head. It could scarcely be called an assent; but it was enough for her -brother, and he went on. "Well, then, what was the difficulty? He -loved you, and you loved him." - -Blanche would have started up, but her brother's arm held her firmly, -and, as her only resource, she hid her glowing face upon his shoulder, -and sobbed aloud. "Nay, nay, dear girl!" he cried, "Where is the shame -or the harm of loving a man who has long loved you? Do you think I -have not seen your love, my dear sister? And do you think that I would -suffer your heart to be won, unless I knew that the man who sought it, -really loved you and was worthy of you? But tell me, Blanche, where is -the difficulty--what is the obstacle? Some trifle it must be--I will -not call it a caprice, for my sister is above that--but some idle -delicacy--some over-retiring modesty, I am afraid." - -"No, no, William, I can assure you!" replied Blanche Delaware, raising -her head, "I could be above all that too--but it cannot be." - -"But, my dear Blanche," said Captain Delaware, more seriously than he -had hitherto spoken--for he had endeavoured to mingle a playfulness -with his tenderness. "But, my dear Blanche, you must assign some -reason--at least to me. Burrel will think that we have all trifled -with him. I stood virtually pledged to him for your hand, on condition -that he won your love. That he must have felt he has done, or that you -have been sporting with him--and such an imputation must not lie on -you, nor must he think that I have deceived him." - -"Do you know who he really is?" demanded Blanche suddenly. - -"Yes, Blanche, as well as you do," replied her brother. "He is your -cousin and mine, Henry Beauchamp, whom we have both played with on -that carpet in our childhood." - -"It is useless, William--it is all useless!" replied Blanche, with a -deep and painful sigh. "But there is my fathers step in the hall--Let -me go, William, if you love me--and oh, do not, for Heaven's sake, -increase his anxiety just now, by letting him know any thing of all -this!--Let me go, my dear brother, I beseech you!" and struggling -free, she made her escape by the door opposite to that by which Sir -Sidney Delaware was just about to enter the library. - -Captain Delaware had a painful task before him, in the necessity of -communicating to his father, the result of the enquiries he had set -out in the morning to make, although he could not find in his heart to -tell him explicitly upon what doubtful chances his hope of receiving -the money ere the next morning, was founded. He confined his -information, therefore, as much to general terms as possible; and -informed Sir Sidney that Mr. Tims had not yet indeed received the -money, which was to be furnished by a third party, but that he doubted -not it would be paid that night, or early the next morning, before -Lord Ashborough's lawyer could arrive. - -These tidings stopped any farther enquiries from Sir Sidney Delaware, -though they did not satisfy or quiet his mind; and he concluded that -his son had told him all he knew, although that all but served to -render him anxious and impatient. He remained restless and disturbed -through the whole of the day; raised a thousand aerial hypotheses in -regard to Mr. Tims's delay--drew a general picture of all misers, -lawyers, and usurers, which might have ornamented the scrap-book of -Eblis--and more than once threatened to visit the worthy proprietor of -Ryebury himself, from which feat he was with difficulty dissuaded by -his son, who, in fact, was but little less anxious than himself. - -Perhaps, indeed, Captain Delaware's anxiety was the more keen and -corroding, because he forced himself to conceal it, and to appear -perfectly confident and careless. Blanche, on her part, avoided all -communication with her brother, except that, when they met at dinner -and at tea, her eyes besought him to spare her. The moments waned; -neither Mr. Tims nor Burrel, nor any messenger from either, appeared -during the evening; and, as night began to fall, Captain Delaware's -impatience gradually got the better of his self-command; and finding -himself in the situation of a shell, the fuse of which was rapidly -burning down to the powder, and which must consequently explode in a -short time, he thought it better to carry himself away, and let his -heat and disappointment reck itself upon any other objects than his -friends and relations. - -As the most natural vent for such feelings, he took his way towards -Ryebury; but when he returned, after about an hour's absence, he -appeared to the eyes of his sister--who strove to read his looks with -no small apprehension--more heated and irritable than before. - -"Well, William, what does Mr. Tims say now?" demanded Sir Sidney -Delaware, whose own anxiety had at once told him whither his son had -turned his footsteps, although Captain Delaware had given no -intimation of his purpose. - -"I have not seen him, sir!" was the reply. "The old dotard would not -let me in. Afraid of _robbers_, I suppose. I rang till I was tired, -and then came away. But it is no matter; the money will be forthcoming -to-morrow, I have no doubt. The coach does not arrive till the -afternoon; and Lord Ashborough's solicitor did not come by it -to-night, for I enquired at the inn." - -Things which, buoyed up on the life-preserver of a light heart, float -like feathers over all the waves of adversity that inundate this briny -world, sink the soul down to the bottom of despair the moment that the -life-preserver, dashed against some sharp rock, or beaten by some more -violent surge, suffers the waters to flow in, and the fine elastic air -to escape. Not many weeks before, Blanche Delaware would have -wondered, in the happy contentedness of her own heart, at the anxiety -and disappointment of her brother and her father, and would have -looked upon the events which they seemed to regret so bitterly, but as -a very small and easily borne misfortune. But in the present -depression of her spirits, it overwhelmed her even more than it did -them. Her own grief was so deep, that she could not well bear any -more; and, soon after her brother's return, she retired to her chamber -to weep. - -The night went by, and Blanche and her father descended to the -breakfast-table somewhat earlier than usual; for care makes light -sleepers. - -"Is William out?" demanded Sir Sidney Delaware, as he met his -daughter. "I wished to have gone to Ryebury with him." - -"I do not think he is down yet!" she replied. "I have not seen him, -and yet it is odd he should be the last up to-day." - -"Send up and see, my love!" said her father; which was accordingly -done, and the result was, that Captain Delaware was found just -dressing. Blanche thought it very strange, that on such an occasion -her brother should yield to a laziness he did not usually indulge; but -Captain Delaware seemed in no hurry to come down, and the breakfast -proceeded without him. Before it was concluded, however, and before he -had made his appearance, the sound of wheels coming up the avenue was -heard, and a hack post-chaise drove to the door. The whole proceedings -of its occupants were visible from the breakfast-parlour; and, as Sir -Sidney sat, he could perceive that the first person who got out was a -stout unpleasant-looking man, in whom, although greatly changed since -last he saw him, he recognized Lord Ashborough's lawyer. The next that -followed was evidently a clerk, and he carried in his hand one of -those ominous-looking bags of green serge, Mr. Peter Tims, immediately -after the descent of the clerk, turned back to the chaise door, and -spoke a few words to some one who remained within, and then followed -the servant up the steps of the terrace. - -Blanche looked at her father. He was very pale. "I wish you would call -William, my love!" he said, with a faint effort to smile; "We may want -his presence in dealing with these gentlemen." - -Blanche hastened to obey, and, almost as she left the room, Mr. Peter -Tims was announced. He entered with a low bow, but a face full of cool -effrontery, which gave the lie to his profound salutation. He -immediately informed Sir Sidney that he now had the pleasure of -waiting upon him to settle the little business between him and his -noble client, Lord Ashborough; and he ended by presenting the bill for -twenty-five thousand pounds, which had now been due nearly two days. - -Sir Sidney Delaware begged him to be seated, and then, in an -embarrassed but gentlemanly manner, explained to him that the money -which he had expected to receive, had not yet been paid; but that he -trusted that it would be so in the course of the day. - -The face of Mr. Peter Tims grew dark; not that he did not anticipate -the very words he heard, but that he thought fit to suit his looks to -his actions. "Ha! then," he cried, "my lord was right, sir!--my lord -was right when he said he was sure that the annuity would never be -redeemed, and that the only object was to reduce the interest. But I -can tell you. Sir Sidney, that such conduct will not do with us!" and -he made a sign to his clerk, who instantly left the room. "We had -heard something of this yesterday, and that made me come as far -as ---- last night." - -Sir Sidney Delaware's cheek grew red, and his lip quivered, but it was -with anger. "What is the meaning of this insolence, sir?" he demanded, -in a tone that changed Mr. Tims's manner at once from the voluble to -the dogged. "You seem to me to forget yourself somewhat strangely!" - -"Oh no, sir, no!" replied the lawyer. "All I have to say is--This, I -think, is your bill--now more than due. Are you ready to take it up? -If not, I must proceed as the law directs!" - -"And pray, sir, what does the law direct you to do," demanded Sir -Sidney Delaware, "when the payment of a sum of money is delayed for a -few hours, by some accidental circumstance?" - -"It is all very well talking. Sir Sidney!" said the man of law; and -was proceeding in the usual strain when Captain Delaware entered the -room, and, passing behind his father, whispered something in the -baronet's ear that made him start. Almost at the same moment, the -lawyer's clerk returned, followed by one of those ill-looking fellows, -who, as poor Colley Cibber declared, were "fitted by nature for doing -ugly work," and, consequently, engaged by the sheriffs for that -purpose. - -"Which is the gemman, Mr. Tims?" cried the bailiff, for such was the -personage now introduced. "Is't the ould un, or the young un? for we -must not be after mistaking." - -"Stop a moment!" cried Captain Delaware. "Pray, who are these persons, -sir?" he continued, addressing Mr. Tims. - -"Merely my clerk, sir, my clerk!" replied Mr. Tims, who did not -particularly approve the flashing of Captain Delaware's eye. "Merely -my clerk, and an officer of the sheriff's court, instructed to execute -a writ upon the person of Sir Sidney Delaware, at the suit of my noble -lord the Earl of Ashborough. You know, Captain Delaware," he added, -edging himself round the table to be out of reach of the young -officer's arm; "you know, you yourself assured me that the money would -be ready before the time, and now two days have elapsed, so that it is -clear sir--it is clear, I say, that all this is nothing but trifling." - -"Pray, Mr. Tims," said Captain Delaware in a milder tone than the -other expected, "answer me one question, as you are a shrewd and -clever lawyer, and I want my mind set at rest." - -"Certainly, sir, certainly!" replied Mr. Tims; "very happy to answer -any legal question, provided always, nevertheless, that it does not -affect the interests of my client." - -"My question is merely this, sir," answered the young officer, whose -mind--both from what Burrel's servant had let fall, and from his own -observations--had come to the conclusion, that the Messieurs Tims, -uncle and nephew, had combined to prevent the payment of the money. -"My question is merely this--Suppose two or three men were to enter -into an agreement for the purpose of delaying the payment of a sum of -money, in order to arrest a person on a bill they had obtained from -him, would they not be subject to indictment for conspiracy?" - -The countenance of Mr. Tims fell; but the moment after it kindled -again with anger, and he replied, "I will answer that question in -another time and place; and, in the mean time, officer do your duty!" - -"Stand back, sir!" said Captain Delaware, sternly, as the man -advanced. "Mr. Tims, you _shall_ answer that question in another time -and place, and that fully. In the mean time, as you say, be so good as -to present your bill. I shall only observe upon your conduct, that the -fact of your having obtained this very writ, before you had ever -presented the bill for payment, gives a strong presumption that you -had taken means to prevent the money being ready, and concluded that -those means had been successful." - -Mr. Tims turned very pale; but he was not one of those unfortunate men -whose impudence abandons them at the moment of need, and he almost -instantly replied, "No, sir, no! It affords no presumption. The fact -is, we never thought the money would be paid. We always knew that the -whole business was an artifice--that you had no honest means of coming -by the money--and, after having allowed one whole day, and a part of -another, to elapse, that there might be no excuse, we came prepared to -make the artifice fall upon the heads of those that planned it. -Officer, why do you not execute the writ?" - -"Because the gemman demands you should present the bill!" replied the -man. - -"The bill matters nothing--the debt has been sworn to," answered Mr. -Tims; "but, that there may be no farther quibble--there--there, sir, -is a bill signed by Sir Sidney Delaware for the sum of twenty-five -thousand pounds, which became due the day before yesterday. Are you -ready to pay it? Can you take it up? Are you prepared to discharge -it?" - -"We are, sir!" replied Captain Delaware; "and, when we have done so, I -shall take the liberty of caning you for the words you have had the -impudence to use, and the imputations you have been shameless enough -to utter, till you shall have as good an action of battery against me, -as I shall have an indictment for conspiracy against you." - -"No, no, William!" said Sir Sidney Delaware. "There is not an -instrument of castigation in the house, from the dog-whip to the stick -with which the boy cudgels the jackass, that would not be disgraced by -touching the back of that man or his instigator." - -"First, sir, let us see the money," cried Mr. Tims; "and then let any -man touch me if he dare. The money, sir! Where is the money, I say?" - -"Here, sir!" replied Captain Delaware, drawing out a pocket-book. -"Here is the money that you require; and, therefore, before proceeding -to any thing else, we will terminate this business." - -It would be difficult, in that confused gabble of a thousand depraved -dialects which the reviews call "good manly English," to express the -horror and despair of Mr. Peter Tims, at finding that--notwithstanding -all the arts and artifices he had used, and which were a thousandfold -more in number than we have had space to put down--the money had been -obtained; and, therefore, that the patronage and business of Lord -Ashborough might be looked upon as lost to him for ever. - -Nothing, however, could be done; and he was obliged to sit down and -transact the receipt of the money, and all the other formal business -incident to the occasion, with a bitter heart and a gloomy -countenance. The notes, indeed, which Captain Delaware handed to him, -in discharge of his father's bill, he examined with scrupulous -attention; and had he been able to detect even a suspicious look about -any of them, would probably have made it a plea to delay the -acceptance of the payment; but all was fair and clear; and in half an -hour the bill was paid, and Sir Sidney Delaware's estate was delivered -from the burden which had kept his family in poverty for so many -years. Mr. Tims, indeed, took care to conduct himself with a degree of -irritating insolence, intended, beyond doubt, to tempt the young -officer to strike him as he had threatened, which would probably have -been the case, had not Sir Sidney Delaware pointed out to his son, in -a calm bitter tone, the real object of the lawyer, observing aloud, -that pettifogging attorneys often made considerable sums by carrying -actions of assault into a peculiar court, where the costs to the -offender were very severe. - -This turned the scale; and, when the whole was concluded, the lawyer -was suffered to depart, loaded with nothing but disappointment and -contempt. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - -There are few things in life so troublesome or so tedious as the -turnings back which one is often obliged to make, as one journeys -along over the surface of the world; the more especially because these -turnings back happen, in an infinite proportion, oftener to the hasty -and the impatient than to other men; and that, too, on account of -their very haste and impatience, which makes them cast a shoe here, or -drop their whip there, or ride off and forget their spurs at the other -place. But yet it is not an unpleasant sight, to see some sedate old -hound, when a whole pack of reckless young dogs have overrun the scent -in their eagerness, get them all gently back again, under the sage -direction of the huntsman and his whips, and with upturned nose, and -tongue like a church bell, announce the recovery. - -Know then, dear readers, that in our eagerness to get at the scene -just depicted, we have somewhat overrun the scent, and must return, -however unwillingly, to the time and circumstances, under which Henry -Beauchamp left Mr. Tims of Ryebury, on the preceding night. It was, as -may be remembered, fine clear autumn weather. The night, indeed, would -have been dark, but for the moon, which poured a grand flood of light -through the valleys, and over the plains; and Mr. Tims who loved the -light--not so much because his own ways were peculiarly good, as -because it is known to be a great scarer of those whose ways are more -evil still--remarked with satisfaction, as he ushered his guest to the -door, that it was as clear as day. - -"Sally, Sally!" he exclaimed, as soon as Mr. Beauchamp was gone, "Are -all the doors and windows shut?" - -"Lord bless me, yes!" answered the dirty maid, shouting in return from -the kitchen, like Achilles from the trenches, "As fast shut as hands -can make them." - -"What is that noise, then?" demanded the miser, suspiciously. "Only me -putting in the lower bolt of the back-door," answered the maid. - -"Oh Sally, Sally! you never will do things at the time you are bid!" -cried the reproachful usurer. "I told you always to shut up at dusk. -But come here, and put on your bonnet I want you to run down to the -town for a stamp." - -Sally grumbled something about going out so late, and meeting impudent -men in the lanes; but after a lapse of time, which the miser thought -somewhat extraordinary in length, she appeared equipped for the walk, -and received her master's written directions as to the stamp, or -rather stamps, he wanted, and where they were to be found in Emberton. -The miser then saw her to the door, locked, bolted, and barred it, -after her departure, and returning to the parlour, lifted the dim and -long wicked candle, bearing on its pale and sickly sides, the evidence -of many a dirty thumb and finger; and then with slow, and somewhat -feeble steps, climbed, one by one, the stairs, and retired to a high -apartment at the back of the house, for which he seemed to entertain a -deep and reverential affection. - -Well, indeed, might he love it; for it was the temple of his divinity, -the place in which his riches and his heart reposed, and which -contained his every feeling. There, shrined in a safe of iron, let -into the wall, were the Lares and Penates of his house, bearing either -the goodly forms of golden disks--with the face of the fourth George -pre-eminent on one side, and of his namesake saint all saddleless and -naked, on the other--or otherwise, the forms of paper parallelograms, -inscribed with cabalistic characters, implying promises to pay. Here -Mr. Tims sat down after having closed the door, and placed the candle -on a table; and, throwing one leg clothed in its black worsted -stocking over the other, he sat in a sort of rapt and reverential -trance, worshipping mammon devoutly, in the appropriate forms of -vulgar and decimal fractions, interest, simple and compound. - -Scarcely had he gone up stairs, however, when a change of scene came -over the lower part of his house. A door, which communicated with the -steps that led down to the kitchen, moved slowly upon its hinges, and -the moonlight streaming through the grated fan window, above the outer -door, fell upon the form of a man emerging with a careful and -noiseless step from the lower story into the passage. The beams, which -were strong enough to have displayed the features of any one where -this very suspicious visiter stood, now fell upon nothing like the -human face divine, the countenance of the stranger being completely -covered and concealed by a broad black crape, tied tightly behind his -head. As soon as he had gained the passage, and stood firm in the -moonlight, another form appeared, issuing from the mouth of the same -narrow and somewhat steep staircase, with a face equally well -concealed. A momentary conversation was then carried on in a whisper -between the two, and the first apparition, looking sharply at the -chinks of the several doors around, seemingly to discover whether -there was any light within, replied to some question from the other, -"No, no! He is gone up stairs, to hide it in the room where she told -us he kept it. Go down and tell Wat to come up, and keep guard here; -and make haste!" - -The injunction was soon complied with; and a third person being added -to the party, was placed, with a pistol in his hand, between the outer -door and the top of the stairs. Before he suffered his two companions -to depart, however, on the errand on which they were bent, he seemed -to ask two or three questions somewhat anxiously, to which the former -speaker replied, "Hurt him! Oh, no! do not be afraid! Only tie him, -man! I told you before that we would not. There is never any use of -doing more than utility requires. He will cry out when he is tied, of -course; but do not you budge." - -"Very well!" answered the other, in the same low tone, and his two -comrades began to ascend the stairs. Before they had taken three -steps, however, the first returned again to warn their sentinel not to -use his pistol but in the last necessity; observing, that a pistol was -a bad weapon, for it made too much noise. He then resumed his way, and -in a moment after was hid from his companion. The whole topography of -the house seemed well known to the leader of these nocturnal -visitants; for, gliding on as noiselessly as possible, he proceeded -direct towards the room where the miser sat. - -Mr. Tims, little misdoubting that such gentry were already in -possession of his house, had remained quietly musing over his gains, -somewhat uneasy, indeed, at the absence of Sally, but not much more -apprehensive than the continual thoughts of his wealth caused him -always to be. - -He had indeed once become so incautious, in the eagerness of his -contemplations, as to draw forth his large key, and open the strong -iron door which covered the receptacle of his golden happiness. But, -immediately reflecting that Sally was not in the house to give the -alarm if any cause of apprehension arose below, he relocked the chest, -and was returning to the table, when a sudden creak of the stairs, as -if one of the steps had yielded a little beneath a heavy but cautious -foot, roused all his fears. His cheeks and his lips grew pale; his -knees trembled; and, with a shaking hand, he raised the candle from -the table, and advanced towards the door. - -It was opened but too soon; and, ere the unhappy miser reached it, the -light fell upon a figure which left him no doubt of the purport of the -visit. It was not for his life the old man feared half so much as for -his treasure, in the defence of which he would have fought an universe -of thieves. A blunderbuss hung over the mantle-piece, and the pully of -an alarum-bell by the window, and the miser's mind vibrated for a -single moment between the two. Dropping the candle almost at once, -however, he sprang towards the bell, while one of the men shouted to -the other near whom he passed, "Stop him! Stop him from the bell! By -G--, he will have the whole country upon us!" - -Both sprang forward. The candle, which had blazed a moment on the -floor, was trampled out, and complete darkness succeeded. Then -followed a fearful noise of eager running here and there--the -overthrowing of chairs and tables--the dodging round every thing that -could be interposed between people animated with the active spirit of -flight and pursuit--but not a word was spoken. At length there was a -stumble over something--then a heavy fall, and then a sound of -struggling, as of two people rolling together where they lay. -Another rushed forward, and seemed to grope about in the darkness. -"D---- it, you have cut me, Stephen!" cried a low deep voice. - -"Murder! Murder! Murder!" screamed another. "Oh! Oh! Oh!" and all was -silent. - -Two men had fallen; and another had bent down over them. But only one -of those who had rolled on the floor rose up, beside the other who had -been kneeling. Both remained quite still, with nothing but the -monosyllable, "Hush!" uttered by either. - -After a pause of several minutes, the one observed, in a low voice, -"You have done him, Stephen!" - -"He would have it," replied the other. "Run down and get a light, and -do not let the youngster know how it has turned out." - -"But I am all bloody!" said the other. "He will see it in a minute. -Besides, you have cut my hand to the bone." - -"Well, you stay, and I will go down?" replied the first. - -"Not I!" was the answer. "I'll not stay here in the dark with him." - -"Then go down, and do not waste more time," said the first, somewhat -sharply. "Tell the boy, if he ask, that the old man cut your hand -while you were tying him--but, at all events, make haste!" - -The other obeyed, and after a long and silent interval, returned with -the light. It flashed upon a ghastly spectacle. There, on the floor, -at a short distance from the bell-rope, which he had been endeavouring -to reach, lay the figure of the unhappy miser in the midst of a pool -of gore, which was still flowing slowly from two deep gashes in his -throat. His mouth was open, and seemed in the very act of gasping. His -eyes were unclosed and turned up, with a cold dull meaningless stare; -and his gray hair, long, lank, and untrimmed, lay upon his ashy -cheeks, dabbled with his own blood. By his side, exactly on the very -spot where he had stood when the other left him, appeared the -murderer. His features could not be seen, for they were still -concealed by the crape over his face; but the attitude of his head and -whole person evinced that his eyes were fixed, through the black -covering, upon the spot where his victim lay, now first made visible -to his sight by the entrance of the light. In his hand was a long -clasp-knife, hanging laxly, with the point towards the ground, and a -drop or two of blood had dripped from it upon the floor. The -disarrayed chamber, the overturned furniture, and a small stream of -blood that was winding its way amidst the inequalities of an -old-fashioned floor, towards the doorway, where the beams had sunk a -little, made up the rest of the scene--and a fearful scene it was. - -"Is he quite dead?" demanded the man who entered, after a momentary -pause. - -"As dead as Adam!" replied the other, "And, as the business is done, -there is no use of thinking more about it!" But the very words he -used, might seem to imply that he had already been thinking more of -what had passed than was very pleasing. "Such obstinate fools will -have their own way--I never intended to kill him, I am sure; but he -would have it; and he is quiet enough now!" - -The other approached, and though, perhaps, the less resolute ruffian -of the two, he now gazed upon the corpse, and spoke of it with that -degree of vulgar jocularity, which is often affected to conceal more -tremour and agitation than the actors in any horrid scenes may think -becoming. Perhaps it was the same feelings that attempted to mask -themselves in the overdone gaiety which Cromwell displayed on the -trial and death of Charles Stuart. - -"The old covey is quiet enough now, as you say!" remarked the inferior -ruffian, drawing near with the light. "His tongue will never put you -or I into the stone pitcher, Stephen." - -"His blood may," replied the other, "if we do not make haste. She said -the key of the chest was always upon him. There it is in his hand, as -I live! We must make you let go your hold, sir--But you grasp it as -tight in death as you did in life." - -With some difficulty the fingers of the dead man were unclosed, -and the large key of the iron safe wrenched from his grasp. The -freshly stimulated thirst of plunder, did away, for the moment, all -feelings of remorse and awe; and the two ruffians hastened to unlock -the iron door in the wall, the one wielding the key, while the other -held the light, and gazed eagerly over his shoulder. The first -drawer they opened caused them both to draw a long deep breath of -self-gratulation, so splendid was the sight of the golden rows of new -sovereigns and old guineas it displayed. A bag was instantly produced, -and the whole contents emptied in uncounted. The hand of the principal -plunderer was upon the second drawer, when a loud ring at the -house-bell startled them in their proceedings. - -"He will not open the door surely?" cried the one. - -"No, no! I told him not," answered the other. "But let us go down, to -make sure." - -Setting the light on the floor, they both glided down the stairs, and -arrived just in time to prevent their comrade, whom they had left upon -guard below, from making an answer, as he was imprudently about to do. -The bell was again rung violently, and after a third application of -the same kind, some heavy blows of a stick were added. Again and again -the bell was rung; and as the visiter seemed determined not to go away -without effecting an entrance, the man who seemed to have led -throughout the terrible work of that night, put his hand slowly into -his pocket, and, drawing forth a pistol, laid his hand upon the lock -of the door. - -"He will ring there till Sally comes up," observed the other in a -whisper, "and then we shall be all blown." - -Just as the click of cocking the pistol, announced that the -determination of the first ruffian was taken, a receding step was -heard, and calmly replacing the weapon, he said, "He is gone!--now let -us back to our work quick, Tony!" - -"All is very silent up stairs," said the young man who had been -keeping watch, in a low and anxious tone. - -"Oh, the old man is tied and gagged sufficiently! Do not be afraid, -Wat!" replied the other. "Only you keep quite quiet--If any one comes, -make no answer; but if they try to force a way in by the back-door, -which is on the latch, give them a shot! You have good moonlight to -take aim;" and mounting the stairs with the same quiet steps, he once -more entered the chamber of the miser. - -The young man who remained below, listened attentively; and though the -footfalls of his two comrades, were as light as they well could be, -yet he heard them distinctly enter the room where they had left the -candle. As their steps receded, however, and no other sound followed, -he suffered the hand which held the pistol to drop heavily by his -side. - -"They have killed the old man!" he muttered. "He would never lie -still like a lubber, and see them pillage his chests, without making -some noise, if he were not dead! I thought that cold-blooded rascal -would do it, if it suited his cursed utility--I wish to God I had -never"---- - -But the vain wish was interrupted by the sound of a door, gently -opened below; and, in a moment after, the form of Sally, the miser's -maid, appeared gliding up with a sort of noiseless step, which showed -her not unconscious of all that was proceeding within her master's -dwelling. A low and hasty conversation now took place between her and -the man upon watch, who told her his suspicions of the extent to which -his companions had pushed their crime, notwithstanding a promise which -they had made, it seems, to abstain from hurting their victim. -Somewhat to his surprise and disgust, however, he found, that though -the woman was trembling in every limb, from personal agitation and -fear of discovery, yet she felt little of the horror, which he himself -experienced, when he reflected on the murder of the poor defenceless -old man. She replied in a low but flippant tone, that dead men tell no -tales, and added, that she dared to say Mr. Harding would not have -done it, if the old fool had not resisted. - -At that moment the light from above began to glimmer upon the stairs, -and the two murderers soon after appeared, the one carrying a candle, -and the other a heavy bag, with which they at once proceeded into the -little parlour, where the old man had so lately sat with Mr. -Beauchamp. The other two followed, and the one who had remained below, -immediately taxed the principal personage in the tragedy, whom we may -now call Harding, with the act he had just committed. - -"Hush, hush!" cried Harding, in a stern tone, but one, the sternness -of which, was that of remorse. "Hush, hush, boy! I would not have done -it, if I could have helped it. But there," he added, putting the heavy -bag upon the table. "There, is enough to make your mother easy for the -rest of her days." - -"And shall I be ever easy again for the rest of mine?" demanded the -youth. - -"I hope so!" answered his companion dryly. "But come, we must not lose -time. This is too heavy for one of us to carry; and yet we have not -found a quarter of what we expected--Sally, my love, fetch us some -cloths, or handkerchiefs, or something. We may as well divide the -money now, and each man carry his own." - -So saying, he poured the mingled heap of gold and silver on the table; -and as soon as some cloths were procured to wrap it in, he proceeded -to divide it with his hand into four parts, saying, "Share and share -alike!" - -Some opposition was made to this, by the man who had accompanied him -in the more active part of the night's work, and who declared that he -did not think that the person who only kept watch, or the woman -either, deserved to be put on the same footing with themselves, who -had encountered the whole danger. He was at once, however, sternly -overruled by Harding, whose character seemed to have undergone a -strange change, amidst the fiery though brief period of intense -passions through which he had just passed. The softer metal had been -tempered into hard steel; but when for a moment he removed the crape -from his face, to give himself more air, it was pale, anxious, and -haggard; and had a look of sickened disgust withal, that was not in -harmony with his tone. - -Carefully, though rapidly, he rendered the several lots as nearly -equal as the mere measurement of the eye would permit, bade his -comrades each take that which he liked, and contented himself with the -one they left. The necessity of haste, or rather the apprehensiveness -of guilt, made them all eager to abridge every proceeding; and the -money being tied up, and a large sum in notes divided, they prepared -to depart. - -"Had we better go out by the back-door or the front?" demanded -Harding, turning to the woman. - -"Oh, la! by the front, to be sure!" she replied. "The hind who lives -in the cottage on the lea opposite, might see us if we went out by the -back. Nobody can see us come out in the lane, unless some one be -wandering about." - -"We must take our chance of that!" replied Harding; and, putting out -the light, he led the way to the door. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - -"And now, my dear William," said Sir Sidney Delaware, as soon as Mr. -Tims had departed, and the rolling wheels of his post-chaise were no -longer heard grating down the western avenue--"And now, my dear -William, lay your angry spirit. Depend upon it, that man carries with -him a sufficient punishment in the disappointment he has suffered. He -is one of that class of rogues for whom the old Athenians, finding no -appropriate corporeal infliction, decreed the punishment of the Stela; -or, in other words, ordered their names and infamy to be engraved upon -a pillar, and thus held them up to shame for ever. - -"As our law has no such just award," replied Captain Delaware, "I -should certainly have had great pleasure in writing his shame on his -back with a horsewhip instead; but of course, as you did not like it, -I forbore." - -"No, no, my dear boy!" said his father, "You would have degraded -yourself, gratified him, and had to pay a large sum for a small -satisfaction. But now all that is past; explain to us the rest of the -business. How happened the money to arrive so apropos, and without the -accompaniment of the miser of Ryebury? Was Mr. Tims senior, unwilling -to meet Mr. Tims junior, on a business, in regard to which it was -evident that the lawyer both wished and anticipated a different -result?" - -"Strange enough to say, my dear sir," replied Captain Delaware, "you -are asking me questions which I cannot at all answer--There is Blanche -smiling," he added, "because I told her the same, before I came down, -and she chose to be incredulous--though she knows that there never was -sailor or landsman yet, so little given to romancing as I am." - -"But you can tell me when it was you received the money?" said Sir -Sidney, in some degree of surprise. - -"Oh, certainly, sir!" answered his son. "It was this morning, not long -before Blanche came up to my room." - -"Why, they told me you had not been out this morning," said his -father. - -"Neither have I, my dear sir," replied Captain Delaware. - -"In short, papa, he makes a mystery of the whole affair," said -Blanche; "and will not say how or where he got it." - -"You are wrong, my dear sister," rejoined her brother. "I am perfectly -willing to say how and where I got it; and in fact I told you before." - -"Oh but, William!" exclaimed his sister, "I saw very well that you -were only jesting. You did not, I am sure, intend me to give credence -to that story?" - -"Well for you that you are not a man, my pretty Blanche," answered -Captain Delaware, shaking his hand at her good-humouredly, "I will -repeat the same, word for word, to my father; and if he do not believe -me, I will swear to it if he likes." - -"Not I--not I, William!" said Sir Sidney. "Any thing that you assert -in so solemn a manner, I will believe without any swearings however -improbable it may be." - -"Well then, my dear sir," replied Captain Delaware, "the fact is this: -When I rose this morning, in looking about for something on my -dressing-table, I found a paper parcel with my name written upon it; -and, on opening it, saw the notes which I just now gave to that -blackguard. There was no one thing in or about the parcel that could -lead me to divine from whom or whence it came; but as it contained the -precise sum required, and was addressed to myself, I could not doubt -the purpose for which it was intended. I have a vague recollection, -indeed, of seeing it lying there last night; but I was out of humour, -and somewhat sick at heart, and took but little notice of any thing. -However, it must have been there when I went to bed, for no one could -have come into my room without my hearing them." - -"Hum!" said Sir Sidney Delaware, with a smile. "Hum!" and, -notwithstanding his promise of full faith in his son's account, it was -evident he did not give credit to a word of it. "Well, well, William," -he said, "we will not press you hard; though your grave face almost -deserves that one should believe you." - -"On my word, sir! On my honour!" reiterated Captain Delaware, "Every -word that I tell you is true. This is very hard indeed that I am not -to be believed even when I pledge my honour." - -"Nay, nay!" said Sir Sidney. "If you bring your honour into the -scrape, my dear boy, I suppose we must believe you. But you will not, -I dare say, deny that you have some shrewd guess at how the money came -there, or who sent it?" - -"In regard to the person who sent it," answered Captain Delaware, a -good deal mortified at doubts which he felt he did not deserve, "I -have certainly a very strong suspicion, though I do not feel justified -in naming the friend to whom my mind turns; but, as to how it came -there, I am fully as ignorant as yourself or Blanche." - -"Well, all I can say is, that the whole business is very -extraordinary," replied Sir Sidney Delaware, more gravely than he had -hitherto spoken. "Indeed, I know not which would seem the most -strange, that such a large sum should be left in your room without -your privity or knowledge; or that my son should so strongly assert, -even in jest, what is not strictly true." - -"Sir, you are doing me injustice!" said Captain Delaware, with a -burning cheek and a quivering lip; "and, as it is so, I will soon -investigate, and, if possible, discover how it was that this took -place;" and, striding across the room, he rang the bell with a degree -of violence, which showed the pain it cost him to brook respectfully, -even from his father, the doubt that Sir Sidney's last words -insinuated. Blanche gently glided across the room; and, laying her -hand upon his arm, raised her beautiful eyes to his with a look half -imploring half reproachful. Captain Delaware did not reply, but turned -away; and, walking to the window, looked out into the park till the -servant appeared. - -"Who left a paper parcel on my dressing-table last night?" he demanded -abruptly, and somewhat sharply too, as the man entered. - -The first reply was a stare of astonishment, at the unwonted tone of -one usually so mild and kindly in his whole deportment. "I'm sure I do -not know, sir!" answered the man as soon as he had recovered. "I did -not!" - -"William, you are heated," said Sir Sidney Delaware, interrupting his -son, as he was about to put another question to the servant. "I -perceive now, perhaps too plainly, that the matter is not a jest; and -therefore, of course, believe what you have said. The business, -however, must be investigated; as we cannot lie under so great an -obligation to any one, without due acknowledgement and repayment--Did -you see any stranger about the house or near it during the course of -yesterday evening?" he continued, turning to the servant. - -"No one, sir," replied the man. "That is to say, no one near the -house. In the lanes, at the back of the park, I met Harding, Mr. -Burrel's valet, loitering about with another young man towards dusk; -and now, I recollect, the housemaid declared that she saw some one -just passing by the terrace at about eight or nine o'clock." - -"Send the housemaid here!" said Sir Sidney; "and desire Mrs. -Williams"--the name of the old housekeeper--"and desire Mrs. Williams -to come with her." - -The commands of Sir Sidney were immediately obeyed, and the -examination of the housemaid began in form. The footman, however, had -already told nearly as much as she could tell herself. When going -along one of the corridors, during the previous evening, to shut the -windows which looked out upon the western part of the park, she had -seen a gentleman, she said, walking along just below the terrace, -towards the wood. She could not tell who he was, for she only saw him -for a moment; and, as he was partly concealed by the raised terrace on -which the house stood, she only caught a sight of his head and -shoulders. - -Here ended all information. The old housekeeper had seen no one, and -the housemaid declared that she neither could tell how tall the -gentleman was, nor could vouchsafe any other particulars in regard to -his personal appearance, except that he was a gentleman, she was sure; -for he walked like a gentleman. Sir Sidney would fain have forced her -into a definition of the walk of a gentleman; but the housemaid was -not to be caught, and took refuge in stupidity, as usual in such -cases. - -By the time this was over, William Delaware's heat had evaporated, and -it was with a smile he asked his father, "Well, sir, who do you think -our _dear unknown friend_ is?" - -"Why, of course, William, I cannot say who it positively is," replied -Sir Sidney; "but it would not surprise me, were I to find that it was -your admirable friend Burrel." - -"Nor I either!" answered William Delaware. "What do you think, -Blanche?" - -But Blanche was looking out of the window, with a very red tip to the -fair finely-turned ear that rested on the smooth glossy waves of her -rich brown hair. Perhaps she did not hear the question, but certainly -she did not answer it; and her brother, though he would fain have said -a word or two of kind malice, could he have known how far he might -venture without inflicting real pain, would not run the risk. - -"I wish, William," said his father, "that you would go down to -Emberton and see Mr. Burrel. The circumstances of the proposed -arrangement with Lord Ashborough were mentioned more than once in his -presence, and if he have heard by any chance of there being a delay on -the part of Mr. Tims, he may certainly have taken means to remedy that -inconvenience. In fact, I know of no other person at all likely to -perform such an act of liberality in this somewhat romantic manner." - -Blanche glided out of the room, and her father went on. "Mrs. -Darlington, though a very good woman, and not without feeling, does -not perform such acts as this. Otherwise, as she came to Emberton I -hear yesterday, to meet Dr. Wilton and another magistrate about this -burning of her house, we might have supposed that she was the lender -of the money. Good Dr. Wilton himself could not, I know, command so -large a sum. I wish, therefore, you would go and visit Mr. Burrel, and -tell him that, while we accept the loan as an obligation, and -appreciate his conduct as it should be appreciated, we are desirous of -giving him a mortgage upon the property which he has released from so -great a burden." - -"I will go down almost immediately, sir," replied Captain Delaware; -"but, in all the confusion of this morning, I have lost my breakfast, -for it seems that the surprise and wonderment of finding the packet, -detained me till you and Blanche had finished." - -The bell was rung, breakfast was again made, and Captain Delaware -proceeded somewhat quickly in the task of despatching it, reflecting, -in the intervals of a broken conversation with his father, upon all -that he would have to say to Burrel--how he might best and most -delicately thank him for the kindness and promptitude of the service -he had rendered--how he might arrive at the facts of his situation in -regard to Blanche; and whether he would be justified in communicating -at once to Sir Sidney his cousin's real name, without consulting -Beauchamp himself. In the meanwhile, the baronet walked backwards and -forwards--now looked out of the window--now talked with his son, -feeling that degree of pleasant perturbation, that sort of long swell, -which remains after some moment of peculiar agitation is happily over, -and the mind is settling down slowly into a calm. - -Before his son had finished his breakfast, however, Sir Sidney -remarked that there seemed a great many people in the park. "I -suppose," he said, "the worthy lawyer has informed the good folks of -the town that we are rather more than a thousand a-year richer than we -were in the morning; and therefore we may now expect the respectful -congratulations of all those who treated us with the greatest degree -of contempt while we were poor. - -"I will go and kick them out, sir, directly," said Captain Delaware, -"if you will allow me to finish this piece of toast." - -"I hope you may finish a great many, William," replied his father, -"before you begin kicking at all. But there really seems something -extraordinary here. There is a whole posse, and here is a chariot -driving up the avenue--Dr. Wilton's, I think." - -Captain Delaware rose for a moment, looked out of the window, declared -the carriage to be certainly Dr. Wilton's, and the personages on foot -to be a set of blackguards, who had no business there; and then sat -down to his breakfast again, with the intention, as soon as he had -concluded, of going forth and sending the gentry, who had now -approached close to the house, back to the town without any very -flattering expression of regard. He was just depositing his coffee-cup -in the saucer, when Dr. Wilton entered the room unannounced, -accompanied by another magistrate, and followed by Mr. Peter Tims, -with two or three other persons, whose appearance in that place -greatly surprised both Sir Sidney and his son. - -The baronet advanced, however, and shook his reverend friend by the -hand; and Captain Delaware exclaimed laughing, "Why, my dear Dr. -Wilton, I never thought to see you with such a crew, headed by such a -rascally boatswain as that behind you.--Why, you have got all the -constables of Emberton at your back! What is the matter?" - -"I am sorry to say, my dear William, that I am come upon a very -serious business," replied Dr. Wilton; "although, indeed, the part -that regards you, both our good friend here, Mr. Egerton, and myself, -look upon as quite ridiculous. Yet the matter is of so very horrible a -nature, that it does not admit of a jest; and this person--this -gentleman, urges a charge against you, so seriously and plausibly, -that we are forced to examine into the matter, though we doubt not -that you can clear yourself at once." - -"The scoundrel does not pretend to say that I struck him!" cried -Captain Delaware, his cheek burning with anger, "I threatened, indeed, -and I wish I had put my threat"---- - -"The charge is a much more serious one than that," said Dr. Wilton, -interrupting him; and then, turning to his brother magistrate, he said -in a low tone. "Remark his demeanour! I told you it was ridiculous!" - -"You had better, however, have the warrant executed," replied the -other, in the same low tone. "We can hold the examination here; and if -it turn out as you expect, discharge it as soon as the business is -over." - -"What is the matter, gentlemen?" said Sir Sidney Delaware. "All this -seems very strange! Will you be kind enough to explain!" - -"Captain Delaware," said Mr. Egerton, "we are here upon an unpleasant -duty. You are charged by this person, who is, I am told, Mr. Tims, a -lawyer of Clement's Inn, with a very serious crime; and although, from -your character and station, Dr. Wilton and myself do not for a moment -believe the accusation to originate in anything but error, and are -willing to do all to spare your feelings; yet, in pursuit of the ends -of justice, we are bound to act towards you as we would towards any -other person in the same situation. A charge against you, then, having -been made before us, upon oath, we were bound to grant a warrant -against you, which must now be executed. The examination, however, can -as well take place here as elsewhere; and as this gentleman has -declared that he is ready to go into it immediately, we will instantly -proceed, not at all doubting that you can clear yourself at once." - -Captain Delaware had listened at first with surprise and indignation; -but gradually, as the importance of the whole business became strongly -impressed upon his mind, he assumed a more serious aspect, and bowing -low, in reply to Mr. Egerton's address, he said, gravely but frankly, -"Although I cannot divine what charge that person is about to -bring--or rather has brought--against me; yet I thank you, sir, for -the courtesy with which you are inclined to treat me, and of course -surrender myself at once. Do not look so shocked, my dear father," he -added, turning towards Sir Sidney; "be assured that your son never did -an act that he was ashamed to acknowledge in the face of the whole -world. But I think you had better leave us; for this business seems -likely to be too painful for you." - -"Never, never, my dear boy!" replied Sir Sidney. "Never! I am a -magistrate also, and should know something of these affairs; and -though, of course, I cannot act in your case, I will not leave you -while I have life." - -A tear rose in Dr. Wilton's eye; but Mr. Egerton beckoned forward the -officer charged with the warrant against Captain Delaware, to whom the -young gentleman surrendered immediately, merely requiring to be -informed of the nature of the crime with which he was charged. - -"I object! I object!" cried Mr. Peter Tims. "I will not have the -prisoner put upon his guard!" - -"You seem strangely ignorant of the fundamental principles of English -law, sir, for a person who follows it as a profession," replied Mr. -Egerton. "Captain Delaware, you are charged with the murder of a -person of the name of Tims, residing at Ryebury, in this -neighbourhood." - -"Good God!" exclaimed Captain Delaware, with unfeigned horror, "Then -that is the reason the poor fellow did not bring the money last -night." - -"Put down that observation clerk!" said Dr. Wilton to a young man who -had followed into the room with the constables, and two or three other -persons. - -"Let us carry on the matter a little more formally, my dear sir," said -Mr. Egerton. "Sir Sidney, with your permission, we will take our seats -here.--Clerk, place yourself there.--Constable, put a chair for -Captain Delaware at the bottom of the table--stand back yourself, and -keep those other persons back. Captain Delaware, it is customary to -warn persons in your present situation, against saying anything that -may commit themselves. To you I have only to remark, that your -examination will of course be taken down, and may hereafter be brought -against you." - -"You will understand, however," added Dr. Wilton, "that the present -investigation is merely instituted by us, to ascertain whether this -person can bring forward sufficient evidence in support of the -accusation, to oblige us to remand you for farther examination." - -"I shall bring forward sufficient evidence to compel you to commit -him," cried Mr. Tims, "however prejudiced you may be in his favour." - -"Do not be insolent, sir!" said Mr. Egerton, "or I may find it -necessary to punish you in the first instance. Your charge is already -made, and we shall proceed with the examination as we judge most -expedient ourselves. Remember, Captain Delaware, you are warned -against committing yourself." - -"I have nothing to conceal, sir, and therefore have no reason to fear -saying anything that is true!" replied the young officer. "Pray, -proceed!" - -"Well, then, let me ask," said Mr. Egerton, "when and where you -happened to see Mr. Tims--generally known by the name of the miser of -Ryebury--for the last time?" - -"It was yesterday morning," replied Captain Delaware. "I met him first -in the lanes leading to his own house; accompanied him home, and left -him there." - -"Pray, did any high words pass between you and him, on that occasion?" -demanded the magistrate; "and if so, what was the subject of dispute? -You are not compelled to answer, unless you like." - -"I am sorry to say," replied Captain Delaware, "that there were high -words passed between myself and the poor old man. The cause of them -was simply, that he had agreed to furnish a certain sum of money to -pay off an annuity which was pressing heavily upon this estate; and -that he failed to perform his promise at the time agreed upon." - -"And to obtain which, whether he would or not, you murdered him!" -cried Mr. Peter Tims. - -Captain Delaware started up, with the fire flashing from his eyes, but -instantly resumed his seat, saying, "Am I to be thus insulted, -gentlemen?" - -"Mr. Peter Tims," said Mr. Egerton sternly, "if you again interrupt -the proceedings, I will have you removed from the room; and if you are -insolent," he added, seeing the other about to reply, "I shall equally -know how to deal with you!" - -The lawyer was silent, and Dr. Wilton demanded, "Will you state. -Captain Delaware, whether on your last meeting with the unhappy man, -Mr. Tims, you threatened to strike him, or used any violent menaces -towards him?'" - -William Delaware reddened, but he replied at once, "Sorry I am to say, -my dear sir, that I did threaten to horsewhip him; but it was upon -severe provocation, from the cool insolence with which he informed me -that he was not able to keep the promise he had made--the performance -of which was of infinite consequence to my family." - -"And are you certain. Captain Delaware," demanded Mr. Egerton, "that -that was the last time you ever saw this unhappy man?" - -"Perfectly certain!" replied the young officer; and then added, after -a momentary pause, "I went to his house last night, in order to -ascertain whether the money had arrived, but could not obtain -admittance. I rang several times without effect." - -Dr. Wilton and Mr. Egerton looked at each other, and the latter then -demanded--"Then pray, Captain Delaware, where did you obtain the money -which you paid to Mr. Tims here present this morning?" - -"I suppose, sir," replied Captain Delaware, with some degree of -haughtiness, "that, as the question is evidently intended to entangle -me, I might, according to the principle you have yourself laid down, -refuse to answer; but it is indeed unnecessary to do so, and if the -simple truth do not clear me, I can hope for nothing else." He then -circumstantially recapitulated the same story which he had that -morning related to his father, concerning the receipt of the money. - -Mr. Tims laughed scornfully, and Mr. Egerton looked to Dr. Wilton, -who, in return, whispered something to him, which seemed to make an -immediate impression. "Captain Delaware," he said, "it is fit that I -should inform you, that a strong case is made out against you. In the -first place, there has been evidence on oath given before us, at the -house of this unfortunate man, Mr. Tims, that you were heard to -threaten him violently yesterday morning--clerk, hand me the minute of -Farmer Ritson's evidence--yes, those are the words! In the next place, -you were seen going towards his house last night after sunset, and two -or three other persons unknown, were observed proceeding in the same -direction. About that period the deceased was evidently still alive, -as his servant, it appears, was sent to Emberton for bill stamps, the -written description of which is before us in his own hand. The man has -been found murdered, in the very room where he kept his money, as if -he had been killed in the act of taking out certain sums from his iron -chest. The body of the woman has not been discovered, but a long track -of blood down the stairs, has pointed the direction in which it was -carried, and doubtless it will be found ere long." - -Captain Delaware had listened attentively, but not without impatience; -for perfect innocence made him feel the charge utterly absurd, and at -length he broke forth. "And do you, sir," he exclaimed, "call it a -strong case, that I was heard to threaten an old knavish miser with a -horsewhipping, and was seen somewhere in the neighbourhood of his -house on the night that he was killed, without any other evidence -whatever?" - -"Not without any other evidence whatever, Captain Delaware," replied -Mr. Egerton, somewhat sharply. "But on a train of circumstantial -evidence, sir, very painful for us to contemplate. You mistake the -matter, Captain Delaware," he added, in a more kindly tone. "Your -previous high character induces us to put the most liberal -construction upon every thing, and to extend to your case the most -calm--nay, the most friendly--consideration that justice will admit, -before we even remand you to await the result of the coroner's -inquest. Besides the circumstances I have stated, you must remember, -that you yourself acknowledge that, up to a late hour last night, you -were not possessed of the sum required. By half-past nine this -morning, that sum is in your possession. One of the notes before me -bears the mark of a forefinger stained with blood; and in the bedroom -of the deceased a paper has been found, dated yesterday morning, in -which the dates and numbers of some of the notes paid by you this -morning are marked as having been received by post that day. Your -account of the manner in which the money came into your hands, is -somewhat extraordinary--nay, so much so, as to be highly improbable; -and I fear, that unless you can in some way explain these -circumstances, we shall be bound to commit you at once." - -Sir Sidney Delaware hid his face in his handkerchief, and wept. Mr. -Tims rubbed his hands with a degree of glee, not at all diminished by -the loss of his uncle, and Captain Delaware gazed upon the two -magistrates, stupified at finding himself suddenly placed in -circumstances so suspicious. There was innocence, however, in the -whole expression of his countenance; in the surprise, in the horror, -in the bewilderment it betrayed; and Mr. Egerton, who was a shrewd and -observing, without being an unfeeling man, saw that such conduct could -not be affected, and believed that it could only proceed from a heart -devoid of guilt. - -"Bethink yourself, my dear sir!" he said, after a short pause, during -which he awaited in vain Captain Delaware's answer. "However -improbable, I will not believe any thing that you have said to be -untrue." - -"If you did, sir, I could pardon you," replied the young officer, with -a glowing cheek; "for, long ere you appeared, I could scarcely prevail -upon my own family to believe the tale. How much more, then, might it -be doubted by a person who is nearly a stranger to me?" - -"Well but, my dear sir!" said Mr. Egerton, more convinced of the -prisoner's innocence, by this outbreak of feeling, than he had been -before, "Can you not account for the fact of the money being so placed -in your bedroom?'" - -Captain Delaware related what had passed in the morning, and the -servants being called, recapitulated their tale; the footman declaring -that he had seen no one but Mr. Burrel's man, Harding, in the lanes at -the back of the park, and the housemaid swearing that she had seen a -stranger on the terrace just after nightfall. Dr. Wilton, at the first -sound of Burrel's name, sent off a messenger to his lodging at -Emberton, with orders to bring up the landlady with Harding, and the -groom, if the two latter were still there; and, in the meanwhile, Mr. -Egerton continued the examination, evidently more with a view of -giving the prisoner every chance of explaining the suspicious -circumstances, than with a wish to find him guilty. - -"Now, Captain Delaware," he said, "I am about to put a question to -you, which the circumstances, I believe, fully justify. Do you, or do -you not, know any one who was likely to perform so extraordinary, and, -I must say, foolish an act, as that of placing so large a sum in your -chamber, without giving you any notice of his so doing?--I say, have -you any suspicion as to who was the person who did so?" - -"I certainly have, sir!" replied William Delaware. "And he was not a -man to do a foolish act. Circumstances unknown to you, sir, might -induce him to do, in the present instance, what he would not have done -upon any other motives." - -"And pray, sir, who may he be?" demanded the magistrate. - -Captain Delaware paused; but replied, after an instant's thought--"My -present situation, of course, compels me to be more explicit upon such -a subject, than I otherwise should be. The person I suspect of having -placed the money in my room, is a gentleman who has lately been -residing at Emberton, under the name of Burrel, but who may now be -named as my cousin, Henry Beauchamp." - -Sir Sidney Delaware started up off his chair, but immediately resumed -his seat again; and another look of intelligence passed between Mr. -Egerton and Dr. Wilton. - -"I appeal to Dr. Wilton," added Captain Delaware, "if such a thing be -not probable." - -"Most probable in his case!" replied Dr. Wilton. "Indeed, more than -probable"---- - -"Pray, sir, are you now acting as a magistrate or as a witness?" -demanded Mr. Tims. "If as the latter, I would ask you, whether Mr. -Beauchamp did not pass the day at your house yesterday, which I hear -in the village that he did beyond all doubt?" - -"Then you have heard, sir, what was not the case!" replied Dr. Wilton. - -"Pray, at what hour did he leave your house, sir?" demanded Mr. Tims, -taking care to preserve so respectful a tone as to afford no excuse -for refusing an answer to his question. - -"I should not hold myself bound to reply to you, sir," said the -clergyman; "but a sense of justice must of course supersede every -other consideration, whether indignation at impudence, or contempt for -low cunning; and therefore I reply, that he left my house, I should -suppose, about three o'clock." - -"I will presume to ask one question more, if I am permitted," said the -unruffled Mr. Peter Tims, bowing to Mr. Egerton, who was evidently -listening with interest. "At Mr. Beauchamp's departure, Dr. Wilton, -did he tell you whither he was about to turn his steps?" - -Dr. Wilton fidgeted on his seat; but truth was paramount, and he -answered, "He certainly implied that he was going to London." - -"Did he take the road which leads in that direction?" asked Mr. Tims. - -"He did!" replied the clergyman, and the interrogatory dropped, by a -low bow on the part of the lawyer to both the magistrates. - -The examination now paused for several minutes, till good Mrs. Wilson, -who had been Beauchamp's landlady at Emberton, was brought into the -room. Although the questions which were asked her were few, and of the -simplest kind, the poor woman gave her evidence in as wild and -confused a manner as if she had been charged with the murder herself. -The result, however, was, that she swore Mr. Burrel had left her house -early in the forenoon of the preceding day, as she understood, for -London; that his groom, with the greater part of his luggage, had gone -by the coach that very morning; and that his gentleman, Mr. Harding, -had followed his master the night before. She could not say exactly at -what hour; but swore that it was between eight and ten. - -This evidence was all that could be adduced at the time; and Mr. Tims, -upon the strength of the case he had made out, resumed a degree of his -former insolence, and demanded loudly, that Captain Delaware should -instantly be committed. - -A long conversation, which was carried on in so low a tone as to be -inaudible to any one but the two magistrates and the clerk, then -ensued between Dr. Wilton and Mr. Egerton; the latter of whom at -length said, to the surprise even of Captain Delaware himself, "I do -not think, Mr. Tims, that, all things considered, we should be -justified in committing the prisoner till after the coroner's jury -have sat upon the body. We have determined, sir, to remand him." - -Mr. Tims stormed and raved, slapped the table with all the unction of -forensic eloquence, and demanded where the magistrates intended to -confine the prisoner in the mean time. There was no place of security -nearer than the county town, except the cage at Emberton; and he -doubted not--he added, with a sneer--that the friendship which the -worthy magistrates entertained for the prisoner would prevent him from -occupying that lodging. - -"Our sense of decency and humanity will do so, at least," replied Mr. -Egerton, coolly. "In a word, sir, we do not think that there is -sufficient direct evidence before us to commit the accused till the -coroner's inquest has sat. The coroner has been already sent for, and -the inquest can be held immediately. The jury may themselves like to -examine the prisoner; and, therefore, it will be useless to send him -to the county town. In order to spare his feelings as much as -possible, which of course we wish to do, we have determined, if two of -our most active constables can find a room in this house which they -judge undoubtedly secure, to leave him here, under their custody. If -not, he must be removed to Emberton, and placed in the justice room, -though the security of it is doubtful." - -In vain the lawyer argued. The justices were determined; and the -officers, after spending some time in examining the house, returned, -declaring that no room in a prison could be more secure than the -prisoner's own bedroom, which was so high above the terrace, that no -escape could be effected from the window; and which had but one door, -opening into an anteroom, where they could keep watch. Mr. Tims -himself was permitted to examine the room; and could not but -acknowledge that he was satisfied. The constables received every -injunction to be cautious, and Captain Delaware having been asked -whether he had any thing farther to say, replied that he had not. - -"Then you may remove the prisoner!" said Mr. Egerton. - -Sir Sidney Delaware staggered up, and caught him in his arms. Captain -Delaware pressed his father for a moment to his heart; and saying, in -a low but firm voice, "Do not be afraid--I am as innocent as a child -of the charge they bring against me!" tore himself away, and quitted -the room. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - -While the examination had been proceeding in the little -breakfast-parlour, the ear of Captain Delaware had been more than once -struck by a number of voices speaking in the library, from which it -opened; and as he was conducted through that apartment, the first -sight that presented itself was his sister, Blanche, bathed in tears. -She had been prevented from entering the room in which the magistrates -sat; but the moment she beheld her brother, she sprang forward, and -threw herself into his arms, clinging to his bosom in an agony of -distress and tenderness. Captain Delaware kissed her cheek, and bade -her be comforted, assuring her that the charge against him was not -only false, but perfectly absurd; and that a few hours would set him -at liberty again. - -"Oh, no! No, no!" cried Blanche. "I see it all, William! It is all -part of a plot to ruin us, and they will never be satisfied till we -are crushed and disgraced. That Lord Ashborough and his lawyer, will -work their designs by some means, be assured!" - -At that moment Dr. Wilton advanced from the inner room, and withdrew -Blanche from the arms of her brother, bidding her take heart; and -whispering that he had already sent off a messenger for Mr. Beauchamp, -whose presence, he doubted not, would clear up the whole story. -Blanche shook her head mournfully, and covered her eyes with her -hands, while her brother was led away to his own room. The door was -locked on the outside, and the constables, placing themselves in the -anteroom, cut off all communication between the young officer and his -family, who remained desolate and anxious, amidst the scenes which had -lately been so full of calm happiness and enjoyment. - -In the meanwhile, Captain Delaware seated himself at the table, in his -own room, and endeavoured to bend the whole powers of his mind to the -investigation of his own situation, in all its bearings. While either -in the actual presence of the magistrates, or under the eyes of his -own family, he had felt it necessary to repel every thought of real -danger, and not to yield one step to apprehension; but now he saw that -it was indispensable to look at his situation in the worst point of -view, and to admit the utmost extent of the peril in which he stood. - -He was innocent! that was one great source of confidence and -expectation, for he believed, and felt sure, that an innocent man had -very seldom suffered. But still such things had occasionally taken -place, beyond all doubt; and it behoved him to consider whether his -own might not be one of those cases, in which such an event was -likely. As he looked at the evidence against himself, he could not but -acknowledge that, as it stood at the present moment, there was a -strong presumption of his guilt. He had been seen to threaten the -murdered man, in the morning; he had been seen in the neighbourhood of -his house, on the night the murder was committed; he had been in known -and acknowledged want of the money up to that hour; and then he had -suddenly obtained possession of it in a manner of which he could give -no probable account. Several of the notes had been certainly in -possession of the murdered man, a few hours before the crime was -committed on his person; and one of them he had himself remarked, -while paying it to the lawyer, appeared stained with blood. "Were I -upon a jury," he thought "what verdict would I return? Guilty, -undoubtedly--unless some clear explanation of such suspicious -circumstances could be given and substantiated. Now, let me consider -what I have to give, and how it can be proved." - -"I have nothing but the bare supposition that the money was placed in -my room by Henry Beauchamp, or by his servant; and although that -surmise may be equal to a certainty in my own mind, it is likely to -have little weight with others. Dr. Wilton, too, admits that he set -out for London about three o'clock, when the money assuredly was not -here! Can I be mistaken in supposing it to have been him? Can -Blanche's suspicion be correct, that this is part of a plan to ruin my -father and his family for ever?" - -As these ideas crossed William Delaware's mind, he shuddered with -mingled feelings of horror at the thought of such guilt, and -apprehension for the consequences to himself; but at the same time, as -he suffered his mind to rest upon the suspicion, it acquired a degree -of probability that he was not inclined to assign to it at first. He -recalled the conduct which Lord Ashborough had pursued towards his -father through life--the vindictive malice he had displayed during the -two or three years that elapsed after their first quarrel, as young -men--the cold grinding exactions, not unmingled with scorn, with which -he had kept him through life at fortune's lowest ebb--the rude -harshness with which he had repelled his first proposal for redeeming -the annuity. Then the sudden change in his manners--the facility with -which he agreed to that which he had so peremptorily declined--the -business of the bills--the delay in the payment--and the fact of the -lawyer having come down prepared with a writ against his father, -before he could have known, except by collusion with the miser, -whether the money would be paid or not--all these facts passed before -his remembrance, and with that rapidity of conclusion which was one of -his greatest weaknesses, he instantly became convinced that Lord -Ashborough and his adviser would halt at no step which might crush his -father, and his father's house; that the present charge originated in -such motives; and that it would be supported against him by every -artful device that hatred could frame, or wealth and skill could carry -through. He did not, it is true, suppose that the unhappy man at -Ryebury had been murdered with a view to the charge against him; but -he did believe that the murder had been seized upon as an incident to -render the crime more heinous; and, however it occurred that the two -facts leaped so well together, he concluded that the money had been -placed in his room for the express purpose of betraying himself and -his family, by bringing against him some accusation, the very -suspicion of which would ruin him in his profession, degrade him from -his station in society, and sink his father beneath a load of shame -and despair. - -He thought over it, again and again; and whenever the improbabilities, -which were not thinly mingled with the composition of his suspicions, -came across his mind, and made him begin to doubt if he were right, he -set against them, on the other hand, all the reasons that existed for -believing that the money could not have been left by Beauchamp, and -called to mind also the words of his sister. - -"How could such a suspicion enter her mind," he asked himself, "unless -she had discovered something to make her believe that Lord Ashborough -and his lawyer were bent upon her family's ruin?" and, as he thus -thought, he would have given worlds for a few minutes' conversation -with Blanche, longing for it, of course, the more eagerly on account -of its impossibility. - -Whichever way he turned, there were improbabilities to be encountered; -and for long he vacillated between the opinion that Beauchamp had left -the money in his chamber, and the suspicion that it had been placed -there by some of the agents of Lord Ashborough, in order that a charge -of robbery, embezzlement, or something equally criminal and degrading, -might be raised upon the fact. Now the one predominated, now the -other, and his mind continued tossed between the two, like a ship -rolling in the long swell that follows a severe storm. At length he -determined to write down all the causes of suspicion he had against -the lawyer Peter Tims, in order to lay them clearly and substantially -before the magistrates or the coroner, that his own established -reputation and high character might be supported by strong proofs of -animosity and vindictive feeling on the part of the accuser. - -Materials for writing were luckily to be found in his chamber, and he -proceeded to place on paper the history of the whole transaction with -Lord Ashborough up to the payment of the bill that morning; but the -effect upon his own mind was fully as great as that which he intended -to produce upon others; and, before he had concluded the paper, he was -morally convinced, that by the instigation of Lord Ashborough's agent, -and by his instigation alone, the money had been left in his room. He -laid down the pen to combine in thought this certainty with the -presumptions of guilt already brought forward against him; and, -as he perceived how much might be made of the evidence already -collected--how little opportunity the law allowed him for gathering -the means of rebutting the accusation--and what a facility unbounded -wealth, great influence, and freedom from all restraint, gave to his -enemy, he clasped his hands and gave himself up to despair. - -"Beauchamp will of course be sent for," he thought; "and, when he -comes, it only remains for him to declare that he had nothing to do -with the transaction--and my condemnation takes place of course. Good -God! a Commander in his Majesty's Navy to die like a common felon! My -name and my family to be branded with infamy for ever! My father to -expire of shame within the year; and my poor Blanche, if she survive, -to be pointed at for life as the sister of the murderer, William -Delaware! Ay!" he thought more bitterly still; "and Beauchamp will -thank his good stars which kept him from such an alliance; and Maria -Beauchamp may perhaps blush when she remembers that the murderer was -her cousin. But time," he cried, starting up, "time will do me -justice, and clear my name; and then she may weep to think how I was -wronged, and how she believed it!" - -After walking up and down the room for some time, in a state of mind -which it would be difficult to describe, he took down a book and -endeavoured to read, but in vain. He then strove to amuse his mind by -looking out of the window, which commanded an extensive view over the -wilder part of the park at the back of the house, and thence to the -rich country beyond Ryebury, and the high downs which crowned the -cliffs above the sea. All the scene was bright and clear, and there -was a beautiful air of freshness and liberty in the whole--the very -clouds, as they skimmed over the sky, and raced their dark shadows -along the lea, spoke of light freedom, and no one would have enjoyed -it more than William Delaware at any other moment; but every thing -that is sweet, requires the heart to be in tune. The pitch of all his -feelings was many a tone too low--the fairer was the scene the greater -was the discord it produced with the thoughts of the prisoner, and the -whole was "like sweet bells jangled out of tune, and harsh." - -"Time," he still thought, "time will clear my fame, and do me justice; -and in the meanwhile, doubtless, I shall die condemned. Still, it is -hard enough to feel that one is innocent, and yet to bear the shame -and the punishment of the guilty. I wish to Heaven I could speak with -Blanche!" Approaching the door, he knocked somewhat sharply, -exclaiming, "Mr. Thomson, I much wish that I could speak with my -sister for a few minutes! Can you not grant me such a liberty?" - -"Quite impossible, Captain!" replied the chief constable. "I wish to -Heaven I dared! I am sure you know that I would do any thing I could -to help you. But this, you see, is no ordinary job; and though I know -well enough you are innocent, yet that fellow, Tims, threatened us so, -we dare not for our lives." - -"Well, I cannot help it then!" answered the prisoner, with a sigh. "Do -you know whether the coroner is arrived yet?" - -"Not yet, sir!" answered the constable, still speaking through the -door. "The jury is summoned for five o'clock, I hear." - -Captain Delaware looked at his watch. It was just three; and for the -long hours that succeeded, he continued in the same frame of mind, -torturing himself with all those dreamy miseries that an imaginative -and impatient heart calls up constantly to aggravate all the ills of -misfortune or disappointment. There is no such terrible tamer of the -spirit as solitary confinement; and, ere nightfall, the whole hopes -and expectations of William Delaware were completely sunk, and the -state of his mind was pure despair. - -His dinner, which had been brought in by one of the constables at -five, remained untouched; and he listened to every sound, expecting -each moment to be called before the coroner; but no summons came. At -length, just as night was approaching, he heard a considerable sound -of voices in the anteroom; and, starting up, he prepared to go along -with the messenger, who, he doubted not, had been despatched for him; -but the sound subsided, and, in a minute after, the constable again -entered the room. - -"You had better take something really, Captain," said the man kindly, -eyeing the untasted dinner. "There is no use, you know, sir, of -letting your heart get down that way." - -"I have been expecting to be sent for every minute," replied the -prisoner; "and I cannot eat in such a state of anxiety." - -"You will not be sent for to-night, Captain," replied the constable. - -"Has the coroner sat, then?" demanded Captain Delaware. - -"Ay, sir!" was the answer. - -"And what is the verdict?" cried the accused, fixing his eyes eagerly -upon the officer's face. - -"Wilful murder, sir!" answered the constable, shaking his head. - -"Against me?" exclaimed the prisoner. - -"Even so!" replied the officer sadly. "Even so!" - -Captain Delaware fell back into his chair, and clasped his hands over -his eyes, while the man went on trying to comfort him. - -"That is nothing, you know, sir--nothing at all!" he said. "You have -had no time, you know, to prove your innocence--You have had no trial -yet. Lord bless you, sir, nobody in the town believes you guilty! They -all know you too well--and, when it comes to the trial, all will go -right, depend upon it. Even the coroner, they tell me, said the case -was so doubtful a one, that he would not have you removed to-night. -But you had better take something really." - -Captain Delaware signified that it was impossible; and the man, -telling him that he would bring him a light in a short time, left him -to himself. His thoughts and feeling may perhaps be conceived, but -cannot be written. Had there lingered a ray of hope in his mind before -this announcement reached him, it would now have vanished; but, amidst -the agonized feelings which possessed him, if there was one sensation -more painful than the rest, it was produced by the thought, that on -the morrow he was to be hurried away to the common jail--there, beyond -doubt, as he now thought, to await an unjust sentence and an -ignominious death. His ideas were still in the same state of confused -bewilderment, when the constable returned with a light, and, setting -it down on the table, he said-- - -"Captain! there is your good old housekeeper, Mrs. Williams, takes on -terribly because you will not eat; and she's so pressing to speak with -you through the door, to see if she cannot get you to take something, -that I have promised her she shall, while the other officer is down at -his supper. So, do take something, if it be but to please the old -lady!" - -"Well, well, I will speak to her when she comes!" answered Captain -Delaware in the same desponding tone; and Mr. Thomson withdrew. - -In about five minutes after, he heard the step of the other constable -depart, and ere long there was a gentle tap at his door. - -"Come in!" was his first reply; but, instantly remembering his -situation, he approached the door, and demanded, "Who is there?" - -"It is I, Master William!" answered the voice of the old housekeeper. -"Oh dear! Oh dear! to think of their accusing you of killing a man--you -that were always as gentle as a lamb!" - -"Do not speak so loud, Mrs. Williams," said the voice of the friendly -constable. "I do not want the other man to hear you. He is a stranger -in the place, and of course cannot feel for the old family as I can." - -"Well, well, Mr. Thomson," answered the old lady; "I will speak low. -You see that he does not come up stairs. Oh dear, Master William!" she -proceeded; "good Mr. Thomson here says you eat nothing at all. Pray, -do eat something." - -"I cannot, indeed, Mrs. Williams," replied the prisoner; "but I shall -be better to-morrow, and then I will. It is the first shock, you know, -that is the worst. It will wear off in a day or two." - -As he spoke there was a slight noise, as of the key turning round in -the lock, which was instantly caught by the quick ears of the -constable. "You must not try to go in now, Mrs. Williams," he said. -"It is against my strict orders." - -"I am not trying to go in," she replied, somewhat crossly. "You would -soon pull me out again, if I did. It was only my cap caught against -the key, as I was stooping down to ask if he would have the soup. -Master William," she continued, again addressing the prisoner, "are -you there?--for I must not speak loud, he says--I have such a nice -basin of soup for you, if I could but get you to _take it_." - -William Delaware remarked again a slight noise at the keyhole, and -thought that the good old lady laid a peculiar emphasis on the words -"_take it!_" He replied, however,--"Indeed, Mary, I cannot take any -thing to-night." - -"Pray do!" she said, "Pray do! It is the best thing for you by far. -Will you really not take it, Master William?" - -As she spoke, he perceived the end of a small piece of paper protruded -gradually through the keyhole; and it became evident, that the good -old housekeeper, standing between the officer and the door, had -contrived, without being detected, to insinuate through the aperture -some written information from Captain Delaware's family. The prisoner -instantly took a step forward, and laying hold of the little roll, -drew it completely through, saying aloud, "Well, well! I will take it, -then." - -"Ah, that is right!" cried the voice of the old lady, joyfully. "There -is a good boy! Do always what you are bid! I will send the soup up as -soon as ever it is warm!" - -"Do so, and thank you!" replied the prisoner. "Tell Blanche and my -father," he added, "that, as I am innocent, I doubt not my innocence -will soon appear; and bid them be of good heart." - -The old lady bade God bless him, and went away; and as soon as he had -heard the constable seat himself again in the anteroom, he opened the -paper he had received, and read the contents. - -It began in the handwriting of the old housekeeper, and had probably -been written in the first instance without consultation with any one -else; but below there appeared a few lines from his father, which had -evidently been added afterwards. - -It began. "Master William, do get away as fast as you can. Don't stop, -for God's Sake, to let those wicked people have their will. Remember -the trapdoor under your bed, where you used to play at hide-and-seek -when you were little. Master ordered it to be fastened up long ago; -but I had only one nail put in, for what was the use, you know. You -can easy get the nail out, I am sure; and there shall be a horse -waiting for you at the back park gate at twelve o'clock to-night, and -money and all to take you to foreign parts, till the conspiracy Miss -Blanche says is against you, can be proved upon them. So, do now, for -the love of Heaven!" - -Beneath this epistle his father had written, in a hasty and tremulous -hand--"I sincerely think the above is the best plan you can follow. -There is evidently a conspiracy against us; and, as you have been -selected for the victim, it is better for you to make your escape -while you can, than remain, and risk all that malice, wealth, art, and -villainy, can do against you. Take the road to ----, where there are -always foreign vessels lying. Write to us when you are safe, under -cover to Mr. ----, the trustee of your poor mother's little property. -Fare-you-well, my dear boy, and God bless you! S. D." - - -A new struggle now arose in the breast of the prisoner. The idea of -flight had never suggested itself to his mind before; and, though he -had in truth lost all hope that his own innocence would prove his -safety in the present instance, still the thought of giving additional -weight to the charge against himself, by absconding, was painful. Yet -his father advised it; and it was more than probable that Sir Sidney -had better means of knowing the peculiar dangers of his situation than -he had himself. Aware of his own innocence, he felt, no doubt, that -sooner or later he should be able to establish it beyond all question, -if time were but allowed him. All he had to fear was, that, by the -rapidity with which such transactions are sometimes carried through, -he might be condemned, and even executed, before some of those -circumstances which time is sure eventually to disclose, could be -discovered to prove him guiltless, and to fix their villainy upon his -accusers. - -It is wonderful how well the human mind reasons upon its own side of -the question, when on the one hand is the prospect of an ignominious -death, with but the remote hope of our innocence working a miracle in -our favour, and, on the other, are presented the ready means of -escape. Every one knows too well, that the law is not one of those -lions that invariably lie down at the feet of virtue; and that, had -poor Una, with such suspicions against her, met in the desert a law -lion instead of a real one, the beast would infallibly have torn her -in pieces. All this Captain Delaware knew. He had lost hope that his -innocence would serve him; he was strongly urged by those who had the -best opportunity of judging of his real situation; the means of escape -were at hand, and he determined to make use of them. - -Although he had been treated hitherto with great lenity, he knew not -how soon an order for searching him might come, and therefore he took -means immediately to destroy the paper he had received. This was -scarcely accomplished when the constable again appeared with the soup, -and, as the door opened and shut, he saw lying on the floor of the -anteroom a set of fetters. They were evidently not intended to be put -upon his limbs that night, as the officer made no allusion to them; -but, had his intention of escaping even wavered, the sight of those -badges of ignominy would have determined him from that moment. - -"I shall leave you the candle. Captain," said the man, "though I -believe it is out of rule--and I have a notion that, all things -considered, one of us ought to sleep in the room with you; but, as -that would not be agreeable to you I'm sure, we must get the old -housekeeper to make us a shake-down in the outer room." - -"I shall not forget your civility, Thomson," said Captain Delaware; -"and, as you are quite sure that it is not in my nature to commit such -a crime as that with which these fellows charge me, so you may be sure -I shall some time have the means of thanking you better, when I have -proved my innocence. - -"I trust you may, Captain!--I am sure you may!" replied the man -heartily; and, wishing him good-night, he left him. - -His resolution being now taken, the means of putting it into execution -became the next question. He looked round the room, and examined -carefully every closet and drawer, in the hopes of finding some -implement wherewith to extract the nail that fastened the trapdoor to -which the letter referred, and which he well remembered having passed -through as a boy a thousand times ere he went to sea. But his room had -been thoroughly searched before he had been confined in it, and -neither knife, nor gun-screw, nor tool of any kind, was to be found. -"Perhaps I can get it out with my hands," he thought; and, kneeling by -his bed, he soon discovered the three boards in the dark oak flooring, -that were contrived to play upon a hinge, and thus formed a trapdoor. -It was close by the bedside, and, opening back against the edge of the -bedstead, would have given him exit at once if he could have found any -thing with which to extract the nail, or rather nails; for, -notwithstanding Mrs. Williams's assertion, there was apparently one in -each of the boards. He gazed upon them for a moment in silence, -thinking over every article of furniture that the room contained, in -the hope of turning some one to the use he desired; but it was in -vain, and at length, taking a dollar from his purse, he slipped it -partly between the boards, merely to see whether they were or were not -strongly fastened down. - -To his great surprise, they moved up easily by the effort he made, as -far as the crown-piece could be brought to act as a lever. He -immediately applied his hand to keep them in that position, and then -slipping the silver a little farther down, raised them still higher. -Another effort enabled him to interpose his fingers between the -trapdoor and the flooring; and it became evident at once, on a closer -examination, that the single nail which had in reality fastened it -down, had been lately pushed out--in all probability from below. The -hole, which it had left in the beam, was still fresh; and Captain -Delaware now perceived that what he had taken for two other nails, -were in fact merely nail-heads, driven in to make the several boards -resemble each other. Gently replacing the trapdoor, he returned to the -table, and sat down to indite a clear statement of the reasons which -induced him to effect his escape without awaiting the event of his -trial. Into this he wove the notes he had before written concerning -the previous conduct of his accuser, and he boldly declared that he -looked upon Lord Ashborough as the instigator, and the lawyer as the -agent, in a premeditated scheme to destroy his family. To bear upon -this point, he brought all the circumstances within his knowledge, and -all the arguments he could make use of; and, after avowing his -conviction that nothing but time would establish his innocence, he -folded the paper, and addressed it to Dr. Wilton and Mr. Egerton. -Before this was concluded, it was near eleven o'clock, and the only -light that was allowed him was beginning to burn low. In order, -therefore, to take advantage of it while it lasted, he approached the -trap, and was about to raise it, when it suddenly occurred to him -that, in the letter he had just written, it might seem that he had -shifted his ground of defence, since he had avowed in the morning that -he believed Henry Beauchamp to have placed the money in his chamber; -and, turning back to the table, he sat down to explain that -circumstance, and to desire that Beauchamp might be called upon to -state whether he had done so or not. Luckily, as it happened, he did -so; for the moment after, with scarcely any noise, the door of his -room opened, and the head of the other constable, who was a stranger -in the town, appeared, looking in as if from some excited suspicion. - -"Oh, good-night Captain!" he said, "I did not know whether you were -asleep." - -"Not yet," replied Captain Delaware calmly; "but, as you are not -asleep either, I wish you would get me another light, and some -sealing-wax, as I want this letter to go early to-morrow to the -magistrates." - -"It's no use, Captain, I am afraid," replied the constable. -"Howsomdever, it shall go--but the boy as takes it, must be paid, you -know." - -"There is half a sovereign to pay him with," replied the prisoner; -"keep the rest for your own trouble--and get me another light and some -sealing-wax." - -"Why, every one is a-bed but me, and I was just agoing," replied the -man. "But I will see." So saying, he departed, but returned in a few -minutes with another light, and a stick of sealing-wax; and, finding -the prisoner still writing, he left him, telling him that he was just -going to bed, but if he would push the letter under the door, it -should be sent the first thing next morning. - -Captain Delaware gladly saw him depart, and ere he had concluded, and -sealed his letter, heard unequivocal signs of one at least of his -jailers having fallen into a sound sleep. He listened anxiously, again -and again, but all was silent in the house, except the dull, hard -breathing of the constables, in the anteroom. It was now half-past -eleven, and the hour at which the horse was to be at the back park -gate was so near, that it became necessary to execute his design with -promptitude; yet there was something painful in it altogether, which -made him linger a moment or two in his father's house, calling up its -host of memories, and evoking from the dim night of time, the sweet -and mournful spirit of the past. - -He felt, however, that it was all in vain--that such thoughts but -served to weaken him; and, taking up the light, he approached his -bedside, and once more raised the trapdoor. The little ladder stood -ready, just as it used to stand in the days of his childhood, and -descending slowly, step by step, holding the light in one hand, and -supporting the trapdoor in the other, he reached the last step but two -or three, and then suffered the door to close over his head. The -narrow cavity in which he now was, filled the centre of one of those -internal buttresses, if I may use the term, into the masonry of which -one of the back staircases of the old mansion was joisted. It was -about six feet square in the inside, and at the first floor beneath -his own, afforded a sort of landing-place, on which the ladder rested. -Thence, again, a more solid stair of stone wound down to a sort of -vault under the terrace, in which was placed the great draw-well that -supplied the house with the water principally used by the family. - -When the trapdoor was closed, William Delaware, who was descending -backwards, turned to look how many steps intervened between his feet -and the ground, when, to his surprise, he found that the last step but -one of the ladder, old and rotted by the damp, was broken through the -middle, and offered, in the fresh yellow surface of the fracture, -incontestable proofs that the way had been trod very lately by some -other foot than his own. Over the floor of the landing-place, too, -which that thriftless housewife Neglect had left covered with a thick -coat of dust, might be traced three distinct steps from the mouth of -the staircase; and the young fugitive at once saw that the way which -had served to introduce the money into his chamber was now before him. -That being the case, he felt that if his suspicions in regard to Mr. -Tims were true, the outlet might and would probably be watched; and, -consequently, he determined to examine the whole ground cautiously -before he attempted to go out into the park. - -Down the stairs, which were likewise covered with dust, he could trace -the same alternate step coming up and going down again, but no other -footmarks were to be seen, and it was evident that but one person had -passed that way for years. The doors, however, which at different -parts of the descent had been placed to guard that means of entrance, -were now wide open; and, descending to the vault or cellar in which -the well was placed, William Delaware put out the light behind a pile -of old bottles, that nearly covered the foot of the stairs, and then -cautiously approached the door, underneath which a narrow line of pale -moonlight was visible. - -The door was sometimes padlocked, and it seemed so closely fastened, -that the young sailor's heart began to fail him as he approached, but -carelessness or the good old housekeeper had left no obstacles there; -and, as he drew it slowly towards him, it yielded to his hand without -a sound, exposing to his sight, once more, all the fine wild park -scenery at the back of the mansion, lighted up by as glorious a moon -as ever looked out through the blue sky upon the fair face of earth. -For full five minutes, he paused and turned his eyes in every -direction, but nothing was to be seen which could cause him the -slightest apprehension; and throwing the door wider open, he -considered which would be the nearest and the best covered way towards -the gate at which the horse was to be stationed. At the western angle -of the park, a sweep of old trees came within a hundred yards of the -house, and thence a path wandered in amongst some large hawthorns and -two or three splendid larches, leading down towards the glen in which -the Prior's Well was situated. The gate which he wished to reach, -indeed, lay somewhat to the east; but in order to proceed straight -thither, he would have been obliged to cross a wide open piece of -grassy ground, on which the moon was shedding a light nearly as clear -as that of day, and which was commanded by every window in that side -of the building. - -Gliding along, then, under the terrace, and bending--so that his head -might not appear above it, he reached the opposite angle of the -building, one of the old octagon towers of which threw out a long -shadow, that fell upon the nearest trees, and mingled with the -obscurity beneath them. Following this dark track, William Delaware -walked quickly on, gained the shelter of the wood, and then, threading -the well-known paths with a step of light, reached the dim glen which -he had trod so lately with Burrel and his sister, and only paused, -with the burning thirst of intense agitation, beside the old fountain, -where, in the braggadocio spirit of a heart at ease, he had dared them -to drink the icy waters of indifference. - -"I may drink now myself, indeed!" he thought, as he filled the iron -cup; but still he paused in raising it to his lips--gave his heart one -moment to dream--conjured up as idle a hope as ever crossed the mind -of man, and then tossed the cup back again into the well. And I should -like to know if all the human race were brought, one by one, to the -side of a fountain of such virtues as that--without a mortal eye to -look on, and arm their vanity against their affections--if there would -be one being found in all the world so hapless--so hopeless--so -without one sweet drop of feeling or of fancy--so destitute of life's -ties and the hearths yearnings--as to raise the chilly waters -irrevocably to their lips! - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - -It is impossible to describe the joy and satisfaction with which the -excellent people of Emberton had heard, that Mr. Tims, the old miser -at Ryebury, had been murdered. I do not, of course, mean to say that -every one in the whole town had those enlarged and general views which -made them take in at once all the infinite advantages, both moral and -physical, which that event was likely to afford them. Some, indeed, -only calculated upon the overflowing and inexhaustible source of -bustle, excitement, surmise, and gossip, which was thus opened to -them. Some fixed their thoughts upon the renown that Emberton would -acquire throughout the realm, as the place where the dreadful murder -was committed, and others calculated upon wealth and emolument, from -the number of visiters that it would bring to see the place. But only -a few, of more vast and comprehensive minds, saw all these particulars -in one general view, and rubbed their hands in great anticipations, as -sharing in the sweet excitement of the moment, they talked over the -murder with their neighbours, and added many bright touches from their -own fancy to ornament the bloody deed. - -The first news of the event that reached Emberton, had been conveyed -by Farmer Ritson's hind, who supplied the old miser with his quotidian -pennyworth of milk, and who had discovered the deed on applying in -vain for admission. He alarmed his master, whose house was half a mile -distant, and the good farmer instantly sent the intelligence to -Emberton. The messenger's arrival took place just five minutes after -Mr. Tims junior had driven through the town on his way to the mansion -at the park; and as both Dr. Wilton and Mr. Egerton, the nearest -magistrates, had passed the preceding evening and night at Emberton, -enquiring into some suspicious circumstances connected with the -burning of Mrs. Darlington's house, they were instantly called from -their breakfast, and proceeded to examine into this fresh crime, which -was destined to illustrate the annals of the neighbourhood. - -They found the house at Ryebury already surrounded by a number of -people; and from amongst them various persons stepped forward to offer -some little item of testimony; but an unexpected visiter soon appeared -in the person of the lawyer, who, on leaving the park, in not the most -placable humour, ordered the postboy to drive to his uncle's house, -and arrived just as the magistrates were about to leave the premises. -No sooner did he hear of the event, than he determined if possible to -involve the family of Sir Sidney Delaware in the consequences, and -entered into an examination of the circumstances, which soon not only -furnished him with the means of doing so, but also really convinced -him that Captain Delaware was guilty of the crime that he proposed to -impute to him. He at once laid his charge, and related the -circumstances of his late transaction with Sir Sidney Delaware's -family, in his own particular way. He would fain, indeed, have -involved the father too in the accusation he brought against the son; -but his own clerk, and the sheriff's officer, distinctly stated before -the magistrates, that it had been evident throughout, that Sir Sidney -had not been aware, on their first arrival, that his son was in -possession of the money necessary to pay the debt; and, for fear of -spoiling a very hopeful case against Captain Delaware, the lawyer was -obliged to abandon all charge against the baronet. - -If the news of the murder alone, had so soothed and gratified each of -those mixed feelings--the love of the marvellous--the passion for -talking--and the general dislike to our fellow creatures, which -all--combined with, or rather, as it were, imbedded in a soft stratum -of vanity--enter into the spirit of gossiping; how much more were the -good folks of Emberton delighted and stimulated when they heard the -charge against Captain Delaware, and learned that the result of the -coroner's inquest was a verdict of wilful murder against him. The -reason why we are so much better pleased when a person in our own or a -superior station, commits a crime, or enacts a folly--why we tell it -immediately to every one we meet, and aggravate it by our own -comments--is probably, that a person in that rank having had as great -advantages in circumstances and education as ourselves, our vanity has -the full opportunity of complimenting us on not having done the same, -without the necessity of admitting one deduction on the score of -greater temptations, or inferior knowledge, which we are compelled to -do, when the criminal is low, ignorant, or poor. The fact is, in all -these cases, we make ourselves a bow on our own good behaviour, and -the lowness of the bow depends upon the relative situation of the -sinner or the fool over whom we crow. - -Thus, when the matter came to be discussed at Emberton, every one -cried out, "Well, one would have thought that a young man of such -hopes, and such an education as this Captain Delaware, would be the -last to commit so dreadful a crime! A poor ignorant wretch driven to -vice from necessity one might have suspected; but not the son of a -baronet, and a Master and Commander in the King's Navy!" - -Amongst such speculations fled away the evening; and, as we have -said--although the people did not illuminate the town--the verdict of -the coroner's jury certainly did make them as happy as the gossiping, -envious, scandalous community of a little country town could be made. -Early the next morning, however, just as the chaise which was to -convey the prisoner to the county town was about to set out for his -father's house, and as all the people of Emberton were preparing to -turn out, and stare at him as he passed, a buzzing rumour began to -spread abroad that Captain Delaware had escaped in the night. - -"Escaped!" cried the old maiden in the house at the corner of the -bridge, letting fall the china cup from her hand as the maid announced -the fatal intelligence. "Escaped!--then we shall be all murdered in -our beds! Escaped!--why did they let the ruffian escape?" - -In a different manner did the mercer bear the tidings; for, without -replying one word to the shopboy who told him, he proceeded to carry -the news direct to the stationers; and, as he detailed it, he added, -"So there can be no doubt of his guilt now!" - -"There never was any! There never was any!" replied the linen-draper -in the same charitable spirit. "But you have heard that wild Wat -Harrison, the widow's son, has not been seen or heard of for two or -three days, and that there are manifold suspicions"---- - -"To be sure! To be sure! Those Delawares were always fond of him," -replied the mercer. "He sailed with this very Captain you know; and it -seems he has been under his orders once too often. I always said he -would come to be hanged!" - -While such charitable conversation was passing at Emberton, the -magistrates were not inactive; warrants, horses, and constables were -despatched in all directions, and both Dr. Wilton and Mr. Egerton, -well knowing the blame that would attach to themselves, returned to -the mansion to investigate by what means the prisoner had escaped. The -constables in whose charge he had been left, and the room which he had -occupied, were first examined. The two men declared upon oath, that no -one had been admitted to the accused but themselves, since he had been -remanded--that they had both slept in the anteroom--that the door had -been locked all night--that the window was far too high to afford the -means of evasion--and that they had both seen and spoken to Captain -Delaware as late as eleven the preceding night. The inferior constable -at the same time handed the fugitive's letter to Dr. Wilton, who -opened and read it, while Mr. Egerton made the first superficial -examination of the room; and, as his fellow magistrate was about to -institute a more rigorous investigation, the clergyman exclaimed. -"Stay stay, Mr. Egerton this letter concerns us both, and in it -William Delaware alludes, in some measure, to the method of his -intended escape!" - -"See here! He says the officers are entirely guiltless of it, as it is -by a passage they are not acquainted with." - -"Then there must be some private entrance," said Mr. Egerton. - -"I dare say there is," answered Dr. Wilton; "but this letter, in many -points, throws some new light upon the subject. Read it! Read it! and, -at all events, let us, as far as we can, do the poor boy justice. Read -it, my dear sir!" - -Mr. Egerton took it to the window, and read it attentively over. He -then gave the letter back to Dr. Wilton, saying, "He makes out a good -case against his accuser; but I am afraid, my dear doctor, that it -will not screen himself. However, on every account--for charity's -sake, and the sake of mere justice, I will of course exert myself to -the utmost--that is to say, quietly--quietly you know, for the matter -is nearly out of our hands--but I will exert myself to the utmost to -discover every fact connected with the charge. In the mean time, we -must do our duty, and endeavour to recover our prisoner. Let us -examine the walls." - -"First examine the floor," said Dr. Wilton. "Sliding panels have not -been to be found since the epoch of Udolpho; but trapdoors are to be -met with in all these old houses." - -The hint was instantly complied with; and the trapdoor was discovered -at once, together with its communication with the park. Nothing -farther, however, could be made of this fact. The way the fugitive had -taken, remained still undiscovered; and the only effect which their -investigation produced upon the minds of the two magistrates was, that -each perceived at once that the means which Captain Delaware had taken -to make his escape, might very well have served another person for the -purpose of placing the money in his chamber unseen; and thus his tale -acquired a degree of probability which it had not before possessed. - -When the examination was concluded, as far as it could be carried at -the time, and every necessary measure for overtaking the fugitive had -been put in train for execution, Mr. Egerton went back to Emberton to -confer with the coroner, who was hourly expected to return to that -little town, in order to see the prisoner despatched to the county -jail. Dr. Wilton, in the meanwhile, laying aside his magisterial -capacity, proceeded, as a friend and a clergyman, to visit Sir Sidney -Delaware and his daughter. He found them, as he had expected, -depressed in the extreme and saw that they were naturally in a high -state of nervous anxiety in regard to Captain Delaware's safety. At -first there was a degree of painful embarrassment in the whole -deportment of Sir Sidney Delaware, which made him treat even Dr. -Wilton with no small haughtiness and reserve. But the good clergyman -came to console and to sooth; and he persevered with all those kindly -and feeling attentions, which are sure ultimately to win their way to -an amiable heart, however much the road thither may be obstructed by -the pride of undeserved shame, or the reckless repulsiveness of bitter -disappointment. - -When he found Sir Sidney unwilling to listen, impatient of -consolation, or heedless of conversation, he turned to Blanche, and -won her into the innocent man[oe]uvre of wiling her father from his -bitterer thoughts. Gradually the feelings of the baronet relaxed: he -was brought more and more to speak of his own sorrows, and of his -son's unhappy fate; and though a tear or two forced themselves through -his eyelids, his griefs and even his apprehensions--as is sometimes -the case--were partly lost as they were poured forth into a friendly -ear. - -We must do justice to all, however. Dr. Wilton was not the only friend -who came to sooth and console the unhappy family at Emberton Park; and -the person who next appeared was certainly one whom they did not -expect to see. It was Mrs. Darlington, who had lately taken a house at -the distance of about ten miles. After spending a part of the -preceding day at Emberton, she had returned to her dwelling, in no -small horror at the charge which she heard had been brought against -her young friend, William Delaware. - -Now Mrs. Darlington, as we have shown before, was not without her -foibles and absurdities, but withal she had a far greater share of -real goodness of heart, and of the milk of human kindness, than -generally falls to the lot of that amphibious class called very good -sort of people. It must also be remarked, that though she was in no -degree very brilliant, and only made herself ridiculous by the -smattering of pretty accomplishments which she possessed, yet there -was a certain rectitude of understanding about her, which, in early -years, taking the form of tact, enabled her to assume at once the tone -of a society above the rank in which she was born; and which, in after -life, had often guided her to just conclusions, when people without -half her little weaknesses, and who pretended to ten times her -abilities, were all in the wrong. - -In the present instance, no sooner did she hear of the accusation -against Captain Delaware, than, from her previous knowledge of his -character, she pronounced it at once to be perfect nonsense; and when -Dr. Wilton informed her that he and Mr. Egerton had remanded the young -officer on suspicion, she merely asked, "How they could be so -foolish?" The coroner's inquest produced no other effect. She still -pronounced it all nonsense together; and quietly declared to her maid -that she was sure it would ultimately be found that the people who had -murdered the poor old man were the very same who had set fire to her -house, and carried off her plate. - -The worthy lady, however, passed the whole of that evening and the -next morning in a state of considerable perturbation. She was a great -stickler for proprieties--hated every thing in the world that made a -noise--liked a small lion, it is true, but had a great aversion to a -bear, even if, like a late learned Grecian, it affected to be a lion -solely on the strength of being a wild beast--and finally, she did not -at all approve of personages who were in any way doubtful. All this -operated strongly upon the prudential organs of her cerebral -development, and would have induced her to stay at home quietly, and -watch the course of events in regard to the Delaware family, had not -the goodness of heart we have spoken of, and the rectitude of judgment -which established Captain Delaware's innocence in her mind beyond all -manner of doubt, both pressed her strongly forward to show countenance -and kindness to the ruined family in their distress. - -There was a considerable struggle for it, however, in her own mind; -but, nevertheless, at ten o'clock, she again declared that it was all -nonsense together, and ordered the chariot as soon as possible. - -By this time her resolution was taken; and, stepping lightly in, she -ordered the coachman to drive to Emberton Park. - -It is not impossible that on her arrival she might have been denied -admittance--for just inasmuch as one never knows all the coldness of -the general world till one tries it, one does not know the kindness of -the exceptions either--but, without any questions, she walked out of -the carriage, and, tripping across the hall with a step a good deal -too juvenile, she entered the library unannounced. - -Sir Sidney bowed with stately formality; but Blanche, who understood -the whole business better, exclaimed, while the bright tears rose in -her eyes, "Oh, Mrs. Darlington, this is very kind of you indeed!" - -"Not at all, my dear Blanche! Not at all!" replied Mrs. Darlington, in -her usual quick but little meaning manner. "Where is your brother? I -am resolved to see him, and tell him how foolish I think all the -magistrates of the county have grown together. Beg your pardon, Dr. -Wilton; but it is true indeed!" - -"You cannot see him, madam, I am afraid," replied Dr. Wilton gravely; -"for he has made his escape from confinement." - -"Oh, dear! I am very glad to hear it," she replied. "You surely would -not have had him stay in a nasty filthy prison for two or three weeks, -because a great rogue chose to accuse him of a crime nobody believes -he committed. I am very glad to hear it indeed!" - -The good lady then paused for a moment; and perceiving that, although -her avowal of disbelief in regard to Captain Delaware's guilt had been -not a little pleasing to his father, Sir Sidney still remained sad and -depressed, she turned to him, kindly saying, "Come, come, Sir Sidney, -I will not have you look so gloomy. You are as careworn as if your son -were really guilty; and as we all know very well that he is not, you -should make yourself quite sure that he will easily be able to cause -his innocence to appear. But I have laid out a little scheme for you -and Blanche. I have nobody staying with me in my new house, and the -place is quite quiet. You will do nothing here but grow dull and -melancholy, and I will have you get into the chariot with me, and come -away and spend a week or two, till all this is settled." - -Although Sir Sidney Delaware felt that the invitation was most kind, -and in his own dwelling experienced that sickening disgust which one -feels towards all once-loved things, when some fatal change has -poisoned them with bitter associations, yet he declined Mrs. -Darlington's offer on his own part, though he much pressed his -daughter to accept it. Blanche, however, refused to leave her father; -and the matter would have ended thus, had not Mrs. Darlington -discovered that one great motive in Sir Sidney's desire to remain at -his own dwelling, at least for that night, was to hear the first news -brought by the messengers despatched to intercept his son. - -As soon as she found how much weight this had upon him, she proposed -to go forward with Dr. Wilton to Emberton, and there hear all that had -been done, in her own business: after which, she said, she would -return at six o'clock for Sir Sidney and his daughter, who must have -received tidings from the three county towns to which officers had -been despatched. - -Some slight difficulties having been discussed and overcome, this plan -was agreed to. Mrs. Darlington and Dr. Wilton departed; and the fact -that Mrs. Darlington had visited the ruined family at Emberton, having -been ascertained, by the appearance of her carriage rolling down the -avenue from the house, threw the town into a state of agitation which -might have afforded matter of envy to the Arch-Agitator himself. - -In the meanwhile, the various messengers charged with the warrants -against Captain William Delaware, proceeded towards their -destinations. It may be only necessary to follow one of them, however; -as all the rest, being sent in various wrong directions, might have -gone onward in a direct line till they met at the antipodes, without -setting eyes upon William Delaware. The one, then, who was directed to -ride with all speed to the seaport town of ----, and having got his -warrant backed by the proper authorities, to search for and take the -person of the accused, arrived in that place at about two o'clock of -the afternoon; and, finding that no less than five foreign vessels had -sailed that day at high water, which took place at eight of the clock, -he proceeded, as he had been directed, to enquire at the offices of -all the foreign vice-consuls what passports had been granted during -the morning. - -The consuls and their clerks were as civil as possible, and the names -and descriptions were read over to him; but the poor man might as well -have been in Babel, such a confused multitude of unchristianlike -christian names were pronounced in his ears. His next attempt was at -the descriptions; but he found that, during that one morning, people -of all colours and complexions, of all ages and sizes, of all features -and professions, had sailed for foreign parts, or obtained their -passports, which was quite as good; and therefore, bewildered and in -despair, he gave up the search; and, having committed his charge to -the constables of the place, once more mounted and returned to -Emberton. - -These tidings were balm to the hearts of Sir Sidney and Blanche -Delaware, but were not quite so pleasing to the people of Emberton, -who next to a murder enjoyed a hanging--which, indeed, is generally -much the same thing. Another messenger, however, arrived about the -same time, who brought news which somewhat diverted their attention. -This was the man who had been sent the day before to London, by Dr. -Wilton, in search of Mr. Beauchamp, and who was a shrewd intelligent -fellow, not likely to miss the track of any one he sought for. But the -tidings he brought back imported, that Mr. Beauchamp had never reached -his house in town; and that, along the whole line of road, no person -resembling him had either fed a horse, taken a post-chaise, mounted a -stage, or entered an inn for the last four days. - -Every one opened their eyes; and the people of Emberton all went to -bed with the consolatory reflection that Mr. Beauchamp, or rather Mr. -Burrel, as they termed him, must undoubtedly have been murdered also. -Dr. Wilton was himself uneasy. Sir Sidney Delaware said that the -absence of Henry Beauchamp was most unfortunate on many accounts; but -Blanche turned deadly pale when she heard the tidings, and the vague -apprehensions by which they were accompanied; and it would require no -great skill in the book of the human heart to read the silent -commentary that went on in her own bosom, on the unexplained absence -of one she dearly loved. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - -Exactly three days after the arrival of Mr. Peter Tims at Emberton, -and the discovery of his uncle's murder, the Right Honourable the Earl -of Ashborough was sitting at his breakfast-table, in his house of -Parmouth Hall, in the county of ----. It was a rainy morning, and over -the whole face of the country there was a dim sort of ground-glass -haze, which cut off all the far prospect from view, leaving even -those objects that were near, nothing but an indistinct aspect of -drippingness, not at all consolatory to those who had laid out their -expeditions for the day. Though a very regular man in his habits, Lord -Ashborough had a notion that fires were made to warm people, and that -people might very well be cold in the beginning of October, so that, -in addition to the glossy damask, and the splendid china, and the -burnished silver, and all those other things, which, as we have before -observed, make an English breakfast something far superior to any -other meal eaten in any other place in the world, there was the bright -and blazing fire in the polished grate, setting itself up in eternal -opposition to the rain without. - -At one end of the table sat the earl, with his whole person in high -preservation, just as it came from the hands of his valet. At the -other end sat Maria Beauchamp, his niece, in all the full blow of -youth and beauty, fashion and good taste. By the side of Miss -Beauchamp sat two gentlemen, the Honourable Colonel ----, and -Mr. ----, whose names are not worth the trouble of writing, as I never -intend to mention them again. Suffice it that they were guests of Lord -Ashborough's; the first being a gentleman who, the noble lord thought, -would do very well for his niece, and the second a gentleman who -thought the noble lord's niece would do very well for him. Maria -differed from both; and, in short, thought very little of the two -personages at all; though the one poured a continual stream of -idleness into her ear which amused her, and the other made love by -being profoundly silent, which amused her as much. - -"Either we have breakfasted early, or the post is late," said Lord -Ashborough; and one of the other gentleman was replying something -quite as significant, when a servant brought in the post-bag, and -delivered it formally into his lordship's hands. Lord Ashborough -immediately distributed the letters and newspapers; and as breakfast -was by this time nearly over, and the after humdrum commencing, each -gentleman put his letters in his pocket, and opened his newspaper. - -"Hum!--Hum!" said the Colonel, running his eye over the columns--"Hum! -Horrid murder! We will keep that for a _bonne bouche_, I think. What -are funds?" - -"Hum!--Hum!" said Mr. ----. "Hum--Horrid murder!--Hum!--'Pon my -honour, Colonel, the Draper has won the match against the Grand -Signor!" - -"Ha!" said Lord Ashborough, "Ha! The French, I see, have persuaded the -English that they have not the slightest intention of keeping -possession of Algiers--and the English believe them. Let us see what -will be the case this time three years--Ha! Horrid murder! Good -God!--his throat cut from ear to ear!--Let us see--Coroner's -inquest--Wilful murder against--Why, Maria, here is a cousin of ours -been committing murder!--He will be hung to a certainty, my love; and -you will be obliged all the winter to wear deep mourning for his -offences." - -"And pray, sir, who is the gentleman?" demanded Miss Beauchamp. "You -know I have so many cousins, and uncles, and such distant relations, -that I cannot be expected to remember them all, even when one of them -commits a murder." - -"Oh! it is very possible, so careless a young lady may have forgot -him!" replied Lord Ashborough, somewhat piqued at the tone of her -answer; "but you have seen him within this month--It is Captain -William Delaware--the son of the man at Emberton, who has been cutting -the throat of an old miser at--at--at--a place called Ryebury--I think -it is." - -Miss Beauchamp turned very pale, but, without reply, raised the -coffee-cup towards her lips. Ere it reached them, however, it dropped -from her hand, and dashed some of the china to pieces by its fall, -while the young lady herself sank back, fainting in her chair, much to -the horror and consternation of every one present. Lord Ashborough -started up, and advanced to his niece's assistance; Mr. ---- kneeled -by her side, and supported her head; while Colonel ----, who was a -tall stiff man, rose up, like the geni coming out of the copper -vessel--that is to say, by degrees--and rang the bell. - -Miss Beauchamp was conveyed speedily to her own room; and the -excellent Colonel exclaimed, "Why, Ashborough, this murder which your -cousin has committed, seems to affect Miss Beauchamp more than -yourself!" - -"I had forgot," replied Lord Ashborough, "that she and her brother -were almost brought up with those Delawares in their childhood. As to -myself, the matter does not affect me at all, Colonel--I always -thought that some catastrophe of the kind would take place. The -father--who was both at school and at college with me--was always one -of those violent, ruthless, unprincipled men, on whose conduct you -could never calculate; and as he was generally in scrapes and -difficulties, you know, temptation might assail him at any moment. The -son seemed, from the little I have ever seen of him, a boy of the same -disposition. Heaven knows," he added, with an air of modest candour, -"I acted in as liberal a manner as possible towards them! It was only -the other day that I accepted a mere trifle, in lieu of an annuity of -two thousand a-year which I held, payable upon their estates." - -"Scamps!" said the Colonel, walking towards the window. "One never -makes any thing of scamps. When one has any poor relations--and I -suppose every one has some--the best way is to cut them at once--one -never makes any thing of scamps!" - -"Mr. Tims, my lord, waiting in the library," said a servant entering, -just as the Colonel concluded his sensible, comprehensive, and -charitable observation. - -"Not the ghost of the murdered man, I hope!" cried Mr. ----, who had -been reading the report of the coroner's inquest. - -"No; but the body of his nephew, I suppose," replied Lord Ashborough. -"You had better try the billiard-room, gentlemen, as the day is so -bad;" and he proceeded to the library, where he was awaited by Mr. -Peter Tims, dressed in what the newspapers call a suit of decent -mourning, with a countenance made to match, according to the tailor's -term. - -Lord Ashborough nodded, and Mr. Tims bowed low as they met; and the -peer, letting himself sink into an easy-chair, began the conversation -by saying, "I suppose, Mr. Tims, I must condole with you on your -uncle's death?" - -"I have much need of condolence on many accounts, my lord," replied -the lawyer; "but I have one happiness, which is, that while your -lordship is pleased to condole with your humble servant, he has an -opportunity of congratulating you." - -"Why, indeed, things seem to have turned out luckily," replied -Lord Ashborough; "but I am not yet half informed of what has -occurred--all I know is from a brief account in the newspapers. - -"If your lordship is at liberty," said the lawyer, "I will explain the -whole;" and he forthwith set to work, and recounted all the principal -events which had happened, since he last left Lord Ashborough; -contriving, however, to take almost as much credit to himself for all -that had happened, as if he had cut his uncle's throat himself, on -purpose to ruin the family of Sir Sidney Delaware. - -Lord Ashborough listened, and smiled with triumph, as Mr. Tims, -pandering to his malignity, dwelt upon the agony of Sir Sidney -Delaware, and the pain and shame of his gallant son--upon the -inevitable ruin that must overtake their whole race--and upon the -probable consequences to the unfortunate baronet's health. The smile, -however, soon faded away; and, strange to say, that though hatred to -Sir Sidney Delaware had been the predominant passion of Lord -Ashborough's existence, though the knowledge that he was leading a -life of comparative poverty, had been one of his greatest pleasures; -and the hope of ruining him utterly, an object that the earl had never -lost sight of--yet now that it was all accomplished--that it was -done--that he was trodden under his feet, and presented to his eyes, -heartbroken and desolate, ruined and disgraced, the joy passed away in -that evanescent smile of triumph--the delight lasted but a moment, and -left a vacancy in his desires. - -Why it was so, we cannot be called upon to prove. It is a fact in the -heart's natural history, and that is all that we have to do with it. -It might be, indeed, that Othello's occupation was gone; and that Lord -Ashborough, in accomplishing his purpose, had dried up a source of -thought and gratification. It might be, that he was like Bruce at the -fountains of the Nile--that all which had lured him on, through a -dangerous and intricate way, was obtained; and that he had nothing to -lead him farther, or to guide him back. It might be that, as usual, -conscience took advantage of the sudden lassitude of satiety, to smite -the heart, for the very gratifications that were palling upon the -appetite. - -"Well, Mr. Tims! Well!" he said at length. "All this is very -fortunate. But, pray, may I ask how is it that you lay claim to so -much subject of condolence? If I have understood you right, your -uncle's death could be no matter of very inconsolable grief to -you--though, doubtless, you might have preferred another manner." - -"No, my lord, no!" replied Mr. Tims. "It is not that at all. He was an -old man--a very old man--one would have thought that death had forgot -him--and, to tell the truth, it was perhaps as well for him to die a -quick as a lingering death; and I hear, when the carotid artery is -cut, as it was in his case, a man cannot suffer above a second or two. -But as I was saying, my lord, it was not either of his death or of the -manner that I was thinking, but the murderer must have carried away -full twelve thousand pounds in money, besides the sum destined to pay -your lordship's note"---- - -"Which, by the way, I hope you have paid into the hands of my banker?" -interrupted Lord Ashborough, whose first thought was, of course, of -himself. - -"Why, not yet, my lord--not yet!" replied the attorney. "The law has -yet to decide to whom it belongs, my lord." - -"How, sir!" cried Lord Ashborough, reddening, "To whom can it belong -but to me? Was it not paid to you on my account?" - -"Beg pardon, my lord! Beg pardon!" replied Mr. Tims. "But, whichever -way it goes, your lordship cannot be a loser. If it be proved, as it -can be proved, that the money was stolen from my uncle, the payment to -you of course is null, and the money belongs to me, as sole heir of -the late Mr. Tims of Ryebury. But then, my lord--hear me, my lord, I -beg--the whole transaction with Sir Sidney Delaware is null also, and -you will be able to recover at common law!" - -Lord Ashborough's face again lighted up, and it is very possible that -the thought of pursuing his game still farther, and hunting it to the -death, might add not a little to his placability. "We must have -counsel's opinion as to the best means to be employed," he said. "This -young ruffian, you tell me, has escaped, and of course the prosecution -must drop, unless he can be apprehended." - -"Oh no, my lord, no!" answered Mr. Tims. "That does not follow at -all--there are indeed various modes of proceeding, on which it would -be advisable to consult some common law barrister; but, in the mean -time, the money is quite secure--so much so, indeed, that if your -lordship likes it to be paid into your bankers"---- - -"Why, Mr. Tims," said Lord Ashborough, thoughtfully. "I think it might -be as well, you know." - -"Well, my lord, I am quite ready to do so," answered the lawyer, "on -your making over to me your claims against Sir Sidney Delaware, and -his estate of Emberton." - -Lord Ashborough started, "No, no!" he cried. "No!--at all events, we -will speak of that hereafter. Cannot a bill of outlawry be pursued -against this young man--and ought he not to be dismissed from his -Majesty's service? I have a great mind to return to town, and see -about the whole business, Mr. Tims. I dare say, I can get rid of these -two men who are staying here, by the day after to-morrow; and, in the -mean time, you had better go back to Emberton, and urge the pursuit as -actively as possible. It is not probable that he can have got out of -the country so soon! Why do you not send for officers from Bow -Street?" - -"They are already on the scent, my lord," replied the man of law; "and -I doubt not that they will catch him ere he gets far. Murder is a -crime which all civilized nations will agree in punishing--and as to -the money, my lord"---- - -"Oh, I doubt not it is safe! I doubt not it is safe!" replied Lord -Ashborough, "When I come to town, we must take counsel as to the best -method of recovering it, as speedily as possible, from Sir Sidney -Delaware." - -"Oh, it is quite safe, depend on it!" answered Mr. Tims, "I was only -going to say, that I am likely to be the only loser in this business; -as the twelve thousand pounds are, I am afraid, lost for ever." - -"I hope not, Mr. Tims, I hope not!" replied the earl; "and if they be, -we must endeavour to make it up to you, some other way. I do not of -course mean to say, that I can take upon me to pay the money, as you -see I am likely to be a loser by the whole transaction myself." - -"I think not, my lord, indeed," replied the lawyer. "Beg your -lordships pardon; but I think you are likely to be a great gainer." - -"How so, sir?" demanded the peer with open eyes. "I gain nothing, and -lose at least the law expenses." - -"Why, my lord," replied the lawyer, "I think in default of issue-male, -on the part of Sir Sidney Delaware, you stand next in the entail; now, -if we can convict this young man who has committed the murder, you of -course succeed." - -"Ay! but suppose we cannot catch him," cried the earl, his face -brightening at the thoughts of the reversion. - -"Perhaps we can do without, my lord," answered Mr. Tims. "I am much -mistaken if, upon due cause, the law, deprived of the power of dealing -real death, will not pronounce a criminal legally dead; and I think -that were I certain I should not be a loser, I could bring forward a -sufficient case to ensure that result." - -"Mr. Tims," said Lord Ashborough solemnly, laying his hand with a -dignified gesture upon a book that lay before him. "Mr. Tims, I -can assure you, that no one who wishes me well shall ever lose a -farthing by me. I think you must know the fine--I might say the -fastidious--sense of honour which I entertain, and I promise you upon -my word, that if you succeed in carrying through the very just and -reasonable design you propose, and establish me as heir of entail to -the Emberton property, I will make you full compensation for whatever -loss you may have sustained in the course of this business." - -"Say no more, my lord! Say no more!" replied Mr. Tims. "We will find -means either to catch and hang him at once, or to cut him off from -performing any legal act; and in the mean time--as life is always -uncertain--I will, with your lordship's permission, draw up a little -document for your lordship to sign, purporting that you will, on your -succession to the Emberton estate, indemnify me for the losses I have -sustained, by the robbery of my uncle's house." - -Already Lord Ashborough began to repent of his liberal promise, and to -consider whether he could not have done quite as well without the -agency of Mr. Tims; but, as it appeared that the chief proofs of -Captain Delaware's guilt were in the lawyer's hands, he thought it -better to adhere strictly to his engagement, and therefore signified -his assent. - -"Of course, my lord," continued the lawyer, "you will find it -necessary to proceed against Sir Sidney Delaware immediately, either -at common law for the recovery of the sum agreed to be paid by bill, -and which cannot be considered as paid, the money wherewith it was -satisfied having been stolen; or else to proceed by petition in the -Court of Chancery, in order to recover possession of the original -annuity deed, the authenticated copy of which is in my possession, -praying also that the rents of the Emberton estate may be paid into -court, till such time as judgment be pronounced." - -The lawyer spoke these hard purposes in a tone of significance, which -would have been an insult to any one with whose inmost thoughts he was -not so well acquainted as he was with those of Lord Ashborough; but -the earl heard him with a meaning smile, and replied, "Why really, Mr. -Tims, you seem inclined to be rather hardhearted towards this Sir -Sidney Delaware." - -"Your lordship would not have me very tender towards a man whose son -has murdered my only relation," replied the lawyer; "and besides, law -has nothing to do with tenderness; and as your lordship's agent, I am -bound to suggest what I think the best legal means of protecting your -interests." - -"Certainly, certainly!" answered the earl. "Far be it from me to blame -you, my good sir. Follow which plan you judge best--both if you -please!" - -"Both be it then, my lord!" replied Mr. Tims, rubbing his hands at the -interminable prospect which the case held out, of pleas and papers -without end--an universe of parchment, and a heaven of red tape. "Both -be it then, my lord!--There is not the slightest reason that we should -not proceed in both courts at once, to make all sure; and if, before -two months are over. Sir Sidney Delaware be not as completely beggared -as ever man was, the English law will be very much changed--that is -all that I can say.--Unless, indeed," he added thoughtfully, "your -lordship's worthy nephew come to his aid--marry Miss Delaware, and -advance money to defend her father." - -"No fear! No fear!" replied Lord Ashborough. "He will not marry her, -depend upon it." - -"Why, my lord, I am afraid," said Mr. Tims; "that is to say, I have -heard it very strongly reported in Emberton, that he did propose to -Miss Delaware, and that she refused him, not knowing who he was. She -and her father are now staying with the lady at whose house she first -met Mr. Beauchamp; they are very likely to meet again--he to declare -his real name, and she to accept him; for you may imagine, after all -that has happened, she will be glad enough to get married at all--and -you know how romantic he is in some things, though he strives to hide -it." - -"You are mistaken, Mr. Tims!" said Lord Ashborough. "What has happened -will make her persist in her refusal more steadily than ever." - -Though hating Sir Sidney Delaware and his whole family with the -bitterest enmity. Lord Ashborough knew them well, and understood the -principles upon which they acted--for the basest heart will sometimes, -in a great degree, appreciate a more noble one. This appreciation, -however, is never candidly admitted, even to the heart itself; and -while, from a secret conviction of the truth, it often calculates -justly the results--comprehends in a moment what will be the effect of -particular circumstances--and makes use of that knowledge for its own -selfish purposes--it is sure to attribute all good actions to base and -mean motives, even in its own secret thoughts, and to give them false -and evil names in conversation with others. - -"No, no, Mr. Tims!" he said, "What has happened will make her refuse -him more steadily than ever, if she have a drop of her father's blood -in her veins. I know those Delawares well, and their cursed pride, -which they fancy to be fine feeling and generous sentiment. If it were -to save her father and her whole family from destruction, depend upon -it, she would not marry any man while she thought that her brother's -infamy was to be a part of her dowery.--I might say her only dowery; -for I suppose the pittance she had from her mother has been swallowed -up long ago. No, no! all is very safe there. Maria, who has heard a -good deal about her from her brother's old tutor, let me unwittingly -into the secret, that she is her father over again in those respects; -but sting her irritable pride, and you can make her do any thing." - -"Well, my lord, well!" said Mr. Tims. "If your lordship be sure, I, of -course, have nothing to say. Only, I cannot understand any woman -refusing a gentleman of Mr. Beauchamp's present wealth and future -expectations. I cannot understand it, indeed!" - -"I dare say not!" replied Lord Ashborough drily. "But in the -meanwhile, Mr. Tims, I think you had better return to Emberton -to-night. It is not much above thirty miles. Proceed as earnestly as -possible against the son, and after putting matters in train there, -come up and meet me in London on Monday next." - -"At the same time, my lord," said the lawyer, "I will serve all the -tenants with notice not to pay their rents to Sir Sidney Delaware;" -and this being agreed to with a smile. Lord Ashborough rejoined his -guests, and Mr. Tims proceeded to hold a serious consultation with the -housekeeper, over a cold pasty and a glass of sherry, ere he once more -set out for Emberton. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - -Now, the very same character might be given of Mr. Peter Tims of -Clement's Inn, attorney-at-law, as that which Voltaire, -in his _Discours à l'Academie_, gives of the President de -Montesquieu--"C'etoit un génie mâle et rapide qui aprofondit tout en -paraissant tout effleurer;" and in several of his late conversations -with Lord Ashborough, he had penetrated into the depths of that -nobleman's thoughts and feelings, while he seemed to give explicit -credit to his lightest words. He saw, therefore, that there were two -strong principles which worked the whole machine; the chief springs, -as it were, of all his lordship's conduct, at least on the present -occasion. The one of these principles was, it is true, a little -stronger than the other; and the two were, revenge and avarice; the -latter succumbing somewhat to the former, but both at present working -very well together. - -There are certain classes of passions and vices which people often -find an excuse for indulging, by persuading themselves that they are -invariably connected with some great or noble feeling or other. Now, -of this character is revenge, which men are apt to fancy must be the -offspring of a generous and vehement heart, and a fine, determined, -sensitive mind. But this is all a mistake. Revenge, in the abstract, -is merely a prolongation throughout a greater space in time, of that -base selfishness which leads us to feel a momentary impulse to strike -any thing that hurts or pains us either mentally or corporeally; and -the more brutal, and animal, and beastlike be the character of the -person, the greater will be his disposition to revenge. But we must -speak one moment upon its modifications. Revenge always proceeds -either from a sense of real injury, or a feeling of wounded vanity. It -seldom, however, arises from any real injury; and where it does, it -would, (if possible to justify it at all,) be more justifiable; but, -in this modification, a corrective is often found in the great mover -of man's heart; and vanity itself whispers, it will seem nobler and -more generous to forgive. The more ordinary species of revenge, -however, and the more filthy, is that which proceeds from wounded -vanity--when our pride or our conceit has been greatly hurt--not alone -in the eyes of the world, but in our own eyes--when the little -internal idol that we have set up to worship in our own hearts, has -been pulled down from the throne of our idolatry, and we have been -painfully shown that it is nothing but a thing of gilt wood. Then, -indeed, revenge, supported by the great mover of man's heart, instead -of being corrected by it, is insatiable and everlasting. But in all -cases, instead of being connected with any great quality, it is the -fruit of a narrow mind, and a vain selfish heart. - -The latter of the two modifications was that which affected Lord -Ashborough, and it had remained with him through life; but Mr. Tims -very evidently saw, that as soon as his lordship imagined his revenge -to have nothing left to feed upon, it of course became extinct; and -that his own employment at least, in any very extensive business, as -far as Lord Ashborough was concerned, would be at an end. The avarice, -too, would come into play; and the worthy lawyer perceived that it was -necessary to keep alive his appetite for vengeance, and at the same -time to take care that his admirable patron's avarice should be broken -in to run in harness with his own. - -These were his motives for suggesting the course of proceeding which -he had insinuated might be pursued, although he felt very doubtful as -to the legal possibility of carrying on the matter exactly as -prosperously as he had taught his patron to believe. At all events, he -felt that this was his best chance, not only of keeping possession of -the money he had already got, but of obtaining the twelve thousand -pounds more, which, together with the rest of his uncle's property, he -felt would raise him to a station in society in which he might--not -pause but--make more still. - -After satisfying the cravings of hunger, therefore, and thinking that -the time might soon come when the earl himself would find it necessary -to treat him with more attention, Mr. Tims got into his chaise, -humming the chorus of the Little Ploughboy-- - - - "So great a man--so great a man--so great a man I'll be!" - - -And once more rolled away towards Emberton, resolved instantly to see -Sir Sidney Delaware, and to embroil the whole affair as much as -possible. - -His clerk had been left behind at the little town to take care of the -business during his absence; and although it was late ere the lawyer -returned, he instantly set him to work to prepare notices to all the -tenants of Sir Sidney Delaware not to pay their rents. This he knew -was a bold stroke; but looking upon the unhappy baronet as an enemy in -time of war, he knew that one great object was to cut off his -supplies. Early the next morning Mr. Tims sallied forth to make a -general round of the tenants, and proceeded to a farmhouse, from the -crowded stackyard and busy aspect of which he argued a large and -prosperous farm. The farmer himself appeared superintending the -thatching in the yard; and Mr. Tims, notice in hand, stepped up to -him, and informed him of his business. - -As the honest man read, his mouth expanded wide across his rosy face, -with a grin of satisfaction, which Mr. Tims remarked as something -extraordinary at least. "Sorry, sir, I can't oblige you!" said the -farmer, eyeing him with a look of merry contempt. "I paid my rent to -Sir Sidney yesterday morning. I thought just now--as he is in trouble -I hear with some bit of a blackguard lawyer of the name of Tims--he -might want the money, you know. So I took it up to the good lady's -house where he is stopping, seeing it was due on the twenty-fifth -o' last month." - -"Oh, you have paid it, have you?" said Mr. Tims. "Then I can tell you, -most likely you will have it to pay over again." - -"Pay it over again!" cried the farmer, who easily divined who the -person was that spoke to him. "Pay it over again! Come, come, none of -your gammon, master, or I'll break your head for you, and that is all -the payment you'll get from me. Who should I pay my rent to but my own -landlord? and a good landlord he has always been, and a kind--never -racked us up to the last farthing, like some o' them, though he wanted -the money enough himself. I'll tell you what, you had better not say a -word against him or his--and if you be one of Lawyer Tims's clerks, -bid him not show his face among us here, or he'll get such a licking -as will serve him for a long while." - -While this conversation was proceeding between Mr. Peter Tims and the -farmer, a considerable number of the farm-servants had gathered round -their master, and very unequivocal signs and symptoms were given as to -their sense of the matter. Various words, too, were heard, which -sounded harsh upon the tympanum of Peter Tims's ear, such as--"I -shouldn't wonder if it were Lawyer Tims himself--A looks like a -lawyer--let's duck um in the horsepond--or cart him into the muck." - -Now Peter Tims was, in a certain degree, a coward; and although he -could have made up his mind to be knocked down by the farmer for the -sake of a good assault case; yet the idea of being "ducked in the -horsepond, or carted into the muck," by a body of persons who could -not afford to pay a sous for their morning's amusement, made him beat -a retreat as fast as possible. - -Although Mr. Peter Tims proceeded _seriatim_ to each of the tenants on -the Emberton estate, it may be unnecessary to detail the particulars -of the various receptions he met with. Suffice it, that he found that -in one respect they all agreed, which was, that their rent, by a -general arrangement between them, had been paid up the day before, -which, though the money was really due, was about ten days before the -usual time. Although he occasionally met with a somewhat rough -reception, and declared that he had never seen a more rude and uncivil -set of people in his life, yet he escaped without any actual violence; -and in the end, hoping to gain at least some ground, he determined to -make his last visit to Sir Sidney Delaware himself. - -Accustomed to do disagreeable things of all kinds, Mr. Tims had as -little respect for human feelings as most men; but still there was -something in his peculiar situation with regard to Sir Sidney -Delaware, that in some degree awed even his worldly heart. He was -going to force himself into the presence of a man, whose destruction -he was pursuing eagerly, on the most base and sordid motives. That, -however, was nothing new; but we must recollect that Mr. Tims really -supposed the son of him he was about to visit, had murdered in cold -blood his last relation; and, with that belief, there mingled both the -internal conviction that his own arts had driven the unfortunate young -man to commit the horrid deed which had been perpetrated at Ryebury, -and the remembrance that he himself, Peter Tims, was even then -straining every nerve to bring to an ignominious death, him whom his -machinations had hurried into the most fearful of human crimes, and -whose father he was still urging onward to ruin and despair. All these -feelings and remembrances made the business very different from any he -had before undertaken, and the lawyer's heart even, fluttered as the -chaise drove through the gates of the dwelling now occupied by Mrs. -Darlington. "It is odd enough," he thought, "that my delaying the -payment of the money should have caused my uncle's murder. Now, if I -were superstitious, I should take fright and not follow this business -up, for fear it should turn out ill likewise--but that is all -nonsense;" and when the chaise stopped, and a servant appeared, he -boldly demanded to speak with Sir Sidney Delaware. - -"Sir Sidney Delaware is not here, sir!" replied the man abruptly. - -"Not here!" cried Mr. Tims. "Not here! And pray, where is he then?" - -"Can't tell, sir!" replied the man. - -"But he was here?" rejoined the lawyer. - -"Oh yes, sir, he was here!" was the reply. - -"When did he go?" - -"Yesterday." - -"Where to?" - -"I don't know." - -"Is your mistress at home?" demanded Mr. Tims at length, finding that -there was nothing to be made of the footman. The answer was in the -affirmative; and Mr. Peter Tims was shown into an empty room, where -the servant took the precaution of demanding his name, and then went -to inform his mistress. After remaining for some time in expectation, -Mr. Tims was rejoined by the servant; but, instead of ushering the -lawyer to Mrs. Darlington's presence, he said, with a grave and solemn -aspect, "Sir, my mistress bids me inform you that she is busy at -present, and cannot receive you." - -"Oh, if she be busy, I can wait!" answered Mr. Tims, relapsing -determinedly into his chair. - -"You may wait all day for that matter," replied the man, losing -patience; "for I can tell you, she does not intend to see you at all. -So now, you have the plain English of it!" - -"Very extraordinary conduct, I must say!" observed Mr. Tims, as with -slow and indignant steps he walked towards his chaise. - -"And pray, are you really ignorant of Sir Sidney Delaware's present -abode?" he added, after having insinuated his hand into his pocket, -and drawn forth a broad silver piece, which he thought fully -sufficient to tempt the discretion of any Johnny, even if he were as -immaculate as Eve before the fall. - -But the servant either would not tell, or could not, because he did -not know: the latter of which was the most probable, as he answered -sharply, as if angry at losing the money through his ignorance, "You -have had your answer once, sir," he said, "and I shall give you no -other;" and, with this ungracious reply, Mr. Tims was obliged to -content himself. - -The chaise rolled him back hungry and dissatisfied to Emberton, where -the tidings he had so often before received, that the pursuit of -Captain Delaware had not advanced a single step, did not tend to -relieve him. He found, too, that Sir Sidney and Miss Delaware had -certainly not returned to their own dwelling, and his enquiry in -regard to whither they had gone when they left Mrs. Darlington's, only -served to make the people of the town open wide their nostrils, -showing plainly that the baronet's departure must have been secret -indeed, as it had escaped the all-enquiring eyes and ears of that -gossiping community. - -If any thing could have soothed the mind of Mr. Tims, it would have -been, perhaps, the profound respect of the landlord of the King's -Arms--he, Mr. Tims, being in no degree insensible to the charms of -importance and high station, and enjoying the homage of mine host, as -a sort of foretaste of the increased consequence he was to possess in -society, from his accession to his unfortunate uncle's ill-gotten -wealth. - -His dinner comforted him also greatly; and when, after that meal was -discussed, the landlord presented himself in person to ask, whether he -might not recommend his admirable port, Mr. Tims, after an internal -struggle, acquiesced, and the wine was accordingly produced. - -"Pray, landlord," said the lawyer, after a few words of innkeeper -gossip had passed, while with a clean napkin he rubbed the outside of -the decanter. "Pray, who was that gentleman standing at the door as I -got out, who stared at me so hard? The gentleman in the black coat and -gray trowsers." - -"Oh, sir!" replied mine host of the King's Arms, "Don't you -know?--That is Mr. Cousins, the officer from London, come to enquire -into this sad business!" - -"Why, Ruthven was sent for, and came too; for I saw and spoke to him -long!" ejaculated Mr. Tims in some surprise. - -"True, sir! True!" replied the landlord. "But Ruthven was sent after -the captain, you know; and Dr. Wilton thought it would be better to -have some one else down to keep about the place; so Cousins was sent -for, and has been here all day--that is to say, about the place; for -he was both up at Emberton and at Ryebury, I heard the waiter saying." - -"At Emberton!" cried Mr. Tims; "Then, I dare say, he can tell me -something of the people there. Will you have the goodness to present -my compliments to him, and say, I should be happy if he will take a -glass of wine with me?" - -"Certainly, sir! Certainly!" replied the landlord; and away he went in -ambassage to Cousins, who soon after was ushered into the private room -occupied by Peter Tims, Esq. - -He was--or rather is--neither a very tall nor a very stout man; but -yet, in the various points of his frame, there is a good deal of solid -strength to be remarked; and in his face, which is pale and somewhat -saturnine, Mr. Tims thought he could trace a great deal of resolution, -mingled with that shrewd knowledge of human nature in its most debased -form, which is at once necessary to, and inseparable from, the -character of an officer of police. The lawyer, seeing that the officer -was a very gentlemanly person in his appearance, soon made sufficient -advances; and, being seated together over their wine, Mr. Tims -enquired whether his companion had heard anything of the family at -Emberton. - -"No!--No!" he said, in a tone which appeared habitually guarded -against all enquiries, except from those authorized to squeeze the -contents out of the spunge of his mind. "No!--No!" he said. "I have -heard nothing of them at all!" - -"Come, come now, Mr. Cousins!" said the lawyer, who well entered into -the spirit of the wariness displayed by his companion, "You know I am -interested in this business!" - -"Yes, so I hear, sir," replied Cousins, without a word more. - -"Well, well, then, be a little more communicative, Mr. Cousins," -rejoined the lawyer. "Did you see any of the family at the park?" - -"No!" answered the officer; "They were all away!" - -"But did not the old woman--the housekeeper--or cook--or -something--tell you where they had gone to?" demanded the lawyer. - -"There was no old housekeeper there," answered the officer. "They were -all away together, and the house shut up." - -Mr. Tims was beaten out of his impassibility, and absolutely stared. -"But surely you know where they are gone to--or, at least, you guess?" -he said, after a pause. - -"Why, I may guess to be sure," replied Cousins; "but that is nothing -to nobody, you know. If one were to tell every thing they guess, sir, -not one-half of their guesses would come true!" - -Mr. Tims paused for a minute or two, seeing that, for some reason, -Cousins was resolute in not saying a word upon the affairs of Sir -Sidney Delaware; and therefore, like a good tactician, finding the -enemy's position impregnable in front, he determined to shift his -ground, and make the attack from another quarter. "You have been, I -hear, at my poor unhappy uncle's place at Ryebury, too?" said Mr. -Tims, at length. "Did you make any new discoveries? Fill your glass, -Mr. Cousins." - -"None that I know of, sir," replied Cousins, answering the question -and obeying the command at the same time. "The house was just as it -was left, I fancy." - -"But did you find nothing that might lead to the detection of the -murderer?" said Mr. Tims. - -"Why, sir, I understood that you had detected the murderer yourself," -answered the officer; "and that his name was Captain William -Delaware." - -"Yes, yes! that is all true enough," rejoined the lawyer; "but I mean, -did you find no new proof against him?" - -"Why, as to that, sir, I did not find any in particular," replied -Cousins. "Indeed, the only thing of which I found any positive proof -at all, was, that somebody had been murdered." - -"The man is a fool!" thought Mr. Peter Tims--"A natural!" But yet -there was a small, twinkling, subdued sort of fun lurking about the -corners of Cousins's dark eyes, that caused the lawyer strongly to -suspect that the officer was making a jest of him, and he consequently -found himself waxing vastly indignant. His anger, however, led him -into no extravagance; and, after having put a variety of other -questions to his companion, who did not choose to give a -straightforward answer to any of them, his wrath assumed the form of -sullen silence, which he expected would soon be received as a hint to -retire. - -In this he was mistaken. Cousins remained with outstretched feet and -emulative silence, filling his glass unbidden, with a fond reliance on -the generosity of the lawyer's disposition, for all which he was -heartily given to the devil, full a dozen times within the next half -hour. At the end of that period, the landlord again appeared at the -door, and gave Mr. Cousins a nod. The officer immediately started upon -his feet, and wishing Mr. Tims good-night, with many thanks for his -kind condescension, he followed mine host out of the room. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -Leaving Mr. Tims to meditate for half an hour, and then to call his -clerk, in order to proceed with business of various kinds, we must -follow Cousins, the officer, along the passage, down the six steps at -the end, up the six steps opposite, and thence into another room, -larger and more handsomely furnished, in a different part of the -house. As he entered, the whole demeanour of the officer was as -completely changed as it is possible to imagine; and, instead of the -easy and nonchalant, perhaps somewhat listless air, which had -overspread him in the presence of the attorney, he entered the chamber -to which he had been summoned with a look of brisk activity, mingled -with respect, which strangely altered his whole appearance. The -character of the persons before whom he now presented himself, might -easily account for the change; for the officer was too well acquainted -with all ranks and stations of men, and too much accustomed to suit -his conduct to his company, not to make the most marked difference in -his demeanour towards a low attorney and towards two men of so much -respectability as Dr. Wilton and Mr. Egerton. Neither of those two -gentlemen, it is true, could be considered as so wealthy as Mr. Tims -had lately become; but, thank God! wealth--notwithstanding all its -efforts to confound itself with respectability, has not yet been able -to do so entirely, even in the eyes of the vulgar. - -The two magistrates were sitting together after dinner; but glasses -and decanters had been removed, a clerk called in, and each had his -bundle of notes before him. Cousins bowed respectfully, and advanced -to the end of the table, but no farther; while Dr. Wilton--who, as the -reader may have remarked, had been quite bewildered and overcome -during the examination of William Delaware--having now resumed all -that quick and active intelligence which was the ordinary -characteristic of his mind, proceeded to question the officer as to -the result of his investigations during the morning. - -"Well, Cousins," he said, "you went to Ryebury, of course? Did you -examine accurately the footmarks that I mentioned to you?" - -"Not those in the garden, sir," replied the officer, with a -countenance now full of quick intelligence; "because you see, sir, it -was very evident that such a number of people had been there since the -murder, that there was no use; for we could not have distinguished one -from the other; but I went up into the room where it had been done, -and there the matter was clear enough." - -"Ha!" said Mr. Egerton. "And what did you make out there? I saw -nothing but a pool of blood flowing from the dead body." - -"I beg your worship's pardon," answered the officer; "but you are -mistaken there. As far as I could make out, it must have been done by -two men--I don't mean to say, mind, that there were not three; but if -there were, the other never stepped in the blood; but two there were -certainly; for I got the tread of one very near whole--that is to say, -the round of his boot heel, and more than three inches of the toe from -the tip backwards--so that one of them had a remarkable long foot. -There is the measure and shape of it, as far as I could get it--more -than twelve inches, you see, sir." - -"And the other!" said Dr. Wilton, "the other man's foot--what was the -length of it?" - -"Ah! sir, that I could not get at!" replied the officer. "There was -nothing but about five inches of the fore part of the sole; but that I -got twice; and it is as different a foot, you see, from the other as -one would wish to find. Twice as broad, and square-toed; and then I -got the mark of a hand, too, which must have been at the poor old -devil's throat when they were cutting it, for it was all blood. It had -rested on the cornice of the dado; and the fellow, whoever he was, -wanted part of the third finger of his left hand." - -"Ha, that is a good fact!" said Dr. Wilton eagerly; "but how did you -make that out, Cousins?" - -"Why, sir, because it marked all the way up, but left off suddenly -before it got to the end," answered the officer. - -"But might not that finger have been bent?" said Mr. Egerton. - -"Not unless it bent in the middle of the second joint," replied -Cousins; "but the matter was quite clear, sir; and one has nothing to -do but look at it to satisfy themselves that a part of the finger was -wanting; and what is oddest of all, that it has not been taken off at -the joint. All I saw besides was, that the fellow who cut the old -man's throat, must have gone away with his pantaloons very bloody; for -he did it kneeling, and there is just a clear spot where his knee and -part of his leg kept the blood from going over the floor." - -"Indeed! That may serve some purpose, too!" said Dr. Wilton; "but did -you find no more steps or marks of any other person." - -"Oh, plenty of steps, sir!" replied the officer. "There were all the -dirty feet of the coroner's inquest. But I think--though I'm not quite -so sure of that--that there must have been somebody left below to keep -watch, while the others went up to do the job. You see, sir, there is -in one place of the passage floor a fresh deal, and I can trace upon -that deal the marks of a shoe with large nails in it, going backwards -and forwards, the matter of twenty times. Now, I hear that the deal -was put in not a week ago, and all the folks here agree, that the old -man never let a person with nails in his shoes twenty times into his -house in all his life; so it looks like as if that were the only time -and way in which it could get so often marked." - -The two magistrates looked at each other, and Mr. Egerton answered, -"Your suspicion is a shrewd one. Cousins; but now, tell us sincerely, -from all that you have seen and heard, do you think that Captain -Delaware has been one of those concerned?" - -"Why really, sir, I _cannot_ say!" answered the officer; "but to tell -the truth--though there is no knowing after all--nevertheless--not to -speak for a certainty, you know--but still, I should think not." - -"You are now speaking to us in confidence, you know, Cousins," said -Dr. Wilton; "and, indeed, we are altogether acting extra-officially in -regard to the murder, though we think it may connect itself with the -other affair. Tell us, therefore, why you judge it was not Captain -Delaware." - -"Why, sir, that is difficult to say," replied the officer. "But first -and foremost, do you see, it strikes me that the job was done by as -knowing a hand as ever was on the lay--one that has had a regular -apprenticeship like. Well, as far as I can hear, that does not match -the Captain. Then, next, whoever did it, has got in upon the sly, by -means of the girl, whether she be an accessory or not. At all events, -she has gone off with her 'complices.--She's never murdered--never a -bit of her, take my word for that! Then you see, sir, when I had done -with Ryebury, I went away to Emberton Park House; and though there was -a mighty fuss to get in, all the family being gone, yet I managed it -at last, and got a whole heap of the Captain's old boots and shoes, -and measured them with the footmarks, and on oath I could prove that -none of them--neither those up, nor those down stairs--the marks I -mean--ever came off his foot." - -"Why, it would seem to me, that what you have said, would go very far -to exculpate him altogether," said Dr. Wilton. - -"Ay, sir! But that is a mighty rum story about the notes," answered -the officer. "It would make a queer case for the 'sizes, any how. -Nevertheless, I don't think him guilty; and if he would explain -about the money, all would be clear enough--but that story of his -won't go; and if he sticks to it and is caught, he'll be hang'd if -Judge ----tries him. He'll get off if it come before Sir ----. He did -well enough to slip his head out of the collar any way." - -"But do you not think that Ruthven will catch him then?" demanded Dr. -Wilton, with no small anxiety. - -"Why, not near so easy as if he were an old thief," replied the -officer; "for you see, sir, we know all their haunts, and where -they'll take to in a minute, while this young chap may go Lord knows -where!" - -Both the magistrates paused thoughtfully for a minute or two, and at -length Dr. Wilton went on; "You see Cousins the fact is this, that the -coroner having issued his warrant against Captain Delaware, our -straightforward duty as magistrates is to use all means to put that -warrant in execution; and we are neither called upon, nor have we -perhaps a strict legal right, after a verdict has been pronounced, to -seek for evidence in favour of the person against whom that verdict -has been given. At the same time, we are blamed for not committing the -prisoner at once; and the coroner is blamed for not sending him off to -the county jail the moment the verdict was given, though it was then -night. It is also a part of our clearest duty to do all in our power -to bring the guilty to punishment, and to prepare the case, in a -certain degree, for the officers of the crown; consequently, without -any great stretch of interpretation, we may consider ourselves -justified in using every means, to satisfy ourselves who are innocent -and who are guilty. You think that Captain Delaware is not the -culprit; and you think that three persons have, at all events, been -concerned in the murder. Some suspicion of this kind must also have -been in the minds of the coroner's jury, when they returned a verdict -against Captain William Delaware, and some person or persons unknown. -It is our next business, therefore, to search for those persons -unknown, by every means in our power." - -"Why, as to the Captain, sir," answered Cousins, "the business would -be soon settled, if we could find out how he came by the money.'" - -"It is the most extraordinary thing in the world," said Dr. Wilton, -"that Mr. Beauchamp cannot be found anywhere--I am really beginning to -be apprehensive concerning him. He left me in a very low and depressed -state; and if his servant, Harding, were not with him--which, as he is -not to be heard of either, it would seem he is--I should be afraid -that his mind had given way." - -"Harding! Harding!" said Cousins, thoughtfully, "I wonder if that -could be the Harding who was a sort of valet and secretary to ---- the -banker, and who pocketed a good deal of his cash when he failed. He -had well nigh been hanged, or at least taken a swim across the -pond--but the lawyer let him off for some disclosures he made, and got -him a new place too, they say! I have lost sight of that chap for a -long time. But however, sir, you were speaking about the persons -unknown. Now I think, do you see, that I have got the end of a clue -that may lead to one of them; and if we get one we cannot fail to get -all." - -"Who then do you think it is?" demanded Mr. Egerton. "Let no means be -spared to find out even one of the ruffians." - -"Why sir, you see, I don't mind telling you, because it will go no -farther; but I think it had better be alone," and he looked -significantly at the clerk, who was instantly ordered to withdraw. - -"Beg pardon, gentlemen," said Cousins more freely, when the other had -left the room; "but I've known some of those country clerks that were -the arrantest gossips in the whole neighbourhood. However the matter -is, I hit upon what I think is the head of the right nail, when I was -after the other business, do you see. You told me to enquire about the -burning of the lady's house, and the silver plate that had -disappeared; so, amongst other things, I went to the coach-office, and -examined the books, and just about that time I found that there had -been two parcels sent up to Amos Jacobs, Esq., to be left till called -for. Now, thinks I, who can Amos Jacobs be, but the old Jew of the -Scuttle-hole, as they call him. He receives stolen goods, gentlemen, -and is as great a blind as ever swung. Well, I asked the book-keeper -if he had noticed those two parcels; and he said yes, because they -were so small, and yet so heavy. So then I asked who brought them; and -he said a gentleman what had been lodging three doors down the street, -for six weeks or so. So away I went; and, looking up at the house, I -saw, 'Lodgings to Let' stuck up, and in I walked." - -"Mr. Beauchamp's lodgings, I dare say," said Dr. Wilton smiling. - -"No, no, sir!" replied Cousins, "I knew those before. They lie a good -bit farther down. But an old woman came to show me the lodgings, -thinking I was going to take them. So I asked her who had been in them -before, and she up and told me all about it. A very nice gentleman she -said he was, who was a great chemist she believed; for he was always -puddling about over a fire, making experiments as he told her--but -bless you, gentlemen! he was just making white soup of the lady's -plate--that was what he was doing. So then I asked her his name, and -she told me it was Mr. Anthony Smithson. So then the whole matter came -upon me at once. Your worships must understand that, as far as I know -of or remember, there is only one man upon the lay in London who has -lost a bit of his finger; and not having seen him for some time, I had -forgot all about him. His name is Tony Thomson--but sometimes people -called him Billy Winter--and at times he took the name of Johnson--and -Perkins too, I have heard him called--but the name he went by -generally, a good while ago, was Tony Smithson." - -"But if the lodgings were to be let, he must of course be gone?" cried -Dr. Wilton; "and we are as far off from the facts as ever." - -"Oh! he is gone, sure enough!" answered the officer, "That was the -first thing I asked the old woman, and she told me that he went the -very day before the terrible murder, and that he would be so sorry to -hear it, for he used often to walk up that way, and asked her many -questions about Mr. Tims, poor old man. Well, when I heard this, and -had got a good deal more out of her, I thought I might as well look -through the place; for these sort of folks generally are in too great -a hurry not to leave something behind them; and I opened all the -drawers and places--and the old woman thought it very strange, till I -told her who I was. He had cleared all away, however, except this gold -thimble, which had fallen halfway down between the drawers and the -wall. It has got 'J. D.' upon it, which, I take it, means--'Something -Darlington.' So it must have been prigged at the time of the fire." - -Dr. Wilton and Mr. Egerton both looked at the thimble, and felt -convinced that it had belonged to Mrs. Darlington. At all events, the -information which Cousins had obtained, was of course most important, -as it rendered it more than probable, that one at least of the persons -who had robbed, if not fired the house upon the hill, had been also a -principal in the murder of the miser. Both the magistrates, therefore, -joined in giving high commendations to the officer, and particular -directions were added for prosecuting the investigation. Cousins, -however, had already anticipated several of the orders he now -received. - -"I tried all I could, sir," he replied, "to find out some of the -fellow's stray boots or shoes, but he had left none behind. I then -went to all the different shoemakers and cobblers, to see if any of -them could give me his measure; but he had been too cunning for that. -The stage-coachman, however, remembered taking him up here for London, -and setting him down, by his own desire, at a little public-house four -miles off; so that we have got upon the right scent beyond doubt; and -if you will give me permission, gentlemen, I will go out this evening, -and find out whom he most kept company with in this place, before the -matter gets blown. I have had a good pumping to-night already; but it -would not do." - -"And pray, who took the trouble of pumping you. Cousins?" demanded Mr. -Egerton. "Though this is the most gossiping town in Europe, I should -have thought there was roguery enough in it also, to keep the -inhabitants from meddling unnecessarily with a police-officer." - -"Oh, it was none of the people of the place, sir!" replied Cousins. -"They only stared at me. This was the Mr. Tims who gave the Captain in -charge, I hear. He seems a sharp hand, and he has a great goodwill to -prove the captain guilty, though I don't see just yet, what good it -would do him, either." - -Dr. Wilton asked several questions concerning the lawyer, and the -examination to which he had subjected the officer; and then--after -shaking his head, and observing that he believed Mr. Peter Tims to be -a great rogue--he dismissed Cousins to pursue his enquiries in the -town. - -It must be here remarked, that Mr. Egerton, although he knew William -Delaware personally, and did not think him at all a person to commit -the crime with which he was charged, had never felt that assured -confidence in his innocence which Dr. Wilton had always experienced. -It was not, indeed, that Mr. Egerton thought worse of Captain Delaware -individually than the clergyman did, but he thought worse of the whole -human race. Gradually, however, he had been coming over to Dr. -Wilton's opinion; and his conversation that night with the officer, -had completely made a convert of him, by showing him that, -notwithstanding the one extraordinary circumstance which yet remained -to be explained, every new fact that was elicited, tended more and -more to prove that the murder had been committed by persons of a very -different class and habits from the supposed delinquent. Feeling, -therefore, that in some degree he had done the unfortunate young -gentleman injustice, he now determined to redouble his exertions to -apprehend the real culprits, in the hope and expectation of clearing -the character of Captain Delaware. With this view, he resolved to -remain at Emberton that night, contrary to his former plans; and he -proposed to Dr. Wilton to visit the old miser's house at Ryebury the -next morning, in order to verify the footmarks, as measured by -Cousins, lest the new proprietor might think fit, after the funeral, -which was to take place at four that day, to have all traces of the -horrid scene effaced, which he might do for more reasons than one, if -the malevolence Captain Delaware charged him with were really his -motive. - -"Why, the truth is," replied Dr. Wilton, in answer to this proposal, -"that I intended to go very early to-morrow to Mrs. Darlington's, to -see poor Blanche Delaware, and try to discover whether she can give -any clue by which Henry Beauchamp can be found." - -"Is it likely that she should possess any?" said Mr. Egerton, -laughing. - -"Why, they are cousins, you know," answered Dr. Wilton, with a smile -which served to contradict the reason that his words seemed to assign -for the knowledge of her cousin's movements, which he attributed to -Miss Delaware. "They are cousins, you know; and I have heard it -reported that there was something more--but, at all events, I am -anxious about the lad, and do not choose to leave any chance of -discovering him untried." - -"But, by the way, I forgot," said Mr. Egerton, "I heard an hour or two -ago that Sir Sidney and Miss Delaware had left Mrs. Darlington's, and -had gone to some watering-place, I think the people said." - -"Oh no, impossible!" said Dr. Wilton. "Impossible! They would have -let me hear, as a matter of course." Nevertheless, he rose and rang -the bell, although, so convinced was he of the truth of what he -asserted, that, ere the waiter appeared, he had proceeded to arrange -with Mr. Egerton, that while that gentleman went to Ryebury, and -verified the traces which Cousins had observed, he would drive to Mrs. -Darlington's, and make the enquiries he proposed. - -"Pray, have you heard any thing of Sir Sidney Delaware having left -Mrs. Darlington's new house?" demanded Dr. Wilton, when the waiter -appeared. - -"Oh dear yes, sir!" replied the man. "Mr. Tims--Lawyer Tims, sir--who -was there this morning, could find none of them, and has been -enquiring all over the place to make out where they are gone to. But -nobody can tell, sir, and every one says they have run away." - -"Nonsense! said Mr. Egerton, "That will do!" and the waiter retired. - -"This is very extraordinary!" said Dr. Wilton. "Every one seems to be -disappearing, one after the other. Nevertheless, I will go up and -enquire of Mrs. Darlington, and will come and join you at Ryebury -afterwards." - -The meeting was accordingly arranged, and shortly after Cousins -returned, bringing a vast store of fresh information. Mr. Anthony -Smithson, alias Thomson, alias Perkins, alias Johnson, alias Winter, -fully described and particularized, so as to leave no doubt whatever, -of his identity with crushfingered Billy Winter, a notorious London -flashman, had been remarked, by all the wonder-mongers of Emberton, -for his intimacy with Mr. Harding, Mr. Burrel's servant. He had been -also observed to have a peculiar predilection for the lanes and fields -about the house at Ryebury. This information had led the officers to -fresh enquiries, concerning the philosophical Harding himself, who had -been accurately described by the investigating and observing people of -Emberton; and, on his return, Cousins expressed his fullest -conviction, that he was the identical Harding, who had, as he before -described, got off in a serious criminal case, solely by the -connivance of an attorney. Who that attorney was, need hardly be -explained; and indeed, to do so, would only lead us into the details -of a previous affair, totally unconnected with this history. Suffice -it, that no sooner did Cousins hear that Harding had been with his -master, at the house of Mrs. Darlington, on the day of the fire, than -he at once declared himself to be perfectly certain that his hands, -and no others, had kindled the flame. He added also, that he did not -doubt that Smithson and Harding--whether they had exactly fixed upon -any precise object or not--had come down to Emberton, with the -intention of acting in concert; and he added, that it would not at all -surprise him, to find that they were the two who committed the murder -itself, especially as the people had particularly described to him the -valet's long foot. - -While he was speaking, Dr. Wilton rapidly turned over his notes of the -examination of Captain Delaware, and the servants at Emberton Park, -and at length lighted upon the declaration of the manservant, who -stated, that in returning from some errand in that direction, he had -seen the valet Harding at the back of the park, the lanes surrounding -which led directly towards Ryebury. - -"If I could think of any reason for his putting the money in the -captain's room," said Cousins, as the clergyman read this passage, "I -should think that Harding had done it himself, on purpose to hang -him." - -"May he not have been instigated to do it by others?" said Mr. -Egerton. - -"If one could find out any reason for it," replied the officer. - -"Why, Captain Delaware suspected something of the kind himself," -replied the magistrate, and he read a part of the young fugitive's -letter, watching from time to time, as he did so, the effect it -produced upon the countenance of a man who, like Cousins, was -accustomed to trace and encounter crime in every form. The officer -closed one eye, put his tongue slightly into his cheek, and ended by a -half whistle. - -"You had better look to it gentlemen," he said; "you had better look -to it--such things have been done before now--so you had better look -to it!" - -"We will!" answered Dr. Wilton, "We will! let us see you to-morrow -about nine, Cousins." - -The officer took the hint, and withdrew. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - -Oh, that I had the lucid arrangement of the late Lord Tenterden, or -the happy illustration of Francis Jeffrey, or the _curiosa Felicitas_ -of George Gordon Byron, or the nervous verve of Gifford, or the -elegant condensation of Lockhart, or any of the peculiar powers of any -of the great men of past or future ages, to help me to make this -chapter both interesting and brief; for there are several facts to -state, and small space to state them in; and--what is worse than -all--they are so dry and pulverized, that they are enough to give any -one who meddles with them, what the Spaniard gracefully terms a -"_retortijon de tripas_." - -As, however, they are absolutely necessary to the clear understanding -of what is to follow, I will at once place them all in order together, -leaving the reader to swallow them in any vehicle he may think fit. - -First, then, on his visit to Mrs. Darlington, Dr. Wilton obtained no -information whatever, except that the tidings he had before heard were -true. Sir Sidney Delaware and his daughter, Mrs. Darlington said, had -indeed left her; but they had requested, as a particular favour, that -she would not even enquire whither they were going; and, as the favour -was a very small one, she had granted it of course. From the house of -that worthy lady, Dr. Wilton proceeded to join Mr. Egerton at Ryebury, -where--according to their own request--they were met by the coroner -for the county. All the traces which had been observed by Cousins were -verified, and a complete plan of the scene of the murder was made -under the direction of the magistrates. - -A long conference took place at the same time between the two justices -and the coroner, who expressed less dissatisfaction at the escape of -Captain Delaware than they had expected. - -"We must share the blame between us, gentlemen," he said. "You, for -not having remanded him to some secure place, I, for not having sent -him five-and-twenty miles that night to the county jail. Certain it -is, the case was a very doubtful one, and I would fain have had the -jury adjourn till the following morning. But in truth," he added, -"coroners' juries, knowing that their decision is not final, and -disgusted and agitated by the horrible scenes they are obliged to -examine, very often return a hasty and ill-considered verdict, in -spite of all the officers of the crown can do. This was, I am afraid, -the case in the present instance; and I have no doubt that the young -man may have made his escape more from apprehension of a long and -painful imprisonment--which is a severe punishment in itself--than -from any consciousness of guilt." - -Finding his opinion thus far favourable, the two magistrates -communicated to the crown-officer all that they had discovered in -regard to Harding and Smithson, and also the faint suspicion which -they entertained, that Harding, at the instigation of Mr. Tims junior, -had placed the money in the chamber of Captain Delaware. - -The coroner, however, shook his head. "As to Harding and Smithson," he -said, "the matter is sufficiently made out to justify us in issuing -warrants for their apprehension; and Harding may perhaps--from some -motive we know nothing of--have placed the money as you suspect, -especially as he seems to have been well acquainted with Emberton -Park; but I do not believe that Mr. Tims had any thing to do with it. -To suppose so, would at once lead us to the conclusion that he was an -accomplice in the murder of his uncle; and his whole conduct gave the -lie to that. No--no--had he even known that his uncle was dead before -he came here, his whole actual behaviour afterwards would have been -very different. He did not affect any great sorrow for his uncle, as -he would have done had he been at all culpable; but, at the same time, -he was evidently vindictive in the highest degree against the -murderers. No--no-you are mistaken there, gentlemen! But let us issue -warrants against the other two, and intrust their execution to -Cousins. We shall easily be able to get at the truth in regard to -Captain Delaware from one of those gentry, if we can but catch them." - -While the warrants were in preparation, it was announced to the -magistrates that Mr. Peter Tims himself was below, with the -undertakers; and also, that the constable of a neighbouring parish had -brought up a boy who had found a hat upon the sea-shore, which, it was -supposed, might throw some light upon the matter before the -magistrates. - -Mr. Tims was accordingly directed to wait, while the boy was brought -up, and the hat examined. The peculiarity of its form--a form unknown -in Emberton--and of its colour--a shade of that light russet-brown, in -which Shakspeare clothes the dawn for her morning's walk--at once led -Dr. Wilton to believe that it had belonged to his unfortunate friend -Henry Beauchamp. As Beauchamp, however, was not one of those men who -write their names in their hats, the matter still remained in the most -unpleasant state in the world--a state of doubt; and such a state -being not less disagreeable to Dr. Wilton than to any one else--after -catechising the boy, and discovering that nothing was to be -discovered, except that the hat had been washed on shore at about -five miles' distance from Ryebury, of which washing it bore ample -marks--the worthy clergyman left his companions in magistracy to -expedite the warrants, and returned in person to Emberton, in order to -examine Mrs. Wilson, Beauchamp's late landlady, in regard to the hat, -which he carried thither along with him. - -As soon as Mrs. Wilson saw it, she declared that it was the identical -hat that poor dear Mr. Burrel used always to wear in the morning. She -had seen it, she said, full a hundred times, and knew it, because the -leather in the inside was laced with a silk tag, for all the world -like the bodices she could remember when she was young. Eagerly, also, -did she question Dr. Wilton as to where it had been found; for it -seems that Mr. Burrel had been no small favourite with the old lady; -and when she was made acquainted with the facts, she wrung her hands, -declaring that she was sure the poor young gentleman had gone and -drowned himself for love of Miss Delaware. Now, Dr. Wilton had at his -heart entertained a sort of vague suspicion that Beauchamp, -notwithstanding all his strong moral and religious principles, -might--in a moment of despair, and in that fancied disgust at the -world, which he was somewhat too apt to pamper--do some foolish act. -Perhaps I should have said that he _feared_ it might be so; and, as he -would rather have believed any other thing, and was very angry at -himself for supposing it possible, he was of course still more angry -at good Mrs. Wilson for so strongly confirming his apprehensions. -He scolded her very heartily, therefore, for imagining what he had -before imagined himself; and was just leaving her house, when he -bethought him of making enquiries concerning the haunts and behaviour -of Mr. Burrel's valet, Harding. To his questions on this head, -Mrs. Wilson--though a little indignant at the reprimand she had -received--replied in the most clear and distinct manner, that Harding -had never kept company with any one but Mr. Smithson, the chemist -gentleman, who lodged farther up the town; that no one scarcely ever -heard the sound of his voice; and that, for her part, so queer were -his ways, that she should have thought that he was a conjurer, if he -had not been a gentleman's servant--which two occupations she -mistakenly imagined to be incompatible. - -Dr. Wilton next enquired what was the size of the valet's foot, at -which Mrs. Wilson looked aghast, demanding, "Lord! how should she know -what was the size of the gentleman's foot? But stay!" she cried the -moment after, "Stay stay, sir! Now I think of it, I can tell to a -cheeseparing; for in the hurry that he went away in, he left a pair of -boots behind him; and the groom, when he set off the morning after, -would not take them, because he said Mr. Harding was always _jawing_ -him and meddling with his business, and some day or another he would -tell him a thing or two." - -Dr. Wilton demanded an immediate sight of the boots, with all the -eagerness of a connoisseur, and with much satisfaction beheld a -leathern foot-bag of extraordinary length brought in by the landlady, -who declared, as she entered, that "he had a very long foot after -all." - -The boot was immediately carried off to the inn; but as Mr. Egerton -had the measurements with him at Ryebury, Dr. Wilton was obliged to -wait one mortal hour and a half ere he could proceed to ascertain the -correspondence of the valet's boot with the bloody mark of the -murderer's foot, tormenting himself about Beauchamp in the meanwhile. -After waiting that time, however, in fretful incertitude, as to going -to the place itself, or staying his fellow magistrate's return, Mr. -Egerton appeared, the paper on which the footmarks had been traced was -produced, and the boot being set down thereon, filled up one of the -vacant spaces without the difference of a line. - -"Now, now, we have him!" cried Dr. Wilton, rubbing his hands eagerly. -"Now we have him. Beyond all question, the council for the crown will -permit the least criminal to become king's evidence, and I doubt not, -in the slightest degree, that we shall find poor William Delaware -completely exculpated." - -"You call to my mind, my dear friend," said Mr. Egerton, laying his -hand on Dr. Wilton's arm, as if to stop his transports? "You call to -my mind a waggish receipt for dressing a strange dish." - -"How so? How so?" demanded Dr. Wilton, with a subdued smile at the -reproof of his eagerness, which he knew was coming in some shape or -other. "What is your receipt, my dear sir?" - -"It runs thus"--answered Mr. Egerton, "_How to dress a griffin_--First -catch a griffin!--and then, dress him any way you like!" - -"Well, well!" answered Dr. Wilton. '"We will try to catch the griffin, -my dear sir, and you shall not find me wanting in ardour to effect the -preliminary step, if you will aid me to bring about the second, and -let me dress my griffin when I have caught him. To say truth," he -added, relapsing into grave seriousness, "the subject is not a -laughing one; and I am afraid I have suffered my personal feelings to -become somewhat too keenly interested--perhaps to a degree of levity. -God knows, there is little reason for us to be eager in the matter, -except from a desire that, by the punishment of the guilty, the -innocent should be saved, and I am willing to confess, that I -entertain not the slightest doubt of the innocence of William -Delaware. A crime has certainly been committed by some one; and -according to all the laws of God and man, it is one which should be -punished most severely. Heaven forbid, however, that I should treat -such a matter with levity. All I meant to say is, that if we do -succeed in apprehending the real murderers, we must endeavour to make -their conviction the means of clearly exculpating the innocent." - -"I hope we shall be as successful as you could wish," replied Mr. -Egerton; "and I think it would give me scarcely less pleasure then it -would give yourself, to hear that Captain Delaware is innocent, -although I will not suffer either a previous good character, or a -gallant deportment, or a handsome countenance, to weigh with me, -except as presumptive testimony in his favour, and as a caution to -myself, to be on my guard against the natural predilections of man's -heart. But what have you discovered regarding the hat?" - -"Confirmation, I am afraid too strong, of my worst fears," answered -Dr. Wilton; and he related how positively Mrs. Wilson had declared it -to have belonged to Mr. Beauchamp. Measures for investigating this -event also, were immediately taken, and information of the supposed -death by drowning, of a gentleman lately residing at Emberton, was -given to all the stations on that coast. This new catastrophe, of -course, furnished fresh food to the gossiping propensities of the -people of the town; and the tale, improved by the rich and prolific -imagination of its inhabitants, was sent forth connected by a thousand -fine and filmy links, with the murder of the miser, and the -disappearance of the Delaware family. It instantly appeared in all the -public prints, who, to do them but justice, were far too charitable to -leave it in its original nakedness. Hence it was transferred, with new -scenery, dresses, and decorations, to a broad sheet of very thin -paper, and distributed by a man with a loud voice, on the -consideration of one halfpenny, to wondering housemaids and keepers of -chandlers' shops, under the taking title of the "Rybury Trajedy!" and -there is strong reason to believe, that it was alone owing to the -temporary difficulties of Mr. ----, of the ---- Theatre, that Captain -William Delaware was not brought upon the boards, with a knife in his -hand cutting the throat of the miser, while Henry Beauchamp threw -himself from the rocks into the sea, for love of the murderer's -sister. That this theatrical consummation did not take place, is much -to be wondered at; and it is to be hoped, that when the managers are -furnished with all the correct particulars, they will still give the -public their version of the matter on every stage, from Drury Lane to -the very barn at Emberton itself. - -As may be easily supposed, for two country magistrates, Dr. Wilton and -Mr. Egerton had now their hands tolerably full; and consequently, on -separating, they agreed to meet again at Emberton in two days. In the -mean time, the funeral of the murdered man took place, conducted, as -Mr. Peter Tims assured every body, with that attention to economy, -which would have been gratifying to the deceased himself, if he could -have witnessed it. Nobody could doubt that the nephew had probability -on his side in this respect, though the undertaker grumbled, and the -mercer called him a shabby person. After the interment, Mr. Tims took -possession of the premises and the papers of the deceased; but, for -reasons that may be easily divined, he did not choose to stay in the -dwelling that his uncle had inhabited. Passing the ensuing evening and -night at the inn, he had all the papers removed thither, and continued -in the examination thereof for many an hour, in a room from which even -his own clerk was excluded. Those who saw him afterwards declared, -that his countenance was as resplendent as a new sovereign; but he -selfishly kept all his joy to his own bosom, and after spending -another day in Emberton, he set off post for London, with many a bag -and tin-case, to take out letters of administration. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - -Lord Ashborough left his niece, Maria Beauchamp, and the chief part of -his establishment, in the country; and setting out with but two -servants, arrived in the metropolis late on Saturday night. With that -attention to decorum and propriety which formed a chief point in his -minor policy, he appeared, on the Sunday morning, in the gallery of -St. George's Church, Hanover Square, exactly as the organ sounded, and -with grave and devout face passed through the next two hours. But let -it not be supposed that the impressive service of the church of -England, read even in its most impressive manner, occupied his -thoughts, or that even the eloquence of a Hodgson caught his ear and -affected his heart. It was only the flesh-and-blood tenement of Lord -Ashborough that was at church, Lord Ashborough himself, in heart and -in spirit, was in his library in Grosvenor Square, eagerly conversing -with Mr. Peter Tims, on the best means of snatching the last spoils of -his enemy. Sir Sidney Delaware. Not that Lord Ashborough did not go to -church with the full and clear purpose of doing his duty; but people's -ideas of doing their duty are so very various, that he thought the -going to church quite enough--without attending. - -Now, in spite of risking a _longueur_ we must observe, that there are -some people, who, although they live in great opposition to the -doctrines they hear, nevertheless, deserve a certain degree of honour -for going to church, because they persevere in doing so, though the -two hours they spend there are the most tiresome of their whole lives. -Attribute it to resolution, or sense of decency, or what you will, -still some honour is their due; but we are sorry to say, that no such -plea could be set up in favour of Lord Ashborough. The two hours that -he spent at church were not tedious; he had the comfortable persuasion -that he was doing his duty, and setting a good example; and, at the -same time, had a fair opportunity of thinking over all his plans and -projects for the ensuing week, without any chance of interruption. -Thus, the time he spent within the holy walls, was a time of calm and -pleasant reflection, and what profit he derived from it, the rest of -his life must show. At all events, there was nothing disagreeable in -it. It was a part of the pomp and parade of existence, and he went -through it all, with a degree of equanimity that took away every kind -of merit from the act. - -Before he had concluded his breakfast on the Monday morning, a servant -announced that Mr. Peter Tims had been shown into the library; and -thither Lord Ashborough bent his steps, after he had kept the lawyer -waiting long enough to preserve his dignity and show his indifference. - -Mr. Peter Tims was seated in the far corner of the library with great -humility, and rose instantly on the peer's entrance, bowing to the -ground. Now, the fact was--and it may need some explanation--that Mr. -Tims found he was growing a great man, in his own estimation, on the -wealth he derived from his uncle. He had just discovered that pride -was beginning to get above avarice in his heart, and he became afraid, -that Lord Ashborough might think he was deviating into too great -familiarity, from feeling a strong inclination in his own bosom to do -so. Such a consummation was, of course, not desirable on many -accounts; and with his usual politic shrewdness, Peter Tims resolved -to assume a far greater degree of humility than he really felt, -and--while by other means, he raised himself slowly in the estimation, -both of his noble patron and the world in general, suffering his -newly-acquired wealth silently to act with its own weight--and -determined to affect still a tone of ample subserviency till his -objects were fully gained. - -In the meanwhile, Lord Ashborough, who believed that a gulf as wide as -that which yawned in the Forum, lay between himself and Peter Tims, -bespoke the lawyer with condescending civility, bade him take a seat, -and enquired what news he had brought from Emberton. - -Mr. Peter Tims hesitated, and then replied, that the news he brought -was bad, he was afraid, in every respect. "In the first place, my -lord, I have not been able to stop any of the rents, for they had -unfortunately been paid on the day preceding my return to Emberton. In -the next place, it would appear that Sir Sidney Delaware has run away -as well as his son; for he has certainly disappeared, and, -notwithstanding every means I could use, I was not able to discover -any trace of him." - -He had imagined that Lord Ashborough would have expressed nothing but -disappointment at tidings which threatened to make his views upon the -Emberton estate more vague and difficult of success; but he was -mistaken. The first passion in the peer's breast was revenge. The -picture presented to him was Sidney Delaware flying from his country, -disgraced, ruined, and blighted in mind and body. Memory strode over -three-and-twenty years in an instant, and showed him the same man as -he had then appeared--his successful rival triumphing in his -disappointment. Placing the portrait of the present and the past -together, the peer again tasted the joy of revenge, and mentally ate -his enemy's heart in the marketplace. For a moment, avarice gave place -to revenge; but, after all, avarice is the most durable and permanent -of human passions. Like Sinbad's Old Man of the Sea, it gets upon the -back of every thing else that invades its own domain, and never leaves -them till they die of inanition. Ambition sometimes gorges itself; -pride is occasionally brought down; vanity tires, and love grows cold; -but avarice, once possessed of the human heart, may be driven into the -inmost recesses for a moment, but never quits the citadel, and always -sooner or later regains the outworks. - -"Will this make any difference with regard to our proceedings against -the old man and his son?" demanded the peer, after he had given -revenge its moment, and had suffered avarice to return. - -"Not at all, as respects the son!" answered Mr. Tims; "but I am afraid -that, in the father's case, it may occasion some delays. You see, my -lord, not knowing where he is, we cannot serve him with process. -In regard to the son, too, you see, my lord, nothing can be -discovered--not the slightest trace. However, I doubt not that we -shall be able to fit him with a law, that will secure your lordship -the reversion. But I am afraid, my lord, I have still worse news in -store for you. Grieved I am to be such a croaking raven in your -lordship's ears, and thus to"---- - -"Do me the favour, then, my good sir," said Lord Ashborough, cutting -across his figures of speech impatiently, "to make your croaking as -brief as possible; and, without circumlocution, to tell me what is the -matter." - -"I would first ask your lordship," said Mr. Tims, who had a great -opinion of the foolish plan of breaking bad tidings by degrees. "I -would first ask your lordship, if you have lately heard from Mr. -Beauchamp?" - -"Oh, is that all?" said Lord Ashborough. "I told you before, and I -tell you again, Mr. Tims, there is no more chance of her marrying -Henry Beauchamp, than there is of my marrying my walking-stick." - -"But it is not that, my lord!" cried Mr. Tims. "It is not that at all! -I am afraid Mr. Beauchamp is drowned!" - -Lord Ashborough started from his chair, pale and aghast, with a -complication of painful feelings, which Mr. Tims had little thought -could be excited by the death of any living thing. But the lawyer made -the common mistake of generalizing too broadly. He had fancied that -his patron was calmly callous to every thing but what immediately -affected himself, and he was mistaken; for it is improbable that there -ever was a man whose heart, if we could have traced all its secret -chambers and intricate windings, did not somewhere contain a store, -however small, of gentle feelings and affections. Lord Ashborough -loved his nephew, though probably Henry Beauchamp was the only human -being he did sincerely love. In him all the better affections of his -heart had centred. - -Lord Ashborough had also loved his brother, Beauchamp's father; and in -early life, when the heart is soft, he had done him many a kindness, -which--as they were perhaps the only truly generous actions of his -life--made him love his brother still more, as the object that had -excited them. Neither, in the whole course of their lives, did there -occur one unfortunate point of rivalry between them; and Mr. -Beauchamp, or rather Governor Beauchamp, as he was at last generally -called, felt so deeply the various acts of friendship which his -brother had shown to him, and him alone, in all the world, that he -took the best way of expressing his gratitude, namely, by making Lord -Ashborough on all occasions appear to advantage, giving way to his -pride, putting the most favourable construction on his actions, and -never opposing him in words, however differently he might shape his -own conduct. Thus the love of his brother remained unshaken and -increasing, till the last day of Governor Beauchamp's life; and at his -death it was transferred to his son, rendered indeed more tender, but -not decreased by regret for the father, and by the softening power of -memory. - -It is sad to think that any less noble feelings should have mingled -with these purer affections, even though they might tend to increase -the intensity of his affection for Henry Beauchamp. It would be far -more grateful to the mind, to let this redeeming point stand out -resplendent in the character of the peer; but we are telling truth, -and it must not be. The shadow, however, perhaps is a slight one; but -it was pride of two kinds that gave the full height to Lord -Ashborough's love for Beauchamp. In the first place, to his title and -estates there was no other heir than Henry Beauchamp. There was not -even any collateral line of male descent, which could have perpetuated -the earldom, if his nephew had been removed. Henry Beauchamp dead, and -the peer saw himself the last Lord Ashborough. In him, therefore, had -centred all the many vague, and, we might almost call them, -_mysterious_ feelings of interest, with which we regard the being -destined to carry on our race and name into the long futurity. Family -pride, then, tended to increase the earl's affection for his nephew; -but there was pride also of another kind concerned. Lord Ashborough -admired Henry Beauchamp as well as loved him; and, strange to say, -admired him, not only for the qualities which they possessed in -common, but for the qualities which his nephew possessed, and which he -himself did not. They were both good horsemen, and Lord Ashborough had -been in his youth, like Henry Beauchamp, skilled in all manly -exercises, had been elegant in his manners, and graceful in his -person; but light wit, a fertile imagination, a generous disposition, -were qualities that the earl had never possessed; and yet he was -gratified beyond measure that his nephew did possess them, delighted -in the admiration they called upon him, and was proud of the heir to -his fortune and his name. - -All these facts had been overlooked by Mr. Tims, whose mind, though of -the same kind of web as that of his patron, was of a grosser texture; -and not a little was he surprised and frightened, when he beheld the -effect which his abrupt tidings produced upon the earl. - -Lord Ashborough turned deadly pale, and, staggering up, rang the bell -violently. Mr. Tims would have spoken, but the earl waved his hand for -him to be silent; and when the servant appeared, exclaimed, "The drops -out of my dressing-room! Quick!" - -The man disappeared, but returned in a moment with vial and glass; and -pouring out a few drops, Lord Ashborough swallowed them hastily; and -then leaning his head upon his hand, paused for a minute or two, while -the servant stood silent beside him, and the lawyer gazed upon him in -horror and astonishment. In a short time the peer's colour returned; -and, giving a nod to the servant, who was evidently not unaccustomed -to scenes somewhat similar, he said, "You may go!" - -"Now, Mr. Tims," he continued, when the door was once more closed, -"what were you telling me? But first, let me say you should be more -cautious in making such communications. Do you not know that I am -subject to spasms of the heart, which are always brought on by any -sudden affection of the mind?" - -Mr. Tims apologized and declared his ignorance, and vowed he would -not have done such a thing for the world, _et c[oe]tera_; but Lord -Ashborough soon stopped him, and demanded, with some impatience, what -had given rise to the apprehension he had expressed. The lawyer, then, -with circumlocution, if not with delicacy, proceeded to state the -rumours that he had heard at Emberton, which had been confirmed to him -by Mrs. Wilson, namely, that Mr. Beauchamp's hat had been washed on -shore on the sea-side not far from that place. He had found it his -duty, he said, to make enquiries, especially as the good landlady had -declared that the young gentleman had appeared very melancholy and -"out of sorts" on the day he left her. No other part of Mr. -Beauchamp's apparel had been found except a glove, which was picked up -on the road leading from Emberton to a little fishing village not far -off. - -"There is one sad fact, my lord, however," continued the lawyer "which -gives me great apprehension. I, myself, in the course of my enquiries, -discovered Mr. Beauchamp's beautiful hunter, Martindale, in the hands -of a poor pot-house keeper, in a village about three miles, or not so -much, from Emberton. This man and his servants were the last people -who saw your nephew. He came there, it appears, late one evening on -horseback, asked if they had a good dry stable, put up his horse, saw -it properly attended to, and then walked out, looking very grave and -disconsolate, the man said. I found that this person knew the horse's -name; and, when I asked him how he had learned it, for he did not know -Mr. Beauchamp at all, he said, that the gentleman, just before he -went, had patted the horse's neck, and said, 'my poor Martindale! I -must take care of you, however!'" - -Lord Ashborough listened with a quivering lip and haggard eye as Mr. -Tims proceeded with his tale. "Have you been at his house?" he -demanded, as the other concluded. - -"I went there the first thing this morning, my lord," replied Mr. -Tims; "but I am very sorry to say, none of his servants know any thing -whatever in regard to him. They all say they have been expecting him -in town every day for the last week." - -Lord Ashborough again rang the bell. "Order horses to the carriage -immediately!" he said, when his servant appeared; "and go on to -Marlborough Street with my compliments to Sir George F----, and a -request that he would send me an experienced officer, who can go down -with me into the country directly. Mr. Tims, I must enquire into this -business myself. I leave you here behind to take every measure that is -necessary; but, above all things, remember that you have ten thousand -pounds to pay into the hands of poor Beauchamp's agents. Do not fail -to do it in the course of to-day; and explain to them that the -business of the bill was entirely owing to forgetfulness. Let all the -expenses be paid, and clear away that business at once. I am almost -sorry that it was ever done." - -"And about Sir Sidney Delaware, my lord?" said Mr. Tims. "What"---- - -"Proceed against him instantly!" interrupted the peer, setting his -teeth firm. "Proceed against him instantly, by every means and all -means! The same with his son! Leave not a stone unturned to bring him -to justice, or punish him for contumacy. If it had not been for those -two villains, and their damned intrigues, this would not have happened -to poor Henry!" - -Thus do men deceive themselves; and thus those things that, would they -listen to conscience instead of desire, might become warnings and -reproofs, they turn to apologies for committing fresh wrongs, and fuel -to feed the fire of their passions into a blaze. The observation may -be commonplace, but it is true; and let the man who does not do so, -call it trite, if he will--no one else has a right. - -It was evident that the earl was in no placable mood; and Mr. Tims, -though he had much yet to speak of, and many a plan to propose, in -order to overcome those legal difficulties to the design he had -suggested, which were now springing up rapidly to his mind, yet -thought it expedient to put off the discussion of the whole till his -noble patron was in a more fitting humour, not a little apprehensive -that, if he touched upon the matter at present, the earl's anger might -turn upon himself, for discovering obstacles in a path which he had -formerly represented as smooth and easy. He therefore contented -himself with asking a few more directions; and, leaving Lord -Ashborough, proceeded straight to Doctors' Commons to make the -necessary arrangements concerning his uncle's property. That done, he -visited the stamp-office; his business there being of no small -consequence to himself. It was neither more nor less than to cause a -paper to be stamped, which he had found amongst other documents -belonging to his uncle, which acknowledged the receipt of the sum of -ten thousand pounds from Mr. Tims of Ryebury, and was signed by Henry -Beauchamp. - -Considerable difficulties were offered at the stamp-office to the -immediate legalization of this paper; but Mr. Tims was so completely -aware of every legal point, and, through Lord Ashborough's business, -was so well known at the office, that it was at length completed, and -he immediately turned his steps towards the house of Messrs. Steelyard -and Wilkinson, who had lately become the law-agents of Henry -Beauchamp. Before he had gone above half a mile on the road thither, -he pulled the check-string of the hackney-coach in which he was -seated, and bade the man drive to Clement's Inn. This was immediately -done; and Mr. Tims entered his chambers, and retired into its inmost -recesses, to pause upon and consider the step that he had just been -about to take. - -This was no other than to wait upon Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson, -and tender them Mr. Beauchamp's stamped acknowledgement of the receipt -of ten thousand pounds from his uncle, in discharge of the ten -thousand pounds which he had been directed to pay by Lord Ashborough, -appropriating to himself, as his uncle's heir, the money which was -thus left in his hands. The matter was susceptible of various points -of view; for, though the law does not recognize the principle of any -man helping himself in such a manner, yet we are informed by those who -know better than ourselves, that it is very difficult under many -circumstances to prevent him from doing so. There was one point, -however, which greatly incommoded Mr. Tims, namely, that the -acknowledgement in Mr. Beauchamp's hand, was dated on the very day of -the Ryebury murder, and thereby offered a strong presumption, that the -money had really been placed in Captain Delaware's chamber by his -cousin. Many important consequences might ensue should Mr. Beauchamp -reappear, and declare such to have been the fact; and although Mr. -Tims sincerely hoped and trusted that he was at the bottom of the sea, -yet, as it might happen that he was not, the lawyer, with laudable -precaution, sat down to state to himself the results which would take -place, in each of the two cases, if he were now to present his -acknowledgement. - -He found, therefore, that should Mr. Beauchamp never be heard of more, -the case would go on against Captain Delaware, the suit in chancery -might proceed against Sir Sidney Delaware, the twenty-five thousand -pounds he had got would remain in his hands, and, by presenting the -acknowledgement, he would be enabled to retain possession of ten -thousand pounds more. All this, therefore, was in favour of acting as -he had determined. - -On the other hand, if Mr. Beauchamp did reappear--which he did not -think likely--he began to suspect that Captain Delaware would be -cleared, that the twenty-five thousand pounds would be transferred to -Lord Ashborough, that the Emberton estate would be freed from all -encumbrance, and that he would undoubtedly lose the twelve thousand -pounds which had been stolen from his uncle, as well as Lord -Ashborough's favour and business. "The more reason," he thought, "why -I should immediately get this money, which undoubtedly did belong to -my uncle! But, can I then continue the process against Captain -Delaware," he continued, "with such a strong presumption of his -innocence in my own hands?"--and he looked at the note, which nearly -amounted to positive proof--"But what have I to do with that? It does -not absolutely prove his innocence. The coroner's inquest has returned -its verdict, and the law must take its course--besides, Henry -Beauchamp is at the bottom of the sea, and a jury of fishes sitting on -his own body by this time--Pshaw! I will present the acknowledgement -to-morrow." - -This doughty resolution Mr. Tims accordingly fulfilled, and at noon, -waited in person on Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson. He was shown into -the private room of the latter, a seat was placed for him, and his -business was asked. - -"Why, Mr. Wilkinson," he replied, "I have first to explain to you an -uncommonly awkward blunder, which took place by some forgetfulness on -the part of my noble friend and client, the Earl of Ashborough, who, -not adverting to the arrangements made between us, did not leave -assets in my office to pay the bill drawn by you on Mr. Beauchamp's -account. Had I been in town myself," he added, feeling wealthy, "of -course I would have supplied the money; but I, like my noble friend -and client, was out of town till yesterday." - -"Rather unfortunate, indeed, Mr. Tims!" replied Mr. Wilkinson dryly, -"especially as Mr. Beauchamp drew for the money. His letter was -couched in such terms as to permit of our handing over the assets that -were in our hands; but we cannot tell that he has not been put to -great inconvenience. Lord Ashborough's note was of course -protested.--Here it is! I hope you have come to retire it." - -"I am directed by my Lord Ashborough to do so," answered the lawyer; -"but I rather imagine that Mr. Beauchamp could not be put to much -inconvenience; for I find by this document that he has obtained that -sum, and four hundred and thirty-two pounds more, from my late -unfortunate uncle, to whose property I have taken out letters of -administration, and therefore, retaining the ten thousand pounds now -in hand, I request you would hand me over the four hundred and -thirty-two pounds at your convenience, when I will give you a receipt -in full." - -"Sir, this is somewhat unprecedented," replied Mr. Wilkinson, "and I -think you will find that money cannot thus be stopped, _in transit_, -without form of law. Such proceedings, if once admitted, would open a -door to the most scandalous abuses. You acknowledge that you are -commissioned to pay us this money, on account of Lord Ashborough. -Having done so, you will have every right to present your claim -against Mr. Beauchamp, which will, of course, be immediately examined -and attended to." - -Mr. Tims replied, and Mr. Wilkinson rejoined; but as it is more than -probable that the reader may already have heard more than he desires -of such a discussion, it will be unnecessary to say more than that Mr. -Tims adhered to his first resolution, and carried off the sum he had -in hand, leaving Mr. Wilkinson to send down to Lord Ashborough his -protested bill, and Beauchamp's note of hand, if he pleased. - -In the mean time, that noble lord proceeded, as fast as a light -chariot and good horses could carry him, down to Emberton. It was -dark, however, ere he arrived; and the first object that met his sight -the following morning, as he looked forth from the windows of the inn, -was the old mansion, at the end of its wide and solitary park, with -the stream flowing calmly on, through the midst of the brown grass and -antique trees, and the swans floating upon its bosom in the early -light. He had not seen it since he was a mere youth, and the finger of -time had written that sad word _decay_ on the whole aspect of the -place. To the earl, through whose whole frame the same chilly hand had -spread the growing stiffness of age, the sight was awfully sad, of the -place where he had spent the most elastic days of life, and it was -long ere he could withdraw his eyes, as he paused and contemplated -every feature of the scene, and woke a thousand memories that had long -slept in the night of the past. - -There was a change over all he saw since last he had beheld it--a -gloom, a desolation, a darkness; and he felt, too, that there was a -change as great in himself. But there was something more in his -thoughts; the decay in his own frame was greater, more rapid, more -irremediable. The scene might flourish again under some cultivating -hand; the mansion, repaired with care, and ornamented with taste, -might assume a brighter aspect, but nothing could restore life's -freshness or the body's strength to him. Each day that past must see -some farther progress in the downfall of his powers; and few, few -brief months and years would behold him in the earth, without leaving -a being behind him to carry on his lineage into time, if Henry -Beauchamp were, indeed, as his fears anticipated. It was the first -time that he had thought in such a sort for long; and most unfortunate -was it that there was no voice, either in his own heart, or from -without, to point the moral at the moment, and to lead the vague ideas -excited, of life, and death, and immortality, to their just -conclusion. He thought of death and of his own decay indeed; but he -never thought of using better the life that still remained--for he -scarcely knew that he had used the past amiss--and after indulging for -some minutes those meditations that will at times have way, he found -that they only served to make him melancholy, and turned again to the -everyday round of life. - -When he was dressed and had breakfasted, he set out for the small -village near which Henry Beauchamp's hat had been found. In his way, -he stopped also at the house where the hunter had been left, -identified the horse, and listened attentively to the replies which -the landlord and his servants made to the shrewd questions of an -officer he brought with him from London. - -The man's tale was very simple, and quite the same that he had given -to Mr. Tims. He described Henry Beauchamp very exactly, declared that -he had appeared grave and melancholy when he came there; and that he -had never heard anything of him since. The servants told the same -story; and Lord Ashborough only acquired an additional degree of -gloom, from ascertaining in person the accuracy of the lawyer's -report. - -"Oh, he is gone!" he thought, as he returned to his carriage, giving -way to despair in regard to his nephew. "He is gone! This Sidney -Delaware is destined to be the blight of all my hopes and -expectations. If it had not been for his vile intrigues to get quit of -that annuity, all this would never have happened; but I will make him -rue it, should it cost me half my fortune." - -It may be asked, whether the earl did never for a moment allow the -remembrance, that his own intrigues might have something to do with -the business, to cross his mind. Perhaps he did--perhaps, indeed, he -could not prevent such thoughts from intruding. But that made him only -the more bitter against Sir Sidney Delaware. Have you never remarked a -nurse, when a child has fallen down and hurt itself, bid it beat the -naughty ground against which it fell? Have you never seen a boy when -he has cut his finger, throw the knife out of the window, or even a -man curse the instrument that he has used clumsily? It is the first -impulse of pampered human nature, to attribute the pangs we suffer to -any thing but our own errors, and to revenge the pain, which we have -inflicted on ourselves, upon the passive instrument. Lord Ashborough -did no more, although, as he rolled on towards the sea-side, he -meditated every sort of evil against Sir Sidney Delaware. - -No great information could be obtained upon the coast, although Lord -Ashborough spent the whole day in fruitless enquiries, and although -one of the officers of the coast-guard gave every assistance, with the -keen and active intelligence of a sailor. - -The only thing elicited, which seemed to bear at all upon the fate of -Henry Burrel, was the fact, that one of the sailors, on the look-out -about a week before, had heard, or fancied he heard, a man's voice -calling loudly for help. So convinced had he been himself of the fact, -that, with one of his comrades, he ran down the shore in the direction -of the sounds; but he could discover nothing. It was a fine clear -moonlight night, he said, so that he must have seen any thing, if -there had been any thing to see; but the sound only continued a -moment, and on not finding any person, he had concluded that it was -all the work of fancy. - -With these scanty tidings, which, of course, only served to increase -his apprehensions, Lord Ashborough was obliged to be satisfied for the -time; and, returning to the inn at Emberton, he gave orders for -printing placards, and inserting advertisements in the newspapers, -each purporting that a large reward would be paid on the discovery of -the body of a gentleman, supposed to be drowned, of whom a very -accurate description was subjoined. The placards were pasted up all -over the country; and Lord Ashborough himself remained two days at -Emberton, but there was something in the aspect of the old mansion and -the park, that was painful to him. When he rose, there it was before -his eyes; when he went out, there it stood, grave and gray, apparently -in his very path; when he returned, he found it still sad and gloomy -at his door. At length, satisfied that he had done ail in his power to -discover his nephew, he returned to town, leaving the police-officer -behind him, with orders to spare neither trouble nor expense to -ascertain the facts; and although the earl himself did not choose to -appear openly in the business of Captain Delaware, a private hint was -conveyed to the officer through his lordship's valet, that, to aid the -others who were upon the search, might be very advantageous to -himself. - - - -END OF VOLUME SECOND. - - - - -EDINBURGH: -M. AITKEN, 1, ST. JAMES'S SQUARE. - - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Delaware;, by -G. P. 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Vol. 2</title> -<meta name="Author" content="G. P. R. (George Payne Rainsford) James"> - -<meta name="Publisher" content="Robert Cadell and Whittaker & Co."> -<meta name="Date" content="1833"> -<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"> -<style type="text/css"> -body {margin-left:10%; - margin-right:10%; background-color:#FFFFFF;} - - -p.normal {text-indent:.25in; text-align: justify;} -.center {margin: auto; text-align:center; margin-top:24pt; margin-bottom:24pt} - - - -p.right {text-align:right; margin-right:20%;} - -p.continue {text-indent: 0in; margin-top:9pt;} -.text10 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:10%; margin-right:0px; font-size:90%;} -.text20 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:20%; margin-right:0px; font-size:90%;} - - -.poem0 { - margin-top: 24pt; margin-left: 0%; - margin-right: 0%; text-align: left; - margin-bottom: 24pt; font-size:90%} - -.poem1 { - margin-top: 24pt; margin-left: 2em; - margin-right: 10%; text-align: left; - margin-bottom: 24pt; font-size:90%} - -.poem2 { - margin-top: 24pt; margin-left: 20%; - margin-right: 20%; text-align: left; - margin-bottom: 24pt; font-size:90%} - -.poem3 { - margin-top: 24pt; margin-left: 30%; - margin-right: 30%; text-align: left; - margin-bottom: 24pt; font-size:90%} - - - - -.t0 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0em; margin-right:0em;} -.t1 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:1em; margin-right:0em;} -.t2 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:2em; margin-right:0em;} -.t3 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:3em; margin-right:0em;} -.t4 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:4em; margin-right:0em;} -.t5 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:5em; margin-right:0em;} - - -.quote {text-indent:.25in; text-align: justify; font-size:90%; margin-top:36pt; margin-bottom:36pt} -.ctrquote {text-align: center; font-size:90%; margin-top:36pt; margin-bottom:36pt} - - -h1,h2,h3,h4,h5 {text-align: center;} - -span.sc {font-variant: small-caps; font-size:110%;} -span.sc2 {font-variant: small-caps; font-size:90%;} - -hr.W10 {width:10%; color:black; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt} - -hr.W20 {width:20%; color:black; margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:12pt} - -hr.W50 {width:50%; color:black;} -hr.W90 {width:90%; color:black;} - -p.hang1 {margin-left:3em; text-indent:-3em;} -p.hang2 {margin-left:3em; text-indent:0em;} - - -</style> - -</head> - -<body> - - -<pre> - -Project Gutenberg's Delaware;, by G. P. R, (George Payne Rainsford James) - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Delaware; - or, The Ruined Family Vol. 2 - -Author: G. P. R, (George Payne Rainsford James) - -Release Date: April 2, 2016 [EBook #51629] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DELAWARE; *** - - - - -Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by the -Web Archive (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<p class="hang1">Transcriber's Notes:<br> -1. Page scans provided by the Internet Archive,<br> -https://archive.org/details/delawareorruined02jame<br> -(University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h3>DELAWARE;</h3> -<br> -<h5>OR</h5> -<br> -<h4>THE RUINED FAMILY.</h4> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>EDINBURGH</h4> -<h5>PRINTED BY M. AITKEN, 1, ST JAMES's SQUARE.</h5> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h3>DELAWARE;</h3> -<br> -<h5>OR</h5> -<br> -<h4>THE RUINED FAMILY.</h4> -<br> -<h4>A TALE.</h4> -<br> -<br> -<h4>IN THREE VOLUMES.</h4> -<br> -<h3>VOL. II.</h3> -<br> -<br> -<h3>EDINBURGH:</h3> -<h4>PRINTED FOR ROBERT CADELL, EDINBURGH;<br> -<span style="font-size:smaller">AND WHITTAKER & CO., LONDON.<br> -MDCCCXXXIII.</span></h4> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> - -<h3>DELAWARE;</h3> -<h5>OR,</h5> -<h4>THE RUINED FAMILY.</h4> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>>CHAPTER I.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">The sand in the hour-glass of happiness is surely of a finer -quality -than that which rolls so slowly through the glass of this world's -ordinary cares and fears. Oh! how rosy-footed trip the minutes that -lead along the dance of joy! How sweetly they come, how swiftly they -fly, how bright their presence, and how speedy their departure! Every -one who has ever had a pen in his hand, has said exactly the same -words before me; and therefore, though a little stale, they must be -true.</p> - -<p class="normal">The hours flew as lightly at Emberton Park as if they had plucked all -the down from the wings of their good father Time, in order to furnish -their own soft pinions; and many of the days which intervened between -the signature of the bill for twenty-five thousand pounds, given by -Sir Sidney Delaware to Lord Ashborough, and the time when it was to -become due, slipped away unnoticed. The worthy baronet suffered them -to pass with very great tranquillity, relying perfectly upon the word -of Mr. Tims, that the money would be ready at the appointed period. As -comfort, and happiness, too, are far less loquacious qualities than -grief and anxiety. Sir Sidney thought it unnecessary to enter into any -farther particulars with Burrel, than by merely thanking him, in -general terms, for the advice he had given; and by informing him that, -in consequence of his son's second journey to London, his affairs were -likely to be finally arranged in the course of a month or two. The -miser also suffering himself, for a certain time, to be governed by -his nephew--who well knew the only two strings which moved him like a -puppet, to be avarice and fear--did not attempt to give the young -stranger at Emberton any information of the events which had taken -place, till long after Captain Delaware's return; and, within five -days of the time when the bill became due, Burrel, who had delayed his -promised visit to Dr. Wilton till he was almost ashamed to go at all, -rode over to his rectory to pass a couple of days with the worthy -clergyman, whom he found deep in all the unpleasant duties of his -magisterial capacity. William Delaware, also, more active though less -clear-sighted than his father, allowed himself likewise to be deceived -by the assurance of Mr. Tims, that the money would be punctually -ready; and thus the days might have passed by unheeded by any one, -till the very moment that the money was required, had there not been -another person concerned, whose views demanded that Burrel's -twenty-five thousand pounds should not only be drawn for, but paid -into the hands of the miser at Ryebury.</p> - -<p class="normal">This person, who was far more suspicious and more on the alert than -any of the party, was no other that Mr. Burrel's silent servant, -Harding, who began to grow very uneasy at the delay which was taking -place. This uneasiness was increased after his arrival with his master -at Dr. Wilton's, inasmuch as, at the very moment of their coming, the -worthy clergyman was engaged in investigating some particulars in -regard to the fire that had taken place at Mrs. Darlington's, which -had given rise to considerable suspicions of some foul play. The -first, and perhaps the most important point, appeared to be, that of -the whole plate which that worthy lady's house contained, not one -ounce was to be found either fused or in its wrought state. In the -next place, two or three persons who had first taken the alarm at -Emberton, on the night of the fire, and had set out instantly to give -assistance, deposed positively to having met a man, to all appearance -heavily laden, coming down the hill--which circumstance, considering -the time of night, was at least extraordinary. No one, however, could -identify this person; but from these facts, as well as from other -minor incidents, which it may be unnecessary to mention, it seemed -very clear that robbery had been committed during the progress of the -fire, if not before.</p> - -<p class="normal">On their arrival at the rectory, both Burrel and his servant were -called upon by Dr. Wilton, to state their recollections. Of the -evidence given by the first, the worthy clergyman took a private note, -but the servant was publicly examined. He gave a clear, calm statement -of all that he remembered, mentioned the situation of the room in -which he slept, declared that he had been woke by some sounds below, -and had shortly after perceived a strong smell of fire, which -increasing, he began to put on his clothes. Finding, however, that -the smoke was growing thicker, and that other people in the house -seemed alarmed, he had not staid to clothe himself completely, but had -run out; and, seeing that the house was on fire, had proceeded to call -his master. Mr. Burrel not moving as fast as he thought prudent, he -said, he had left him, and got out of danger as fast as he could.</p> - -<p class="normal">All this was delivered with amazing coolness and perspicuity, and Dr. -Wilton complimented him publicly on the clear and straightforward -manner in which he delivered his evidence. Nevertheless, there was -something in the whole business, which we--who see into the mechanism -of our people's hearts--conceive, not to have been pleasing to the -silent servant, and he felt it absolutely necessary--according to his -own particular notions of benevolence--to remind his master, that the -twenty-five thousand pounds which had been left idle, losing the -interest all the time, in the hands of Messrs. Steelyard and -Wilkinson, might soon be necessary to complete the charitable purpose -he entertained towards the family at Emberton.</p> - -<p class="normal">To act remembrancer was not very easy, however, as his habitual -silence cut off a great deal of even that small gossip which usually -takes place between a man and his valet-de-chambre; but Harding was -not a person to be foiled, and what he could not do cunningly he -always did boldly.</p> - -<p class="normal">It was on the second night, then, of their stay at the rectory, that, -while undressing his master, he began, after two or three preliminary -grunts, "I wished to ask your permission, sir--if you are going to -send me to London"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"Send you to London!" exclaimed Burrel, "I am not going to send you to -London, What put such a thing into your head?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, I beg pardon, sir, I did not mean to offend!" replied Harding. -"But when you first sent me to Mr. Tims at Ryebury, he asked me a -great many questions about you, and told me that you were going to pay -off the incumbrances upon Sir Sidney Delaware's estate."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Which, I suppose, you have been good enough to spread throughout the -village!" said Burrel, not a little angry.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have never opened my mouth upon the subject, sir, to a living -creature, upon my honour!" replied the man, with a solemnity of -asseveration that was very suspicious.</p> - -<p class="normal">"And pray, how is all this connected with your going to London, -Harding?" demanded his master.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why only, sir, as I hear the money is to be paid in three days, and -you did not speak of going up yourself, I thought you might be going -to send me for the sum," was the cool and self-complacent reply of the -worthy domestic.</p> - -<p class="normal">"To be paid in three days!" exclaimed Burrel. "There must be some -mistake in that, surely."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh no, sir, I can assure you!" replied the man earnestly. "The last -time I was up at the park, when I brought the horses to come over -here, I heard the Captain saying so to Miss Delaware--and he said, -that he hoped that Tims would have the money ready, or it would be a -sad affair."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Indeed!" said Burrel, "This must be looked to. But you misunderstand -your situation, Harding. You are a person very trustworthy, I have no -doubt; but I never send my servants for such sums as that you mention, -especially when they have not been with me three months. So now, you -may go--and when I want to send you to London, or elsewhere, I shall -be sure to inform you."</p> - -<p class="normal">The servant accordingly retired with a mortified and somewhat dogged -air; but, although he had not been entirely without hopes, that his -master might indeed despatch him for the money, yet his purpose was -sufficiently answered, to prevent his feeling deeply the -disappointment of expectations that had never been very sanguine.</p> - -<p class="normal">The tidings Burrel had heard, annoyed him considerably; for, although -a doubt never crossed his mind, in regard to the payment of the money -having been made by Lord Ashborough, it seemed so extraordinary that -Mr. Tims had not made him acquainted with the day of payment, that a -vague suspicion of something being wrong obtruded itself upon his -imagination, and kept him for some time from sleep.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Which is my nearest way to a house called Ryebury, my dear sir?" was -one of Burrel's first questions to Dr. Wilton at the breakfast-table -next morning. "It belongs to an old miserly money-lender, named Tims."</p> - -<p class="normal">"The way to the money-lenders, like all those roads that lead to -destruction, is wide enough," replied Dr. Wilton. "But I hope, my dear -Harry, you are not going to borrow money?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, no, my dear sir!" answered Burrel, laughing. "Heaven knows what I -should do with it, if I did. Within the last six years, I am sorry and -ashamed to say, I have accumulated near five-and-twenty thousand -pounds."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Fie, fie, that is almost as bad!" cried Dr. Wilton. "I would never -advise any man to live quite up to his income, for if he set out with -such a determination, he will most certainly live beyond it; but I -would recommend every man who has enough for himself and for those who -may come after him, to spend very nearly his whole income. We are but -stewards, my dear Harry! we are but stewards! and we are bound to -dispense the good things that are intrusted to us."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And yet I have both heard you cry out against luxury," replied -Burrel, "and declare that indiscriminate gifts of money did more harm -than good."</p> - -<p class="normal">"True, true!" replied Dr. Wilton. "I have done all that you say. But -there are thousands of eligible ways in this world by which a man may -discharge that duty to society imposed upon him by a large fortune, -without injuring his own mind, or enervating his own body by luxury. -How much may be done to promote the instruction of youth, to furnish -employment for the poor and industrious, to encourage arts and -sciences, to reward the manufacturer even for his toil and skill, and -the merchant for his risk and enterprise, without being the least -luxurious in one's own person. Ximenes walked through halls tapestried -with purple and gold, and yet lay down upon a bed of straw. Fie, -Harry, fie! It is a shame for any rich man to accumulate more wealth -while there is a poor man in all the land."</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel smiled at the lecture of his old tutor; not indeed because he -undervalued his precepts, but because he evidently saw that the lapse -of ten years had been skipped over in the good doctor's mind, and that -he himself stood there as much the pupil in the eyes of Dr. Wilton, as -ever he had been in his days of boyhood.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, well, my dear sir!" he answered; "as some compensation for my -negligence hitherto, I think I shall find a means of spending this -twenty-five thousand pounds in such a manner as even your severe -philosophy will approve."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah, Harry! I see you are laughing at your old pedagogue," said his -friend. "But never mind; if worthy Dominie Sampson--a character I -revere and love, although the dolts on the stage have degraded him -into a buffoon--If worthy Dominie Sampson boasted of having taught -little Harry Bertram the rudiments of erudition, I will boast of -having taught you, Harry Burrel, the rudiments of virtue--So mind what -you do; for every action you perform is my pride or my shame."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Then I will try to make you a proud man," replied Burrel. "But I must -now leave you, my dear sir, and seek this money-lender, if you will -direct me thither."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, well, whatever be your purpose, take care what you are about -with him!" answered the doctor. "He is a wily knave. But I shall see -you again, ere you leave the country--which, if I judge right, will -not be soon"--and he fixed a gay glance upon Burrel's face, which -fully repaid the smile he had remarked--"Remember, Harry," he added, -"I am to speak the blessing."</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel laughed, and shook Dr. Wilton's hand, and the worthy rector, -conducting him to the door at which his horse stood prepared, pointed -out the direct road to Ryebury, which lay straight across the country, -at about six or seven miles distance.</p> - -<p class="normal">Harding, at the same time, received orders to convey the little -baggage he had brought with him back to Emberton, and, that personage -internally congratulating himself, with the words, "All is right!" as -he heard Dr. Wilton direct his master on the road to the miser's -dwelling, proceeded calmly to lay out his plans for that which he -considered as his <i>coup de maitre</i>.</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel had no difficulty in finding his way; and at about eleven -o'clock he was standing before Mr. Tims's slate-coloured door, -enduring the reconnoissance which master and maid always inflicted on -those who visited their dwelling. At length Sally appeared, and Mr. -Burrel was ushered into Mr. Tims's parlour, where the miser received -him with as much cordiality as was in his nature, having from one -accidental circumstance acquired a particular regard for his present -visiter--a fact in natural history which perhaps requires some -explanation.</p> - -<p class="normal">The simple truth, then, was merely this. On Burrel's first visit, the -miser, knowing him to be a man of large fortune, whom it might be well -to conciliate, had offered him a glass of ale; and then even went the -length of offering a glass of wine. Doing it--like most generous -people--with fear and trembling lest it should be accepted, he was -inexpressibly relieved by Burrel's declining both the expensive kinds -of refreshments that he offered. The matter sunk deep into his mind, -and at once created a fund of esteem and gratitude towards the -self-denying stranger, which was only augmented by the consciousness -that he himself always ate and drank that which was offered to him at -other houses, looking upon it all as a saving.</p> - -<p class="normal">On the present occasion, as soon as Burrel entered, he again made the -offer of the ale, and would fain have offered the wine also--but there -was something within him which this time rendered it impossible. So -much was he of opinion, that the wine is the best which is drank at -other people's expense, that he could not believe it possible that -Burrel would refuse it twice. While this struggle was going on in his -bosom, however, Burrel, who saw that he was somewhat agitated, and -never took into consideration the important question regarding the -glass of wine, imagined that Mr. Tims felt ashamed of not having given -him intimation of the state of Sir Sidney Delaware's affairs, and -proceeded to speak of them at once.</p> - -<p class="normal">"You have done wrong, my good sir!" he said, "in not letting me know -that the money required for redeeming the annuity is to be produced so -soon. You did not consider that a day or two's notice may be -necessary, in transactions to such an amount. However, it so luckily -happens that the money is ready!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"But, my dear sir--my dear sir!" cried Mr. Tims, "How could I give you -notice when you were out of the way. I called upon you twice, at no -small expense of shoe-leather."</p> - -<p class="normal">Such indeed was the fact--that is to say, that he had called--and as -the internal economy of Mr. Tims's heart is not unworthy of -investigation, as a curious piece of hydraulick machinery, it may be -well to state what were the contending feelings which made the miser, -at last, act contrary to the directions of his dearly-beloved nephew. -In the first place then, it would appear, that in regard to the -arrangements for the redemption of the annuity, a liberal commission -had been insured to him on the completion of the transaction, and -consequently he was a party interested. The injunctions, therefore, of -his nephew, to throw every quiet impediment in the way, to keep Mr. -Burrel in ignorance of the facts, and, if any thing should retard the -remittances which that gentleman expected, to refuse all assistance, -were clearly contrary to the general principles on which Mr. Tims -acted, namely, direct views of self-interest. To correct all this. -Lord Ashborough's lawyer had held out the prospect of his patron's -friendship on the one hand, and his wrath on the other, and had added -many vague promises of more golden rewards, to be procured by his -nepotal influence. But Mr. Peter Tims, although he had very little -family affection himself, forgot that his uncle possessed as little; -and though the only tie between Mr. Tims, senior, and the rest of the -world, existed in his nephew's person, yet the miser of Ryebury felt -that he could never be without friends or relations, as long as there -were pounds, shillings, and pence in the world. Mr. Tims, junior, as I -have said, forgot all this, and forgot too, that his uncle would be, -perhaps, less inclined to receive vague promises of compensation as -current coin, from him, than from any other individual; and, at the -same time, in order to show him how deeply Lord Ashborough was -interested, and how much it would behove him to reward the conduct he -pointed out, the lawyer committed the egregious blunder of letting the -miser know who the pretended Mr. Burrel really was.</p> - -<p class="normal">The desire of making his own bargain instantly seized upon Mr. Tims of -Ryebury, and he at once wrote to Mr. Tims, of Clement's Inn, with a -puzzling question, as to what was to be the specific <i>consideration</i> -for acting in the manner prescribed. The reply was not so definite as -he liked, and he immediately called at Mr. Burrel's lodging to inform -him of the time appointed for the payment of the redemption money. His -calculations at the same time were partly true, and partly incorrect, -in regard to the probable advantages to be gained by courting -Burrel.--No man ever did, or ever will, make a correct calculation, -where self is one of the units. He is sure, by adding a cipher to it, -to multiply it by ten, in every shape and way, and thus throw the -whole computation wrong together. Mr. Burrel, or rather Mr. Beauchamp, -was heir to Lord Ashborough's title and estates, and likely to outlive -him by forty years; and therefore, thought Mr. Tims, is likely to -patronize me a thousandfold more than Lord Ashborough can. But Mr. -Tims forgot that if Henry Beauchamp was likely to outlive Lord -Ashborough, Lord Ashborough was fully as likely to outlive Mr. Tims.</p> - -<p class="normal">These considerations, however, gave the miser a great leaning towards -Mr. Burrel, in the whole business, though he was not without some -speculations, in regard to catching all that he could from both -parties, if a way were to present itself. At present, he assured his -visiter that he had called upon him twice for the express purpose of -communicating with him on the subject of Sir Sidney Delaware's -affairs; but that, not having found him at home, he did not think fit -to leave any message, on so momentous a subject, with either the woman -of the house or the groom, who were the only personages he saw.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, well, Sir!" replied Burrel. "The question now before us is -simply, how we are now to proceed? Must I go to London to receive this -money, and bring it down?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, I should think that would be an expensive way, sir," replied the -miser. "Forty shillings going and forty shillings coming, and -eighteenpence to the coachman each way, makes four pound three; and -then you may well calculate three shillings more for food and extras -going and coming, making four pounds six. Then you would not like to -carry such a sum about you; so that you would be obliged to do it by -draft, therefore the stamp would not be saved; and I am always for -saving the money of my clients--it is the duty of an honest man--No, -no, sir! I think you had better draw a letter of credit, in my favour, -on your agents, and I will direct them to lodge the money in the hands -of the London correspondents of our county bank, of which I am one of -the poorest proprietors. I will give you an acknowledgement in form -for the letter of credit, which, being duly satisfied, I will give you -a receipt in full, with a lean upon the mortgage from Sir Sidney -Delaware, as I settled before with Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson."</p> - -<p class="normal">"But can all this be done in time, Mr. Tims?" demanded Burrel.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, no fear, no fear!" replied the miser. "This is but the -twenty-first. We can get the letter off to-day. The bills given by Sir -Sidney do not come due till the twenty-fourth; and we can easily have -notice of the money being lodged by the twenty-third in the afternoon, -when the post comes in."</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel mused a moment. He saw no objection; but yet he thought it -might be safer to go himself. He mused again; but then he thought of -Blanche Delaware, and that he had not seen her for two whole -days--That settled the matter in his mind. There could be no possible -obstacle, he persuaded himself, in London--therefore, neither pleasure -or necessity called him thither: one of those two great motives -chained him to Emberton, and therefore he determined to stay.</p> - -<p class="normal">The miser agreed immediately to join him at his lodgings in the little -town, where all that was necessary for completing the business was to -be procured more easily. Burrel rode off; Mr. Tims reached Emberton in -half an hour; the letter was drawn; another written by Mr. Tims to his -London bankers; the whole were put in the post; and Burrel, after -dining alone, sauntered slowly and happily up the park, to take his -tea in the little octagon parlour of Emberton house.</p> - -<p class="normal">He was received with those sparkling eyes which left no doubt that he -was welcome; the next day also past in happiness; and Burrel, somewhat -too sure perhaps of success, fixed in his own mind, as he strolled -homeward, that the morning which saw Sir Sidney Delaware freed from a -part of his difficulties by his exertions, should also see the -declaration of his love to her who had inspired it.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER II.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">On the twenty-third day of September, Sir Sidney Delaware had -some -slight symptoms of a fit of gout, which rendered him somewhat -irritable and anxious. Three times did he give particular directions, -that, when Mr. Tims of Ryebury came, he was to be shown into the -library, and, as often when he heard any unusual sound in the mansion, -usually so still and tranquil, he demanded whether Mr. Tims had -arrived. Still Mr. Tims did not make his appearance, though about two -o'clock Mr. Burrel did; and the worthy baronet, in conversation with -his young friend, forgot his anxiety for a time. At length, however, -it began to resume its ascendency, and its first struggle was of -course with politeness. He was evidently uneasy; he moved to and fro -in his chair; he complained of some pain; and, at length, was in the -very act of desiring his son to take a walk, and see why Mr. Tims had -not kept his promise, when the daily bag arrived from the post, -and--together with a billet or two, apparently from some female -friends for Miss Delaware, which she carried away to her own room; and -a letter for Captain Delaware--appeared a lawyer-like epistle -addressed to Sir Sidney, and bearing the London postmark.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I will go to Mr. Tims as soon as I have looked over this letter, -sir," said Captain Delaware; but Sir Sidney at the same moment opened -his own, and, after he had read, he exclaimed, "No, no, William, there -is no necessity! You and Blanche were going to walk with Mr. Burrel; -and here Lord Ashborough's lawyer tells me that he cannot be down on -the precise day--that is to-morrow--but will come the day after, or -the day after that, with a thousand apologies for not coming. If I be -well enough, I will go to this person, Tims, myself to-morrow. If not, -you can go. So call Blanche, and take your ramble while it is fine. -The clouds are beginning to gather."</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware went to seek his sister, who, as we have said, had -retired to her own apartment; but he soon returned saying, that she -had a slight headach, and would stay at home. He would show Burrel the -way himself, he added, to what the people called the Sea Hill, so -named because the sea was thence first visible; and, though the spirit -of their proposed expedition had all evaporated, Burrel did not choose -to decline. "If she did but know!" he thought; "If she did but know -what is going on here in my heart, I do not think a slight headach -would keep her at home! But I must bring this matter to some -certainty--it is growing painful!" and more than one-half of his walk -passed in silent musing.</p> - -<p class="normal">On his return, he went into the library with Captain Delaware. Blanche -was there with her father, but she was deadly pale, and Burrel felt -more than anxious--alarmed. As soon almost as he entered, Sir Sidney -Delaware pressed him to stay to dinner, and Burrel, who had often -declined, mastered by strong anxiety, agreed to do so on the present -occasion; though, as the invitation was given and accepted, he saw a -passing blush, and then a relapse to snowy paleness, come over the -countenance of her he loved.</p> - -<p class="normal">The evening was no longer one of joy. Burrel hoped that some -opportunity would present itself of gaining a single moment of private -conversation with Blanche Delaware in the course of his stay; but it -was evident that she avoided every thing of the kind, and, at an early -hour, complaining of increased headach, she retired once more to her -room. Soon after, her lover took his leave, and returned home in a -state of feverish anxiety, difficult to be described; while Captain -Delaware perceived that something had gone wrong, but could not divine -what; and Sir Sidney, without seeing any thing deeper, felt that the -evening which had just past to its predecessors, was the dullest he -had spent since he had become acquainted with Henry Burrel.</p> - -<p class="normal">To Burrel the night went by in sleepless restlessness; and, though we -would fain see how it flew with Blanche Delaware, we must take up her -story in the course of the morning after, when, rising as pale as the -night before, she found that the hour, instead of nine--which she had -fancied it must be at least--was only seven. Putting on her bonnet, -she glided down the old stone staircase, and proceeded into the park; -but it was not towards Emberton that she took her way. On the -contrary, turning her steps through the wild woodlands that lay at the -back of the mansion, she trod very nearly the same path which she had -pursued with Henry Burrel during the first days of their acquaintance.</p> - -<p class="normal">She traced the walk by the bank of the stream. The kingfishers were -flitting over the bosom of the river; the waters were pouring on, -fretting at the same pebbles, dashing over the same little falls, -lying quiet in the same still pools, as when she had last seen them. -But the feelings of her heart were changed, and the light, which -nature had then borrowed from joy, was now all overshadowed by the -clouds of care. As she gazed upon the stream, and the wild banks, and -the hawthorn dingles round her, and felt that a bitter change in her -own bosom had stripped them of all their beauties, as ruthlessly as -the hand of winter itself could have done, the pain was too much, and -she wept.</p> - -<p class="normal">Still she trod her way onward, pondering slowly and gloomily, till she -came so near the little glen that had terminated that happy walk with -Burrel, that she could not refrain from going on. A few minutes -brought her to the spot where the Prior's Well was first visible, and -a few minutes more found her standing under the rich carved canopy of -gray stone that covered over the fountain.</p> - -<p class="normal">For several moments she gazed wistfully and mournfully upon the -waters, as, with a calm unobtrusive ripple, and a low whispering -murmur, they welled from the basin of the fountain, and trickled -through the grass and pebbles. "Oh, would to Heaven!" she thought, -"that yon calm water did really possess the mysterious power the old -legends attribute to it. But two days since, nothing on earth would -have made me taste it, though I believed not a word; and now I am -almost tempted to drink, though I still believe as little."</p> - -<p class="normal">As she thought thus, she stretched out her hand to the little iron -cup; and, after a short pause, filled it, and gazed upon the water, as -it lay pure and clear, with that peculiar cold sparkling limpidity -which the old monks so greatly prized in their wells. Her hand shook a -little; but, after a single instant's consideration, with a smile -which was mingled of sadness and of a sort of gentle scorn, at the -drop of credulity that still lay at the bottom of her heart, she was -raising the cup to her lips when a hand was laid gently upon her arm.</p> - -<p class="normal">She started, but without dropping the cup, and, turning round, she saw -beside her, Henry Burrel. Pouring the water carefully back into the -font, as if every drop were precious, she let go the chain, while, -with downcast eyes, and a cheek burning like crimson, she uttered a -scarcely audible good-morrow, in answer to some words that she had -hardly heard.</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel's hand still rested on her arm, while his eyes were fixed upon -her face, tenderly, but reproachfully. The action and the look were -those of intimacy, but not of presumption; and, indeed, there had been -of late a kind of mute language established between Blanche and her -lover, in which many a question had been asked, and many a feeling had -been acknowledged, which would have expired in shame, had words been -the only means of expression, and which gave Burrel some right to -enquire into the change he could not but perceive too plainly.</p> - -<p class="normal">"You were about to drink, Miss Delaware!" he said. "But if you taste -of the enchanted fountain, I must drink also; for Heaven knows, then, -I shall have more need of the waters of oblivion than you have!"</p> - -<p class="normal">He spoke with a smile; but there are smiles in the world more -melancholy than a world of sighs; and his was so full of pain, -anxiety, and disappointment, that Blanche, as she turned away, made -the only answer in her power--by tears. The drops from her eyes fell -thick, and as her left hand rested on the little carved border of the -stone font, over which her head still hung, partially averted to hide -the deep and varying feelings that passed across her face, the tears -dimpled the clear still waters; and though Burrel, as he stood, could -not see her eyes, he perceived that she was weeping bitterly. His -fingers, which had rested lightly on her arm to prevent her from -drinking the water, now glided down and circled round her hand, -clasping upon it with a degree of gentle firmness.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Miss Delaware," he said, "for Heaven's sake, tell me, have my hopes -been all in vain?--Have I, like a presumptuous fool, dreamed of -happiness far greater than I deserve to possess? And do you now, by -the striking change which your demeanour towards me has undergone, -intend to rebuke my boldness in fancying that you might ever become -mine; and to crush the hopes which your former kindness inspired?"</p> - -<p class="normal">Blanche Delaware wept, but she answered not a word; and Burrel gazed -on her for a moment in silence, in a state of agitation which might -have well prevented him from judging sanely of what was passing in her -mind, even had it been expressed by more unequivocal signs than the -bitter, though silent tears, that rolled over her cheeks.</p> - -<p class="normal">"For God's sake, speak!" he exclaimed at length. "Oh, Blanche! if you -did but know the agony you are inflicting on a heart that loves you -better than any other earthly thing, you would at least save me the -torment of suspense--May I--dare I--hope that you will be mine?"</p> - -<p class="normal">Blanche Delaware passed her hand across her brow, and brushed back the -rich long ringlets, that, as she stooped, had fallen partially over -her eyes. She turned towards her lover also, still grasping the edge -of the fountain with her left hand for support, and, with something -between a gasp and a sob, replied to his question at once--"No, Mr. -Burrel! No! You must not hope!--Oh, forgive me!"--she added, seeing -the deadly paleness that spread over his countenance. "Forgive me! -Forgive me! But for your sake--for your own sake--for both our sakes, -it is better said at once--I must not--I cannot"----</p> - -<p class="normal">The rest died upon her lips. Enough, however, had been spoken to make -the rejection decisive; and yet it was spoken in such a tone as to -betray deep grief as well as agitation on her own part; and to -awaken--not suspicions--but a thousand vague and whirling fancies in -Burrel's brain.</p> - -<p class="normal">"And will not Miss Delaware," he said at length, "at least console me -for broken hopes, and the first love of my heart crushed for ever, by -assigning some cause for this change in her opinion of one, who is -unconscious of having done any thing to offend or pain her?"</p> - -<p class="normal">Blanche was again silent, and turned away her head, while the sighs -came thick and deep, and the tears were evidently falling fast. Burrel -paused for a moment, and then added, in a sad but kindly tone--"Or is -it, Miss Delaware, that I have imagined a heart free, that was before -engaged? Perhaps, long ere I knew you, some more fortunate person may -have created an interest which can be inspired but once--perhaps even, -circumstances may have prevented you from rendering him as happy as -you might otherwise have done--Oh, tell me, is it so? For though all -men are selfish, I should find it easy to gratify my selfishness in -contributing to your happiness. I have interest--I have power--and if -I could render Blanche Delaware happy with one that she loves, it -would be the next blessing to possessing her hand myself--Tell me, -Miss Delaware, I beseech you, is it as I imagine?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh! No, no, no! cried Blanche, turning her glowing face towards him. -No, upon my word--I never saw the man that I could love but"----</p> - -<p class="normal">The deepening blush and the fresh burst of tears concluded the -sentence as Burrel's heart could have desired; and again laying his -hand upon hers, he besought her to tell him what then was the -obstacle. But Blanche drew back--not offended, but sad and determined.</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is in vain, Mr. Burrel!" she said; "and I am bound to tell you so -at once. My mind is made up--my resolution is taken. You have my -highest esteem, my deepest gratitude, my most sincere regard, but you -cannot have"----</p> - -<p class="normal">She paused at the word love; for no circumstances to the mind of -Blanche Delaware could palliate a falsehood, and she felt too bitterly -that he did possess her love also. She changed the phrase in the -midst, and added, "I can never give you my hand!"</p> - -<p class="normal">One only glance at the countenance of her lover made her feel that she -could bear no more, and that it were better for them both to part at -once. She drew back a single step, and then, with a look of painful -earnestness, while her hand unconsciously was laid upon his arm, she -said, in a low sad tone, "Forgive me, Mr. Burrel! Oh, forgive me!" and -the next moment Burrel was standing alone by the side of the fountain.</p> - -<p class="normal">He remained there for several minutes, with every painful feeling that -it is possible to imagine struggling together in his bosom. First, -their was the disappointment of hopes that he had encouraged to a -pitch, of which he had had no notion, till they were done away for -ever--the breaking of a thousand sweet dreams--the vanishing of a -crowd of happy images--the dissolution of all the fairy fabric which -the enchanter Fancy builds up round the cradle of young affection. -Then there were the doubts, the fears, the jealousies, the vague and -sombre imaginings, to which the unexplained and extraordinary conduct -of her that he loved gave rise; and then, again, was the rankling -sting of mortified pride, shooting its venom into the wound inflicted -by disappointment.</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel paused by the fountain, and suffered every painful thought to -work its will upon his heart in turn; and, oh! what he would have -given to have wept like a woman; but he could not. At length, steeling -himself with that bitter fortitude which is akin to despair, he turned -his steps towards the little town. He avoided, of course, the mansion; -and, though he gazed at it for a moment with a bent brow and quivering -lip, when he caught a sight of it from a distance, yet, as soon as he -withdrew his eyes, the sight only seemed to accelerate his pace.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Have my horse at the door in a quarter of an hour!" were the first -words he addressed to his servant, as he entered the house; "and be -ready to take up the baggage to London by the coach."</p> - -<p class="normal">Harding gazed upon his master in horror and astonishment; for the -newly-proposed arrangement did not at all coincide with his views and -purposes. But Burrel, having given his orders in a tone that left no -room for reply, walked on into the little parlour; and it was several -minutes before his worthy valet could so far recover from the shock, -as to find an excuse for evading the execution of his commands. He -soon, however, summoned sufficient obstacles to his aid; and, having -proceeded to order his master's horse, he returned and entered the -parlour uncalled.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have ordered the groom to bring up Martindale, sir," he said, -"because the bay needs shoeing. But I am afraid, sir, I cannot get all -the things ready for the coach. There is every thing to pack, sir, and -all the bills to be paid, and not above three quarters of an hour to -do it in."</p> - -<p class="normal">Burrel had been gazing forth from the window, seeing nothing upon -earth; but his habitual command over himself, was too powerful to -suffer him to get deaf as well as blind, under any disappointment; and -he turned immediately that the servant spoke. "I forgot," he said, -taking out his pocket-book; "You must go up to-morrow morning. There -is money to pay the bills;" and he noted down as carefully as usual -the sum he gave, adding, "I shall sleep to-night at Dr. Wilton's, and -shall be in town on Saturday. Have the travelling chariot taken to -Holditch, to be put in order, as soon as you arrive. Call in all my -bills in London; and get things arranged to set off for the continent -in the course of next week."</p> - -<p class="normal">The man bowed low, with his usual silent gravity; in a few minutes -more the horse was at the door; and Burrel, riding slowly out of the -town, took the road towards the house of his former tutor.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER III.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">"Hush, Master William! hush!" cried the old housekeeper, who, -having -lived from ancient and better days in the family at Emberton, could -never forget that William Delaware had been once a boy, nor ever -remember that he was now a man. "Hush, Master William! Miss Blanche is -not well, poor dear--not well at all; and, indeed, I think----But -there he goes!" and as she spoke. Captain Delaware, who had been -calling loudly to his sister to come down and make breakfast for him, -as he was in haste, hurried into the breakfast-parlour to perform that -office for himself. It was not, indeed, that William Delaware was in -the least indifferent to his sister's health or happiness, but he -possessed that sort of constitution, which hardly permits one to -understand what sickness is; and although, had he known that Blanche -was suffering under aught that he could assuage or even sympathize -with, he would have hastened to offer comfort and consolation, with -every feeling of fraternal affection, he now only muttered to himself, -"Oh, she has got one of those cursed headachs!" and proceeded to spoon -the tea into the tea-pot, as if he had been baling a leaky boat. -"Blanche has got a headach, and is not coming down," he added, as Sir -Sidney Delaware entered; "and I have made tea, because I wish to reach -Ryebury, and speak with the old miser before he goes out. The fellow -must be shuffling."</p> - -<p class="normal">Sir Sydney expressed his anxiety at the continuance of Blanche's -headach, more strongly than his son had done. His eyes had been less -quick than those of Captain Delaware, in seeing the growing love -between Burrel and his daughter, for such feelings had long before -passed away from his own bosom; but his personal experience of -sickness had taught him to sympathize with it far more than his son -could do, and he was about to visit Blanche's chamber immediately, had -not the business of Mr. Tims first attracted him for a moment, and -then detained him till breakfast was over, and his son was about to -depart.</p> - -<p class="normal">With manifold directions to express surprise at the miser's want of -punctuality. Captain Delaware was dismissed by his father, and took -the way direct to Ryebury, fully determined to enforce Sir Sidney's -rebuke, with many more indignant expressions. "Here," he thought, "my -father might have been pressed severely by this time--insulted--nay, -even arrested--because this scoundrel has not thought fit to produce -the money--doubtless, keeping it to get the additional interest of a -single day. If it were not for creating new obstacles, I would -horsewhip him for his pains!"</p> - -<p class="normal">William Delaware was naturally quite sufficiently hasty in his -disposition; but people who are so, have not unfrequently a way of -lashing themselves up into anger before there is any necessity for it, -by conjuring up a thousand imaginary injuries or insults in the -future, as soon as they have begun to suspect that Mr. A, B, C, or D, -intends to offend or wrong them. Thus, it must be confessed, did -William Delaware, as he walked along towards the house of the miser. -First, he thought that Mr. Tims might strive still to delay the -payment he had promised, in order to increase his gains by a day or -two more interest--next, he imagined that he might wish to prolong the -matter, in order to augment Sir Sidney Delaware's difficulties, and -exact a higher commission; and then, again, it struck him that the -miser, whose repute for double-dealing was rather high in the -neighbourhood, might have in view so to entangle the affairs of the -family, as to get possession of the estate itself. Notwithstanding all -this, it is true that William Delaware was not of a suspicious nature. -All these phantoms were conjured up by anger at the foregone -disappointment. A very slight circumstance--the delay of the -payment--had raised them; and a less--even a few fair speeches--would -have dispelled them. The distinction is necessary to the appreciation -of his character. He was hasty in all his conclusions--rapid in his -expectations of good or evil, as soon as his mind was set upon either -track--but not suspicious; and, consequently, easily turned from the -one road into the other.</p> - -<p class="normal">It so happened, however--unfortunately enough--that while in the very -height of his indignation at Mr. Tims, with that personage's evil -deeds and qualities--real and imaginary--past, present, or future--all -red-hot and hissing in his mind, who should he encounter but the miser -himself, with his sharp red nose turned towards Emberton, and his -hands behind his back. Mr. Tims saw him instantly; and as there were -various questions which he was anxious to have settled and resolved -before he entered into any discussion with either Sir Sidney or his -son, he thought that he might escape by a side-path, which opportunely -lay just at his left hand; and, consequently, making a rotatory -movement on his right heel, he was turning in amongst the bushes, when -he was arrested by the voice of the young officer, addressing him in -not the most placable tones in the world. As Mr. Tims was well aware, -that amongst the <i>stadio-dromoi</i>, he could not compete with so young -an opponent as Captain Delaware, he instantly turned and met that -gentleman, whose previous wrath was not a little heightened by this -evident attempt at evasion.</p> - -<p class="normal">The most difficult thing for a man who has been secretly coaxing his -own anger, is to begin to give it vent without appearing unreasonable; -and Mr. Tims's countenance was so cold, dry, and calm, that nothing -could be made out of the "Good-morning, Captain Delaware!" with which -he opened the conversation.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I thought, sir, that by making my visit so early, I should have found -you at home," was Captain Delaware's brief rejoinder.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Business called me abroad," replied Mr. Tims, as laconically.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Were you going towards Emberton Park?" demanded the young officer.</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, sir, I was not!" answered Mr. Tims, whose manner towards the son -of "poor Sir Sidney Delaware," was always very different from that -which he assumed to rich Mr. Burrel, and was peculiarly simple on the -present occasion.</p> - -<p class="normal">"You were not!" cried Captain Delaware, "then, let me tell you, sir, -you should have been there yesterday. I beg to know, sir, why you were -not to the time you yourself appointed for the signature of the -mortgage, and the payment of the money advanced."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Because it was not convenient, sir, and because the money was not -ready," replied Mr. Tims with imperturbable calmness.</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware's command over himself abandoned him; and, raising -the whip he had in hand, he shook it over the miser's head, -exclaiming, "Not convenient! Not ready! By Heaven, if it were not for -your years, I would make you find it convenient to keep your word when -you have pledged it, and to be ready at the time you promise!"</p> - -<p class="normal">He was dropping the whip, though his eyes were still flashing, when a -voice close beside him, proceeding from an honest neighbouring farmer, -whose approach he had not observed, exclaimed, "Captain, Captain! -Don't ye strike the old man! Don't ye, now! Don't ye! Oh, that's -right, now--reason it with him, like--but don't ye strike him!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, no, Retson, I am not going to strike him!" replied Captain -Delaware. "Go on, my good fellow, and leave us--I will not strike -him!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, well. Captain," said the farmer, laughing, "I'll go--but your -word's given, mind.--So, don't ye strike the old man, though he were -the devil himself,--He looks more like a wet hen under a penthouse, -howsomever."</p> - -<p class="normal">The fanner's description was not far from correct; for Mr. Tims--who -had expected no such fierce explosion as that which his words had -occasioned, and had fancied he could be insolent in security--now -stood aghast as the rhetoric of Captain Delaware's horsewhip seemed -likely to be applied to his shoulders. His knees acquired an -additional bend, his nether jaw dropped, his arms hung distant from -his sides, his cheeks grew paler, and his red nose stood out in -prominent relief, under the very act of fear. The good farmer's -interposition, however, calmed him sufficiently to enable his tongue -to falter forth some words of apology, declaring that he did not -intend to offend Captain Delaware--far from it; but how could that -gentleman expect him to speak boldly upon such subjects, out in the -public high-road? Who could tell, he demanded, that there might not be -robbers in the immediate neighbourhood of the place where they then -stood?</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, if that be all," answered Captain Delaware, "I will protect you -against robbers, till you get to your own house; and there you will be -sufficiently at ease to give me a proper explanation of your -unaccountable conduct."</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Tims would fain have evaded this immediate consummation; as his -purpose in walking to Emberton was to see Mr. Burrel, and ascertain -exactly which way would be the most advantageous for him to act; but -Captain Delaware was peremptory; the mediating farmer had walked up -the lane, and Mr. Tims was obliged to turn his steps homeward. When he -had entered the house, and led his unwelcome visiter into his little -parlour, carefully closed the door, and listened to hear that the -steps of even his faithful dirty Sally no longer haunted the passage, -he began his explanation in a low tone.</p> - -<p class="normal">"As you say, Captain Delaware--as you say, indeed," he went on. "It is -a most unfortunate circumstance; but how can I help it? I depended -upon another for the money--the letter of credit that he gave for the -sum was duly presented; but it appears that a bill for ten thousand -pounds, which he expected to be paid by this time, had been -dishonoured, and that his agents had not sufficient assets to meet the -demand. But as you say, sir, it was impossible that I could help it."</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware sat for a moment in silent but bitter disappointment. -At length he exclaimed, "And who the devil is this gentleman, from -whom you were to receive this money?"</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Tims hesitated. "Why, as to that, Captain Delaware," he said, "I -was expressly forbidden to tell; but since the matter has come to this -pass, I dare say there can be no harm in it. He is no one else than -the gentleman calling himself Mr. Burrel, or, in other words, your -cousin, Mr. Henry Beauchamp."</p> - -<p class="normal">William Delaware started off his chair, as any other quick-blooded -person would have done, if such a tide of sudden and unexpected -information were poured upon him. For a moment the blood rushed up -into his cheeks--the first feeling of laying one's self under a deep -obligation to any one, being always painful. As long as he had thought -that the miser advanced the money on mortgage, it had seemed a mere -matter of traffic; but when he heard that it was Burrel, it instantly -became an obligation, and the first feeling, as I have said, was not -altogether pleasant. Neither was the fact, that the gay, the wealthy, -the dashing, the sarcastic cousin, of whom he had heard so much, -had--notwithstanding the chilling coldness with which Sir Sidney had, -a year or two before, repelled some advances which Beauchamp had -made--neither was the fact, I say, that he had opened his way into -their family circle, taken a place by their fireside, and witnessed -all the poverty and decay of their house, agreeable at its first -aspect. But a moment's thought--by recalling all the delicacy of Henry -Beauchamp's conduct, the kind and unaffected regard which he had shown -towards them all, the persevering friendship with which he had -followed up his purpose, and the real services he had so zealously -planned--soon took away from the mind of William Delaware, all that -was painful in the sudden news he heard, and the glow was almost at -once succeeded by a bright and happy smile.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I see it all now!" he cried, "I see it all now! and since such are -the facts, Mr. Tims, the matter will be very easily arranged."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, doubtless, doubtless, sir!" replied Mr. Tims. "As you say, every -one knows that Mr. Beauchamp has the wherewithal to do any thing that -he likes. His fortune is immense, sir! His fortune is immense! His -father made a mint of money when he was Governor of ----."</p> - -<p class="normal">"How much did you say was the deficiency?" demanded Captain Delaware.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Only ten thousand pounds, sir!" replied the miser. "A mere nothing to -Mr. Beauchamp; and as you say, sir, he could raise it in a minute, if -he liked. I was just going to see him upon the business, when I met -you, and you were so violent, Captain Delaware."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I beg your pardon, Mr. Tims! I beg your pardon!" said the young -officer. "I was in the wrong; but now I will save you the trouble you -were about to take, and go on at once to my cousin myself. It is high -time that I should acknowledge his generous kindness, and thank him -for it."</p> - -<p class="normal">"But, I trust, Captain Delaware--I trust," faltered forth the miser in -an agony of fear, lest the job should be taken out of his hands by the -meeting of the principal parties. "I trust that the business may be -suffered to proceed in the regular train--I cannot be expected to lose -all my little emoluments."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Do not be afraid--do not be afraid, sir!" replied Captain Delaware, -who soon saw the current of the miser's thoughts. "Do not alarm -yourself. The whole business shall pass through your hands; and you -shall get as much upon it as you honestly can."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ay, sir! Now, that is what I call something like!" replied the -relieved Mr. Tims. "Captain Delaware, will you take a glass of wine -after your walk, or a glass of ale? But, as you say, time presses; and -perhaps you may be anxious to see your excellent and worthy cousin, -who doubtless can set all right--and high time it is he should do so, -I can tell you--for my worthy nephew, Mr. Peter Tims, solicitor of -Clement's Inn, who is agent for my good lord and former patron, the -Earl of Ashborough, is to be down early to-morrow--and he is a smart -practitioner, I can tell you--and the bill being out, you know"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"The whole of course requires promptitude," interrupted Captain -Delaware. "Not that I think Lord Ashborough, or Lord Ashborough's -lawyer, would act an ungentlemanly part in the business; but I know it -would go far to break my father's heart, were the bill he has given to -be presented before he could pay it. So now, Mr. Tims, good-morning. I -will call upon you again when I have seen my cousin."</p> - -<p class="normal">Away sped William Delaware like an arrow from a bow, his breast full -of mingled emotions, and his heart throbbing with contending feelings. -He did not, it is true, reason much with himself, as he went, in -regard to his position relative to Henry Beauchamp. He felt that he -owed him a deep debt of gratitude--he felt that he had every reason to -love and to admire him; and although he could not but experience -likewise, a sort of generous distaste to the mere act of borrowing -money from any one, yet he determined to meet his cousin frankly and -openly; for his heart had arrived at the same conclusion that his -father's had reached before, and he thought, that if there were any -man on earth on whom he would choose to confer the honour of accepting -an obligation, it was Henry Beauchamp. He was soon in the streets of -Emberton, and soon at the door of Burrel's lodging. His application -for admittance was answered by the landlady, who told him that Mr. -Burrel was gone; but that the valet was still there, and was settling -some accounts with a gentleman in his own room.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Gone!" cried Captain Delaware. "Gone! You mean gone out, Mrs. Wilson, -surely--but, send the servant to me."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh no, sir! Sorry I am to say, he is gone for good and all, too -surely," replied Mrs. Wilson. "But if you will walk into the parlour, -Captain, I will send Mr. Harding to you directly--and I hope, if you -should chance to hear of any good lodger, Captain, you will not forget -me."</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, no!" replied Captain Delaware, somewhat impatiently, as he walked -forward into the little parlour which Burrel had inhabited; "but make -haste, Mrs. Wilson, and send the man to me directly. What can be the -meaning of all this?" he added, as the good woman shut the door. -"Phoo! There must be some mistake," and he walked towards the window -which looked out into the road. Two minutes after he had taken up that -position, steps sounded along the passage, and, the street door being -opened, Burrel's servant, Harding, ushered out a coarse, vulgar man, -whom, as we have described him before, when he made his appearance in -the stage-coach with Burrel, we shall not notice farther on the -present occasion. A few brief words, which Captain Delaware neither -could nor would hear, concluded that worthy's conversation with Mr. -Beauchamp's servant; and the next moment Harding himself made his -appearance, and, after a silent bow, stood waiting the young officer's -commands.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Mrs. Wilson must surely have been mistaken just now, in telling me -that your master has left Emberton?" was Captain Delaware's abrupt -address.</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, sir; she was quite right!" replied Harding, in a respectful tone.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Good God, this is most unfortunate!" cried Captain Delaware. "And, -pray, what was the cause of his abrupt departure?"</p> - -<p class="normal">Under ordinary circumstances, Harding would have adhered to his -taciturnity; but Captain Delaware's declaration, that his master's -absence was most unfortunate, excited his curiosity--not in the -abstract, but personally, inasmuch as he did not know how far the -unfortunate circumstance complained of might affect himself--and he -therefore determined, as a nice feat of strategy, to provoke the young -officer's loquacity, by showing that he knew or suspected more of his -family concerns than the other imagined.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I really cannot tell, sir," replied he in a low and deferential tone, -"what was the absolute cause; and perhaps I might offend you, if I -were to say what I fancy it was--although nobody can regret it more -than I do in my humble sphere."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not at all! Not at all! I shall not be offended at all!" replied -Captain Delaware quickly. "On the contrary, I shall be glad to hear any -cause assigned for what seems to me quite inexplicable on many -accounts."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why then, sir, the fact is," replied Harding, "that I could not help -seeing that my master--I beg your pardon, sir, I am afraid I shall -offend you--Well, sir, that my master seemed to feel very differently -towards my young lady at the park than I ever saw him feel before for -any one; and I naturally thought, sir, that he was not going to be a -single man much longer. But then, last night, he did not come home at -all at ease; and this morning, after having been out for a long time -in the park, or at the mansion, he returned as if he had got his -death-blow--ordered me to get every thing ready to set off for London; -and mounting his own horse, not half an hour ago, galloped away -before. So, of course, I thought he had been refused--and that is a -thing he never was in his life before, I can answer for it."</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware threw himself down in a chair, in a state of -confusion, perplexity, and distress indescribable. He instantly -combined Burrel's conduct with Blanche's illness of the previous night -and that morning; and, cursing internally what he called all the silly -caprices and ill-placed delicacies of womankind, he was first about to -set out to accuse his poor sister of having cast away the affections -of a man whom she evidently loved, and to insist upon her recalling -him. Then, however, he remembered the immediate business that had -brought him there, and despair took possession of him. The ten -thousand pounds were not forthcoming, Burrel was gone, Lord -Ashborough's agent was to be down the next morning, and William -Delaware knew that the effect upon his father's mind was likely to be -terrible, if the necessary sum could not be procured in time.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Good God!" he exclaimed at length. "This is most unfortunate indeed. -What is to be done? Do you think your master could not be overtaken? I -have business to settle with him of the utmost importance, which must -be concluded to-day."</p> - -<p class="normal">"My master left me a great many things, sir, to settle for him," -replied the servant; "and perhaps that which you speak of was amongst -them. He told me to call upon Mr. Tims, and"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"That is exactly the question," cried Captain Delaware, interrupting -him. "Have you got the money?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"What!" cried Harding, almost as eagerly. "Has the money not been -paid?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, indeed!" answered Captain Delaware. "His agents declared that -they had not assets--that a part of the sum--no less than ten thousand -pounds--had not been paid into their hands!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"If's a juggle!" cried the servant. "I see it all! It is a juggle of -that rogue in grain, Peter Tims--No, no, sir, my master never dreamed -that the money would not be paid; and he only ordered me to tell Mr. -Tims at Ryebury, that he was to send up all papers for him to the -lawyers in London, as my master talks of going abroad. But I can set -all right yet, sir, I think. Mr. Burrel has only gone to Dr. Wilton's -at present, and I know he will not be angry with me for going after -him, to tell him all that has happened, and I will make bold to tell -him, too, a great many things he does not know. So make your mind -easy, sir. I beg your pardon for the liberty--but, depend upon it, the -money shall be at Ryebury before to-morrow morning."</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware paused a moment to think; for there was something -unpleasant to his feelings in seeming to press for Henry Beauchamp's -assistance, especially as he knew not what might have passed between -him and Blanche. But there was no choice but to do so, or to plunge -his family into ruin; and his meditation on the subject was brought to -an end by Harding--who was a man of fine feelings himself when it -suited him--declaring that he held it his bounden duty to inform his -master immediately, whether Captain Delaware liked it or not.</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware, however, reflecting that Beauchamp was his cousin, -and that no other resource was open to him, did not oppose the man's -determination; and it being settled that Harding should mount one of -his master's horses, and follow him to Dr. Wilton's rectory -immediately, the young officer, with a mind much relieved, returned -towards his paternal dwelling, meditating a severe cross-examination -for Blanche, and internally declaring, "That Harding is a very honest -fellow!"</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER IV.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">The very honest fellow was soon upon horseback, muttering to -himself, -"Ten thousand pounds short!--that would never do!--but I must mind -what I am about, else he will go back and pay the money to this young -chap, and then the whole business will be spoilt. Let me see;" and he -set himself seriously to consider the best means of getting Burrel -either to intrust him with the money--in which case he thought he -might be able to cheat his accomplice, and appropriate the whole of -that part of the spoil--or to pay it at once to Mr. Tims; and in that -event, Harding still calculated on coming in for a share. It was yet -early in the day; but, nevertheless, Master Harding rode as if for -life; for being one of those personages who calculated <i>almost</i> every -chance--the <i>almost</i> is very necessary, for he did not calculate -all--he foresaw that it would be necessary for Burrel, who could not -be supposed to have so large a sum about him, to procure the money -from some other source, and, knowing that Messrs. Steelyard and -Wilkinson, his master's agents, were part proprietors of a county bank -at about twenty miles distance from Emberton, he concluded that -Burrel's first application would be there, where his means of payment -would be best known.</p> - -<p class="normal">The reason why things seldom answer, which are so beautifully -calculated before hand, is probably, because the smallest event in the -world is brought about by such a compound piece of machinery, that the -most minute wheel going wrong--a pin, a pivot, a spring, a link of the -chain, a cog, a catch, a lever, a balance wheel, getting the least out -of place--the whole machine falls into a different train of action, -and strikes six when we thought it was about to strike seven. This -trite fact was beautifully exemplified in the case of Harding, who had -calculated to a word what he was to say to his master, and how soon -either he himself or his said master was to set out for the bank -at ---- --how long it would take to go, so as to arrive during banking -hours--how long it would take to settle the business with the -partners, and at what precise moment of time either he himself or -Burrel could be back in Emberton. It so happened, however, that, on -reaching the rectory, to his horror and astonishment, he found that -Mr. Burrel, on arriving at that place before him, had got into Dr. -Wilton's carriage, which had been standing at the door, and had gone -out with the worthy clergyman.</p> - -<p class="normal">How soon they would be back, no one could tell, and where they were -gone to, was as little known, so that worthy Master Harding had to -remain at the rectory, suffering pangs of impatience, that were not -the less severe because he covered them over as usual with a face of -calm indifferent gravity. Nevertheless, in order to lose no time, he -immediately proceeded to the stable, and there put his master's horse -in a complete state of preparation to start again at a moment's -notice, while, at the same time, he supplied the beast that brought -him thither liberally with oats, feeling, like Mr. Tims, a sort of -Diogenesian satisfaction at feeding either his horse or himself at -another person's expense. Still he was called upon to practise the -copy-line virtue of patience for no inconsiderable length of time; -for, notwithstanding all his aspirations, Mr. Burrel, or rather Mr. -Beauchamp, did not appear for at least two hours; and the vision of -the banking-house, and its speedy arrangements--the transfer of the -money, and the ultimate ten thousand pounds--floated faint and more -faint before his mental view. "He's a devil of a goer, however, that -Mr. Beauchamp when he has a mind!" thought the man, consoling himself -with the usual straw-catching delusions of hope, as probability waxed -weakly. "He's a devil of a goer when he has a mind! No man gets over -his miles sooner; and as for Martindale, give him but easy ground, and -the beast would do it well in the time without turning a hair."</p> - -<p class="normal">As he thus cogitated, the roll of wheels sounded past the stable; and, -on looking out, Harding saw the plain chariot of the divine glide -forward with merciful slowness to the door. The step descended with -the same quiet and tranquil movement, and Henry Beauchamp, with deep -and unusual gravity on his countenance, got out, and entered the -house, followed by Dr. Wilton.</p> - -<p class="normal">Harding lost no time; but immediately made his arrival known to his -master, and, in a private audience, informed him of Mr. Tims's -betrayal of his secret, and of all he had gathered from Captain -Delaware, at the same time, throwing in dexterously a few of those -apparently casual words which he judged most likely to prevent Mr. -Beauchamp from holding any direct communication with the family at -Emberton. He still took care, however, to insinuate the necessity of -immediately supplying the deficiency in the sum promised, and clenched -the impression by directing his master's suspicions towards Lord -Ashborough, and Peter Tims, Esq. of Clement's Inn, solicitor, &c. All -that he dared not urge, on his own part, lest he should ruin his -particular plans by the appearance of impudent intrusion, he allowed -Beauchamp by implication--which is generally a sort of semi-lie--to -attribute to Captain Delaware, trusting that any want of vraisemblance -would be covered by the agitation of his master's mind. In all this he -was wonderfully successful; and the more so because every thing that -he said was fundamentally true, and therefore Henry Beauchamp had no -difficulty in believing it to be so. That gentleman, however, -expressed no surprise. In fact, he had been lately troubled with a -great deal more surprise than he liked; and he was returning fast to -his old habit of taking every thing as a matter of indifference, or, -at least, of seeming to do so. Beauchamp thought calmly for a few -minutes, and then asked, "How far is it to ----?" naming the town -where the county bank was situated.</p> - -<p class="normal">"About twenty miles from Emberton, sir," replied the man; "sixteen or -seventeen from this place."</p> - -<p class="normal">"What is o'clock?" demanded his master, who, in the agitation of the -preceding night, had forgotten to wind up his watch.</p> - -<p class="normal">The man drew a fine French repeater from his pocket, and examined its -face; but it lied like himself. Hope backed him against time for ten -thousand; and though the watch was too slow by quarter of an hour, he -took off ten minutes more from the hour it noted.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Saddle Martindale!" said Mr. Beauchamp, when he had pondered the -man's reply. "Bring him up directly! Then go back to Emberton, and -to-morrow to London, where, do as I bade you before. If you have not -sent over my dressing-cases here, you need not send them--If you -have--have them brought back, and take them up with the other things."</p> - -<p class="normal">The man bowed and withdrew; and Burrel, after another moment's -thought, descended to Dr. Wilton's library, and informed his worthy -tutor that he had received a sudden call to a different place, which -compelled him to set out immediately. The cause of his departure he -did not disclose, as he felt a great repugnance to make even so -intimate a friend of all the parties as Dr. Wilton, acquainted with -the circumstances of his cousins' difficulties, although he had not -scrupled, during their drive, to inform the good clergyman, that there -was no longer any probability--if there had indeed ever existed -any--of an alliance between his own family and that of Sir Sidney -Delaware. The cause of his different conduct, in regard to these two -affairs, might perhaps be, that generosity is always taciturn where it -is real--love is always loquacious where it is sure of not being -laughed at.</p> - -<p class="normal">Whether, in a longer conversation, the good doctor might or might not -have seduced Beauchamp into telling him more, can hardly be -ascertained; for scarcely had he announced his intended departure, -when he was informed that his horse was at the door. Dr. Wilton had no -time to express his surprise; but grasping his young friend's hand, he -repeated twice, "Now mind, my dear Harry, mind! I tell you, I am sure -there is some mistake, or some very base manœuvre, and you have -promised not to quit London till you hear from me."</p> - -<p class="normal">Beauchamp shook his head mournfully. "It is no use, my dear sir," he -replied; "but, nevertheless, of course I will keep my word."</p> - -<p class="normal">At the door his servant, while holding the stirrup, demanded, in a -peculiarly humble tone, "Pray, sir, may I expect to see you at -Emberton to-night, for there are several things"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"I shall be at Ryebury, but certainly not at Emberton," answered -Beauchamp. "If there be any thing unsettled when you come to London, -it must be done afterwards."</p> - -<p class="normal">The man bowed low, perfectly satisfied; and Beauchamp and his horse -went off at a gallop. "That will do it!" said Harding, as he saw his -master depart; and, mounting his own beast, he returned calmly to -Emberton, calculating to a nicety, at what hour his master would have -paid the money into the hands of Mr. Tims.</p> - -<p class="normal">In the mean time, Beauchamp rode on, with a light hand and an easy -seat. He was one of those men who bring in their horses quite fresh, -when every other horse in the field is dead beat; and feeling -confident that he could arrange the whole business and return to -Ryebury before night, he did not put Martindale to the top of his -speed. What was his surprise, however, on passing a village church, -after an hour and a half's riding, to find the hand of the dial--that -fatal indicator, which, in every land, has pointed out from age to age -the dying moment of hopes, and wishes, and enjoyments--demonstrating, -beyond a doubt, that the hour was past, and his journey of no avail.</p> - -<p class="normal">He rode on to the town of ----, however, but the bank was shut. He -enquired for the partners, but there was only one in the town, and he -was nowhere to be found.</p> - -<p class="normal">Beauchamp bit his lip, and asked himself, "What is to be done now?" -Some men would have thought, that, having exerted themselves so far, -they had done enough, and would have let matters take their course; -but he was not one of that class. The idea crossed his mind, indeed; -and, to use one of his own expressions, he let it strike against his -heart, to see whether it would ring with the sharp, cold, brazen sound -of worldly feelings; but his heart was of a different metal, a great -deal too soft to respond to such hard selfishness. "For his sake, for -her sake, for all their sakes," he thought, "I must save them from -disappointment and disgrace. This Ryebury miser may very likely have -the money with him, and if not, he is, as he informed me, a proprietor -in the neighbouring bank, and therefore can easily arrange the matter. -I will tell him who I really am, and give him a power of attorney to -sell out and pay himself."</p> - -<p class="normal">With this resolution, he gave his horse half an hour's rest, and then -turned his rein once more towards Ryebury, where, we have already -seen, that the way was prepared for his purpose, by the previous -knowledge of his rank and fortune, which the miser had obtained from -Lord Ashborough's lawyer. As we have endeavoured to show, in the -preceding pages, Henry Beauchamp had his full share of weaknesses, -amongst which was a very tolerable portion of irritable pride. A -certain modification of this feeling had made him determine, from the -first, not to set his foot in the streets of Emberton again. That -place, it is true, had likewise, in his mind, a painful association of -ideas as connected with a bitter disappointment; and although he was -always ready to meet such regrets boldly, if they came alone, yet as -they were mingled, in this case, with mortified pride, his resolution -gave way. He was a rejected suitor--a disappointed lover. He who had -fancied that his heart was proof, had been captivated by a simple -country girl, had danced attendance upon her for several weeks, and -had ultimately been rejected. From the words that his servant had -purposely let fall, he felt sure that the whole town of Emberton were -by this time aware of his disappointment; and if ever you have been -skinned alive, reader, you may have some idea of the irritable fear -which he felt of running against the rough and rasping pity, even of -the insignificant animals of a country town.</p> - -<p class="normal">Two miles, therefore, before he reached Emberton, he turned off from -the high-road, and having by this time refreshed all his boyish -recollections of the country round, he directed his course to a -hamlet, which lay at the distance of about a mile and a half from -Ryebury, and which was possessed of a little public-house, in the -stable of which he could put up his horse, while he himself proceeded -on foot to the dwelling of the miser. The sun was just down as he -reached the hamlet; and after having examined, with habitual care, the -accommodation for his horse, he walked out, and took his way towards -Ryebury, in the midst of as splendid an evening as ever poured through -the autumnal sky. A flood of rich purple was gushing from the west, -with two or three soft clouds of rose colour, and gold, hanging about -the verge of the sky, while all the rest was blue, "with one star -looking through it, like an eye." On his right, lay the rich -cultivated lands between Emberton and Ryebury; so full of tall trees, -hedgerows, masses of planting and park, that the yellow stubble -fields, or the fresh ploughed fallow, could hardly be perceived amidst -the warm, though withering greens of the foliage. On his left, lay a -high wooded bank, above which, peered up the edge of a more distant -field; and beyond it again the hills, and wide downs, that stretched -away towards the sea-side, in the dim purple shadow, that covered all -that part of the prospect, taking an aspect of wide and dreary -solitude, very different from the gay sunshiny look the whole assumed -in the daytime. Yet the scene, though full of repose, was any thing -but melancholy. The partridges were calling in the fields round about, -the blackbirds were flying on, from bush to bush, before the -passenger, with that peculiar note, something between a twitter and -song, with which they conclude their melody for the year, and some gay -laughing voices in the hamlet, which he had just left behind, came -mellowed by the distance, and seemed to speak of hearts at rest, and -the day's labour done. As Beauchamp walked slowly on, with feelings in -his bosom which harmonized indeed with the scene, but which carried -all that was solemn in the aspect of the dying day into a sense of -profound dejection, the light waned; and though the purple became of a -still richer hue, the blue assumed also a deeper shade; the stars -looked out as if to supply the place of the glory that was passing -away, and the long shadows of the high grounds around, spread -something more than twilight through the valley.</p> - -<p class="normal">I wish it were possible to tell all the mingled feelings that were -then to be found in the wayfarer's heart, as he walked on; and to -point out how weaknesses, and virtues, and fine and generous -sentiments, and human perversities, all linked arm in arm together, -walked along with him on the way: how he felt that life was to him a -blank--that the heart had grown old--that the bubble had burst--that -the toy had lost its splendour: how he felt a pride in the very idea -of serving her and hers, whose conduct had dashed the cup of happiness -from his lip for ever--and how he thought that his affection might -have been worthy of a higher estimation; and how he cursed his own -folly, for ever suffering his heart to become the debased thing that a -woman could trample upon. But his feelings were infinite, and not to -be defined; for in the rainbow of the human heart, the colours and the -shades are so blended together, and softened away into each other, -that it is impossible to say where one ends and the other begins.</p> - -<p class="normal">Deep thoughts are most beguiling companions.--Why wilt thou write such -truisms, oh, my pen?--But deep thoughts are most beguiling companions, -and Beauchamp found himself within a hundred and fifty yards of the -miser's house, ere he thought that he had threaded half the way. It -was just where the path he had been following joined the little wooded -lane that led from Emberton, and rose up the high bank on which the -house was situated. The increasing elevation brought a little more -light; and, as Henry Beauchamp advanced, he saw a man and woman--who -had been apparently walking together--part as he came near. The male -figure turned hastily towards the little town; the woman glided away -in the direction of the miser's house, and was lost in the obscurity. -All was again still; but a moment after there was a low plaintive -whistle, which called his attention for an instant. He heard it again, -but at a greater distance, and thought, "It is the curlews upon the -downs;" and, without giving it any farther heed, he walked on, and -rang the bell of Mr. Tims's house, in such a manner, as to insure that -his visit would not be long unknown to the inmates.</p> - -<p class="normal">A bustle within immediately succeeded; and, from the very highest -window in the house, the head of Mr. Tims himself was thrust -cautiously forth, like that of a tortoise from its shell, or a -hedgehog beginning to unroll. The next moment he retreated, and his -voice was heard calling from the top of the stairs to the bottom, -"Don't open the door, Sarah! Don't open the door! It can be nobody on -any good errand at this time of night! Don't open the door on any -account!" and again he came to the window to examine once more the -aspect of his nocturnal visitant.</p> - -<p class="normal">As soon as Beauchamp perceived the black ball, which he conceived to -be the crowning member of Mr. Tims's person once more protruded from -the flat front of the house, he raised his voice sufficiently to -convey the sounds to the elevated point from which the miser was -reconnoitring, and desired him to come down, and give him admission, -adding, "It is I, Mr. Burrel!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Mr. Burrel!--No, no!" cried the incredulous miser. "That is not Mr. -Burrel's voice--No, no--I'm not to be done--Go along, sir!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Mr. Tims," said Beauchamp, quietly, "come down to me directly. I tell -you again, I am Mr. Burrel--and having heard that a part of the sum -that Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"Hush, hush!" cried the miser, now convinced, "Hush, hush!--I will -come down, sir; I will come down directly. I did not know you at -first; but I will come down in a minute. Sarah, get a light -there."--No reply.--"Sarah, get a light!" again shouted Mr. Tims; and -a moment after, Sarah's voice was heard, demanding what was the -matter.</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Tims now speedily descended; but, before he would admit his -visiter, he again made him speak through the door, and took a view of -his person by means of a little grated aperture, practised in the -upper part thereof. The examination was satisfactory, and speedily -bars fell and bolts were withdrawn, and Henry Beauchamp was admitted -within the walls of a place, whose precautionary fastenings were -exactly like those of a prison, with the only difference of being -intended to keep people out, rather than to keep them in. He was -instantly ushered into the invariable parlour, where, by the light of -a solitary tallow candle--white and perspiring under its efforts to -give light in a warm autumn evening--he explained to Mr. Tims the -purpose of his visit.</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Tims, as we have already seen, well knew who Burrel, as he called -himself, really was, even before he told him; and he had also employed -means to ascertain the amount of his property; but, in the present -instance, the prospect of deriving some usurious benefit from his -companion's evident anxiety to furnish the money to Sir Sidney -Delaware, forthwith made him take good care to be utterly ignorant of -every thing concerning him, except that he had drawn upon his agents -for a sum which they had not sufficient assets to pay.</p> - -<p class="normal">He hummed and he hesitated for a considerable time--declared that he -did not doubt that he was Mr. Beauchamp; but, nevertheless, he must -remind him that he had drawn in the name of Burrel--he might be -perfectly solvent; but such things were never safe without good and -sufficient security. He was quite ready to hand over to him the sum he -had received from Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson; but as to advancing -the ten thousand pounds more, really he did not see his way in the -business clearly.</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Beauchamp, who was not to be deceived by all this, reasoned with -him for some time; but at length he assumed another tone, and rising, -took up his hat and stick.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Since this is the case, Mr. Tims," he said, "the matter must be -arranged otherwise. I had proposed to ride on towards London to-night -in the cool; but, as you doubt my respectability, I shall return -to Emberton, and by daylight to-morrow set out for the town -of ----, where, you know very well, that my agents, to whom I before -referred you, are part proprietors of the bank. There the matter will -be done at once, and I shall be back again before Lord Ashborough's -lawyer can arrive. You will therefore be so good as to give me the -money which you have already received; we will exchange all vouchers -on the subject; and we will do without you in the farther transaction -of this business."</p> - -<p class="normal">This plan, of course, was not that which Mr. Tims proposed to himself, -and the very mention thereof at once brought him to his senses. He -declared that he had no doubt of Mr. Beauchamp's identity, and -respectability, and solvency; and he should be very glad indeed to -accommodate him; but, of course, Mr. Beauchamp would not object to -give him a trifling commission in addition to the ordinary interest, -in order to cover the risk.</p> - -<p class="normal">"There is no risk at all, sir!" replied Beauchamp, somewhat sharply; -"and you are just as much convinced at this moment that I am the -person I represent myself to be, as I am myself. However, name the -commission you require; and if, when weighed against a ride of forty -miles, I find it the least troublesome of the two, you shall have it."</p> - -<p class="normal">After undergoing a slight convulsion in his anxiety to gain all he -could, and yet not to break off the negotiation, Mr. Tims named the -sum; and although, at another time, Henry Beauchamp would have ridden -ten times the distance sooner than yield to his exaction, yet the -bitter disappointment he had received that morning, and the sort of -mental lassitude that it had left, made him agree to the miser's -demand, though he did it with a sneer. This, however, by no means -concluded the business; for Mr. Tims, calculating on the bonus -promised him by Sir Sidney Delaware, proposed to pay the money over -himself the next day; while Beauchamp--who, from the shuffling he -observed, and a strong suspicion of some foul play on the part of his -uncle's lawyer, did not choose to trust him--required that it should -be immediately given into his own hands. On this point Mr. Tims fought -inch by inch most gallantly. First, he declared that he had not so -much money in the house; next, the necessary stamps could not be -procured; and lastly, when he saw that he had fairly worn his opponent -out, he acknowledged that he expected a commission from Sir Sidney -Delaware for raising the money; and, showing Beauchamp a letter from -the baronet to that effect, he prevailed upon him to add that sum also -to his note of hand for the ten thousand pounds, trusting to his own -ingenuity to be able to wring it a second time from Sir Sidney -himself. As soon as this was done, there was no longer any difficulty -about the money; and while Beauchamp, furnished with pen and ink, -remained writing in the parlour, with every now and then passing over -his countenance a sneer at himself for having yielded so tamely to the -miser's exactions, Mr. Tims visited some far distant part of his -dwelling, and, after a considerable interval, returned with the whole -of the sum required, which, thanks to the blessed invention of paper, -now lay in a very small compass.</p> - -<p class="normal">The rest of the business was soon settled, except the matter of a -stamp; and as the miser--although he now frankly admitted that he knew -the quondam Mr. Burrel to be Henry Beauchamp, nephew and heir to Lord -Ashborough--seemed not a little anxious upon this matter, alleging -sagely that Mr. Beauchamp might die, might be thrown from his horse -and killed, <i>et cœtera, et cœtera</i>; his young visiter both drew -up such an acknowledgement as might be afterwards stamped if -necessary, and desired him to send down to Emberton for what was -farther required, promising that he himself would return in an hour -and sign the document, which was still more cautiously to insure the -miser against loss.</p> - -<p class="normal">He then rose and departed--Mr. Tims viewing, with that mixture of -pity, wonder, and admiration, wherewith cowards regard heroes, the -young gentleman issue forth into the dark night air, loaded with so -large a sum, and armed with nothing but a small ash twig not thicker -than his little finger. Burrel, however, like a great many other -heroes, never suspected for a moment that he was in any danger, and -walked on quite calmly, though he could not help noticing the same -peculiar whistle which he had heard before. Nothing, however, occurred -to interrupt him. A bright moon was now rising up; and, at the -distance of a little more than a mile from the miser's house, just -where the lane opened out upon a wide upland field, he perceived the -figure of a man coming rapidly over the rise. He himself was hid by -the bushes and trees; but, by the walk and air, he immediately -recognized Captain Delaware in the person who now approached. There -would be no use of staying here, at the fag-end of a chapter, to -analyze or scrutinize the train of feelings or of reasonings that made -Beauchamp at once determine to avoid an interview. Suffice it that his -resolution was instantaneous; and pushing through the hedge, near -which he stood, at the cost both of gloves and hands, he walked -forward on the other side of the hedgerow, while William Delaware -passed him within a couple of yards' distance.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER V.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">We must now return for a moment to the morning of that day, -whose sun -we have just seen go down, and to Blanche Delaware, who sat in her -solitary chamber, with the world feeling all a wide lonely desert -around her. Not a month before, there had not been a happier girl upon -the earth. She had been contented; she had possessed her own little -round of amusements and occupations. She had music, and books, and -flowers, and nature, and two beings that she dearly loved, constantly -beside her, and she had never dreamed of more. The buoyancy of health, -and a happy disposition, had raised her mind above the low estate to -which her family had been reduced; and a refined taste, with that -noblest quality of the human mind, which may be called the power of -admiration, had taught her, like the bee, to extract sweetness and -enjoyment from every flower that Heaven scattered on her way. But -since that time, she had been taught another lesson--She had been -taught to love! That passion had given a splendour to the world that -it had never before possessed. It had painted the flowers with richer -colours--it had spread a sunshine of its own over the face of -nature--it had given new soul to the music that she loved. The dream -had been broken--the adventitious splendour had passed away; but it -left not the flowers, or the music, or the face of nature, as they -were before. It took from them their own beauties, as well as that -which it had lent them. All had withered, and died; and the world was -a desert.</p> - -<p class="normal">She had wept long, and bitterly; but she had dried her eyes, and -bathed away the traces of her tears, when her father entered her room, -and enquired tenderly after her health. "You do not look well, indeed, -my dear Blanche," he said. "I wish you would send to Emberton for Mr. -Tomkins."</p> - -<p class="normal">Blanche assured him, however, that it was nothing but a headach--that -she would be better soon--that she was better already--and that she -was just thinking of coming down stairs. There was, indeed, a sort of -trembling consciousness at her heart, which made her fear, at every -word, that her father was going to touch upon the subject most painful -to her heart; but she soon perceived that no suspicion had been -awakened in his bosom; and she trusted that her brother would share in -her fathers blindness, especially as he had been absent so long in -London. In this hope, and as far as possible to remove all cause for -doubt, at least, till she was able to bear an explanation, Blanche -nerved her mind to restrain her feelings, and soon followed her father -to the library. It was some time, as we have seen, before William -Delaware returned, and Sir Sidney had walked out a little way towards -Ryebury to meet him; but as he had been since at Emberton, he came of -course by a different path, and arrived alone. His mind was in no -slight degree irritated and impatient, from all that had passed; and -poor Blanche had unfortunately so far fallen under his displeasure, -from the facts which the servant had communicated to him, that he was -prepared, as he mentally termed it, to give her a severe scolding; but -when he entered the library, he found her looking so sad and -woebegone, that his heart melted; and sitting down beside her on the -sofa, where she had been reading, he took her hand kindly in his, and -asked her after her health, with a look full of fraternal affection. -Blanche fancied that he too was deceived, and answered, that her -complaint was only a headach, which would soon pass away.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Are you sure, my sweet sister," asked Captain Delaware, "that it is -not a heartach, which may be long ere it leave you, if you do not take -the advice of some one who has a right to counsel you?"</p> - -<p class="normal">The blood rushed burning into Miss Delaware's cheek, and she trembled -violently; but her brother folded his arm round her waist, and still -speaking gently and kindly, he went on:--"Hear me, dearest Blanche--We -have been brought up as brother and sister seldom are--shut out the -greater part of our lives from the rest of the world--loving each -other dearly from the cradle--I, seeing little of mankind, except -within the sphere of my own vessel; and you, seeing nothing of mankind -at all. I believe that I have been the only confidant you have had -from childhood, and I do not intend, dearest, that you should withdraw -that confidence from me, till I put this little hand into that of the -only man who ought to be your confidant from that moment."--The tears -rolled rapidly over Blanche Delaware's cheeks.--"Although it may seem -strange," continued her brother, "that you should be expected to make -a confidant of any man at all in love matters, yet, for want of a -better, Blanche, you must tell me all about it; and, perhaps, I shall -not make the worse depository of a secret, for being a sailor.--We are -all tender-hearted, Blanche," he added, with a smile; "at least when -we are on shore. So now tell me--has Mr. Burrel offered you his hand?"</p> - -<p class="normal">Blanche was silent, though her brother waited during more than one -minute for a reply; but the blood again mounted into her cheek, and -the tears dropped thicker than before. "Well, well," he continued, -"if you cannot answer by words, dear sister, I must try and make out -your signals, though I have not, perhaps, the most correct code -myself--Burrel has offered you his hand?" Blanche gently bent her -head. It could scarcely be called an assent; but it was enough for her -brother, and he went on. "Well, then, what was the difficulty? He -loved you, and you loved him."</p> - -<p class="normal">Blanche would have started up, but her brother's arm held her firmly, -and, as her only resource, she hid her glowing face upon his shoulder, -and sobbed aloud. "Nay, nay, dear girl!" he cried, "Where is the shame -or the harm of loving a man who has long loved you? Do you think I -have not seen your love, my dear sister? And do you think that I would -suffer your heart to be won, unless I knew that the man who sought it, -really loved you and was worthy of you? But tell me, Blanche, where is -the difficulty--what is the obstacle? Some trifle it must be--I will -not call it a caprice, for my sister is above that--but some idle -delicacy--some over-retiring modesty, I am afraid."</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, no, William, I can assure you!" replied Blanche Delaware, raising -her head, "I could be above all that too--but it cannot be."</p> - -<p class="normal">"But, my dear Blanche," said Captain Delaware, more seriously than he -had hitherto spoken--for he had endeavoured to mingle a playfulness -with his tenderness. "But, my dear Blanche, you must assign some -reason--at least to me. Burrel will think that we have all trifled -with him. I stood virtually pledged to him for your hand, on condition -that he won your love. That he must have felt he has done, or that you -have been sporting with him--and such an imputation must not lie on -you, nor must he think that I have deceived him."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Do you know who he really is?" demanded Blanche suddenly.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes, Blanche, as well as you do," replied her brother. "He is your -cousin and mine, Henry Beauchamp, whom we have both played with on -that carpet in our childhood."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is useless, William--it is all useless!" replied Blanche, with a -deep and painful sigh. "But there is my fathers step in the hall--Let -me go, William, if you love me--and oh, do not, for Heaven's sake, -increase his anxiety just now, by letting him know any thing of all -this!--Let me go, my dear brother, I beseech you!" and struggling -free, she made her escape by the door opposite to that by which Sir -Sidney Delaware was just about to enter the library.</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware had a painful task before him, in the necessity of -communicating to his father, the result of the enquiries he had set -out in the morning to make, although he could not find in his heart to -tell him explicitly upon what doubtful chances his hope of receiving -the money ere the next morning, was founded. He confined his -information, therefore, as much to general terms as possible; and -informed Sir Sidney that Mr. Tims had not yet indeed received the -money, which was to be furnished by a third party, but that he doubted -not it would be paid that night, or early the next morning, before -Lord Ashborough's lawyer could arrive.</p> - -<p class="normal">These tidings stopped any farther enquiries from Sir Sidney Delaware, -though they did not satisfy or quiet his mind; and he concluded that -his son had told him all he knew, although that all but served to -render him anxious and impatient. He remained restless and disturbed -through the whole of the day; raised a thousand aerial hypotheses in -regard to Mr. Tims's delay--drew a general picture of all misers, -lawyers, and usurers, which might have ornamented the scrap-book of -Eblis--and more than once threatened to visit the worthy proprietor of -Ryebury himself, from which feat he was with difficulty dissuaded by -his son, who, in fact, was but little less anxious than himself.</p> - -<p class="normal">Perhaps, indeed, Captain Delaware's anxiety was the more keen and -corroding, because he forced himself to conceal it, and to appear -perfectly confident and careless. Blanche, on her part, avoided all -communication with her brother, except that, when they met at dinner -and at tea, her eyes besought him to spare her. The moments waned; -neither Mr. Tims nor Burrel, nor any messenger from either, appeared -during the evening; and, as night began to fall, Captain Delaware's -impatience gradually got the better of his self-command; and finding -himself in the situation of a shell, the fuse of which was rapidly -burning down to the powder, and which must consequently explode in a -short time, he thought it better to carry himself away, and let his -heat and disappointment reck itself upon any other objects than his -friends and relations.</p> - -<p class="normal">As the most natural vent for such feelings, he took his way towards -Ryebury; but when he returned, after about an hour's absence, he -appeared to the eyes of his sister--who strove to read his looks with -no small apprehension--more heated and irritable than before.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, William, what does Mr. Tims say now?" demanded Sir Sidney -Delaware, whose own anxiety had at once told him whither his son had -turned his footsteps, although Captain Delaware had given no -intimation of his purpose.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have not seen him, sir!" was the reply. "The old dotard would not -let me in. Afraid of <i>robbers</i>, I suppose. I rang till I was tired, -and then came away. But it is no matter; the money will be forthcoming -to-morrow, I have no doubt. The coach does not arrive till the -afternoon; and Lord Ashborough's solicitor did not come by it -to-night, for I enquired at the inn."</p> - -<p class="normal">Things which, buoyed up on the life-preserver of a light heart, float -like feathers over all the waves of adversity that inundate this briny -world, sink the soul down to the bottom of despair the moment that the -life-preserver, dashed against some sharp rock, or beaten by some more -violent surge, suffers the waters to flow in, and the fine elastic air -to escape. Not many weeks before, Blanche Delaware would have -wondered, in the happy contentedness of her own heart, at the anxiety -and disappointment of her brother and her father, and would have -looked upon the events which they seemed to regret so bitterly, but as -a very small and easily borne misfortune. But in the present -depression of her spirits, it overwhelmed her even more than it did -them. Her own grief was so deep, that she could not well bear any -more; and, soon after her brother's return, she retired to her chamber -to weep.</p> - -<p class="normal">The night went by, and Blanche and her father descended to the -breakfast-table somewhat earlier than usual; for care makes light -sleepers.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Is William out?" demanded Sir Sidney Delaware, as he met his -daughter. "I wished to have gone to Ryebury with him."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I do not think he is down yet!" she replied. "I have not seen him, -and yet it is odd he should be the last up to-day."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Send up and see, my love!" said her father; which was accordingly -done, and the result was, that Captain Delaware was found just -dressing. Blanche thought it very strange, that on such an occasion -her brother should yield to a laziness he did not usually indulge; but -Captain Delaware seemed in no hurry to come down, and the breakfast -proceeded without him. Before it was concluded, however, and before he -had made his appearance, the sound of wheels coming up the avenue was -heard, and a hack post-chaise drove to the door. The whole proceedings -of its occupants were visible from the breakfast-parlour; and, as Sir -Sidney sat, he could perceive that the first person who got out was a -stout unpleasant-looking man, in whom, although greatly changed since -last he saw him, he recognized Lord Ashborough's lawyer. The next that -followed was evidently a clerk, and he carried in his hand one of -those ominous-looking bags of green serge, Mr. Peter Tims, immediately -after the descent of the clerk, turned back to the chaise door, and -spoke a few words to some one who remained within, and then followed -the servant up the steps of the terrace.</p> - -<p class="normal">Blanche looked at her father. He was very pale. "I wish you would call -William, my love!" he said, with a faint effort to smile; "We may want -his presence in dealing with these gentlemen."</p> - -<p class="normal">Blanche hastened to obey, and, almost as she left the room, Mr. Peter -Tims was announced. He entered with a low bow, but a face full of cool -effrontery, which gave the lie to his profound salutation. He -immediately informed Sir Sidney that he now had the pleasure of -waiting upon him to settle the little business between him and his -noble client, Lord Ashborough; and he ended by presenting the bill for -twenty-five thousand pounds, which had now been due nearly two days.</p> - -<p class="normal">Sir Sidney Delaware begged him to be seated, and then, in an -embarrassed but gentlemanly manner, explained to him that the money -which he had expected to receive, had not yet been paid; but that he -trusted that it would be so in the course of the day.</p> - -<p class="normal">The face of Mr. Peter Tims grew dark; not that he did not anticipate -the very words he heard, but that he thought fit to suit his looks to -his actions. "Ha! then," he cried, "my lord was right, sir!--my lord -was right when he said he was sure that the annuity would never be -redeemed, and that the only object was to reduce the interest. But I -can tell you. Sir Sidney, that such conduct will not do with us!" and -he made a sign to his clerk, who instantly left the room. "We had -heard something of this yesterday, and that made me come as far -as ---- last night."</p> - -<p class="normal">Sir Sidney Delaware's cheek grew red, and his lip quivered, but it was -with anger. "What is the meaning of this insolence, sir?" he demanded, -in a tone that changed Mr. Tims's manner at once from the voluble to -the dogged. "You seem to me to forget yourself somewhat strangely!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh no, sir, no!" replied the lawyer. "All I have to say is--This, I -think, is your bill--now more than due. Are you ready to take it up? -If not, I must proceed as the law directs!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"And pray, sir, what does the law direct you to do," demanded Sir -Sidney Delaware, "when the payment of a sum of money is delayed for a -few hours, by some accidental circumstance?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is all very well talking. Sir Sidney!" said the man of law; and -was proceeding in the usual strain when Captain Delaware entered the -room, and, passing behind his father, whispered something in the -baronet's ear that made him start. Almost at the same moment, the -lawyer's clerk returned, followed by one of those ill-looking fellows, -who, as poor Colley Cibber declared, were "fitted by nature for doing -ugly work," and, consequently, engaged by the sheriffs for that -purpose.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Which is the gemman, Mr. Tims?" cried the bailiff, for such was the -personage now introduced. "Is't the ould un, or the young un? for we -must not be after mistaking."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Stop a moment!" cried Captain Delaware. "Pray, who are these persons, -sir?" he continued, addressing Mr. Tims.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Merely my clerk, sir, my clerk!" replied Mr. Tims, who did not -particularly approve the flashing of Captain Delaware's eye. "Merely -my clerk, and an officer of the sheriff's court, instructed to execute -a writ upon the person of Sir Sidney Delaware, at the suit of my noble -lord the Earl of Ashborough. You know, Captain Delaware," he added, -edging himself round the table to be out of reach of the young -officer's arm; "you know, you yourself assured me that the money would -be ready before the time, and now two days have elapsed, so that it is -clear sir--it is clear, I say, that all this is nothing but trifling."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Pray, Mr. Tims," said Captain Delaware in a milder tone than the -other expected, "answer me one question, as you are a shrewd and -clever lawyer, and I want my mind set at rest."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Certainly, sir, certainly!" replied Mr. Tims; "very happy to answer -any legal question, provided always, nevertheless, that it does not -affect the interests of my client."</p> - -<p class="normal">"My question is merely this, sir," answered the young officer, whose -mind--both from what Burrel's servant had let fall, and from his own -observations--had come to the conclusion, that the Messieurs Tims, -uncle and nephew, had combined to prevent the payment of the money. -"My question is merely this--Suppose two or three men were to enter -into an agreement for the purpose of delaying the payment of a sum of -money, in order to arrest a person on a bill they had obtained from -him, would they not be subject to indictment for conspiracy?"</p> - -<p class="normal">The countenance of Mr. Tims fell; but the moment after it kindled -again with anger, and he replied, "I will answer that question in -another time and place; and, in the mean time, officer do your duty!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Stand back, sir!" said Captain Delaware, sternly, as the man -advanced. "Mr. Tims, you <i>shall</i> answer that question in another time -and place, and that fully. In the mean time, as you say, be so good as -to present your bill. I shall only observe upon your conduct, that the -fact of your having obtained this very writ, before you had ever -presented the bill for payment, gives a strong presumption that you -had taken means to prevent the money being ready, and concluded that -those means had been successful."</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Tims turned very pale; but he was not one of those unfortunate men -whose impudence abandons them at the moment of need, and he almost -instantly replied, "No, sir, no! It affords no presumption. The fact -is, we never thought the money would be paid. We always knew that the -whole business was an artifice--that you had no honest means of coming -by the money--and, after having allowed one whole day, and a part of -another, to elapse, that there might be no excuse, we came prepared to -make the artifice fall upon the heads of those that planned it. -Officer, why do you not execute the writ?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Because the gemman demands you should present the bill!" replied the -man.</p> - -<p class="normal">"The bill matters nothing--the debt has been sworn to," answered Mr. -Tims; "but, that there may be no farther quibble--there--there, sir, -is a bill signed by Sir Sidney Delaware for the sum of twenty-five -thousand pounds, which became due the day before yesterday. Are you -ready to pay it? Can you take it up? Are you prepared to discharge -it?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"We are, sir!" replied Captain Delaware; "and, when we have done so, I -shall take the liberty of caning you for the words you have had the -impudence to use, and the imputations you have been shameless enough -to utter, till you shall have as good an action of battery against me, -as I shall have an indictment for conspiracy against you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, no, William!" said Sir Sidney Delaware. "There is not an -instrument of castigation in the house, from the dog-whip to the stick -with which the boy cudgels the jackass, that would not be disgraced by -touching the back of that man or his instigator."</p> - -<p class="normal">"First, sir, let us see the money," cried Mr. Tims; "and then let any -man touch me if he dare. The money, sir! Where is the money, I say?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Here, sir!" replied Captain Delaware, drawing out a pocket-book. -"Here is the money that you require; and, therefore, before proceeding -to any thing else, we will terminate this business."</p> - -<p class="normal">It would be difficult, in that confused gabble of a thousand depraved -dialects which the reviews call "good manly English," to express the -horror and despair of Mr. Peter Tims, at finding that--notwithstanding -all the arts and artifices he had used, and which were a thousandfold -more in number than we have had space to put down--the money had been -obtained; and, therefore, that the patronage and business of Lord -Ashborough might be looked upon as lost to him for ever.</p> - -<p class="normal">Nothing, however, could be done; and he was obliged to sit down and -transact the receipt of the money, and all the other formal business -incident to the occasion, with a bitter heart and a gloomy -countenance. The notes, indeed, which Captain Delaware handed to him, -in discharge of his father's bill, he examined with scrupulous -attention; and had he been able to detect even a suspicious look about -any of them, would probably have made it a plea to delay the -acceptance of the payment; but all was fair and clear; and in half an -hour the bill was paid, and Sir Sidney Delaware's estate was delivered -from the burden which had kept his family in poverty for so many -years. Mr. Tims, indeed, took care to conduct himself with a degree of -irritating insolence, intended, beyond doubt, to tempt the young -officer to strike him as he had threatened, which would probably have -been the case, had not Sir Sidney Delaware pointed out to his son, in -a calm bitter tone, the real object of the lawyer, observing aloud, -that pettifogging attorneys often made considerable sums by carrying -actions of assault into a peculiar court, where the costs to the -offender were very severe.</p> - -<p class="normal">This turned the scale; and, when the whole was concluded, the lawyer -was suffered to depart, loaded with nothing but disappointment and -contempt.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER VI.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">There are few things in life so troublesome or so tedious as -the -turnings back which one is often obliged to make, as one journeys -along over the surface of the world; the more especially because these -turnings back happen, in an infinite proportion, oftener to the hasty -and the impatient than to other men; and that, too, on account of -their very haste and impatience, which makes them cast a shoe here, or -drop their whip there, or ride off and forget their spurs at the other -place. But yet it is not an unpleasant sight, to see some sedate old -hound, when a whole pack of reckless young dogs have overrun the scent -in their eagerness, get them all gently back again, under the sage -direction of the huntsman and his whips, and with upturned nose, and -tongue like a church bell, announce the recovery.</p> - -<p class="normal">Know then, dear readers, that in our eagerness to get at the scene -just depicted, we have somewhat overrun the scent, and must return, -however unwillingly, to the time and circumstances, under which Henry -Beauchamp left Mr. Tims of Ryebury, on the preceding night. It was, as -may be remembered, fine clear autumn weather. The night, indeed, would -have been dark, but for the moon, which poured a grand flood of light -through the valleys, and over the plains; and Mr. Tims who loved the -light--not so much because his own ways were peculiarly good, as -because it is known to be a great scarer of those whose ways are more -evil still--remarked with satisfaction, as he ushered his guest to the -door, that it was as clear as day.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sally, Sally!" he exclaimed, as soon as Mr. Beauchamp was gone, "Are -all the doors and windows shut?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Lord bless me, yes!" answered the dirty maid, shouting in return from -the kitchen, like Achilles from the trenches, "As fast shut as hands -can make them."</p> - -<p class="normal">"What is that noise, then?" demanded the miser, suspiciously. "Only me -putting in the lower bolt of the back-door," answered the maid.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh Sally, Sally! you never will do things at the time you are bid!" -cried the reproachful usurer. "I told you always to shut up at dusk. -But come here, and put on your bonnet I want you to run down to the -town for a stamp."</p> - -<p class="normal">Sally grumbled something about going out so late, and meeting impudent -men in the lanes; but after a lapse of time, which the miser thought -somewhat extraordinary in length, she appeared equipped for the walk, -and received her master's written directions as to the stamp, or -rather stamps, he wanted, and where they were to be found in Emberton. -The miser then saw her to the door, locked, bolted, and barred it, -after her departure, and returning to the parlour, lifted the dim and -long wicked candle, bearing on its pale and sickly sides, the evidence -of many a dirty thumb and finger; and then with slow, and somewhat -feeble steps, climbed, one by one, the stairs, and retired to a high -apartment at the back of the house, for which he seemed to entertain a -deep and reverential affection.</p> - -<p class="normal">Well, indeed, might he love it; for it was the temple of his divinity, -the place in which his riches and his heart reposed, and which -contained his every feeling. There, shrined in a safe of iron, let -into the wall, were the Lares and Penates of his house, bearing either -the goodly forms of golden disks--with the face of the fourth George -pre-eminent on one side, and of his namesake saint all saddleless and -naked, on the other--or otherwise, the forms of paper parallelograms, -inscribed with cabalistic characters, implying promises to pay. Here -Mr. Tims sat down after having closed the door, and placed the candle -on a table; and, throwing one leg clothed in its black worsted -stocking over the other, he sat in a sort of rapt and reverential -trance, worshipping mammon devoutly, in the appropriate forms of -vulgar and decimal fractions, interest, simple and compound.</p> - -<p class="normal">Scarcely had he gone up stairs, however, when a change of scene came -over the lower part of his house. A door, which communicated with the -steps that led down to the kitchen, moved slowly upon its hinges, and -the moonlight streaming through the grated fan window, above the outer -door, fell upon the form of a man emerging with a careful and -noiseless step from the lower story into the passage. The beams, which -were strong enough to have displayed the features of any one where -this very suspicious visiter stood, now fell upon nothing like the -human face divine, the countenance of the stranger being completely -covered and concealed by a broad black crape, tied tightly behind his -head. As soon as he had gained the passage, and stood firm in the -moonlight, another form appeared, issuing from the mouth of the same -narrow and somewhat steep staircase, with a face equally well -concealed. A momentary conversation was then carried on in a whisper -between the two, and the first apparition, looking sharply at the -chinks of the several doors around, seemingly to discover whether -there was any light within, replied to some question from the other, -"No, no! He is gone up stairs, to hide it in the room where she told -us he kept it. Go down and tell Wat to come up, and keep guard here; -and make haste!"</p> - -<p class="normal">The injunction was soon complied with; and a third person being added -to the party, was placed, with a pistol in his hand, between the outer -door and the top of the stairs. Before he suffered his two companions -to depart, however, on the errand on which they were bent, he seemed -to ask two or three questions somewhat anxiously, to which the former -speaker replied, "Hurt him! Oh, no! do not be afraid! Only tie him, -man! I told you before that we would not. There is never any use of -doing more than utility requires. He will cry out when he is tied, of -course; but do not you budge."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Very well!" answered the other, in the same low tone, and his two -comrades began to ascend the stairs. Before they had taken three -steps, however, the first returned again to warn their sentinel not to -use his pistol but in the last necessity; observing, that a pistol was -a bad weapon, for it made too much noise. He then resumed his way, and -in a moment after was hid from his companion. The whole topography of -the house seemed well known to the leader of these nocturnal -visitants; for, gliding on as noiselessly as possible, he proceeded -direct towards the room where the miser sat.</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Tims, little misdoubting that such gentry were already in -possession of his house, had remained quietly musing over his gains, -somewhat uneasy, indeed, at the absence of Sally, but not much more -apprehensive than the continual thoughts of his wealth caused him -always to be.</p> - -<p class="normal">He had indeed once become so incautious, in the eagerness of his -contemplations, as to draw forth his large key, and open the strong -iron door which covered the receptacle of his golden happiness. But, -immediately reflecting that Sally was not in the house to give the -alarm if any cause of apprehension arose below, he relocked the chest, -and was returning to the table, when a sudden creak of the stairs, as -if one of the steps had yielded a little beneath a heavy but cautious -foot, roused all his fears. His cheeks and his lips grew pale; his -knees trembled; and, with a shaking hand, he raised the candle from -the table, and advanced towards the door.</p> - -<p class="normal">It was opened but too soon; and, ere the unhappy miser reached it, the -light fell upon a figure which left him no doubt of the purport of the -visit. It was not for his life the old man feared half so much as for -his treasure, in the defence of which he would have fought an universe -of thieves. A blunderbuss hung over the mantle-piece, and the pully of -an alarum-bell by the window, and the miser's mind vibrated for a -single moment between the two. Dropping the candle almost at once, -however, he sprang towards the bell, while one of the men shouted to -the other near whom he passed, "Stop him! Stop him from the bell! By -G--, he will have the whole country upon us!"</p> - -<p class="normal">Both sprang forward. The candle, which had blazed a moment on the -floor, was trampled out, and complete darkness succeeded. Then -followed a fearful noise of eager running here and there--the -overthrowing of chairs and tables--the dodging round every thing that -could be interposed between people animated with the active spirit of -flight and pursuit--but not a word was spoken. At length there was a -stumble over something--then a heavy fall, and then a sound of -struggling, as of two people rolling together where they lay. -Another rushed forward, and seemed to grope about in the darkness. -"D---- it, you have cut me, Stephen!" cried a low deep voice.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Murder! Murder! Murder!" screamed another. "Oh! Oh! Oh!" and all was -silent.</p> - -<p class="normal">Two men had fallen; and another had bent down over them. But only one -of those who had rolled on the floor rose up, beside the other who had -been kneeling. Both remained quite still, with nothing but the -monosyllable, "Hush!" uttered by either.</p> - -<p class="normal">After a pause of several minutes, the one observed, in a low voice, -"You have done him, Stephen!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"He would have it," replied the other. "Run down and get a light, and -do not let the youngster know how it has turned out."</p> - -<p class="normal">"But I am all bloody!" said the other. "He will see it in a minute. -Besides, you have cut my hand to the bone."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, you stay, and I will go down?" replied the first.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not I!" was the answer. "I'll not stay here in the dark with him."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Then go down, and do not waste more time," said the first, somewhat -sharply. "Tell the boy, if he ask, that the old man cut your hand -while you were tying him--but, at all events, make haste!"</p> - -<p class="normal">The other obeyed, and after a long and silent interval, returned with -the light. It flashed upon a ghastly spectacle. There, on the floor, -at a short distance from the bell-rope, which he had been endeavouring -to reach, lay the figure of the unhappy miser in the midst of a pool -of gore, which was still flowing slowly from two deep gashes in his -throat. His mouth was open, and seemed in the very act of gasping. His -eyes were unclosed and turned up, with a cold dull meaningless stare; -and his gray hair, long, lank, and untrimmed, lay upon his ashy -cheeks, dabbled with his own blood. By his side, exactly on the very -spot where he had stood when the other left him, appeared the -murderer. His features could not be seen, for they were still -concealed by the crape over his face; but the attitude of his head and -whole person evinced that his eyes were fixed, through the black -covering, upon the spot where his victim lay, now first made visible -to his sight by the entrance of the light. In his hand was a long -clasp-knife, hanging laxly, with the point towards the ground, and a -drop or two of blood had dripped from it upon the floor. The -disarrayed chamber, the overturned furniture, and a small stream of -blood that was winding its way amidst the inequalities of an -old-fashioned floor, towards the doorway, where the beams had sunk a -little, made up the rest of the scene--and a fearful scene it was.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Is he quite dead?" demanded the man who entered, after a momentary -pause.</p> - -<p class="normal">"As dead as Adam!" replied the other, "And, as the business is done, -there is no use of thinking more about it!" But the very words he -used, might seem to imply that he had already been thinking more of -what had passed than was very pleasing. "Such obstinate fools will -have their own way--I never intended to kill him, I am sure; but he -would have it; and he is quiet enough now!"</p> - -<p class="normal">The other approached, and though, perhaps, the less resolute ruffian -of the two, he now gazed upon the corpse, and spoke of it with that -degree of vulgar jocularity, which is often affected to conceal more -tremour and agitation than the actors in any horrid scenes may think -becoming. Perhaps it was the same feelings that attempted to mask -themselves in the overdone gaiety which Cromwell displayed on the -trial and death of Charles Stuart.</p> - -<p class="normal">"The old covey is quiet enough now, as you say!" remarked the inferior -ruffian, drawing near with the light. "His tongue will never put you -or I into the stone pitcher, Stephen."</p> - -<p class="normal">"His blood may," replied the other, "if we do not make haste. She said -the key of the chest was always upon him. There it is in his hand, as -I live! We must make you let go your hold, sir--But you grasp it as -tight in death as you did in life."</p> - -<p class="normal">With some difficulty the fingers of the dead man were unclosed, -and the large key of the iron safe wrenched from his grasp. The -freshly stimulated thirst of plunder, did away, for the moment, all -feelings of remorse and awe; and the two ruffians hastened to unlock -the iron door in the wall, the one wielding the key, while the other -held the light, and gazed eagerly over his shoulder. The first -drawer they opened caused them both to draw a long deep breath of -self-gratulation, so splendid was the sight of the golden rows of new -sovereigns and old guineas it displayed. A bag was instantly produced, -and the whole contents emptied in uncounted. The hand of the principal -plunderer was upon the second drawer, when a loud ring at the -house-bell startled them in their proceedings.</p> - -<p class="normal">"He will not open the door surely?" cried the one.</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, no! I told him not," answered the other. "But let us go down, to -make sure."</p> - -<p class="normal">Setting the light on the floor, they both glided down the stairs, and -arrived just in time to prevent their comrade, whom they had left upon -guard below, from making an answer, as he was imprudently about to do. -The bell was again rung violently, and after a third application of -the same kind, some heavy blows of a stick were added. Again and again -the bell was rung; and as the visiter seemed determined not to go away -without effecting an entrance, the man who seemed to have led -throughout the terrible work of that night, put his hand slowly into -his pocket, and, drawing forth a pistol, laid his hand upon the lock -of the door.</p> - -<p class="normal">"He will ring there till Sally comes up," observed the other in a -whisper, "and then we shall be all blown."</p> - -<p class="normal">Just as the click of cocking the pistol, announced that the -determination of the first ruffian was taken, a receding step was -heard, and calmly replacing the weapon, he said, "He is gone!--now let -us back to our work quick, Tony!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"All is very silent up stairs," said the young man who had been -keeping watch, in a low and anxious tone.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, the old man is tied and gagged sufficiently! Do not be afraid, -Wat!" replied the other. "Only you keep quite quiet--If any one comes, -make no answer; but if they try to force a way in by the back-door, -which is on the latch, give them a shot! You have good moonlight to -take aim;" and mounting the stairs with the same quiet steps, he once -more entered the chamber of the miser.</p> - -<p class="normal">The young man who remained below, listened attentively; and though the -footfalls of his two comrades, were as light as they well could be, -yet he heard them distinctly enter the room where they had left the -candle. As their steps receded, however, and no other sound followed, -he suffered the hand which held the pistol to drop heavily by his -side.</p> - -<p class="normal">"They have killed the old man!" he muttered. "He would never lie -still like a lubber, and see them pillage his chests, without making -some noise, if he were not dead! I thought that cold-blooded rascal -would do it, if it suited his cursed utility--I wish to God I had -never"----</p> - -<p class="normal">But the vain wish was interrupted by the sound of a door, gently -opened below; and, in a moment after, the form of Sally, the miser's -maid, appeared gliding up with a sort of noiseless step, which showed -her not unconscious of all that was proceeding within her master's -dwelling. A low and hasty conversation now took place between her and -the man upon watch, who told her his suspicions of the extent to which -his companions had pushed their crime, notwithstanding a promise which -they had made, it seems, to abstain from hurting their victim. -Somewhat to his surprise and disgust, however, he found, that though -the woman was trembling in every limb, from personal agitation and -fear of discovery, yet she felt little of the horror, which he himself -experienced, when he reflected on the murder of the poor defenceless -old man. She replied in a low but flippant tone, that dead men tell no -tales, and added, that she dared to say Mr. Harding would not have -done it, if the old fool had not resisted.</p> - -<p class="normal">At that moment the light from above began to glimmer upon the stairs, -and the two murderers soon after appeared, the one carrying a candle, -and the other a heavy bag, with which they at once proceeded into the -little parlour, where the old man had so lately sat with Mr. -Beauchamp. The other two followed, and the one who had remained below, -immediately taxed the principal personage in the tragedy, whom we may -now call Harding, with the act he had just committed.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Hush, hush!" cried Harding, in a stern tone, but one, the sternness -of which, was that of remorse. "Hush, hush, boy! I would not have done -it, if I could have helped it. But there," he added, putting the heavy -bag upon the table. "There, is enough to make your mother easy for the -rest of her days."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And shall I be ever easy again for the rest of mine?" demanded the -youth.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I hope so!" answered his companion dryly. "But come, we must not lose -time. This is too heavy for one of us to carry; and yet we have not -found a quarter of what we expected--Sally, my love, fetch us some -cloths, or handkerchiefs, or something. We may as well divide the -money now, and each man carry his own."</p> - -<p class="normal">So saying, he poured the mingled heap of gold and silver on the table; -and as soon as some cloths were procured to wrap it in, he proceeded -to divide it with his hand into four parts, saying, "Share and share -alike!"</p> - -<p class="normal">Some opposition was made to this, by the man who had accompanied him -in the more active part of the night's work, and who declared that he -did not think that the person who only kept watch, or the woman -either, deserved to be put on the same footing with themselves, who -had encountered the whole danger. He was at once, however, sternly -overruled by Harding, whose character seemed to have undergone a -strange change, amidst the fiery though brief period of intense -passions through which he had just passed. The softer metal had been -tempered into hard steel; but when for a moment he removed the crape -from his face, to give himself more air, it was pale, anxious, and -haggard; and had a look of sickened disgust withal, that was not in -harmony with his tone.</p> - -<p class="normal">Carefully, though rapidly, he rendered the several lots as nearly -equal as the mere measurement of the eye would permit, bade his -comrades each take that which he liked, and contented himself with the -one they left. The necessity of haste, or rather the apprehensiveness -of guilt, made them all eager to abridge every proceeding; and the -money being tied up, and a large sum in notes divided, they prepared -to depart.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Had we better go out by the back-door or the front?" demanded -Harding, turning to the woman.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, la! by the front, to be sure!" she replied. "The hind who lives -in the cottage on the lea opposite, might see us if we went out by the -back. Nobody can see us come out in the lane, unless some one be -wandering about."</p> - -<p class="normal">"We must take our chance of that!" replied Harding; and, putting out -the light, he led the way to the door.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER VII.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">"And now, my dear William," said Sir Sidney Delaware, as soon -as Mr. -Tims had departed, and the rolling wheels of his post-chaise were no -longer heard grating down the western avenue--"And now, my dear -William, lay your angry spirit. Depend upon it, that man carries with -him a sufficient punishment in the disappointment he has suffered. He -is one of that class of rogues for whom the old Athenians, finding no -appropriate corporeal infliction, decreed the punishment of the Stela; -or, in other words, ordered their names and infamy to be engraved upon -a pillar, and thus held them up to shame for ever.</p> - -<p class="normal">"As our law has no such just award," replied Captain Delaware, "I -should certainly have had great pleasure in writing his shame on his -back with a horsewhip instead; but of course, as you did not like it, -I forbore."</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, no, my dear boy!" said his father, "You would have degraded -yourself, gratified him, and had to pay a large sum for a small -satisfaction. But now all that is past; explain to us the rest of the -business. How happened the money to arrive so apropos, and without the -accompaniment of the miser of Ryebury? Was Mr. Tims senior, unwilling -to meet Mr. Tims junior, on a business, in regard to which it was -evident that the lawyer both wished and anticipated a different -result?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Strange enough to say, my dear sir," replied Captain Delaware, "you -are asking me questions which I cannot at all answer--There is Blanche -smiling," he added, "because I told her the same, before I came down, -and she chose to be incredulous--though she knows that there never was -sailor or landsman yet, so little given to romancing as I am."</p> - -<p class="normal">"But you can tell me when it was you received the money?" said Sir -Sidney, in some degree of surprise.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, certainly, sir!" answered his son. "It was this morning, not long -before Blanche came up to my room."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, they told me you had not been out this morning," said his -father.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Neither have I, my dear sir," replied Captain Delaware.</p> - -<p class="normal">"In short, papa, he makes a mystery of the whole affair," said -Blanche; "and will not say how or where he got it."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You are wrong, my dear sister," rejoined her brother. "I am perfectly -willing to say how and where I got it; and in fact I told you before."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh but, William!" exclaimed his sister, "I saw very well that you -were only jesting. You did not, I am sure, intend me to give credence -to that story?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well for you that you are not a man, my pretty Blanche," answered -Captain Delaware, shaking his hand at her good-humouredly, "I will -repeat the same, word for word, to my father; and if he do not believe -me, I will swear to it if he likes."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not I--not I, William!" said Sir Sidney. "Any thing that you assert -in so solemn a manner, I will believe without any swearings however -improbable it may be."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well then, my dear sir," replied Captain Delaware, "the fact is this: -When I rose this morning, in looking about for something on my -dressing-table, I found a paper parcel with my name written upon it; -and, on opening it, saw the notes which I just now gave to that -blackguard. There was no one thing in or about the parcel that could -lead me to divine from whom or whence it came; but as it contained the -precise sum required, and was addressed to myself, I could not doubt -the purpose for which it was intended. I have a vague recollection, -indeed, of seeing it lying there last night; but I was out of humour, -and somewhat sick at heart, and took but little notice of any thing. -However, it must have been there when I went to bed, for no one could -have come into my room without my hearing them."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Hum!" said Sir Sidney Delaware, with a smile. "Hum!" and, -notwithstanding his promise of full faith in his son's account, it was -evident he did not give credit to a word of it. "Well, well, William," -he said, "we will not press you hard; though your grave face almost -deserves that one should believe you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"On my word, sir! On my honour!" reiterated Captain Delaware, "Every -word that I tell you is true. This is very hard indeed that I am not -to be believed even when I pledge my honour."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay, nay!" said Sir Sidney. "If you bring your honour into the -scrape, my dear boy, I suppose we must believe you. But you will not, -I dare say, deny that you have some shrewd guess at how the money came -there, or who sent it?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"In regard to the person who sent it," answered Captain Delaware, a -good deal mortified at doubts which he felt he did not deserve, "I -have certainly a very strong suspicion, though I do not feel justified -in naming the friend to whom my mind turns; but, as to how it came -there, I am fully as ignorant as yourself or Blanche."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, all I can say is, that the whole business is very -extraordinary," replied Sir Sidney Delaware, more gravely than he had -hitherto spoken. "Indeed, I know not which would seem the most -strange, that such a large sum should be left in your room without -your privity or knowledge; or that my son should so strongly assert, -even in jest, what is not strictly true."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sir, you are doing me injustice!" said Captain Delaware, with a -burning cheek and a quivering lip; "and, as it is so, I will soon -investigate, and, if possible, discover how it was that this took -place;" and, striding across the room, he rang the bell with a degree -of violence, which showed the pain it cost him to brook respectfully, -even from his father, the doubt that Sir Sidney's last words -insinuated. Blanche gently glided across the room; and, laying her -hand upon his arm, raised her beautiful eyes to his with a look half -imploring half reproachful. Captain Delaware did not reply, but turned -away; and, walking to the window, looked out into the park till the -servant appeared.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Who left a paper parcel on my dressing-table last night?" he demanded -abruptly, and somewhat sharply too, as the man entered.</p> - -<p class="normal">The first reply was a stare of astonishment, at the unwonted tone of -one usually so mild and kindly in his whole deportment. "I'm sure I do -not know, sir!" answered the man as soon as he had recovered. "I did -not!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"William, you are heated," said Sir Sidney Delaware, interrupting his -son, as he was about to put another question to the servant. "I -perceive now, perhaps too plainly, that the matter is not a jest; and -therefore, of course, believe what you have said. The business, -however, must be investigated; as we cannot lie under so great an -obligation to any one, without due acknowledgement and repayment--Did -you see any stranger about the house or near it during the course of -yesterday evening?" he continued, turning to the servant.</p> - -<p class="normal">"No one, sir," replied the man. "That is to say, no one near the -house. In the lanes, at the back of the park, I met Harding, Mr. -Burrel's valet, loitering about with another young man towards dusk; -and now, I recollect, the housemaid declared that she saw some one -just passing by the terrace at about eight or nine o'clock."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Send the housemaid here!" said Sir Sidney; "and desire Mrs. -Williams"--the name of the old housekeeper--"and desire Mrs. Williams -to come with her."</p> - -<p class="normal">The commands of Sir Sidney were immediately obeyed, and the -examination of the housemaid began in form. The footman, however, had -already told nearly as much as she could tell herself. When going -along one of the corridors, during the previous evening, to shut the -windows which looked out upon the western part of the park, she had -seen a gentleman, she said, walking along just below the terrace, -towards the wood. She could not tell who he was, for she only saw him -for a moment; and, as he was partly concealed by the raised terrace on -which the house stood, she only caught a sight of his head and -shoulders.</p> - -<p class="normal">Here ended all information. The old housekeeper had seen no one, and -the housemaid declared that she neither could tell how tall the -gentleman was, nor could vouchsafe any other particulars in regard to -his personal appearance, except that he was a gentleman, she was sure; -for he walked like a gentleman. Sir Sidney would fain have forced her -into a definition of the walk of a gentleman; but the housemaid was -not to be caught, and took refuge in stupidity, as usual in such -cases.</p> - -<p class="normal">By the time this was over, William Delaware's heat had evaporated, and -it was with a smile he asked his father, "Well, sir, who do you think -our <i>dear unknown friend</i> is?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, of course, William, I cannot say who it positively is," replied -Sir Sidney; "but it would not surprise me, were I to find that it was -your admirable friend Burrel."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nor I either!" answered William Delaware. "What do you think, -Blanche?"</p> - -<p class="normal">But Blanche was looking out of the window, with a very red tip to the -fair finely-turned ear that rested on the smooth glossy waves of her -rich brown hair. Perhaps she did not hear the question, but certainly -she did not answer it; and her brother, though he would fain have said -a word or two of kind malice, could he have known how far he might -venture without inflicting real pain, would not run the risk.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I wish, William," said his father, "that you would go down to -Emberton and see Mr. Burrel. The circumstances of the proposed -arrangement with Lord Ashborough were mentioned more than once in his -presence, and if he have heard by any chance of there being a delay on -the part of Mr. Tims, he may certainly have taken means to remedy that -inconvenience. In fact, I know of no other person at all likely to -perform such an act of liberality in this somewhat romantic manner."</p> - -<p class="normal">Blanche glided out of the room, and her father went on. "Mrs. -Darlington, though a very good woman, and not without feeling, does -not perform such acts as this. Otherwise, as she came to Emberton I -hear yesterday, to meet Dr. Wilton and another magistrate about this -burning of her house, we might have supposed that she was the lender -of the money. Good Dr. Wilton himself could not, I know, command so -large a sum. I wish, therefore, you would go and visit Mr. Burrel, and -tell him that, while we accept the loan as an obligation, and -appreciate his conduct as it should be appreciated, we are desirous of -giving him a mortgage upon the property which he has released from so -great a burden."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I will go down almost immediately, sir," replied Captain Delaware; -"but, in all the confusion of this morning, I have lost my breakfast, -for it seems that the surprise and wonderment of finding the packet, -detained me till you and Blanche had finished."</p> - -<p class="normal">The bell was rung, breakfast was again made, and Captain Delaware -proceeded somewhat quickly in the task of despatching it, reflecting, -in the intervals of a broken conversation with his father, upon all -that he would have to say to Burrel--how he might best and most -delicately thank him for the kindness and promptitude of the service -he had rendered--how he might arrive at the facts of his situation in -regard to Blanche; and whether he would be justified in communicating -at once to Sir Sidney his cousin's real name, without consulting -Beauchamp himself. In the meanwhile, the baronet walked backwards and -forwards--now looked out of the window--now talked with his son, -feeling that degree of pleasant perturbation, that sort of long swell, -which remains after some moment of peculiar agitation is happily over, -and the mind is settling down slowly into a calm.</p> - -<p class="normal">Before his son had finished his breakfast, however, Sir Sidney -remarked that there seemed a great many people in the park. "I -suppose," he said, "the worthy lawyer has informed the good folks of -the town that we are rather more than a thousand a-year richer than we -were in the morning; and therefore we may now expect the respectful -congratulations of all those who treated us with the greatest degree -of contempt while we were poor.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I will go and kick them out, sir, directly," said Captain Delaware, -"if you will allow me to finish this piece of toast."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I hope you may finish a great many, William," replied his father, -"before you begin kicking at all. But there really seems something -extraordinary here. There is a whole posse, and here is a chariot -driving up the avenue--Dr. Wilton's, I think."</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware rose for a moment, looked out of the window, declared -the carriage to be certainly Dr. Wilton's, and the personages on foot -to be a set of blackguards, who had no business there; and then sat -down to his breakfast again, with the intention, as soon as he had -concluded, of going forth and sending the gentry, who had now -approached close to the house, back to the town without any very -flattering expression of regard. He was just depositing his coffee-cup -in the saucer, when Dr. Wilton entered the room unannounced, -accompanied by another magistrate, and followed by Mr. Peter Tims, -with two or three other persons, whose appearance in that place -greatly surprised both Sir Sidney and his son.</p> - -<p class="normal">The baronet advanced, however, and shook his reverend friend by the -hand; and Captain Delaware exclaimed laughing, "Why, my dear Dr. -Wilton, I never thought to see you with such a crew, headed by such a -rascally boatswain as that behind you.--Why, you have got all the -constables of Emberton at your back! What is the matter?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I am sorry to say, my dear William, that I am come upon a very -serious business," replied Dr. Wilton; "although, indeed, the part -that regards you, both our good friend here, Mr. Egerton, and myself, -look upon as quite ridiculous. Yet the matter is of so very horrible a -nature, that it does not admit of a jest; and this person--this -gentleman, urges a charge against you, so seriously and plausibly, -that we are forced to examine into the matter, though we doubt not -that you can clear yourself at once."</p> - -<p class="normal">"The scoundrel does not pretend to say that I struck him!" cried -Captain Delaware, his cheek burning with anger, "I threatened, indeed, -and I wish I had put my threat"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"The charge is a much more serious one than that," said Dr. Wilton, -interrupting him; and then, turning to his brother magistrate, he said -in a low tone. "Remark his demeanour! I told you it was ridiculous!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"You had better, however, have the warrant executed," replied the -other, in the same low tone. "We can hold the examination here; and if -it turn out as you expect, discharge it as soon as the business is -over."</p> - -<p class="normal">"What is the matter, gentlemen?" said Sir Sidney Delaware. "All this -seems very strange! Will you be kind enough to explain!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Captain Delaware," said Mr. Egerton, "we are here upon an unpleasant -duty. You are charged by this person, who is, I am told, Mr. Tims, a -lawyer of Clement's Inn, with a very serious crime; and although, from -your character and station, Dr. Wilton and myself do not for a moment -believe the accusation to originate in anything but error, and are -willing to do all to spare your feelings; yet, in pursuit of the ends -of justice, we are bound to act towards you as we would towards any -other person in the same situation. A charge against you, then, having -been made before us, upon oath, we were bound to grant a warrant -against you, which must now be executed. The examination, however, can -as well take place here as elsewhere; and as this gentleman has -declared that he is ready to go into it immediately, we will instantly -proceed, not at all doubting that you can clear yourself at once."</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware had listened at first with surprise and indignation; -but gradually, as the importance of the whole business became strongly -impressed upon his mind, he assumed a more serious aspect, and bowing -low, in reply to Mr. Egerton's address, he said, gravely but frankly, -"Although I cannot divine what charge that person is about to -bring--or rather has brought--against me; yet I thank you, sir, for -the courtesy with which you are inclined to treat me, and of course -surrender myself at once. Do not look so shocked, my dear father," he -added, turning towards Sir Sidney; "be assured that your son never did -an act that he was ashamed to acknowledge in the face of the whole -world. But I think you had better leave us; for this business seems -likely to be too painful for you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Never, never, my dear boy!" replied Sir Sidney. "Never! I am a -magistrate also, and should know something of these affairs; and -though, of course, I cannot act in your case, I will not leave you -while I have life."</p> - -<p class="normal">A tear rose in Dr. Wilton's eye; but Mr. Egerton beckoned forward the -officer charged with the warrant against Captain Delaware, to whom the -young gentleman surrendered immediately, merely requiring to be -informed of the nature of the crime with which he was charged.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I object! I object!" cried Mr. Peter Tims. "I will not have the -prisoner put upon his guard!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"You seem strangely ignorant of the fundamental principles of English -law, sir, for a person who follows it as a profession," replied Mr. -Egerton. "Captain Delaware, you are charged with the murder of a -person of the name of Tims, residing at Ryebury, in this -neighbourhood."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Good God!" exclaimed Captain Delaware, with unfeigned horror, "Then -that is the reason the poor fellow did not bring the money last -night."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Put down that observation clerk!" said Dr. Wilton to a young man who -had followed into the room with the constables, and two or three other -persons.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Let us carry on the matter a little more formally, my dear sir," said -Mr. Egerton. "Sir Sidney, with your permission, we will take our seats -here.--Clerk, place yourself there.--Constable, put a chair for -Captain Delaware at the bottom of the table--stand back yourself, and -keep those other persons back. Captain Delaware, it is customary to -warn persons in your present situation, against saying anything that -may commit themselves. To you I have only to remark, that your -examination will of course be taken down, and may hereafter be brought -against you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You will understand, however," added Dr. Wilton, "that the present -investigation is merely instituted by us, to ascertain whether this -person can bring forward sufficient evidence in support of the -accusation, to oblige us to remand you for farther examination."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I shall bring forward sufficient evidence to compel you to commit -him," cried Mr. Tims, "however prejudiced you may be in his favour."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Do not be insolent, sir!" said Mr. Egerton, "or I may find it -necessary to punish you in the first instance. Your charge is already -made, and we shall proceed with the examination as we judge most -expedient ourselves. Remember, Captain Delaware, you are warned -against committing yourself."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have nothing to conceal, sir, and therefore have no reason to fear -saying anything that is true!" replied the young officer. "Pray, -proceed!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, then, let me ask," said Mr. Egerton, "when and where you -happened to see Mr. Tims--generally known by the name of the miser of -Ryebury--for the last time?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"It was yesterday morning," replied Captain Delaware. "I met him first -in the lanes leading to his own house; accompanied him home, and left -him there."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Pray, did any high words pass between you and him, on that occasion?" -demanded the magistrate; "and if so, what was the subject of dispute? -You are not compelled to answer, unless you like."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I am sorry to say," replied Captain Delaware, "that there were high -words passed between myself and the poor old man. The cause of them -was simply, that he had agreed to furnish a certain sum of money to -pay off an annuity which was pressing heavily upon this estate; and -that he failed to perform his promise at the time agreed upon."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And to obtain which, whether he would or not, you murdered him!" -cried Mr. Peter Tims.</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware started up, with the fire flashing from his eyes, but -instantly resumed his seat, saying, "Am I to be thus insulted, -gentlemen?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Mr. Peter Tims," said Mr. Egerton sternly, "if you again interrupt -the proceedings, I will have you removed from the room; and if you are -insolent," he added, seeing the other about to reply, "I shall equally -know how to deal with you!"</p> - -<p class="normal">The lawyer was silent, and Dr. Wilton demanded, "Will you state. -Captain Delaware, whether on your last meeting with the unhappy man, -Mr. Tims, you threatened to strike him, or used any violent menaces -towards him?'"</p> - -<p class="normal">William Delaware reddened, but he replied at once, "Sorry I am to say, -my dear sir, that I did threaten to horsewhip him; but it was upon -severe provocation, from the cool insolence with which he informed me -that he was not able to keep the promise he had made--the performance -of which was of infinite consequence to my family."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And are you certain. Captain Delaware," demanded Mr. Egerton, "that -that was the last time you ever saw this unhappy man?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Perfectly certain!" replied the young officer; and then added, after -a momentary pause, "I went to his house last night, in order to -ascertain whether the money had arrived, but could not obtain -admittance. I rang several times without effect."</p> - -<p class="normal">Dr. Wilton and Mr. Egerton looked at each other, and the latter then -demanded--"Then pray, Captain Delaware, where did you obtain the money -which you paid to Mr. Tims here present this morning?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I suppose, sir," replied Captain Delaware, with some degree of -haughtiness, "that, as the question is evidently intended to entangle -me, I might, according to the principle you have yourself laid down, -refuse to answer; but it is indeed unnecessary to do so, and if the -simple truth do not clear me, I can hope for nothing else." He then -circumstantially recapitulated the same story which he had that -morning related to his father, concerning the receipt of the money.</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Tims laughed scornfully, and Mr. Egerton looked to Dr. Wilton, -who, in return, whispered something to him, which seemed to make an -immediate impression. "Captain Delaware," he said, "it is fit that I -should inform you, that a strong case is made out against you. In the -first place, there has been evidence on oath given before us, at the -house of this unfortunate man, Mr. Tims, that you were heard to -threaten him violently yesterday morning--clerk, hand me the minute of -Farmer Ritson's evidence--yes, those are the words! In the next place, -you were seen going towards his house last night after sunset, and two -or three other persons unknown, were observed proceeding in the same -direction. About that period the deceased was evidently still alive, -as his servant, it appears, was sent to Emberton for bill stamps, the -written description of which is before us in his own hand. The man has -been found murdered, in the very room where he kept his money, as if -he had been killed in the act of taking out certain sums from his iron -chest. The body of the woman has not been discovered, but a long track -of blood down the stairs, has pointed the direction in which it was -carried, and doubtless it will be found ere long."</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware had listened attentively, but not without impatience; -for perfect innocence made him feel the charge utterly absurd, and at -length he broke forth. "And do you, sir," he exclaimed, "call it a -strong case, that I was heard to threaten an old knavish miser with a -horsewhipping, and was seen somewhere in the neighbourhood of his -house on the night that he was killed, without any other evidence -whatever?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not without any other evidence whatever, Captain Delaware," replied -Mr. Egerton, somewhat sharply. "But on a train of circumstantial -evidence, sir, very painful for us to contemplate. You mistake the -matter, Captain Delaware," he added, in a more kindly tone. "Your -previous high character induces us to put the most liberal -construction upon every thing, and to extend to your case the most -calm--nay, the most friendly--consideration that justice will admit, -before we even remand you to await the result of the coroner's -inquest. Besides the circumstances I have stated, you must remember, -that you yourself acknowledge that, up to a late hour last night, you -were not possessed of the sum required. By half-past nine this -morning, that sum is in your possession. One of the notes before me -bears the mark of a forefinger stained with blood; and in the bedroom -of the deceased a paper has been found, dated yesterday morning, in -which the dates and numbers of some of the notes paid by you this -morning are marked as having been received by post that day. Your -account of the manner in which the money came into your hands, is -somewhat extraordinary--nay, so much so, as to be highly improbable; -and I fear, that unless you can in some way explain these -circumstances, we shall be bound to commit you at once."</p> - -<p class="normal">Sir Sidney Delaware hid his face in his handkerchief, and wept. Mr. -Tims rubbed his hands with a degree of glee, not at all diminished by -the loss of his uncle, and Captain Delaware gazed upon the two -magistrates, stupified at finding himself suddenly placed in -circumstances so suspicious. There was innocence, however, in the -whole expression of his countenance; in the surprise, in the horror, -in the bewilderment it betrayed; and Mr. Egerton, who was a shrewd and -observing, without being an unfeeling man, saw that such conduct could -not be affected, and believed that it could only proceed from a heart -devoid of guilt.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Bethink yourself, my dear sir!" he said, after a short pause, during -which he awaited in vain Captain Delaware's answer. "However -improbable, I will not believe any thing that you have said to be -untrue."</p> - -<p class="normal">"If you did, sir, I could pardon you," replied the young officer, with -a glowing cheek; "for, long ere you appeared, I could scarcely prevail -upon my own family to believe the tale. How much more, then, might it -be doubted by a person who is nearly a stranger to me?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well but, my dear sir!" said Mr. Egerton, more convinced of the -prisoner's innocence, by this outbreak of feeling, than he had been -before, "Can you not account for the fact of the money being so placed -in your bedroom?'"</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware related what had passed in the morning, and the -servants being called, recapitulated their tale; the footman declaring -that he had seen no one but Mr. Burrel's man, Harding, in the lanes at -the back of the park, and the housemaid swearing that she had seen a -stranger on the terrace just after nightfall. Dr. Wilton, at the first -sound of Burrel's name, sent off a messenger to his lodging at -Emberton, with orders to bring up the landlady with Harding, and the -groom, if the two latter were still there; and, in the meanwhile, Mr. -Egerton continued the examination, evidently more with a view of -giving the prisoner every chance of explaining the suspicious -circumstances, than with a wish to find him guilty.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Now, Captain Delaware," he said, "I am about to put a question to -you, which the circumstances, I believe, fully justify. Do you, or do -you not, know any one who was likely to perform so extraordinary, and, -I must say, foolish an act, as that of placing so large a sum in your -chamber, without giving you any notice of his so doing?--I say, have -you any suspicion as to who was the person who did so?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I certainly have, sir!" replied William Delaware. "And he was not a -man to do a foolish act. Circumstances unknown to you, sir, might -induce him to do, in the present instance, what he would not have done -upon any other motives."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And pray, sir, who may he be?" demanded the magistrate.</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware paused; but replied, after an instant's thought--"My -present situation, of course, compels me to be more explicit upon such -a subject, than I otherwise should be. The person I suspect of having -placed the money in my room, is a gentleman who has lately been -residing at Emberton, under the name of Burrel, but who may now be -named as my cousin, Henry Beauchamp."</p> - -<p class="normal">Sir Sidney Delaware started up off his chair, but immediately resumed -his seat again; and another look of intelligence passed between Mr. -Egerton and Dr. Wilton.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I appeal to Dr. Wilton," added Captain Delaware, "if such a thing be -not probable."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Most probable in his case!" replied Dr. Wilton. "Indeed, more than -probable"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"Pray, sir, are you now acting as a magistrate or as a witness?" -demanded Mr. Tims. "If as the latter, I would ask you, whether Mr. -Beauchamp did not pass the day at your house yesterday, which I hear -in the village that he did beyond all doubt?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Then you have heard, sir, what was not the case!" replied Dr. Wilton.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Pray, at what hour did he leave your house, sir?" demanded Mr. Tims, -taking care to preserve so respectful a tone as to afford no excuse -for refusing an answer to his question.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I should not hold myself bound to reply to you, sir," said the -clergyman; "but a sense of justice must of course supersede every -other consideration, whether indignation at impudence, or contempt for -low cunning; and therefore I reply, that he left my house, I should -suppose, about three o'clock."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I will presume to ask one question more, if I am permitted," said the -unruffled Mr. Peter Tims, bowing to Mr. Egerton, who was evidently -listening with interest. "At Mr. Beauchamp's departure, Dr. Wilton, -did he tell you whither he was about to turn his steps?"</p> - -<p class="normal">Dr. Wilton fidgeted on his seat; but truth was paramount, and he -answered, "He certainly implied that he was going to London."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Did he take the road which leads in that direction?" asked Mr. Tims.</p> - -<p class="normal">"He did!" replied the clergyman, and the interrogatory dropped, by a -low bow on the part of the lawyer to both the magistrates.</p> - -<p class="normal">The examination now paused for several minutes, till good Mrs. Wilson, -who had been Beauchamp's landlady at Emberton, was brought into the -room. Although the questions which were asked her were few, and of the -simplest kind, the poor woman gave her evidence in as wild and -confused a manner as if she had been charged with the murder herself. -The result, however, was, that she swore Mr. Burrel had left her house -early in the forenoon of the preceding day, as she understood, for -London; that his groom, with the greater part of his luggage, had gone -by the coach that very morning; and that his gentleman, Mr. Harding, -had followed his master the night before. She could not say exactly at -what hour; but swore that it was between eight and ten.</p> - -<p class="normal">This evidence was all that could be adduced at the time; and Mr. Tims, -upon the strength of the case he had made out, resumed a degree of his -former insolence, and demanded loudly, that Captain Delaware should -instantly be committed.</p> - -<p class="normal">A long conversation, which was carried on in so low a tone as to be -inaudible to any one but the two magistrates and the clerk, then -ensued between Dr. Wilton and Mr. Egerton; the latter of whom at -length said, to the surprise even of Captain Delaware himself, "I do -not think, Mr. Tims, that, all things considered, we should be -justified in committing the prisoner till after the coroner's jury -have sat upon the body. We have determined, sir, to remand him."</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Tims stormed and raved, slapped the table with all the unction of -forensic eloquence, and demanded where the magistrates intended to -confine the prisoner in the mean time. There was no place of security -nearer than the county town, except the cage at Emberton; and he -doubted not--he added, with a sneer--that the friendship which the -worthy magistrates entertained for the prisoner would prevent him from -occupying that lodging.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Our sense of decency and humanity will do so, at least," replied Mr. -Egerton, coolly. "In a word, sir, we do not think that there is -sufficient direct evidence before us to commit the accused till the -coroner's inquest has sat. The coroner has been already sent for, and -the inquest can be held immediately. The jury may themselves like to -examine the prisoner; and, therefore, it will be useless to send him -to the county town. In order to spare his feelings as much as -possible, which of course we wish to do, we have determined, if two of -our most active constables can find a room in this house which they -judge undoubtedly secure, to leave him here, under their custody. If -not, he must be removed to Emberton, and placed in the justice room, -though the security of it is doubtful."</p> - -<p class="normal">In vain the lawyer argued. The justices were determined; and the -officers, after spending some time in examining the house, returned, -declaring that no room in a prison could be more secure than the -prisoner's own bedroom, which was so high above the terrace, that no -escape could be effected from the window; and which had but one door, -opening into an anteroom, where they could keep watch. Mr. Tims -himself was permitted to examine the room; and could not but -acknowledge that he was satisfied. The constables received every -injunction to be cautious, and Captain Delaware having been asked -whether he had any thing farther to say, replied that he had not.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Then you may remove the prisoner!" said Mr. Egerton.</p> - -<p class="normal">Sir Sidney Delaware staggered up, and caught him in his arms. Captain -Delaware pressed his father for a moment to his heart; and saying, in -a low but firm voice, "Do not be afraid--I am as innocent as a child -of the charge they bring against me!" tore himself away, and quitted -the room.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER VIII.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">While the examination had been proceeding in the little -breakfast-parlour, the ear of Captain Delaware had been more than once -struck by a number of voices speaking in the library, from which it -opened; and as he was conducted through that apartment, the first -sight that presented itself was his sister, Blanche, bathed in tears. -She had been prevented from entering the room in which the magistrates -sat; but the moment she beheld her brother, she sprang forward, and -threw herself into his arms, clinging to his bosom in an agony of -distress and tenderness. Captain Delaware kissed her cheek, and bade -her be comforted, assuring her that the charge against him was not -only false, but perfectly absurd; and that a few hours would set him -at liberty again.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, no! No, no!" cried Blanche. "I see it all, William! It is all -part of a plot to ruin us, and they will never be satisfied till we -are crushed and disgraced. That Lord Ashborough and his lawyer, will -work their designs by some means, be assured!"</p> - -<p class="normal">At that moment Dr. Wilton advanced from the inner room, and withdrew -Blanche from the arms of her brother, bidding her take heart; and -whispering that he had already sent off a messenger for Mr. Beauchamp, -whose presence, he doubted not, would clear up the whole story. -Blanche shook her head mournfully, and covered her eyes with her -hands, while her brother was led away to his own room. The door was -locked on the outside, and the constables, placing themselves in the -anteroom, cut off all communication between the young officer and his -family, who remained desolate and anxious, amidst the scenes which had -lately been so full of calm happiness and enjoyment.</p> - -<p class="normal">In the meanwhile, Captain Delaware seated himself at the table, in his -own room, and endeavoured to bend the whole powers of his mind to the -investigation of his own situation, in all its bearings. While either -in the actual presence of the magistrates, or under the eyes of his -own family, he had felt it necessary to repel every thought of real -danger, and not to yield one step to apprehension; but now he saw that -it was indispensable to look at his situation in the worst point of -view, and to admit the utmost extent of the peril in which he stood.</p> - -<p class="normal">He was innocent! that was one great source of confidence and -expectation, for he believed, and felt sure, that an innocent man had -very seldom suffered. But still such things had occasionally taken -place, beyond all doubt; and it behoved him to consider whether his -own might not be one of those cases, in which such an event was -likely. As he looked at the evidence against himself, he could not but -acknowledge that, as it stood at the present moment, there was a -strong presumption of his guilt. He had been seen to threaten the -murdered man, in the morning; he had been seen in the neighbourhood of -his house, on the night the murder was committed; he had been in known -and acknowledged want of the money up to that hour; and then he had -suddenly obtained possession of it in a manner of which he could give -no probable account. Several of the notes had been certainly in -possession of the murdered man, a few hours before the crime was -committed on his person; and one of them he had himself remarked, -while paying it to the lawyer, appeared stained with blood. "Were I -upon a jury," he thought "what verdict would I return? Guilty, -undoubtedly--unless some clear explanation of such suspicious -circumstances could be given and substantiated. Now, let me consider -what I have to give, and how it can be proved."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have nothing but the bare supposition that the money was placed in -my room by Henry Beauchamp, or by his servant; and although that -surmise may be equal to a certainty in my own mind, it is likely to -have little weight with others. Dr. Wilton, too, admits that he set -out for London about three o'clock, when the money assuredly was not -here! Can I be mistaken in supposing it to have been him? Can -Blanche's suspicion be correct, that this is part of a plan to ruin my -father and his family for ever?"</p> - -<p class="normal">As these ideas crossed William Delaware's mind, he shuddered with -mingled feelings of horror at the thought of such guilt, and -apprehension for the consequences to himself; but at the same time, as -he suffered his mind to rest upon the suspicion, it acquired a degree -of probability that he was not inclined to assign to it at first. He -recalled the conduct which Lord Ashborough had pursued towards his -father through life--the vindictive malice he had displayed during the -two or three years that elapsed after their first quarrel, as young -men--the cold grinding exactions, not unmingled with scorn, with which -he had kept him through life at fortune's lowest ebb--the rude -harshness with which he had repelled his first proposal for redeeming -the annuity. Then the sudden change in his manners--the facility with -which he agreed to that which he had so peremptorily declined--the -business of the bills--the delay in the payment--and the fact of the -lawyer having come down prepared with a writ against his father, -before he could have known, except by collusion with the miser, -whether the money would be paid or not--all these facts passed before -his remembrance, and with that rapidity of conclusion which was one of -his greatest weaknesses, he instantly became convinced that Lord -Ashborough and his adviser would halt at no step which might crush his -father, and his father's house; that the present charge originated in -such motives; and that it would be supported against him by every -artful device that hatred could frame, or wealth and skill could carry -through. He did not, it is true, suppose that the unhappy man at -Ryebury had been murdered with a view to the charge against him; but -he did believe that the murder had been seized upon as an incident to -render the crime more heinous; and, however it occurred that the two -facts leaped so well together, he concluded that the money had been -placed in his room for the express purpose of betraying himself and -his family, by bringing against him some accusation, the very -suspicion of which would ruin him in his profession, degrade him from -his station in society, and sink his father beneath a load of shame -and despair.</p> - -<p class="normal">He thought over it, again and again; and whenever the improbabilities, -which were not thinly mingled with the composition of his suspicions, -came across his mind, and made him begin to doubt if he were right, he -set against them, on the other hand, all the reasons that existed for -believing that the money could not have been left by Beauchamp, and -called to mind also the words of his sister.</p> - -<p class="normal">"How could such a suspicion enter her mind," he asked himself, "unless -she had discovered something to make her believe that Lord Ashborough -and his lawyer were bent upon her family's ruin?" and, as he thus -thought, he would have given worlds for a few minutes' conversation -with Blanche, longing for it, of course, the more eagerly on account -of its impossibility.</p> - -<p class="normal">Whichever way he turned, there were improbabilities to be encountered; -and for long he vacillated between the opinion that Beauchamp had left -the money in his chamber, and the suspicion that it had been placed -there by some of the agents of Lord Ashborough, in order that a charge -of robbery, embezzlement, or something equally criminal and degrading, -might be raised upon the fact. Now the one predominated, now the -other, and his mind continued tossed between the two, like a ship -rolling in the long swell that follows a severe storm. At length he -determined to write down all the causes of suspicion he had against -the lawyer Peter Tims, in order to lay them clearly and substantially -before the magistrates or the coroner, that his own established -reputation and high character might be supported by strong proofs of -animosity and vindictive feeling on the part of the accuser.</p> - -<p class="normal">Materials for writing were luckily to be found in his chamber, and he -proceeded to place on paper the history of the whole transaction with -Lord Ashborough up to the payment of the bill that morning; but the -effect upon his own mind was fully as great as that which he intended -to produce upon others; and, before he had concluded the paper, he was -morally convinced, that by the instigation of Lord Ashborough's agent, -and by his instigation alone, the money had been left in his room. He -laid down the pen to combine in thought this certainty with the -presumptions of guilt already brought forward against him; and, -as he perceived how much might be made of the evidence already -collected--how little opportunity the law allowed him for gathering -the means of rebutting the accusation--and what a facility unbounded -wealth, great influence, and freedom from all restraint, gave to his -enemy, he clasped his hands and gave himself up to despair.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Beauchamp will of course be sent for," he thought; "and, when he -comes, it only remains for him to declare that he had nothing to do -with the transaction--and my condemnation takes place of course. Good -God! a Commander in his Majesty's Navy to die like a common felon! My -name and my family to be branded with infamy for ever! My father to -expire of shame within the year; and my poor Blanche, if she survive, -to be pointed at for life as the sister of the murderer, William -Delaware! Ay!" he thought more bitterly still; "and Beauchamp will -thank his good stars which kept him from such an alliance; and Maria -Beauchamp may perhaps blush when she remembers that the murderer was -her cousin. But time," he cried, starting up, "time will do me -justice, and clear my name; and then she may weep to think how I was -wronged, and how she believed it!"</p> - -<p class="normal">After walking up and down the room for some time, in a state of mind -which it would be difficult to describe, he took down a book and -endeavoured to read, but in vain. He then strove to amuse his mind by -looking out of the window, which commanded an extensive view over the -wilder part of the park at the back of the house, and thence to the -rich country beyond Ryebury, and the high downs which crowned the -cliffs above the sea. All the scene was bright and clear, and there -was a beautiful air of freshness and liberty in the whole--the very -clouds, as they skimmed over the sky, and raced their dark shadows -along the lea, spoke of light freedom, and no one would have enjoyed -it more than William Delaware at any other moment; but every thing -that is sweet, requires the heart to be in tune. The pitch of all his -feelings was many a tone too low--the fairer was the scene the greater -was the discord it produced with the thoughts of the prisoner, and the -whole was "like sweet bells jangled out of tune, and harsh."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Time," he still thought, "time will clear my fame, and do me justice; -and in the meanwhile, doubtless, I shall die condemned. Still, it is -hard enough to feel that one is innocent, and yet to bear the shame -and the punishment of the guilty. I wish to Heaven I could speak with -Blanche!" Approaching the door, he knocked somewhat sharply, -exclaiming, "Mr. Thomson, I much wish that I could speak with my -sister for a few minutes! Can you not grant me such a liberty?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Quite impossible, Captain!" replied the chief constable. "I wish to -Heaven I dared! I am sure you know that I would do any thing I could -to help you. But this, you see, is no ordinary job; and though I know -well enough you are innocent, yet that fellow, Tims, threatened us so, -we dare not for our lives."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, I cannot help it then!" answered the prisoner, with a sigh. "Do -you know whether the coroner is arrived yet?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not yet, sir!" answered the constable, still speaking through the -door. "The jury is summoned for five o'clock, I hear."</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware looked at his watch. It was just three; and for the -long hours that succeeded, he continued in the same frame of mind, -torturing himself with all those dreamy miseries that an imaginative -and impatient heart calls up constantly to aggravate all the ills of -misfortune or disappointment. There is no such terrible tamer of the -spirit as solitary confinement; and, ere nightfall, the whole hopes -and expectations of William Delaware were completely sunk, and the -state of his mind was pure despair.</p> - -<p class="normal">His dinner, which had been brought in by one of the constables at -five, remained untouched; and he listened to every sound, expecting -each moment to be called before the coroner; but no summons came. At -length, just as night was approaching, he heard a considerable sound -of voices in the anteroom; and, starting up, he prepared to go along -with the messenger, who, he doubted not, had been despatched for him; -but the sound subsided, and, in a minute after, the constable again -entered the room.</p> - -<p class="normal">"You had better take something really, Captain," said the man kindly, -eyeing the untasted dinner. "There is no use, you know, sir, of -letting your heart get down that way."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have been expecting to be sent for every minute," replied the -prisoner; "and I cannot eat in such a state of anxiety."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You will not be sent for to-night, Captain," replied the constable.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Has the coroner sat, then?" demanded Captain Delaware.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ay, sir!" was the answer.</p> - -<p class="normal">"And what is the verdict?" cried the accused, fixing his eyes eagerly -upon the officer's face.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Wilful murder, sir!" answered the constable, shaking his head.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Against me?" exclaimed the prisoner.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Even so!" replied the officer sadly. "Even so!"</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware fell back into his chair, and clasped his hands over -his eyes, while the man went on trying to comfort him.</p> - -<p class="normal">"That is nothing, you know, sir--nothing at all!" he said. "You have -had no time, you know, to prove your innocence--You have had no trial -yet. Lord bless you, sir, nobody in the town believes you guilty! They -all know you too well--and, when it comes to the trial, all will go -right, depend upon it. Even the coroner, they tell me, said the case -was so doubtful a one, that he would not have you removed to-night. -But you had better take something really."</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware signified that it was impossible; and the man, -telling him that he would bring him a light in a short time, left him -to himself. His thoughts and feeling may perhaps be conceived, but -cannot be written. Had there lingered a ray of hope in his mind before -this announcement reached him, it would now have vanished; but, amidst -the agonized feelings which possessed him, if there was one sensation -more painful than the rest, it was produced by the thought, that on -the morrow he was to be hurried away to the common jail--there, beyond -doubt, as he now thought, to await an unjust sentence and an -ignominious death. His ideas were still in the same state of confused -bewilderment, when the constable returned with a light, and, setting -it down on the table, he said--</p> - -<p class="normal">"Captain! there is your good old housekeeper, Mrs. Williams, takes on -terribly because you will not eat; and she's so pressing to speak with -you through the door, to see if she cannot get you to take something, -that I have promised her she shall, while the other officer is down at -his supper. So, do take something, if it be but to please the old -lady!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, well, I will speak to her when she comes!" answered Captain -Delaware in the same desponding tone; and Mr. Thomson withdrew.</p> - -<p class="normal">In about five minutes after, he heard the step of the other constable -depart, and ere long there was a gentle tap at his door.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Come in!" was his first reply; but, instantly remembering his -situation, he approached the door, and demanded, "Who is there?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is I, Master William!" answered the voice of the old housekeeper. -"Oh dear! Oh dear! to think of their accusing you of killing a man--you -that were always as gentle as a lamb!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Do not speak so loud, Mrs. Williams," said the voice of the friendly -constable. "I do not want the other man to hear you. He is a stranger -in the place, and of course cannot feel for the old family as I can."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, well, Mr. Thomson," answered the old lady; "I will speak low. -You see that he does not come up stairs. Oh dear, Master William!" she -proceeded; "good Mr. Thomson here says you eat nothing at all. Pray, -do eat something."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I cannot, indeed, Mrs. Williams," replied the prisoner; "but I shall -be better to-morrow, and then I will. It is the first shock, you know, -that is the worst. It will wear off in a day or two."</p> - -<p class="normal">As he spoke there was a slight noise, as of the key turning round in -the lock, which was instantly caught by the quick ears of the -constable. "You must not try to go in now, Mrs. Williams," he said. -"It is against my strict orders."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I am not trying to go in," she replied, somewhat crossly. "You would -soon pull me out again, if I did. It was only my cap caught against -the key, as I was stooping down to ask if he would have the soup. -Master William," she continued, again addressing the prisoner, "are -you there?--for I must not speak loud, he says--I have such a nice -basin of soup for you, if I could but get you to <i>take it</i>."</p> - -<p class="normal">William Delaware remarked again a slight noise at the keyhole, and -thought that the good old lady laid a peculiar emphasis on the words -"<i>take it!</i>" He replied, however,--"Indeed, Mary, I cannot take any -thing to-night."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Pray do!" she said, "Pray do! It is the best thing for you by far. -Will you really not take it, Master William?"</p> - -<p class="normal">As she spoke, he perceived the end of a small piece of paper protruded -gradually through the keyhole; and it became evident, that the good -old housekeeper, standing between the officer and the door, had -contrived, without being detected, to insinuate through the aperture -some written information from Captain Delaware's family. The prisoner -instantly took a step forward, and laying hold of the little roll, -drew it completely through, saying aloud, "Well, well! I will take it, -then."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah, that is right!" cried the voice of the old lady, joyfully. "There -is a good boy! Do always what you are bid! I will send the soup up as -soon as ever it is warm!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Do so, and thank you!" replied the prisoner. "Tell Blanche and my -father," he added, "that, as I am innocent, I doubt not my innocence -will soon appear; and bid them be of good heart."</p> - -<p class="normal">The old lady bade God bless him, and went away; and as soon as he had -heard the constable seat himself again in the anteroom, he opened the -paper he had received, and read the contents.</p> - -<p class="normal">It began in the handwriting of the old housekeeper, and had probably -been written in the first instance without consultation with any one -else; but below there appeared a few lines from his father, which had -evidently been added afterwards.</p> - -<p class="normal">It began. "Master William, do get away as fast as you can. Don't stop, -for God's Sake, to let those wicked people have their will. Remember -the trapdoor under your bed, where you used to play at hide-and-seek -when you were little. Master ordered it to be fastened up long ago; -but I had only one nail put in, for what was the use, you know. You -can easy get the nail out, I am sure; and there shall be a horse -waiting for you at the back park gate at twelve o'clock to-night, and -money and all to take you to foreign parts, till the conspiracy Miss -Blanche says is against you, can be proved upon them. So, do now, for -the love of Heaven!"</p> - -<p class="normal">Beneath this epistle his father had written, in a hasty and tremulous -hand--"I sincerely think the above is the best plan you can follow. -There is evidently a conspiracy against us; and, as you have been -selected for the victim, it is better for you to make your escape -while you can, than remain, and risk all that malice, wealth, art, and -villainy, can do against you. Take the road to ----, where there are -always foreign vessels lying. Write to us when you are safe, under -cover to Mr. ----, the trustee of your poor mother's little property. -Fare-you-well, my dear boy, and God bless you! S. D."</p> -<br> - -<p class="normal">A new struggle now arose in the breast of the prisoner. The idea of -flight had never suggested itself to his mind before; and, though he -had in truth lost all hope that his own innocence would prove his -safety in the present instance, still the thought of giving additional -weight to the charge against himself, by absconding, was painful. Yet -his father advised it; and it was more than probable that Sir Sidney -had better means of knowing the peculiar dangers of his situation than -he had himself. Aware of his own innocence, he felt, no doubt, that -sooner or later he should be able to establish it beyond all question, -if time were but allowed him. All he had to fear was, that, by the -rapidity with which such transactions are sometimes carried through, -he might be condemned, and even executed, before some of those -circumstances which time is sure eventually to disclose, could be -discovered to prove him guiltless, and to fix their villainy upon his -accusers.</p> - -<p class="normal">It is wonderful how well the human mind reasons upon its own side of -the question, when on the one hand is the prospect of an ignominious -death, with but the remote hope of our innocence working a miracle in -our favour, and, on the other, are presented the ready means of -escape. Every one knows too well, that the law is not one of those -lions that invariably lie down at the feet of virtue; and that, had -poor Una, with such suspicions against her, met in the desert a law -lion instead of a real one, the beast would infallibly have torn her -in pieces. All this Captain Delaware knew. He had lost hope that his -innocence would serve him; he was strongly urged by those who had the -best opportunity of judging of his real situation; the means of escape -were at hand, and he determined to make use of them.</p> - -<p class="normal">Although he had been treated hitherto with great lenity, he knew not -how soon an order for searching him might come, and therefore he took -means immediately to destroy the paper he had received. This was -scarcely accomplished when the constable again appeared with the soup, -and, as the door opened and shut, he saw lying on the floor of the -anteroom a set of fetters. They were evidently not intended to be put -upon his limbs that night, as the officer made no allusion to them; -but, had his intention of escaping even wavered, the sight of those -badges of ignominy would have determined him from that moment.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I shall leave you the candle. Captain," said the man, "though I -believe it is out of rule--and I have a notion that, all things -considered, one of us ought to sleep in the room with you; but, as -that would not be agreeable to you I'm sure, we must get the old -housekeeper to make us a shake-down in the outer room."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I shall not forget your civility, Thomson," said Captain Delaware; -"and, as you are quite sure that it is not in my nature to commit such -a crime as that with which these fellows charge me, so you may be sure -I shall some time have the means of thanking you better, when I have -proved my innocence.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I trust you may, Captain!--I am sure you may!" replied the man -heartily; and, wishing him good-night, he left him.</p> - -<p class="normal">His resolution being now taken, the means of putting it into execution -became the next question. He looked round the room, and examined -carefully every closet and drawer, in the hopes of finding some -implement wherewith to extract the nail that fastened the trapdoor to -which the letter referred, and which he well remembered having passed -through as a boy a thousand times ere he went to sea. But his room had -been thoroughly searched before he had been confined in it, and -neither knife, nor gun-screw, nor tool of any kind, was to be found. -"Perhaps I can get it out with my hands," he thought; and, kneeling by -his bed, he soon discovered the three boards in the dark oak flooring, -that were contrived to play upon a hinge, and thus formed a trapdoor. -It was close by the bedside, and, opening back against the edge of the -bedstead, would have given him exit at once if he could have found any -thing with which to extract the nail, or rather nails; for, -notwithstanding Mrs. Williams's assertion, there was apparently one in -each of the boards. He gazed upon them for a moment in silence, -thinking over every article of furniture that the room contained, in -the hope of turning some one to the use he desired; but it was in -vain, and at length, taking a dollar from his purse, he slipped it -partly between the boards, merely to see whether they were or were not -strongly fastened down.</p> - -<p class="normal">To his great surprise, they moved up easily by the effort he made, as -far as the crown-piece could be brought to act as a lever. He -immediately applied his hand to keep them in that position, and then -slipping the silver a little farther down, raised them still higher. -Another effort enabled him to interpose his fingers between the -trapdoor and the flooring; and it became evident at once, on a closer -examination, that the single nail which had in reality fastened it -down, had been lately pushed out--in all probability from below. The -hole, which it had left in the beam, was still fresh; and Captain -Delaware now perceived that what he had taken for two other nails, -were in fact merely nail-heads, driven in to make the several boards -resemble each other. Gently replacing the trapdoor, he returned to the -table, and sat down to indite a clear statement of the reasons which -induced him to effect his escape without awaiting the event of his -trial. Into this he wove the notes he had before written concerning -the previous conduct of his accuser, and he boldly declared that he -looked upon Lord Ashborough as the instigator, and the lawyer as the -agent, in a premeditated scheme to destroy his family. To bear upon -this point, he brought all the circumstances within his knowledge, and -all the arguments he could make use of; and, after avowing his -conviction that nothing but time would establish his innocence, he -folded the paper, and addressed it to Dr. Wilton and Mr. Egerton. -Before this was concluded, it was near eleven o'clock, and the only -light that was allowed him was beginning to burn low. In order, -therefore, to take advantage of it while it lasted, he approached the -trap, and was about to raise it, when it suddenly occurred to him -that, in the letter he had just written, it might seem that he had -shifted his ground of defence, since he had avowed in the morning that -he believed Henry Beauchamp to have placed the money in his chamber; -and, turning back to the table, he sat down to explain that -circumstance, and to desire that Beauchamp might be called upon to -state whether he had done so or not. Luckily, as it happened, he did -so; for the moment after, with scarcely any noise, the door of his -room opened, and the head of the other constable, who was a stranger -in the town, appeared, looking in as if from some excited suspicion.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, good-night Captain!" he said, "I did not know whether you were -asleep."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not yet," replied Captain Delaware calmly; "but, as you are not -asleep either, I wish you would get me another light, and some -sealing-wax, as I want this letter to go early to-morrow to the -magistrates."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It's no use, Captain, I am afraid," replied the constable. -"Howsomdever, it shall go--but the boy as takes it, must be paid, you -know."</p> - -<p class="normal">"There is half a sovereign to pay him with," replied the prisoner; -"keep the rest for your own trouble--and get me another light and some -sealing-wax."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, every one is a-bed but me, and I was just agoing," replied the -man. "But I will see." So saying, he departed, but returned in a few -minutes with another light, and a stick of sealing-wax; and, finding -the prisoner still writing, he left him, telling him that he was just -going to bed, but if he would push the letter under the door, it -should be sent the first thing next morning.</p> - -<p class="normal">Captain Delaware gladly saw him depart, and ere he had concluded, and -sealed his letter, heard unequivocal signs of one at least of his -jailers having fallen into a sound sleep. He listened anxiously, again -and again, but all was silent in the house, except the dull, hard -breathing of the constables, in the anteroom. It was now half-past -eleven, and the hour at which the horse was to be at the back park -gate was so near, that it became necessary to execute his design with -promptitude; yet there was something painful in it altogether, which -made him linger a moment or two in his father's house, calling up its -host of memories, and evoking from the dim night of time, the sweet -and mournful spirit of the past.</p> - -<p class="normal">He felt, however, that it was all in vain--that such thoughts but -served to weaken him; and, taking up the light, he approached his -bedside, and once more raised the trapdoor. The little ladder stood -ready, just as it used to stand in the days of his childhood, and -descending slowly, step by step, holding the light in one hand, and -supporting the trapdoor in the other, he reached the last step but two -or three, and then suffered the door to close over his head. The -narrow cavity in which he now was, filled the centre of one of those -internal buttresses, if I may use the term, into the masonry of which -one of the back staircases of the old mansion was joisted. It was -about six feet square in the inside, and at the first floor beneath -his own, afforded a sort of landing-place, on which the ladder rested. -Thence, again, a more solid stair of stone wound down to a sort of -vault under the terrace, in which was placed the great draw-well that -supplied the house with the water principally used by the family.</p> - -<p class="normal">When the trapdoor was closed, William Delaware, who was descending -backwards, turned to look how many steps intervened between his feet -and the ground, when, to his surprise, he found that the last step but -one of the ladder, old and rotted by the damp, was broken through the -middle, and offered, in the fresh yellow surface of the fracture, -incontestable proofs that the way had been trod very lately by some -other foot than his own. Over the floor of the landing-place, too, -which that thriftless housewife Neglect had left covered with a thick -coat of dust, might be traced three distinct steps from the mouth of -the staircase; and the young fugitive at once saw that the way which -had served to introduce the money into his chamber was now before him. -That being the case, he felt that if his suspicions in regard to Mr. -Tims were true, the outlet might and would probably be watched; and, -consequently, he determined to examine the whole ground cautiously -before he attempted to go out into the park.</p> - -<p class="normal">Down the stairs, which were likewise covered with dust, he could trace -the same alternate step coming up and going down again, but no other -footmarks were to be seen, and it was evident that but one person had -passed that way for years. The doors, however, which at different -parts of the descent had been placed to guard that means of entrance, -were now wide open; and, descending to the vault or cellar in which -the well was placed, William Delaware put out the light behind a pile -of old bottles, that nearly covered the foot of the stairs, and then -cautiously approached the door, underneath which a narrow line of pale -moonlight was visible.</p> - -<p class="normal">The door was sometimes padlocked, and it seemed so closely fastened, -that the young sailor's heart began to fail him as he approached, but -carelessness or the good old housekeeper had left no obstacles there; -and, as he drew it slowly towards him, it yielded to his hand without -a sound, exposing to his sight, once more, all the fine wild park -scenery at the back of the mansion, lighted up by as glorious a moon -as ever looked out through the blue sky upon the fair face of earth. -For full five minutes, he paused and turned his eyes in every -direction, but nothing was to be seen which could cause him the -slightest apprehension; and throwing the door wider open, he -considered which would be the nearest and the best covered way towards -the gate at which the horse was to be stationed. At the western angle -of the park, a sweep of old trees came within a hundred yards of the -house, and thence a path wandered in amongst some large hawthorns and -two or three splendid larches, leading down towards the glen in which -the Prior's Well was situated. The gate which he wished to reach, -indeed, lay somewhat to the east; but in order to proceed straight -thither, he would have been obliged to cross a wide open piece of -grassy ground, on which the moon was shedding a light nearly as clear -as that of day, and which was commanded by every window in that side -of the building.</p> - -<p class="normal">Gliding along, then, under the terrace, and bending--so that his head -might not appear above it, he reached the opposite angle of the -building, one of the old octagon towers of which threw out a long -shadow, that fell upon the nearest trees, and mingled with the -obscurity beneath them. Following this dark track, William Delaware -walked quickly on, gained the shelter of the wood, and then, threading -the well-known paths with a step of light, reached the dim glen which -he had trod so lately with Burrel and his sister, and only paused, -with the burning thirst of intense agitation, beside the old fountain, -where, in the braggadocio spirit of a heart at ease, he had dared them -to drink the icy waters of indifference.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I may drink now myself, indeed!" he thought, as he filled the iron -cup; but still he paused in raising it to his lips--gave his heart one -moment to dream--conjured up as idle a hope as ever crossed the mind -of man, and then tossed the cup back again into the well. And I should -like to know if all the human race were brought, one by one, to the -side of a fountain of such virtues as that--without a mortal eye to -look on, and arm their vanity against their affections--if there would -be one being found in all the world so hapless--so hopeless--so -without one sweet drop of feeling or of fancy--so destitute of life's -ties and the hearths yearnings--as to raise the chilly waters -irrevocably to their lips!</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER IX.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">It is impossible to describe the joy and satisfaction with -which the -excellent people of Emberton had heard, that Mr. Tims, the old miser -at Ryebury, had been murdered. I do not, of course, mean to say that -every one in the whole town had those enlarged and general views which -made them take in at once all the infinite advantages, both moral and -physical, which that event was likely to afford them. Some, indeed, -only calculated upon the overflowing and inexhaustible source of -bustle, excitement, surmise, and gossip, which was thus opened to -them. Some fixed their thoughts upon the renown that Emberton would -acquire throughout the realm, as the place where the dreadful murder -was committed, and others calculated upon wealth and emolument, from -the number of visiters that it would bring to see the place. But only -a few, of more vast and comprehensive minds, saw all these particulars -in one general view, and rubbed their hands in great anticipations, as -sharing in the sweet excitement of the moment, they talked over the -murder with their neighbours, and added many bright touches from their -own fancy to ornament the bloody deed.</p> - -<p class="normal">The first news of the event that reached Emberton, had been conveyed -by Farmer Ritson's hind, who supplied the old miser with his quotidian -pennyworth of milk, and who had discovered the deed on applying in -vain for admission. He alarmed his master, whose house was half a mile -distant, and the good farmer instantly sent the intelligence to -Emberton. The messenger's arrival took place just five minutes after -Mr. Tims junior had driven through the town on his way to the mansion -at the park; and as both Dr. Wilton and Mr. Egerton, the nearest -magistrates, had passed the preceding evening and night at Emberton, -enquiring into some suspicious circumstances connected with the -burning of Mrs. Darlington's house, they were instantly called from -their breakfast, and proceeded to examine into this fresh crime, which -was destined to illustrate the annals of the neighbourhood.</p> - -<p class="normal">They found the house at Ryebury already surrounded by a number of -people; and from amongst them various persons stepped forward to offer -some little item of testimony; but an unexpected visiter soon appeared -in the person of the lawyer, who, on leaving the park, in not the most -placable humour, ordered the postboy to drive to his uncle's house, -and arrived just as the magistrates were about to leave the premises. -No sooner did he hear of the event, than he determined if possible to -involve the family of Sir Sidney Delaware in the consequences, and -entered into an examination of the circumstances, which soon not only -furnished him with the means of doing so, but also really convinced -him that Captain Delaware was guilty of the crime that he proposed to -impute to him. He at once laid his charge, and related the -circumstances of his late transaction with Sir Sidney Delaware's -family, in his own particular way. He would fain, indeed, have -involved the father too in the accusation he brought against the son; -but his own clerk, and the sheriff's officer, distinctly stated before -the magistrates, that it had been evident throughout, that Sir Sidney -had not been aware, on their first arrival, that his son was in -possession of the money necessary to pay the debt; and, for fear of -spoiling a very hopeful case against Captain Delaware, the lawyer was -obliged to abandon all charge against the baronet.</p> - -<p class="normal">If the news of the murder alone, had so soothed and gratified each of -those mixed feelings--the love of the marvellous--the passion for -talking--and the general dislike to our fellow creatures, which -all--combined with, or rather, as it were, imbedded in a soft stratum -of vanity--enter into the spirit of gossiping; how much more were the -good folks of Emberton delighted and stimulated when they heard the -charge against Captain Delaware, and learned that the result of the -coroner's inquest was a verdict of wilful murder against him. The -reason why we are so much better pleased when a person in our own or a -superior station, commits a crime, or enacts a folly--why we tell it -immediately to every one we meet, and aggravate it by our own -comments--is probably, that a person in that rank having had as great -advantages in circumstances and education as ourselves, our vanity has -the full opportunity of complimenting us on not having done the same, -without the necessity of admitting one deduction on the score of -greater temptations, or inferior knowledge, which we are compelled to -do, when the criminal is low, ignorant, or poor. The fact is, in all -these cases, we make ourselves a bow on our own good behaviour, and -the lowness of the bow depends upon the relative situation of the -sinner or the fool over whom we crow.</p> - -<p class="normal">Thus, when the matter came to be discussed at Emberton, every one -cried out, "Well, one would have thought that a young man of such -hopes, and such an education as this Captain Delaware, would be the -last to commit so dreadful a crime! A poor ignorant wretch driven to -vice from necessity one might have suspected; but not the son of a -baronet, and a Master and Commander in the King's Navy!"</p> - -<p class="normal">Amongst such speculations fled away the evening; and, as we have -said--although the people did not illuminate the town--the verdict of -the coroner's jury certainly did make them as happy as the gossiping, -envious, scandalous community of a little country town could be made. -Early the next morning, however, just as the chaise which was to -convey the prisoner to the county town was about to set out for his -father's house, and as all the people of Emberton were preparing to -turn out, and stare at him as he passed, a buzzing rumour began to -spread abroad that Captain Delaware had escaped in the night.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Escaped!" cried the old maiden in the house at the corner of the -bridge, letting fall the china cup from her hand as the maid announced -the fatal intelligence. "Escaped!--then we shall be all murdered in -our beds! Escaped!--why did they let the ruffian escape?"</p> - -<p class="normal">In a different manner did the mercer bear the tidings; for, without -replying one word to the shopboy who told him, he proceeded to carry -the news direct to the stationers; and, as he detailed it, he added, -"So there can be no doubt of his guilt now!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"There never was any! There never was any!" replied the linen-draper -in the same charitable spirit. "But you have heard that wild Wat -Harrison, the widow's son, has not been seen or heard of for two or -three days, and that there are manifold suspicions"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"To be sure! To be sure! Those Delawares were always fond of him," -replied the mercer. "He sailed with this very Captain you know; and it -seems he has been under his orders once too often. I always said he -would come to be hanged!"</p> - -<p class="normal">While such charitable conversation was passing at Emberton, the -magistrates were not inactive; warrants, horses, and constables were -despatched in all directions, and both Dr. Wilton and Mr. Egerton, -well knowing the blame that would attach to themselves, returned to -the mansion to investigate by what means the prisoner had escaped. The -constables in whose charge he had been left, and the room which he had -occupied, were first examined. The two men declared upon oath, that no -one had been admitted to the accused but themselves, since he had been -remanded--that they had both slept in the anteroom--that the door had -been locked all night--that the window was far too high to afford the -means of evasion--and that they had both seen and spoken to Captain -Delaware as late as eleven the preceding night. The inferior constable -at the same time handed the fugitive's letter to Dr. Wilton, who -opened and read it, while Mr. Egerton made the first superficial -examination of the room; and, as his fellow magistrate was about to -institute a more rigorous investigation, the clergyman exclaimed. -"Stay stay, Mr. Egerton this letter concerns us both, and in it -William Delaware alludes, in some measure, to the method of his -intended escape!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"See here! He says the officers are entirely guiltless of it, as it is -by a passage they are not acquainted with."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Then there must be some private entrance," said Mr. Egerton.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I dare say there is," answered Dr. Wilton; "but this letter, in many -points, throws some new light upon the subject. Read it! Read it! and, -at all events, let us, as far as we can, do the poor boy justice. Read -it, my dear sir!"</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Egerton took it to the window, and read it attentively over. He -then gave the letter back to Dr. Wilton, saying, "He makes out a good -case against his accuser; but I am afraid, my dear doctor, that it -will not screen himself. However, on every account--for charity's -sake, and the sake of mere justice, I will of course exert myself to -the utmost--that is to say, quietly--quietly you know, for the matter -is nearly out of our hands--but I will exert myself to the utmost to -discover every fact connected with the charge. In the mean time, we -must do our duty, and endeavour to recover our prisoner. Let us -examine the walls."</p> - -<p class="normal">"First examine the floor," said Dr. Wilton. "Sliding panels have not -been to be found since the epoch of Udolpho; but trapdoors are to be -met with in all these old houses."</p> - -<p class="normal">The hint was instantly complied with; and the trapdoor was discovered -at once, together with its communication with the park. Nothing -farther, however, could be made of this fact. The way the fugitive had -taken, remained still undiscovered; and the only effect which their -investigation produced upon the minds of the two magistrates was, that -each perceived at once that the means which Captain Delaware had taken -to make his escape, might very well have served another person for the -purpose of placing the money in his chamber unseen; and thus his tale -acquired a degree of probability which it had not before possessed.</p> - -<p class="normal">When the examination was concluded, as far as it could be carried at -the time, and every necessary measure for overtaking the fugitive had -been put in train for execution, Mr. Egerton went back to Emberton to -confer with the coroner, who was hourly expected to return to that -little town, in order to see the prisoner despatched to the county -jail. Dr. Wilton, in the meanwhile, laying aside his magisterial -capacity, proceeded, as a friend and a clergyman, to visit Sir Sidney -Delaware and his daughter. He found them, as he had expected, -depressed in the extreme and saw that they were naturally in a high -state of nervous anxiety in regard to Captain Delaware's safety. At -first there was a degree of painful embarrassment in the whole -deportment of Sir Sidney Delaware, which made him treat even Dr. -Wilton with no small haughtiness and reserve. But the good clergyman -came to console and to sooth; and he persevered with all those kindly -and feeling attentions, which are sure ultimately to win their way to -an amiable heart, however much the road thither may be obstructed by -the pride of undeserved shame, or the reckless repulsiveness of bitter -disappointment.</p> - -<p class="normal">When he found Sir Sidney unwilling to listen, impatient of -consolation, or heedless of conversation, he turned to Blanche, and -won her into the innocent manœuvre of wiling her father from his -bitterer thoughts. Gradually the feelings of the baronet relaxed: he -was brought more and more to speak of his own sorrows, and of his -son's unhappy fate; and though a tear or two forced themselves through -his eyelids, his griefs and even his apprehensions--as is sometimes -the case--were partly lost as they were poured forth into a friendly -ear.</p> - -<p class="normal">We must do justice to all, however. Dr. Wilton was not the only friend -who came to sooth and console the unhappy family at Emberton Park; and -the person who next appeared was certainly one whom they did not -expect to see. It was Mrs. Darlington, who had lately taken a house at -the distance of about ten miles. After spending a part of the -preceding day at Emberton, she had returned to her dwelling, in no -small horror at the charge which she heard had been brought against -her young friend, William Delaware.</p> - -<p class="normal">Now Mrs. Darlington, as we have shown before, was not without her -foibles and absurdities, but withal she had a far greater share of -real goodness of heart, and of the milk of human kindness, than -generally falls to the lot of that amphibious class called very good -sort of people. It must also be remarked, that though she was in no -degree very brilliant, and only made herself ridiculous by the -smattering of pretty accomplishments which she possessed, yet there -was a certain rectitude of understanding about her, which, in early -years, taking the form of tact, enabled her to assume at once the tone -of a society above the rank in which she was born; and which, in after -life, had often guided her to just conclusions, when people without -half her little weaknesses, and who pretended to ten times her -abilities, were all in the wrong.</p> - -<p class="normal">In the present instance, no sooner did she hear of the accusation -against Captain Delaware, than, from her previous knowledge of his -character, she pronounced it at once to be perfect nonsense; and when -Dr. Wilton informed her that he and Mr. Egerton had remanded the young -officer on suspicion, she merely asked, "How they could be so -foolish?" The coroner's inquest produced no other effect. She still -pronounced it all nonsense together; and quietly declared to her maid -that she was sure it would ultimately be found that the people who had -murdered the poor old man were the very same who had set fire to her -house, and carried off her plate.</p> - -<p class="normal">The worthy lady, however, passed the whole of that evening and the -next morning in a state of considerable perturbation. She was a great -stickler for proprieties--hated every thing in the world that made a -noise--liked a small lion, it is true, but had a great aversion to a -bear, even if, like a late learned Grecian, it affected to be a lion -solely on the strength of being a wild beast--and finally, she did not -at all approve of personages who were in any way doubtful. All this -operated strongly upon the prudential organs of her cerebral -development, and would have induced her to stay at home quietly, and -watch the course of events in regard to the Delaware family, had not -the goodness of heart we have spoken of, and the rectitude of judgment -which established Captain Delaware's innocence in her mind beyond all -manner of doubt, both pressed her strongly forward to show countenance -and kindness to the ruined family in their distress.</p> - -<p class="normal">There was a considerable struggle for it, however, in her own mind; -but, nevertheless, at ten o'clock, she again declared that it was all -nonsense together, and ordered the chariot as soon as possible.</p> - -<p class="normal">By this time her resolution was taken; and, stepping lightly in, she -ordered the coachman to drive to Emberton Park.</p> - -<p class="normal">It is not impossible that on her arrival she might have been denied -admittance--for just inasmuch as one never knows all the coldness of -the general world till one tries it, one does not know the kindness of -the exceptions either--but, without any questions, she walked out of -the carriage, and, tripping across the hall with a step a good deal -too juvenile, she entered the library unannounced.</p> - -<p class="normal">Sir Sidney bowed with stately formality; but Blanche, who understood -the whole business better, exclaimed, while the bright tears rose in -her eyes, "Oh, Mrs. Darlington, this is very kind of you indeed!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not at all, my dear Blanche! Not at all!" replied Mrs. Darlington, in -her usual quick but little meaning manner. "Where is your brother? I -am resolved to see him, and tell him how foolish I think all the -magistrates of the county have grown together. Beg your pardon, Dr. -Wilton; but it is true indeed!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"You cannot see him, madam, I am afraid," replied Dr. Wilton gravely; -"for he has made his escape from confinement."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, dear! I am very glad to hear it," she replied. "You surely would -not have had him stay in a nasty filthy prison for two or three weeks, -because a great rogue chose to accuse him of a crime nobody believes -he committed. I am very glad to hear it indeed!"</p> - -<p class="normal">The good lady then paused for a moment; and perceiving that, although -her avowal of disbelief in regard to Captain Delaware's guilt had been -not a little pleasing to his father, Sir Sidney still remained sad and -depressed, she turned to him, kindly saying, "Come, come, Sir Sidney, -I will not have you look so gloomy. You are as careworn as if your son -were really guilty; and as we all know very well that he is not, you -should make yourself quite sure that he will easily be able to cause -his innocence to appear. But I have laid out a little scheme for you -and Blanche. I have nobody staying with me in my new house, and the -place is quite quiet. You will do nothing here but grow dull and -melancholy, and I will have you get into the chariot with me, and come -away and spend a week or two, till all this is settled."</p> - -<p class="normal">Although Sir Sidney Delaware felt that the invitation was most kind, -and in his own dwelling experienced that sickening disgust which one -feels towards all once-loved things, when some fatal change has -poisoned them with bitter associations, yet he declined Mrs. -Darlington's offer on his own part, though he much pressed his -daughter to accept it. Blanche, however, refused to leave her father; -and the matter would have ended thus, had not Mrs. Darlington -discovered that one great motive in Sir Sidney's desire to remain at -his own dwelling, at least for that night, was to hear the first news -brought by the messengers despatched to intercept his son.</p> - -<p class="normal">As soon as she found how much weight this had upon him, she proposed -to go forward with Dr. Wilton to Emberton, and there hear all that had -been done, in her own business: after which, she said, she would -return at six o'clock for Sir Sidney and his daughter, who must have -received tidings from the three county towns to which officers had -been despatched.</p> - -<p class="normal">Some slight difficulties having been discussed and overcome, this plan -was agreed to. Mrs. Darlington and Dr. Wilton departed; and the fact -that Mrs. Darlington had visited the ruined family at Emberton, having -been ascertained, by the appearance of her carriage rolling down the -avenue from the house, threw the town into a state of agitation which -might have afforded matter of envy to the Arch-Agitator himself.</p> - -<p class="normal">In the meanwhile, the various messengers charged with the warrants -against Captain William Delaware, proceeded towards their -destinations. It may be only necessary to follow one of them, however; -as all the rest, being sent in various wrong directions, might have -gone onward in a direct line till they met at the antipodes, without -setting eyes upon William Delaware. The one, then, who was directed to -ride with all speed to the seaport town of ----, and having got his -warrant backed by the proper authorities, to search for and take the -person of the accused, arrived in that place at about two o'clock of -the afternoon; and, finding that no less than five foreign vessels had -sailed that day at high water, which took place at eight of the clock, -he proceeded, as he had been directed, to enquire at the offices of -all the foreign vice-consuls what passports had been granted during -the morning.</p> - -<p class="normal">The consuls and their clerks were as civil as possible, and the names -and descriptions were read over to him; but the poor man might as well -have been in Babel, such a confused multitude of unchristianlike -christian names were pronounced in his ears. His next attempt was at -the descriptions; but he found that, during that one morning, people -of all colours and complexions, of all ages and sizes, of all features -and professions, had sailed for foreign parts, or obtained their -passports, which was quite as good; and therefore, bewildered and in -despair, he gave up the search; and, having committed his charge to -the constables of the place, once more mounted and returned to -Emberton.</p> - -<p class="normal">These tidings were balm to the hearts of Sir Sidney and Blanche -Delaware, but were not quite so pleasing to the people of Emberton, -who next to a murder enjoyed a hanging--which, indeed, is generally -much the same thing. Another messenger, however, arrived about the -same time, who brought news which somewhat diverted their attention. -This was the man who had been sent the day before to London, by Dr. -Wilton, in search of Mr. Beauchamp, and who was a shrewd intelligent -fellow, not likely to miss the track of any one he sought for. But the -tidings he brought back imported, that Mr. Beauchamp had never reached -his house in town; and that, along the whole line of road, no person -resembling him had either fed a horse, taken a post-chaise, mounted a -stage, or entered an inn for the last four days.</p> - -<p class="normal">Every one opened their eyes; and the people of Emberton all went to -bed with the consolatory reflection that Mr. Beauchamp, or rather Mr. -Burrel, as they termed him, must undoubtedly have been murdered also. -Dr. Wilton was himself uneasy. Sir Sidney Delaware said that the -absence of Henry Beauchamp was most unfortunate on many accounts; but -Blanche turned deadly pale when she heard the tidings, and the vague -apprehensions by which they were accompanied; and it would require no -great skill in the book of the human heart to read the silent -commentary that went on in her own bosom, on the unexplained absence -of one she dearly loved.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER X.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Exactly three days after the arrival of Mr. Peter Tims at -Emberton, -and the discovery of his uncle's murder, the Right Honourable the Earl -of Ashborough was sitting at his breakfast-table, in his house of -Parmouth Hall, in the county of ----. It was a rainy morning, and over -the whole face of the country there was a dim sort of ground-glass -haze, which cut off all the far prospect from view, leaving even -those objects that were near, nothing but an indistinct aspect of -drippingness, not at all consolatory to those who had laid out their -expeditions for the day. Though a very regular man in his habits, Lord -Ashborough had a notion that fires were made to warm people, and that -people might very well be cold in the beginning of October, so that, -in addition to the glossy damask, and the splendid china, and the -burnished silver, and all those other things, which, as we have before -observed, make an English breakfast something far superior to any -other meal eaten in any other place in the world, there was the bright -and blazing fire in the polished grate, setting itself up in eternal -opposition to the rain without.</p> - -<p class="normal">At one end of the table sat the earl, with his whole person in high -preservation, just as it came from the hands of his valet. At the -other end sat Maria Beauchamp, his niece, in all the full blow of -youth and beauty, fashion and good taste. By the side of Miss -Beauchamp sat two gentlemen, the Honourable Colonel ----, and -Mr. ----, whose names are not worth the trouble of writing, as I never -intend to mention them again. Suffice it that they were guests of Lord -Ashborough's; the first being a gentleman who, the noble lord thought, -would do very well for his niece, and the second a gentleman who -thought the noble lord's niece would do very well for him. Maria -differed from both; and, in short, thought very little of the two -personages at all; though the one poured a continual stream of -idleness into her ear which amused her, and the other made love by -being profoundly silent, which amused her as much.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Either we have breakfasted early, or the post is late," said Lord -Ashborough; and one of the other gentleman was replying something -quite as significant, when a servant brought in the post-bag, and -delivered it formally into his lordship's hands. Lord Ashborough -immediately distributed the letters and newspapers; and as breakfast -was by this time nearly over, and the after humdrum commencing, each -gentleman put his letters in his pocket, and opened his newspaper.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Hum!--Hum!" said the Colonel, running his eye over the columns--"Hum! -Horrid murder! We will keep that for a <i>bonne bouche</i>, I think. What -are funds?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Hum!--Hum!" said Mr. ----. "Hum--Horrid murder!--Hum!--'Pon my -honour, Colonel, the Draper has won the match against the Grand -Signor!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ha!" said Lord Ashborough, "Ha! The French, I see, have persuaded the -English that they have not the slightest intention of keeping -possession of Algiers--and the English believe them. Let us see what -will be the case this time three years--Ha! Horrid murder! Good -God!--his throat cut from ear to ear!--Let us see--Coroner's -inquest--Wilful murder against--Why, Maria, here is a cousin of ours -been committing murder!--He will be hung to a certainty, my love; and -you will be obliged all the winter to wear deep mourning for his -offences."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And pray, sir, who is the gentleman?" demanded Miss Beauchamp. "You -know I have so many cousins, and uncles, and such distant relations, -that I cannot be expected to remember them all, even when one of them -commits a murder."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh! it is very possible, so careless a young lady may have forgot -him!" replied Lord Ashborough, somewhat piqued at the tone of her -answer; "but you have seen him within this month--It is Captain -William Delaware--the son of the man at Emberton, who has been cutting -the throat of an old miser at--at--at--a place called Ryebury--I think -it is."</p> - -<p class="normal">Miss Beauchamp turned very pale, but, without reply, raised the -coffee-cup towards her lips. Ere it reached them, however, it dropped -from her hand, and dashed some of the china to pieces by its fall, -while the young lady herself sank back, fainting in her chair, much to -the horror and consternation of every one present. Lord Ashborough -started up, and advanced to his niece's assistance; Mr. ---- kneeled -by her side, and supported her head; while Colonel ----, who was a -tall stiff man, rose up, like the geni coming out of the copper -vessel--that is to say, by degrees--and rang the bell.</p> - -<p class="normal">Miss Beauchamp was conveyed speedily to her own room; and the -excellent Colonel exclaimed, "Why, Ashborough, this murder which your -cousin has committed, seems to affect Miss Beauchamp more than -yourself!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I had forgot," replied Lord Ashborough, "that she and her brother -were almost brought up with those Delawares in their childhood. As to -myself, the matter does not affect me at all, Colonel--I always -thought that some catastrophe of the kind would take place. The -father--who was both at school and at college with me--was always one -of those violent, ruthless, unprincipled men, on whose conduct you -could never calculate; and as he was generally in scrapes and -difficulties, you know, temptation might assail him at any moment. The -son seemed, from the little I have ever seen of him, a boy of the same -disposition. Heaven knows," he added, with an air of modest candour, -"I acted in as liberal a manner as possible towards them! It was only -the other day that I accepted a mere trifle, in lieu of an annuity of -two thousand a-year which I held, payable upon their estates."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Scamps!" said the Colonel, walking towards the window. "One never -makes any thing of scamps. When one has any poor relations--and I -suppose every one has some--the best way is to cut them at once--one -never makes any thing of scamps!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Mr. Tims, my lord, waiting in the library," said a servant entering, -just as the Colonel concluded his sensible, comprehensive, and -charitable observation.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not the ghost of the murdered man, I hope!" cried Mr. ----, who had -been reading the report of the coroner's inquest.</p> - -<p class="normal">"No; but the body of his nephew, I suppose," replied Lord Ashborough. -"You had better try the billiard-room, gentlemen, as the day is so -bad;" and he proceeded to the library, where he was awaited by Mr. -Peter Tims, dressed in what the newspapers call a suit of decent -mourning, with a countenance made to match, according to the tailor's -term.</p> - -<p class="normal">Lord Ashborough nodded, and Mr. Tims bowed low as they met; and the -peer, letting himself sink into an easy-chair, began the conversation -by saying, "I suppose, Mr. Tims, I must condole with you on your -uncle's death?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have much need of condolence on many accounts, my lord," replied -the lawyer; "but I have one happiness, which is, that while your -lordship is pleased to condole with your humble servant, he has an -opportunity of congratulating you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, indeed, things seem to have turned out luckily," replied -Lord Ashborough; "but I am not yet half informed of what has -occurred--all I know is from a brief account in the newspapers.</p> - -<p class="normal">"If your lordship is at liberty," said the lawyer, "I will explain the -whole;" and he forthwith set to work, and recounted all the principal -events which had happened, since he last left Lord Ashborough; -contriving, however, to take almost as much credit to himself for all -that had happened, as if he had cut his uncle's throat himself, on -purpose to ruin the family of Sir Sidney Delaware.</p> - -<p class="normal">Lord Ashborough listened, and smiled with triumph, as Mr. Tims, -pandering to his malignity, dwelt upon the agony of Sir Sidney -Delaware, and the pain and shame of his gallant son--upon the -inevitable ruin that must overtake their whole race--and upon the -probable consequences to the unfortunate baronet's health. The smile, -however, soon faded away; and, strange to say, that though hatred to -Sir Sidney Delaware had been the predominant passion of Lord -Ashborough's existence, though the knowledge that he was leading a -life of comparative poverty, had been one of his greatest pleasures; -and the hope of ruining him utterly, an object that the earl had never -lost sight of--yet now that it was all accomplished--that it was -done--that he was trodden under his feet, and presented to his eyes, -heartbroken and desolate, ruined and disgraced, the joy passed away in -that evanescent smile of triumph--the delight lasted but a moment, and -left a vacancy in his desires.</p> - -<p class="normal">Why it was so, we cannot be called upon to prove. It is a fact in the -heart's natural history, and that is all that we have to do with it. -It might be, indeed, that Othello's occupation was gone; and that Lord -Ashborough, in accomplishing his purpose, had dried up a source of -thought and gratification. It might be, that he was like Bruce at the -fountains of the Nile--that all which had lured him on, through a -dangerous and intricate way, was obtained; and that he had nothing to -lead him farther, or to guide him back. It might be that, as usual, -conscience took advantage of the sudden lassitude of satiety, to smite -the heart, for the very gratifications that were palling upon the -appetite.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, Mr. Tims! Well!" he said at length. "All this is very -fortunate. But, pray, may I ask how is it that you lay claim to so -much subject of condolence? If I have understood you right, your -uncle's death could be no matter of very inconsolable grief to -you--though, doubtless, you might have preferred another manner."</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, my lord, no!" replied Mr. Tims. "It is not that at all. He was an -old man--a very old man--one would have thought that death had forgot -him--and, to tell the truth, it was perhaps as well for him to die a -quick as a lingering death; and I hear, when the carotid artery is -cut, as it was in his case, a man cannot suffer above a second or two. -But as I was saying, my lord, it was not either of his death or of the -manner that I was thinking, but the murderer must have carried away -full twelve thousand pounds in money, besides the sum destined to pay -your lordship's note"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"Which, by the way, I hope you have paid into the hands of my banker?" -interrupted Lord Ashborough, whose first thought was, of course, of -himself.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, not yet, my lord--not yet!" replied the attorney. "The law has -yet to decide to whom it belongs, my lord."</p> - -<p class="normal">"How, sir!" cried Lord Ashborough, reddening, "To whom can it belong -but to me? Was it not paid to you on my account?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Beg pardon, my lord! Beg pardon!" replied Mr. Tims. "But, whichever -way it goes, your lordship cannot be a loser. If it be proved, as it -can be proved, that the money was stolen from my uncle, the payment to -you of course is null, and the money belongs to me, as sole heir of -the late Mr. Tims of Ryebury. But then, my lord--hear me, my lord, I -beg--the whole transaction with Sir Sidney Delaware is null also, and -you will be able to recover at common law!"</p> - -<p class="normal">Lord Ashborough's face again lighted up, and it is very possible that -the thought of pursuing his game still farther, and hunting it to the -death, might add not a little to his placability. "We must have -counsel's opinion as to the best means to be employed," he said. "This -young ruffian, you tell me, has escaped, and of course the prosecution -must drop, unless he can be apprehended."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh no, my lord, no!" answered Mr. Tims. "That does not follow at -all--there are indeed various modes of proceeding, on which it would -be advisable to consult some common law barrister; but, in the mean -time, the money is quite secure--so much so, indeed, that if your -lordship likes it to be paid into your bankers"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, Mr. Tims," said Lord Ashborough, thoughtfully. "I think it might -be as well, you know."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, my lord, I am quite ready to do so," answered the lawyer, "on -your making over to me your claims against Sir Sidney Delaware, and -his estate of Emberton."</p> - -<p class="normal">Lord Ashborough started, "No, no!" he cried. "No!--at all events, we -will speak of that hereafter. Cannot a bill of outlawry be pursued -against this young man--and ought he not to be dismissed from his -Majesty's service? I have a great mind to return to town, and see -about the whole business, Mr. Tims. I dare say, I can get rid of these -two men who are staying here, by the day after to-morrow; and, in the -mean time, you had better go back to Emberton, and urge the pursuit as -actively as possible. It is not probable that he can have got out of -the country so soon! Why do you not send for officers from Bow -Street?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"They are already on the scent, my lord," replied the man of law; "and -I doubt not that they will catch him ere he gets far. Murder is a -crime which all civilized nations will agree in punishing--and as to -the money, my lord"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, I doubt not it is safe! I doubt not it is safe!" replied Lord -Ashborough, "When I come to town, we must take counsel as to the best -method of recovering it, as speedily as possible, from Sir Sidney -Delaware."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, it is quite safe, depend on it!" answered Mr. Tims, "I was only -going to say, that I am likely to be the only loser in this business; -as the twelve thousand pounds are, I am afraid, lost for ever."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I hope not, Mr. Tims, I hope not!" replied the earl; "and if they be, -we must endeavour to make it up to you, some other way. I do not of -course mean to say, that I can take upon me to pay the money, as you -see I am likely to be a loser by the whole transaction myself."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I think not, my lord, indeed," replied the lawyer. "Beg your -lordships pardon; but I think you are likely to be a great gainer."</p> - -<p class="normal">"How so, sir?" demanded the peer with open eyes. "I gain nothing, and -lose at least the law expenses."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, my lord," replied the lawyer, "I think in default of issue-male, -on the part of Sir Sidney Delaware, you stand next in the entail; now, -if we can convict this young man who has committed the murder, you of -course succeed."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ay! but suppose we cannot catch him," cried the earl, his face -brightening at the thoughts of the reversion.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Perhaps we can do without, my lord," answered Mr. Tims. "I am much -mistaken if, upon due cause, the law, deprived of the power of dealing -real death, will not pronounce a criminal legally dead; and I think -that were I certain I should not be a loser, I could bring forward a -sufficient case to ensure that result."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Mr. Tims," said Lord Ashborough solemnly, laying his hand with a -dignified gesture upon a book that lay before him. "Mr. Tims, I -can assure you, that no one who wishes me well shall ever lose a -farthing by me. I think you must know the fine--I might say the -fastidious--sense of honour which I entertain, and I promise you upon -my word, that if you succeed in carrying through the very just and -reasonable design you propose, and establish me as heir of entail to -the Emberton property, I will make you full compensation for whatever -loss you may have sustained in the course of this business."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Say no more, my lord! Say no more!" replied Mr. Tims. "We will find -means either to catch and hang him at once, or to cut him off from -performing any legal act; and in the mean time--as life is always -uncertain--I will, with your lordship's permission, draw up a little -document for your lordship to sign, purporting that you will, on your -succession to the Emberton estate, indemnify me for the losses I have -sustained, by the robbery of my uncle's house."</p> - -<p class="normal">Already Lord Ashborough began to repent of his liberal promise, and to -consider whether he could not have done quite as well without the -agency of Mr. Tims; but, as it appeared that the chief proofs of -Captain Delaware's guilt were in the lawyer's hands, he thought it -better to adhere strictly to his engagement, and therefore signified -his assent.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Of course, my lord," continued the lawyer, "you will find it -necessary to proceed against Sir Sidney Delaware immediately, either -at common law for the recovery of the sum agreed to be paid by bill, -and which cannot be considered as paid, the money wherewith it was -satisfied having been stolen; or else to proceed by petition in the -Court of Chancery, in order to recover possession of the original -annuity deed, the authenticated copy of which is in my possession, -praying also that the rents of the Emberton estate may be paid into -court, till such time as judgment be pronounced."</p> - -<p class="normal">The lawyer spoke these hard purposes in a tone of significance, which -would have been an insult to any one with whose inmost thoughts he was -not so well acquainted as he was with those of Lord Ashborough; but -the earl heard him with a meaning smile, and replied, "Why really, Mr. -Tims, you seem inclined to be rather hardhearted towards this Sir -Sidney Delaware."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Your lordship would not have me very tender towards a man whose son -has murdered my only relation," replied the lawyer; "and besides, law -has nothing to do with tenderness; and as your lordship's agent, I am -bound to suggest what I think the best legal means of protecting your -interests."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Certainly, certainly!" answered the earl. "Far be it from me to blame -you, my good sir. Follow which plan you judge best--both if you -please!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Both be it then, my lord!" replied Mr. Tims, rubbing his hands at the -interminable prospect which the case held out, of pleas and papers -without end--an universe of parchment, and a heaven of red tape. "Both -be it then, my lord!--There is not the slightest reason that we should -not proceed in both courts at once, to make all sure; and if, before -two months are over. Sir Sidney Delaware be not as completely beggared -as ever man was, the English law will be very much changed--that is -all that I can say.--Unless, indeed," he added thoughtfully, "your -lordship's worthy nephew come to his aid--marry Miss Delaware, and -advance money to defend her father."</p> - -<p class="normal">"No fear! No fear!" replied Lord Ashborough. "He will not marry her, -depend upon it."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, my lord, I am afraid," said Mr. Tims; "that is to say, I have -heard it very strongly reported in Emberton, that he did propose to -Miss Delaware, and that she refused him, not knowing who he was. She -and her father are now staying with the lady at whose house she first -met Mr. Beauchamp; they are very likely to meet again--he to declare -his real name, and she to accept him; for you may imagine, after all -that has happened, she will be glad enough to get married at all--and -you know how romantic he is in some things, though he strives to hide -it."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You are mistaken, Mr. Tims!" said Lord Ashborough. "What has happened -will make her persist in her refusal more steadily than ever."</p> - -<p class="normal">Though hating Sir Sidney Delaware and his whole family with the -bitterest enmity. Lord Ashborough knew them well, and understood the -principles upon which they acted--for the basest heart will sometimes, -in a great degree, appreciate a more noble one. This appreciation, -however, is never candidly admitted, even to the heart itself; and -while, from a secret conviction of the truth, it often calculates -justly the results--comprehends in a moment what will be the effect of -particular circumstances--and makes use of that knowledge for its own -selfish purposes--it is sure to attribute all good actions to base and -mean motives, even in its own secret thoughts, and to give them false -and evil names in conversation with others.</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, no, Mr. Tims!" he said, "What has happened will make her refuse -him more steadily than ever, if she have a drop of her father's blood -in her veins. I know those Delawares well, and their cursed pride, -which they fancy to be fine feeling and generous sentiment. If it were -to save her father and her whole family from destruction, depend upon -it, she would not marry any man while she thought that her brother's -infamy was to be a part of her dowery.--I might say her only dowery; -for I suppose the pittance she had from her mother has been swallowed -up long ago. No, no! all is very safe there. Maria, who has heard a -good deal about her from her brother's old tutor, let me unwittingly -into the secret, that she is her father over again in those respects; -but sting her irritable pride, and you can make her do any thing."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, my lord, well!" said Mr. Tims. "If your lordship be sure, I, of -course, have nothing to say. Only, I cannot understand any woman -refusing a gentleman of Mr. Beauchamp's present wealth and future -expectations. I cannot understand it, indeed!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I dare say not!" replied Lord Ashborough drily. "But in the -meanwhile, Mr. Tims, I think you had better return to Emberton -to-night. It is not much above thirty miles. Proceed as earnestly as -possible against the son, and after putting matters in train there, -come up and meet me in London on Monday next."</p> - -<p class="normal">"At the same time, my lord," said the lawyer, "I will serve all the -tenants with notice not to pay their rents to Sir Sidney Delaware;" -and this being agreed to with a smile. Lord Ashborough rejoined his -guests, and Mr. Tims proceeded to hold a serious consultation with the -housekeeper, over a cold pasty and a glass of sherry, ere he once more -set out for Emberton.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER XI.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Now, the very same character might be given of Mr. Peter Tims -of -Clement's Inn, attorney-at-law, as that which Voltaire, -in his <i>Discours à l'Academie</i>, gives of the President de -Montesquieu--"C'etoit un génie mâle et rapide qui aprofondit tout en -paraissant tout effleurer;" and in several of his late conversations -with Lord Ashborough, he had penetrated into the depths of that -nobleman's thoughts and feelings, while he seemed to give explicit -credit to his lightest words. He saw, therefore, that there were two -strong principles which worked the whole machine; the chief springs, -as it were, of all his lordship's conduct, at least on the present -occasion. The one of these principles was, it is true, a little -stronger than the other; and the two were, revenge and avarice; the -latter succumbing somewhat to the former, but both at present working -very well together.</p> - -<p class="normal">There are certain classes of passions and vices which people often -find an excuse for indulging, by persuading themselves that they are -invariably connected with some great or noble feeling or other. Now, -of this character is revenge, which men are apt to fancy must be the -offspring of a generous and vehement heart, and a fine, determined, -sensitive mind. But this is all a mistake. Revenge, in the abstract, -is merely a prolongation throughout a greater space in time, of that -base selfishness which leads us to feel a momentary impulse to strike -any thing that hurts or pains us either mentally or corporeally; and -the more brutal, and animal, and beastlike be the character of the -person, the greater will be his disposition to revenge. But we must -speak one moment upon its modifications. Revenge always proceeds -either from a sense of real injury, or a feeling of wounded vanity. It -seldom, however, arises from any real injury; and where it does, it -would, (if possible to justify it at all,) be more justifiable; but, -in this modification, a corrective is often found in the great mover -of man's heart; and vanity itself whispers, it will seem nobler and -more generous to forgive. The more ordinary species of revenge, -however, and the more filthy, is that which proceeds from wounded -vanity--when our pride or our conceit has been greatly hurt--not alone -in the eyes of the world, but in our own eyes--when the little -internal idol that we have set up to worship in our own hearts, has -been pulled down from the throne of our idolatry, and we have been -painfully shown that it is nothing but a thing of gilt wood. Then, -indeed, revenge, supported by the great mover of man's heart, instead -of being corrected by it, is insatiable and everlasting. But in all -cases, instead of being connected with any great quality, it is the -fruit of a narrow mind, and a vain selfish heart.</p> - -<p class="normal">The latter of the two modifications was that which affected Lord -Ashborough, and it had remained with him through life; but Mr. Tims -very evidently saw, that as soon as his lordship imagined his revenge -to have nothing left to feed upon, it of course became extinct; and -that his own employment at least, in any very extensive business, as -far as Lord Ashborough was concerned, would be at an end. The avarice, -too, would come into play; and the worthy lawyer perceived that it was -necessary to keep alive his appetite for vengeance, and at the same -time to take care that his admirable patron's avarice should be broken -in to run in harness with his own.</p> - -<p class="normal">These were his motives for suggesting the course of proceeding which -he had insinuated might be pursued, although he felt very doubtful as -to the legal possibility of carrying on the matter exactly as -prosperously as he had taught his patron to believe. At all events, he -felt that this was his best chance, not only of keeping possession of -the money he had already got, but of obtaining the twelve thousand -pounds more, which, together with the rest of his uncle's property, he -felt would raise him to a station in society in which he might--not -pause but--make more still.</p> - -<p class="normal">After satisfying the cravings of hunger, therefore, and thinking that -the time might soon come when the earl himself would find it necessary -to treat him with more attention, Mr. Tims got into his chaise, -humming the chorus of the Little Ploughboy--</p> - -<p class="center"><span style="font-size:smaller">"So great a man--so great a man--so great a man I'll be!"</span></p> - -<p class="normal">And once more rolled away towards Emberton, resolved instantly to see -Sir Sidney Delaware, and to embroil the whole affair as much as -possible.</p> - -<p class="normal">His clerk had been left behind at the little town to take care of the -business during his absence; and although it was late ere the lawyer -returned, he instantly set him to work to prepare notices to all the -tenants of Sir Sidney Delaware not to pay their rents. This he knew -was a bold stroke; but looking upon the unhappy baronet as an enemy in -time of war, he knew that one great object was to cut off his -supplies. Early the next morning Mr. Tims sallied forth to make a -general round of the tenants, and proceeded to a farmhouse, from the -crowded stackyard and busy aspect of which he argued a large and -prosperous farm. The farmer himself appeared superintending the -thatching in the yard; and Mr. Tims, notice in hand, stepped up to -him, and informed him of his business.</p> - -<p class="normal">As the honest man read, his mouth expanded wide across his rosy face, -with a grin of satisfaction, which Mr. Tims remarked as something -extraordinary at least. "Sorry, sir, I can't oblige you!" said the -farmer, eyeing him with a look of merry contempt. "I paid my rent to -Sir Sidney yesterday morning. I thought just now--as he is in trouble -I hear with some bit of a blackguard lawyer of the name of Tims--he -might want the money, you know. So I took it up to the good lady's -house where he is stopping, seeing it was due on the twenty-fifth -o' last month."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, you have paid it, have you?" said Mr. Tims. "Then I can tell you, -most likely you will have it to pay over again."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Pay it over again!" cried the farmer, who easily divined who the -person was that spoke to him. "Pay it over again! Come, come, none of -your gammon, master, or I'll break your head for you, and that is all -the payment you'll get from me. Who should I pay my rent to but my own -landlord? and a good landlord he has always been, and a kind--never -racked us up to the last farthing, like some o' them, though he wanted -the money enough himself. I'll tell you what, you had better not say a -word against him or his--and if you be one of Lawyer Tims's clerks, -bid him not show his face among us here, or he'll get such a licking -as will serve him for a long while."</p> - -<p class="normal">While this conversation was proceeding between Mr. Peter Tims and the -farmer, a considerable number of the farm-servants had gathered round -their master, and very unequivocal signs and symptoms were given as to -their sense of the matter. Various words, too, were heard, which -sounded harsh upon the tympanum of Peter Tims's ear, such as--"I -shouldn't wonder if it were Lawyer Tims himself--A looks like a -lawyer--let's duck um in the horsepond--or cart him into the muck."</p> - -<p class="normal">Now Peter Tims was, in a certain degree, a coward; and although he -could have made up his mind to be knocked down by the farmer for the -sake of a good assault case; yet the idea of being "ducked in the -horsepond, or carted into the muck," by a body of persons who could -not afford to pay a sous for their morning's amusement, made him beat -a retreat as fast as possible.</p> - -<p class="normal">Although Mr. Peter Tims proceeded <i>seriatim</i> to each of the tenants on -the Emberton estate, it may be unnecessary to detail the particulars -of the various receptions he met with. Suffice it, that he found that -in one respect they all agreed, which was, that their rent, by a -general arrangement between them, had been paid up the day before, -which, though the money was really due, was about ten days before the -usual time. Although he occasionally met with a somewhat rough -reception, and declared that he had never seen a more rude and uncivil -set of people in his life, yet he escaped without any actual violence; -and in the end, hoping to gain at least some ground, he determined to -make his last visit to Sir Sidney Delaware himself.</p> - -<p class="normal">Accustomed to do disagreeable things of all kinds, Mr. Tims had as -little respect for human feelings as most men; but still there was -something in his peculiar situation with regard to Sir Sidney -Delaware, that in some degree awed even his worldly heart. He was -going to force himself into the presence of a man, whose destruction -he was pursuing eagerly, on the most base and sordid motives. That, -however, was nothing new; but we must recollect that Mr. Tims really -supposed the son of him he was about to visit, had murdered in cold -blood his last relation; and, with that belief, there mingled both the -internal conviction that his own arts had driven the unfortunate young -man to commit the horrid deed which had been perpetrated at Ryebury, -and the remembrance that he himself, Peter Tims, was even then -straining every nerve to bring to an ignominious death, him whom his -machinations had hurried into the most fearful of human crimes, and -whose father he was still urging onward to ruin and despair. All these -feelings and remembrances made the business very different from any he -had before undertaken, and the lawyer's heart even, fluttered as the -chaise drove through the gates of the dwelling now occupied by Mrs. -Darlington. "It is odd enough," he thought, "that my delaying the -payment of the money should have caused my uncle's murder. Now, if I -were superstitious, I should take fright and not follow this business -up, for fear it should turn out ill likewise--but that is all -nonsense;" and when the chaise stopped, and a servant appeared, he -boldly demanded to speak with Sir Sidney Delaware.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sir Sidney Delaware is not here, sir!" replied the man abruptly.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not here!" cried Mr. Tims. "Not here! And pray, where is he then?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Can't tell, sir!" replied the man.</p> - -<p class="normal">"But he was here?" rejoined the lawyer.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh yes, sir, he was here!" was the reply.</p> - -<p class="normal">"When did he go?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yesterday."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Where to?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I don't know."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Is your mistress at home?" demanded Mr. Tims at length, finding that -there was nothing to be made of the footman. The answer was in the -affirmative; and Mr. Peter Tims was shown into an empty room, where -the servant took the precaution of demanding his name, and then went -to inform his mistress. After remaining for some time in expectation, -Mr. Tims was rejoined by the servant; but, instead of ushering the -lawyer to Mrs. Darlington's presence, he said, with a grave and solemn -aspect, "Sir, my mistress bids me inform you that she is busy at -present, and cannot receive you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, if she be busy, I can wait!" answered Mr. Tims, relapsing -determinedly into his chair.</p> - -<p class="normal">"You may wait all day for that matter," replied the man, losing -patience; "for I can tell you, she does not intend to see you at all. -So now, you have the plain English of it!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Very extraordinary conduct, I must say!" observed Mr. Tims, as with -slow and indignant steps he walked towards his chaise.</p> - -<p class="normal">"And pray, are you really ignorant of Sir Sidney Delaware's present -abode?" he added, after having insinuated his hand into his pocket, -and drawn forth a broad silver piece, which he thought fully -sufficient to tempt the discretion of any Johnny, even if he were as -immaculate as Eve before the fall.</p> - -<p class="normal">But the servant either would not tell, or could not, because he did -not know: the latter of which was the most probable, as he answered -sharply, as if angry at losing the money through his ignorance, "You -have had your answer once, sir," he said, "and I shall give you no -other;" and, with this ungracious reply, Mr. Tims was obliged to -content himself.</p> - -<p class="normal">The chaise rolled him back hungry and dissatisfied to Emberton, where -the tidings he had so often before received, that the pursuit of -Captain Delaware had not advanced a single step, did not tend to -relieve him. He found, too, that Sir Sidney and Miss Delaware had -certainly not returned to their own dwelling, and his enquiry in -regard to whither they had gone when they left Mrs. Darlington's, only -served to make the people of the town open wide their nostrils, -showing plainly that the baronet's departure must have been secret -indeed, as it had escaped the all-enquiring eyes and ears of that -gossiping community.</p> - -<p class="normal">If any thing could have soothed the mind of Mr. Tims, it would have -been, perhaps, the profound respect of the landlord of the King's -Arms--he, Mr. Tims, being in no degree insensible to the charms of -importance and high station, and enjoying the homage of mine host, as -a sort of foretaste of the increased consequence he was to possess in -society, from his accession to his unfortunate uncle's ill-gotten -wealth.</p> - -<p class="normal">His dinner comforted him also greatly; and when, after that meal was -discussed, the landlord presented himself in person to ask, whether he -might not recommend his admirable port, Mr. Tims, after an internal -struggle, acquiesced, and the wine was accordingly produced.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Pray, landlord," said the lawyer, after a few words of innkeeper -gossip had passed, while with a clean napkin he rubbed the outside of -the decanter. "Pray, who was that gentleman standing at the door as I -got out, who stared at me so hard? The gentleman in the black coat and -gray trowsers."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, sir!" replied mine host of the King's Arms, "Don't you -know?--That is Mr. Cousins, the officer from London, come to enquire -into this sad business!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, Ruthven was sent for, and came too; for I saw and spoke to him -long!" ejaculated Mr. Tims in some surprise.</p> - -<p class="normal">"True, sir! True!" replied the landlord. "But Ruthven was sent after -the captain, you know; and Dr. Wilton thought it would be better to -have some one else down to keep about the place; so Cousins was sent -for, and has been here all day--that is to say, about the place; for -he was both up at Emberton and at Ryebury, I heard the waiter saying."</p> - -<p class="normal">"At Emberton!" cried Mr. Tims; "Then, I dare say, he can tell me -something of the people there. Will you have the goodness to present -my compliments to him, and say, I should be happy if he will take a -glass of wine with me?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Certainly, sir! Certainly!" replied the landlord; and away he went in -ambassage to Cousins, who soon after was ushered into the private room -occupied by Peter Tims, Esq.</p> - -<p class="normal">He was--or rather is--neither a very tall nor a very stout man; but -yet, in the various points of his frame, there is a good deal of solid -strength to be remarked; and in his face, which is pale and somewhat -saturnine, Mr. Tims thought he could trace a great deal of resolution, -mingled with that shrewd knowledge of human nature in its most debased -form, which is at once necessary to, and inseparable from, the -character of an officer of police. The lawyer, seeing that the officer -was a very gentlemanly person in his appearance, soon made sufficient -advances; and, being seated together over their wine, Mr. Tims -enquired whether his companion had heard anything of the family at -Emberton.</p> - -<p class="normal">"No!--No!" he said, in a tone which appeared habitually guarded -against all enquiries, except from those authorized to squeeze the -contents out of the spunge of his mind. "No!--No!" he said. "I have -heard nothing of them at all!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Come, come now, Mr. Cousins!" said the lawyer, who well entered into -the spirit of the wariness displayed by his companion, "You know I am -interested in this business!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes, so I hear, sir," replied Cousins, without a word more.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, well, then, be a little more communicative, Mr. Cousins," -rejoined the lawyer. "Did you see any of the family at the park?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"No!" answered the officer; "They were all away!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"But did not the old woman--the housekeeper--or cook--or -something--tell you where they had gone to?" demanded the lawyer.</p> - -<p class="normal">"There was no old housekeeper there," answered the officer. "They were -all away together, and the house shut up."</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Tims was beaten out of his impassibility, and absolutely stared. -"But surely you know where they are gone to--or, at least, you guess?" -he said, after a pause.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, I may guess to be sure," replied Cousins; "but that is nothing -to nobody, you know. If one were to tell every thing they guess, sir, -not one-half of their guesses would come true!"</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Tims paused for a minute or two, seeing that, for some reason, -Cousins was resolute in not saying a word upon the affairs of Sir -Sidney Delaware; and therefore, like a good tactician, finding the -enemy's position impregnable in front, he determined to shift his -ground, and make the attack from another quarter. "You have been, I -hear, at my poor unhappy uncle's place at Ryebury, too?" said Mr. -Tims, at length. "Did you make any new discoveries? Fill your glass, -Mr. Cousins."</p> - -<p class="normal">"None that I know of, sir," replied Cousins, answering the question -and obeying the command at the same time. "The house was just as it -was left, I fancy."</p> - -<p class="normal">"But did you find nothing that might lead to the detection of the -murderer?" said Mr. Tims.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, sir, I understood that you had detected the murderer yourself," -answered the officer; "and that his name was Captain William -Delaware."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes, yes! that is all true enough," rejoined the lawyer; "but I mean, -did you find no new proof against him?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, as to that, sir, I did not find any in particular," replied -Cousins. "Indeed, the only thing of which I found any positive proof -at all, was, that somebody had been murdered."</p> - -<p class="normal">"The man is a fool!" thought Mr. Peter Tims--"A natural!" But yet -there was a small, twinkling, subdued sort of fun lurking about the -corners of Cousins's dark eyes, that caused the lawyer strongly to -suspect that the officer was making a jest of him, and he consequently -found himself waxing vastly indignant. His anger, however, led him -into no extravagance; and, after having put a variety of other -questions to his companion, who did not choose to give a -straightforward answer to any of them, his wrath assumed the form of -sullen silence, which he expected would soon be received as a hint to -retire.</p> - -<p class="normal">In this he was mistaken. Cousins remained with outstretched feet and -emulative silence, filling his glass unbidden, with a fond reliance on -the generosity of the lawyer's disposition, for all which he was -heartily given to the devil, full a dozen times within the next half -hour. At the end of that period, the landlord again appeared at the -door, and gave Mr. Cousins a nod. The officer immediately started upon -his feet, and wishing Mr. Tims good-night, with many thanks for his -kind condescension, he followed mine host out of the room.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER XII.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Leaving Mr. Tims to meditate for half an hour, and then to -call his -clerk, in order to proceed with business of various kinds, we must -follow Cousins, the officer, along the passage, down the six steps at -the end, up the six steps opposite, and thence into another room, -larger and more handsomely furnished, in a different part of the -house. As he entered, the whole demeanour of the officer was as -completely changed as it is possible to imagine; and, instead of the -easy and nonchalant, perhaps somewhat listless air, which had -overspread him in the presence of the attorney, he entered the chamber -to which he had been summoned with a look of brisk activity, mingled -with respect, which strangely altered his whole appearance. The -character of the persons before whom he now presented himself, might -easily account for the change; for the officer was too well acquainted -with all ranks and stations of men, and too much accustomed to suit -his conduct to his company, not to make the most marked difference in -his demeanour towards a low attorney and towards two men of so much -respectability as Dr. Wilton and Mr. Egerton. Neither of those two -gentlemen, it is true, could be considered as so wealthy as Mr. Tims -had lately become; but, thank God! wealth--notwithstanding all its -efforts to confound itself with respectability, has not yet been able -to do so entirely, even in the eyes of the vulgar.</p> - -<p class="normal">The two magistrates were sitting together after dinner; but glasses -and decanters had been removed, a clerk called in, and each had his -bundle of notes before him. Cousins bowed respectfully, and advanced -to the end of the table, but no farther; while Dr. Wilton--who, as the -reader may have remarked, had been quite bewildered and overcome -during the examination of William Delaware--having now resumed all -that quick and active intelligence which was the ordinary -characteristic of his mind, proceeded to question the officer as to -the result of his investigations during the morning.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, Cousins," he said, "you went to Ryebury, of course? Did you -examine accurately the footmarks that I mentioned to you?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not those in the garden, sir," replied the officer, with a -countenance now full of quick intelligence; "because you see, sir, it -was very evident that such a number of people had been there since the -murder, that there was no use; for we could not have distinguished one -from the other; but I went up into the room where it had been done, -and there the matter was clear enough."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ha!" said Mr. Egerton. "And what did you make out there? I saw -nothing but a pool of blood flowing from the dead body."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I beg your worship's pardon," answered the officer; "but you are -mistaken there. As far as I could make out, it must have been done by -two men--I don't mean to say, mind, that there were not three; but if -there were, the other never stepped in the blood; but two there were -certainly; for I got the tread of one very near whole--that is to say, -the round of his boot heel, and more than three inches of the toe from -the tip backwards--so that one of them had a remarkable long foot. -There is the measure and shape of it, as far as I could get it--more -than twelve inches, you see, sir."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And the other!" said Dr. Wilton, "the other man's foot--what was the -length of it?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah! sir, that I could not get at!" replied the officer. "There was -nothing but about five inches of the fore part of the sole; but that I -got twice; and it is as different a foot, you see, from the other as -one would wish to find. Twice as broad, and square-toed; and then I -got the mark of a hand, too, which must have been at the poor old -devil's throat when they were cutting it, for it was all blood. It had -rested on the cornice of the dado; and the fellow, whoever he was, -wanted part of the third finger of his left hand."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ha, that is a good fact!" said Dr. Wilton eagerly; "but how did you -make that out, Cousins?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, sir, because it marked all the way up, but left off suddenly -before it got to the end," answered the officer.</p> - -<p class="normal">"But might not that finger have been bent?" said Mr. Egerton.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not unless it bent in the middle of the second joint," replied -Cousins; "but the matter was quite clear, sir; and one has nothing to -do but look at it to satisfy themselves that a part of the finger was -wanting; and what is oddest of all, that it has not been taken off at -the joint. All I saw besides was, that the fellow who cut the old -man's throat, must have gone away with his pantaloons very bloody; for -he did it kneeling, and there is just a clear spot where his knee and -part of his leg kept the blood from going over the floor."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Indeed! That may serve some purpose, too!" said Dr. Wilton; "but did -you find no more steps or marks of any other person."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, plenty of steps, sir!" replied the officer. "There were all the -dirty feet of the coroner's inquest. But I think--though I'm not quite -so sure of that--that there must have been somebody left below to keep -watch, while the others went up to do the job. You see, sir, there is -in one place of the passage floor a fresh deal, and I can trace upon -that deal the marks of a shoe with large nails in it, going backwards -and forwards, the matter of twenty times. Now, I hear that the deal -was put in not a week ago, and all the folks here agree, that the old -man never let a person with nails in his shoes twenty times into his -house in all his life; so it looks like as if that were the only time -and way in which it could get so often marked."</p> - -<p class="normal">The two magistrates looked at each other, and Mr. Egerton answered, -"Your suspicion is a shrewd one. Cousins; but now, tell us sincerely, -from all that you have seen and heard, do you think that Captain -Delaware has been one of those concerned?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why really, sir, I <i>cannot</i> say!" answered the officer; "but to tell -the truth--though there is no knowing after all--nevertheless--not to -speak for a certainty, you know--but still, I should think not."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You are now speaking to us in confidence, you know, Cousins," said -Dr. Wilton; "and, indeed, we are altogether acting extra-officially in -regard to the murder, though we think it may connect itself with the -other affair. Tell us, therefore, why you judge it was not Captain -Delaware."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, sir, that is difficult to say," replied the officer. "But first -and foremost, do you see, it strikes me that the job was done by as -knowing a hand as ever was on the lay--one that has had a regular -apprenticeship like. Well, as far as I can hear, that does not match -the Captain. Then, next, whoever did it, has got in upon the sly, by -means of the girl, whether she be an accessory or not. At all events, -she has gone off with her 'complices.--She's never murdered--never a -bit of her, take my word for that! Then you see, sir, when I had done -with Ryebury, I went away to Emberton Park House; and though there was -a mighty fuss to get in, all the family being gone, yet I managed it -at last, and got a whole heap of the Captain's old boots and shoes, -and measured them with the footmarks, and on oath I could prove that -none of them--neither those up, nor those down stairs--the marks I -mean--ever came off his foot."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, it would seem to me, that what you have said, would go very far -to exculpate him altogether," said Dr. Wilton.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ay, sir! But that is a mighty rum story about the notes," answered -the officer. "It would make a queer case for the 'sizes, any how. -Nevertheless, I don't think him guilty; and if he would explain -about the money, all would be clear enough--but that story of his -won't go; and if he sticks to it and is caught, he'll be hang'd if -Judge ----tries him. He'll get off if it come before Sir ----. He did -well enough to slip his head out of the collar any way."</p> - -<p class="normal">"But do you not think that Ruthven will catch him then?" demanded Dr. -Wilton, with no small anxiety.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, not near so easy as if he were an old thief," replied the -officer; "for you see, sir, we know all their haunts, and where -they'll take to in a minute, while this young chap may go Lord knows -where!"</p> - -<p class="normal">Both the magistrates paused thoughtfully for a minute or two, and at -length Dr. Wilton went on; "You see Cousins the fact is this, that the -coroner having issued his warrant against Captain Delaware, our -straightforward duty as magistrates is to use all means to put that -warrant in execution; and we are neither called upon, nor have we -perhaps a strict legal right, after a verdict has been pronounced, to -seek for evidence in favour of the person against whom that verdict -has been given. At the same time, we are blamed for not committing the -prisoner at once; and the coroner is blamed for not sending him off to -the county jail the moment the verdict was given, though it was then -night. It is also a part of our clearest duty to do all in our power -to bring the guilty to punishment, and to prepare the case, in a -certain degree, for the officers of the crown; consequently, without -any great stretch of interpretation, we may consider ourselves -justified in using every means, to satisfy ourselves who are innocent -and who are guilty. You think that Captain Delaware is not the -culprit; and you think that three persons have, at all events, been -concerned in the murder. Some suspicion of this kind must also have -been in the minds of the coroner's jury, when they returned a verdict -against Captain William Delaware, and some person or persons unknown. -It is our next business, therefore, to search for those persons -unknown, by every means in our power."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, as to the Captain, sir," answered Cousins, "the business would -be soon settled, if we could find out how he came by the money.'"</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is the most extraordinary thing in the world," said Dr. Wilton, -"that Mr. Beauchamp cannot be found anywhere--I am really beginning to -be apprehensive concerning him. He left me in a very low and depressed -state; and if his servant, Harding, were not with him--which, as he is -not to be heard of either, it would seem he is--I should be afraid -that his mind had given way."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Harding! Harding!" said Cousins, thoughtfully, "I wonder if that -could be the Harding who was a sort of valet and secretary to ---- the -banker, and who pocketed a good deal of his cash when he failed. He -had well nigh been hanged, or at least taken a swim across the -pond--but the lawyer let him off for some disclosures he made, and got -him a new place too, they say! I have lost sight of that chap for a -long time. But however, sir, you were speaking about the persons -unknown. Now I think, do you see, that I have got the end of a clue -that may lead to one of them; and if we get one we cannot fail to get -all."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Who then do you think it is?" demanded Mr. Egerton. "Let no means be -spared to find out even one of the ruffians."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why sir, you see, I don't mind telling you, because it will go no -farther; but I think it had better be alone," and he looked -significantly at the clerk, who was instantly ordered to withdraw.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Beg pardon, gentlemen," said Cousins more freely, when the other had -left the room; "but I've known some of those country clerks that were -the arrantest gossips in the whole neighbourhood. However the matter -is, I hit upon what I think is the head of the right nail, when I was -after the other business, do you see. You told me to enquire about the -burning of the lady's house, and the silver plate that had -disappeared; so, amongst other things, I went to the coach-office, and -examined the books, and just about that time I found that there had -been two parcels sent up to Amos Jacobs, Esq., to be left till called -for. Now, thinks I, who can Amos Jacobs be, but the old Jew of the -Scuttle-hole, as they call him. He receives stolen goods, gentlemen, -and is as great a blind as ever swung. Well, I asked the book-keeper -if he had noticed those two parcels; and he said yes, because they -were so small, and yet so heavy. So then I asked who brought them; and -he said a gentleman what had been lodging three doors down the street, -for six weeks or so. So away I went; and, looking up at the house, I -saw, 'Lodgings to Let' stuck up, and in I walked."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Mr. Beauchamp's lodgings, I dare say," said Dr. Wilton smiling.</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, no, sir!" replied Cousins, "I knew those before. They lie a good -bit farther down. But an old woman came to show me the lodgings, -thinking I was going to take them. So I asked her who had been in them -before, and she up and told me all about it. A very nice gentleman she -said he was, who was a great chemist she believed; for he was always -puddling about over a fire, making experiments as he told her--but -bless you, gentlemen! he was just making white soup of the lady's -plate--that was what he was doing. So then I asked her his name, and -she told me it was Mr. Anthony Smithson. So then the whole matter came -upon me at once. Your worships must understand that, as far as I know -of or remember, there is only one man upon the lay in London who has -lost a bit of his finger; and not having seen him for some time, I had -forgot all about him. His name is Tony Thomson--but sometimes people -called him Billy Winter--and at times he took the name of Johnson--and -Perkins too, I have heard him called--but the name he went by -generally, a good while ago, was Tony Smithson."</p> - -<p class="normal">"But if the lodgings were to be let, he must of course be gone?" cried -Dr. Wilton; "and we are as far off from the facts as ever."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh! he is gone, sure enough!" answered the officer, "That was the -first thing I asked the old woman, and she told me that he went the -very day before the terrible murder, and that he would be so sorry to -hear it, for he used often to walk up that way, and asked her many -questions about Mr. Tims, poor old man. Well, when I heard this, and -had got a good deal more out of her, I thought I might as well look -through the place; for these sort of folks generally are in too great -a hurry not to leave something behind them; and I opened all the -drawers and places--and the old woman thought it very strange, till I -told her who I was. He had cleared all away, however, except this gold -thimble, which had fallen halfway down between the drawers and the -wall. It has got 'J. D.' upon it, which, I take it, means--'Something -Darlington.' So it must have been prigged at the time of the fire."</p> - -<p class="normal">Dr. Wilton and Mr. Egerton both looked at the thimble, and felt -convinced that it had belonged to Mrs. Darlington. At all events, the -information which Cousins had obtained, was of course most important, -as it rendered it more than probable, that one at least of the persons -who had robbed, if not fired the house upon the hill, had been also a -principal in the murder of the miser. Both the magistrates, therefore, -joined in giving high commendations to the officer, and particular -directions were added for prosecuting the investigation. Cousins, -however, had already anticipated several of the orders he now -received.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I tried all I could, sir," he replied, "to find out some of the -fellow's stray boots or shoes, but he had left none behind. I then -went to all the different shoemakers and cobblers, to see if any of -them could give me his measure; but he had been too cunning for that. -The stage-coachman, however, remembered taking him up here for London, -and setting him down, by his own desire, at a little public-house four -miles off; so that we have got upon the right scent beyond doubt; and -if you will give me permission, gentlemen, I will go out this evening, -and find out whom he most kept company with in this place, before the -matter gets blown. I have had a good pumping to-night already; but it -would not do."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And pray, who took the trouble of pumping you. Cousins?" demanded Mr. -Egerton. "Though this is the most gossiping town in Europe, I should -have thought there was roguery enough in it also, to keep the -inhabitants from meddling unnecessarily with a police-officer."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, it was none of the people of the place, sir!" replied Cousins. -"They only stared at me. This was the Mr. Tims who gave the Captain in -charge, I hear. He seems a sharp hand, and he has a great goodwill to -prove the captain guilty, though I don't see just yet, what good it -would do him, either."</p> - -<p class="normal">Dr. Wilton asked several questions concerning the lawyer, and the -examination to which he had subjected the officer; and then--after -shaking his head, and observing that he believed Mr. Peter Tims to be -a great rogue--he dismissed Cousins to pursue his enquiries in the -town.</p> - -<p class="normal">It must be here remarked, that Mr. Egerton, although he knew William -Delaware personally, and did not think him at all a person to commit -the crime with which he was charged, had never felt that assured -confidence in his innocence which Dr. Wilton had always experienced. -It was not, indeed, that Mr. Egerton thought worse of Captain Delaware -individually than the clergyman did, but he thought worse of the whole -human race. Gradually, however, he had been coming over to Dr. -Wilton's opinion; and his conversation that night with the officer, -had completely made a convert of him, by showing him that, -notwithstanding the one extraordinary circumstance which yet remained -to be explained, every new fact that was elicited, tended more and -more to prove that the murder had been committed by persons of a very -different class and habits from the supposed delinquent. Feeling, -therefore, that in some degree he had done the unfortunate young -gentleman injustice, he now determined to redouble his exertions to -apprehend the real culprits, in the hope and expectation of clearing -the character of Captain Delaware. With this view, he resolved to -remain at Emberton that night, contrary to his former plans; and he -proposed to Dr. Wilton to visit the old miser's house at Ryebury the -next morning, in order to verify the footmarks, as measured by -Cousins, lest the new proprietor might think fit, after the funeral, -which was to take place at four that day, to have all traces of the -horrid scene effaced, which he might do for more reasons than one, if -the malevolence Captain Delaware charged him with were really his -motive.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, the truth is," replied Dr. Wilton, in answer to this proposal, -"that I intended to go very early to-morrow to Mrs. Darlington's, to -see poor Blanche Delaware, and try to discover whether she can give -any clue by which Henry Beauchamp can be found."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Is it likely that she should possess any?" said Mr. Egerton, -laughing.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, they are cousins, you know," answered Dr. Wilton, with a smile -which served to contradict the reason that his words seemed to assign -for the knowledge of her cousin's movements, which he attributed to -Miss Delaware. "They are cousins, you know; and I have heard it -reported that there was something more--but, at all events, I am -anxious about the lad, and do not choose to leave any chance of -discovering him untried."</p> - -<p class="normal">"But, by the way, I forgot," said Mr. Egerton, "I heard an hour or two -ago that Sir Sidney and Miss Delaware had left Mrs. Darlington's, and -had gone to some watering-place, I think the people said."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh no, impossible!" said Dr. Wilton. "Impossible! They would have -let me hear, as a matter of course." Nevertheless, he rose and rang -the bell, although, so convinced was he of the truth of what he -asserted, that, ere the waiter appeared, he had proceeded to arrange -with Mr. Egerton, that while that gentleman went to Ryebury, and -verified the traces which Cousins had observed, he would drive to Mrs. -Darlington's, and make the enquiries he proposed.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Pray, have you heard any thing of Sir Sidney Delaware having left -Mrs. Darlington's new house?" demanded Dr. Wilton, when the waiter -appeared.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh dear yes, sir!" replied the man. "Mr. Tims--Lawyer Tims, sir--who -was there this morning, could find none of them, and has been -enquiring all over the place to make out where they are gone to. But -nobody can tell, sir, and every one says they have run away."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nonsense! said Mr. Egerton, "That will do!" and the waiter retired.</p> - -<p class="normal">"This is very extraordinary!" said Dr. Wilton. "Every one seems to be -disappearing, one after the other. Nevertheless, I will go up and -enquire of Mrs. Darlington, and will come and join you at Ryebury -afterwards."</p> - -<p class="normal">The meeting was accordingly arranged, and shortly after Cousins -returned, bringing a vast store of fresh information. Mr. Anthony -Smithson, alias Thomson, alias Perkins, alias Johnson, alias Winter, -fully described and particularized, so as to leave no doubt whatever, -of his identity with crushfingered Billy Winter, a notorious London -flashman, had been remarked, by all the wonder-mongers of Emberton, -for his intimacy with Mr. Harding, Mr. Burrel's servant. He had been -also observed to have a peculiar predilection for the lanes and fields -about the house at Ryebury. This information had led the officers to -fresh enquiries, concerning the philosophical Harding himself, who had -been accurately described by the investigating and observing people of -Emberton; and, on his return, Cousins expressed his fullest -conviction, that he was the identical Harding, who had, as he before -described, got off in a serious criminal case, solely by the -connivance of an attorney. Who that attorney was, need hardly be -explained; and indeed, to do so, would only lead us into the details -of a previous affair, totally unconnected with this history. Suffice -it, that no sooner did Cousins hear that Harding had been with his -master, at the house of Mrs. Darlington, on the day of the fire, than -he at once declared himself to be perfectly certain that his hands, -and no others, had kindled the flame. He added also, that he did not -doubt that Smithson and Harding--whether they had exactly fixed upon -any precise object or not--had come down to Emberton, with the -intention of acting in concert; and he added, that it would not at all -surprise him, to find that they were the two who committed the murder -itself, especially as the people had particularly described to him the -valet's long foot.</p> - -<p class="normal">While he was speaking, Dr. Wilton rapidly turned over his notes of the -examination of Captain Delaware, and the servants at Emberton Park, -and at length lighted upon the declaration of the manservant, who -stated, that in returning from some errand in that direction, he had -seen the valet Harding at the back of the park, the lanes surrounding -which led directly towards Ryebury.</p> - -<p class="normal">"If I could think of any reason for his putting the money in the -captain's room," said Cousins, as the clergyman read this passage, "I -should think that Harding had done it himself, on purpose to hang -him."</p> - -<p class="normal">"May he not have been instigated to do it by others?" said Mr. -Egerton.</p> - -<p class="normal">"If one could find out any reason for it," replied the officer.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, Captain Delaware suspected something of the kind himself," -replied the magistrate, and he read a part of the young fugitive's -letter, watching from time to time, as he did so, the effect it -produced upon the countenance of a man who, like Cousins, was -accustomed to trace and encounter crime in every form. The officer -closed one eye, put his tongue slightly into his cheek, and ended by a -half whistle.</p> - -<p class="normal">"You had better look to it gentlemen," he said; "you had better look -to it--such things have been done before now--so you had better look -to it!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"We will!" answered Dr. Wilton, "We will! let us see you to-morrow -about nine, Cousins."</p> - -<p class="normal">The officer took the hint, and withdrew.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER XIII.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Oh, that I had the lucid arrangement of the late Lord -Tenterden, or -the happy illustration of Francis Jeffrey, or the <i>curiosa Felicitas</i> -of George Gordon Byron, or the nervous verve of Gifford, or the -elegant condensation of Lockhart, or any of the peculiar powers of any -of the great men of past or future ages, to help me to make this -chapter both interesting and brief; for there are several facts to -state, and small space to state them in; and--what is worse than -all--they are so dry and pulverized, that they are enough to give any -one who meddles with them, what the Spaniard gracefully terms a -"<i>retortijon de tripas</i>."</p> - -<p class="normal">As, however, they are absolutely necessary to the clear understanding -of what is to follow, I will at once place them all in order together, -leaving the reader to swallow them in any vehicle he may think fit.</p> - -<p class="normal">First, then, on his visit to Mrs. Darlington, Dr. Wilton obtained no -information whatever, except that the tidings he had before heard were -true. Sir Sidney Delaware and his daughter, Mrs. Darlington said, had -indeed left her; but they had requested, as a particular favour, that -she would not even enquire whither they were going; and, as the favour -was a very small one, she had granted it of course. From the house of -that worthy lady, Dr. Wilton proceeded to join Mr. Egerton at Ryebury, -where--according to their own request--they were met by the coroner -for the county. All the traces which had been observed by Cousins were -verified, and a complete plan of the scene of the murder was made -under the direction of the magistrates.</p> - -<p class="normal">A long conference took place at the same time between the two justices -and the coroner, who expressed less dissatisfaction at the escape of -Captain Delaware than they had expected.</p> - -<p class="normal">"We must share the blame between us, gentlemen," he said. "You, for -not having remanded him to some secure place, I, for not having sent -him five-and-twenty miles that night to the county jail. Certain it -is, the case was a very doubtful one, and I would fain have had the -jury adjourn till the following morning. But in truth," he added, -"coroners' juries, knowing that their decision is not final, and -disgusted and agitated by the horrible scenes they are obliged to -examine, very often return a hasty and ill-considered verdict, in -spite of all the officers of the crown can do. This was, I am afraid, -the case in the present instance; and I have no doubt that the young -man may have made his escape more from apprehension of a long and -painful imprisonment--which is a severe punishment in itself--than -from any consciousness of guilt."</p> - -<p class="normal">Finding his opinion thus far favourable, the two magistrates -communicated to the crown-officer all that they had discovered in -regard to Harding and Smithson, and also the faint suspicion which -they entertained, that Harding, at the instigation of Mr. Tims junior, -had placed the money in the chamber of Captain Delaware.</p> - -<p class="normal">The coroner, however, shook his head. "As to Harding and Smithson," he -said, "the matter is sufficiently made out to justify us in issuing -warrants for their apprehension; and Harding may perhaps--from some -motive we know nothing of--have placed the money as you suspect, -especially as he seems to have been well acquainted with Emberton -Park; but I do not believe that Mr. Tims had any thing to do with it. -To suppose so, would at once lead us to the conclusion that he was an -accomplice in the murder of his uncle; and his whole conduct gave the -lie to that. No--no--had he even known that his uncle was dead before -he came here, his whole actual behaviour afterwards would have been -very different. He did not affect any great sorrow for his uncle, as -he would have done had he been at all culpable; but, at the same time, -he was evidently vindictive in the highest degree against the -murderers. No--no-you are mistaken there, gentlemen! But let us issue -warrants against the other two, and intrust their execution to -Cousins. We shall easily be able to get at the truth in regard to -Captain Delaware from one of those gentry, if we can but catch them."</p> - -<p class="normal">While the warrants were in preparation, it was announced to the -magistrates that Mr. Peter Tims himself was below, with the -undertakers; and also, that the constable of a neighbouring parish had -brought up a boy who had found a hat upon the sea-shore, which, it was -supposed, might throw some light upon the matter before the -magistrates.</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Tims was accordingly directed to wait, while the boy was brought -up, and the hat examined. The peculiarity of its form--a form unknown -in Emberton--and of its colour--a shade of that light russet-brown, in -which Shakspeare clothes the dawn for her morning's walk--at once led -Dr. Wilton to believe that it had belonged to his unfortunate friend -Henry Beauchamp. As Beauchamp, however, was not one of those men who -write their names in their hats, the matter still remained in the most -unpleasant state in the world--a state of doubt; and such a state -being not less disagreeable to Dr. Wilton than to any one else--after -catechising the boy, and discovering that nothing was to be -discovered, except that the hat had been washed on shore at about -five miles' distance from Ryebury, of which washing it bore ample -marks--the worthy clergyman left his companions in magistracy to -expedite the warrants, and returned in person to Emberton, in order to -examine Mrs. Wilson, Beauchamp's late landlady, in regard to the hat, -which he carried thither along with him.</p> - -<p class="normal">As soon as Mrs. Wilson saw it, she declared that it was the identical -hat that poor dear Mr. Burrel used always to wear in the morning. She -had seen it, she said, full a hundred times, and knew it, because the -leather in the inside was laced with a silk tag, for all the world -like the bodices she could remember when she was young. Eagerly, also, -did she question Dr. Wilton as to where it had been found; for it -seems that Mr. Burrel had been no small favourite with the old lady; -and when she was made acquainted with the facts, she wrung her hands, -declaring that she was sure the poor young gentleman had gone and -drowned himself for love of Miss Delaware. Now, Dr. Wilton had at his -heart entertained a sort of vague suspicion that Beauchamp, -notwithstanding all his strong moral and religious principles, -might--in a moment of despair, and in that fancied disgust at the -world, which he was somewhat too apt to pamper--do some foolish act. -Perhaps I should have said that he <i>feared</i> it might be so; and, as he -would rather have believed any other thing, and was very angry at -himself for supposing it possible, he was of course still more angry -at good Mrs. Wilson for so strongly confirming his apprehensions. -He scolded her very heartily, therefore, for imagining what he had -before imagined himself; and was just leaving her house, when he -bethought him of making enquiries concerning the haunts and behaviour -of Mr. Burrel's valet, Harding. To his questions on this head, -Mrs. Wilson--though a little indignant at the reprimand she had -received--replied in the most clear and distinct manner, that Harding -had never kept company with any one but Mr. Smithson, the chemist -gentleman, who lodged farther up the town; that no one scarcely ever -heard the sound of his voice; and that, for her part, so queer were -his ways, that she should have thought that he was a conjurer, if he -had not been a gentleman's servant--which two occupations she -mistakenly imagined to be incompatible.</p> - -<p class="normal">Dr. Wilton next enquired what was the size of the valet's foot, at -which Mrs. Wilson looked aghast, demanding, "Lord! how should she know -what was the size of the gentleman's foot? But stay!" she cried the -moment after, "Stay stay, sir! Now I think of it, I can tell to a -cheeseparing; for in the hurry that he went away in, he left a pair of -boots behind him; and the groom, when he set off the morning after, -would not take them, because he said Mr. Harding was always <i>jawing</i> -him and meddling with his business, and some day or another he would -tell him a thing or two."</p> - -<p class="normal">Dr. Wilton demanded an immediate sight of the boots, with all the -eagerness of a connoisseur, and with much satisfaction beheld a -leathern foot-bag of extraordinary length brought in by the landlady, -who declared, as she entered, that "he had a very long foot after -all."</p> - -<p class="normal">The boot was immediately carried off to the inn; but as Mr. Egerton -had the measurements with him at Ryebury, Dr. Wilton was obliged to -wait one mortal hour and a half ere he could proceed to ascertain the -correspondence of the valet's boot with the bloody mark of the -murderer's foot, tormenting himself about Beauchamp in the meanwhile. -After waiting that time, however, in fretful incertitude, as to going -to the place itself, or staying his fellow magistrate's return, Mr. -Egerton appeared, the paper on which the footmarks had been traced was -produced, and the boot being set down thereon, filled up one of the -vacant spaces without the difference of a line.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Now, now, we have him!" cried Dr. Wilton, rubbing his hands eagerly. -"Now we have him. Beyond all question, the council for the crown will -permit the least criminal to become king's evidence, and I doubt not, -in the slightest degree, that we shall find poor William Delaware -completely exculpated."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You call to my mind, my dear friend," said Mr. Egerton, laying his -hand on Dr. Wilton's arm, as if to stop his transports? "You call to -my mind a waggish receipt for dressing a strange dish."</p> - -<p class="normal">"How so? How so?" demanded Dr. Wilton, with a subdued smile at the -reproof of his eagerness, which he knew was coming in some shape or -other. "What is your receipt, my dear sir?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"It runs thus"--answered Mr. Egerton, "<i>How to dress a griffin</i>--First -catch a griffin!--and then, dress him any way you like!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well, well!" answered Dr. Wilton. '"We will try to catch the griffin, -my dear sir, and you shall not find me wanting in ardour to effect the -preliminary step, if you will aid me to bring about the second, and -let me dress my griffin when I have caught him. To say truth," he -added, relapsing into grave seriousness, "the subject is not a -laughing one; and I am afraid I have suffered my personal feelings to -become somewhat too keenly interested--perhaps to a degree of levity. -God knows, there is little reason for us to be eager in the matter, -except from a desire that, by the punishment of the guilty, the -innocent should be saved, and I am willing to confess, that I -entertain not the slightest doubt of the innocence of William -Delaware. A crime has certainly been committed by some one; and -according to all the laws of God and man, it is one which should be -punished most severely. Heaven forbid, however, that I should treat -such a matter with levity. All I meant to say is, that if we do -succeed in apprehending the real murderers, we must endeavour to make -their conviction the means of clearly exculpating the innocent."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I hope we shall be as successful as you could wish," replied Mr. -Egerton; "and I think it would give me scarcely less pleasure then it -would give yourself, to hear that Captain Delaware is innocent, -although I will not suffer either a previous good character, or a -gallant deportment, or a handsome countenance, to weigh with me, -except as presumptive testimony in his favour, and as a caution to -myself, to be on my guard against the natural predilections of man's -heart. But what have you discovered regarding the hat?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Confirmation, I am afraid too strong, of my worst fears," answered -Dr. Wilton; and he related how positively Mrs. Wilson had declared it -to have belonged to Mr. Beauchamp. Measures for investigating this -event also, were immediately taken, and information of the supposed -death by drowning, of a gentleman lately residing at Emberton, was -given to all the stations on that coast. This new catastrophe, of -course, furnished fresh food to the gossiping propensities of the -people of the town; and the tale, improved by the rich and prolific -imagination of its inhabitants, was sent forth connected by a thousand -fine and filmy links, with the murder of the miser, and the -disappearance of the Delaware family. It instantly appeared in all the -public prints, who, to do them but justice, were far too charitable to -leave it in its original nakedness. Hence it was transferred, with new -scenery, dresses, and decorations, to a broad sheet of very thin -paper, and distributed by a man with a loud voice, on the -consideration of one halfpenny, to wondering housemaids and keepers of -chandlers' shops, under the taking title of the "Rybury Trajedy!" and -there is strong reason to believe, that it was alone owing to the -temporary difficulties of Mr. ----, of the ---- Theatre, that Captain -William Delaware was not brought upon the boards, with a knife in his -hand cutting the throat of the miser, while Henry Beauchamp threw -himself from the rocks into the sea, for love of the murderer's -sister. That this theatrical consummation did not take place, is much -to be wondered at; and it is to be hoped, that when the managers are -furnished with all the correct particulars, they will still give the -public their version of the matter on every stage, from Drury Lane to -the very barn at Emberton itself.</p> - -<p class="normal">As may be easily supposed, for two country magistrates, Dr. Wilton and -Mr. Egerton had now their hands tolerably full; and consequently, on -separating, they agreed to meet again at Emberton in two days. In the -mean time, the funeral of the murdered man took place, conducted, as -Mr. Peter Tims assured every body, with that attention to economy, -which would have been gratifying to the deceased himself, if he could -have witnessed it. Nobody could doubt that the nephew had probability -on his side in this respect, though the undertaker grumbled, and the -mercer called him a shabby person. After the interment, Mr. Tims took -possession of the premises and the papers of the deceased; but, for -reasons that may be easily divined, he did not choose to stay in the -dwelling that his uncle had inhabited. Passing the ensuing evening and -night at the inn, he had all the papers removed thither, and continued -in the examination thereof for many an hour, in a room from which even -his own clerk was excluded. Those who saw him afterwards declared, -that his countenance was as resplendent as a new sovereign; but he -selfishly kept all his joy to his own bosom, and after spending -another day in Emberton, he set off post for London, with many a bag -and tin-case, to take out letters of administration.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CHAPTER XIV.</h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Lord Ashborough left his niece, Maria Beauchamp, and the chief -part of -his establishment, in the country; and setting out with but two -servants, arrived in the metropolis late on Saturday night. With that -attention to decorum and propriety which formed a chief point in his -minor policy, he appeared, on the Sunday morning, in the gallery of -St. George's Church, Hanover Square, exactly as the organ sounded, and -with grave and devout face passed through the next two hours. But let -it not be supposed that the impressive service of the church of -England, read even in its most impressive manner, occupied his -thoughts, or that even the eloquence of a Hodgson caught his ear and -affected his heart. It was only the flesh-and-blood tenement of Lord -Ashborough that was at church, Lord Ashborough himself, in heart and -in spirit, was in his library in Grosvenor Square, eagerly conversing -with Mr. Peter Tims, on the best means of snatching the last spoils of -his enemy. Sir Sidney Delaware. Not that Lord Ashborough did not go to -church with the full and clear purpose of doing his duty; but people's -ideas of doing their duty are so very various, that he thought the -going to church quite enough--without attending.</p> - -<p class="normal">Now, in spite of risking a <i>longueur</i> we must observe, that there are -some people, who, although they live in great opposition to the -doctrines they hear, nevertheless, deserve a certain degree of honour -for going to church, because they persevere in doing so, though the -two hours they spend there are the most tiresome of their whole lives. -Attribute it to resolution, or sense of decency, or what you will, -still some honour is their due; but we are sorry to say, that no such -plea could be set up in favour of Lord Ashborough. The two hours that -he spent at church were not tedious; he had the comfortable persuasion -that he was doing his duty, and setting a good example; and, at the -same time, had a fair opportunity of thinking over all his plans and -projects for the ensuing week, without any chance of interruption. -Thus, the time he spent within the holy walls, was a time of calm and -pleasant reflection, and what profit he derived from it, the rest of -his life must show. At all events, there was nothing disagreeable in -it. It was a part of the pomp and parade of existence, and he went -through it all, with a degree of equanimity that took away every kind -of merit from the act.</p> - -<p class="normal">Before he had concluded his breakfast on the Monday morning, a servant -announced that Mr. Peter Tims had been shown into the library; and -thither Lord Ashborough bent his steps, after he had kept the lawyer -waiting long enough to preserve his dignity and show his indifference.</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Peter Tims was seated in the far corner of the library with great -humility, and rose instantly on the peer's entrance, bowing to the -ground. Now, the fact was--and it may need some explanation--that Mr. -Tims found he was growing a great man, in his own estimation, on the -wealth he derived from his uncle. He had just discovered that pride -was beginning to get above avarice in his heart, and he became afraid, -that Lord Ashborough might think he was deviating into too great -familiarity, from feeling a strong inclination in his own bosom to do -so. Such a consummation was, of course, not desirable on many -accounts; and with his usual politic shrewdness, Peter Tims resolved -to assume a far greater degree of humility than he really felt, -and--while by other means, he raised himself slowly in the estimation, -both of his noble patron and the world in general, suffering his -newly-acquired wealth silently to act with its own weight--and -determined to affect still a tone of ample subserviency till his -objects were fully gained.</p> - -<p class="normal">In the meanwhile, Lord Ashborough, who believed that a gulf as wide as -that which yawned in the Forum, lay between himself and Peter Tims, -bespoke the lawyer with condescending civility, bade him take a seat, -and enquired what news he had brought from Emberton.</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Peter Tims hesitated, and then replied, that the news he brought -was bad, he was afraid, in every respect. "In the first place, my -lord, I have not been able to stop any of the rents, for they had -unfortunately been paid on the day preceding my return to Emberton. In -the next place, it would appear that Sir Sidney Delaware has run away -as well as his son; for he has certainly disappeared, and, -notwithstanding every means I could use, I was not able to discover -any trace of him."</p> - -<p class="normal">He had imagined that Lord Ashborough would have expressed nothing but -disappointment at tidings which threatened to make his views upon the -Emberton estate more vague and difficult of success; but he was -mistaken. The first passion in the peer's breast was revenge. The -picture presented to him was Sidney Delaware flying from his country, -disgraced, ruined, and blighted in mind and body. Memory strode over -three-and-twenty years in an instant, and showed him the same man as -he had then appeared--his successful rival triumphing in his -disappointment. Placing the portrait of the present and the past -together, the peer again tasted the joy of revenge, and mentally ate -his enemy's heart in the marketplace. For a moment, avarice gave place -to revenge; but, after all, avarice is the most durable and permanent -of human passions. Like Sinbad's Old Man of the Sea, it gets upon the -back of every thing else that invades its own domain, and never leaves -them till they die of inanition. Ambition sometimes gorges itself; -pride is occasionally brought down; vanity tires, and love grows cold; -but avarice, once possessed of the human heart, may be driven into the -inmost recesses for a moment, but never quits the citadel, and always -sooner or later regains the outworks.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Will this make any difference with regard to our proceedings against -the old man and his son?" demanded the peer, after he had given -revenge its moment, and had suffered avarice to return.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not at all, as respects the son!" answered Mr. Tims; "but I am afraid -that, in the father's case, it may occasion some delays. You see, my -lord, not knowing where he is, we cannot serve him with process. -In regard to the son, too, you see, my lord, nothing can be -discovered--not the slightest trace. However, I doubt not that we -shall be able to fit him with a law, that will secure your lordship -the reversion. But I am afraid, my lord, I have still worse news in -store for you. Grieved I am to be such a croaking raven in your -lordship's ears, and thus to"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"Do me the favour, then, my good sir," said Lord Ashborough, cutting -across his figures of speech impatiently, "to make your croaking as -brief as possible; and, without circumlocution, to tell me what is the -matter."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I would first ask your lordship," said Mr. Tims, who had a great -opinion of the foolish plan of breaking bad tidings by degrees. "I -would first ask your lordship, if you have lately heard from Mr. -Beauchamp?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, is that all?" said Lord Ashborough. "I told you before, and I -tell you again, Mr. Tims, there is no more chance of her marrying -Henry Beauchamp, than there is of my marrying my walking-stick."</p> - -<p class="normal">"But it is not that, my lord!" cried Mr. Tims. "It is not that at all! -I am afraid Mr. Beauchamp is drowned!"</p> - -<p class="normal">Lord Ashborough started from his chair, pale and aghast, with a -complication of painful feelings, which Mr. Tims had little thought -could be excited by the death of any living thing. But the lawyer made -the common mistake of generalizing too broadly. He had fancied that -his patron was calmly callous to every thing but what immediately -affected himself, and he was mistaken; for it is improbable that there -ever was a man whose heart, if we could have traced all its secret -chambers and intricate windings, did not somewhere contain a store, -however small, of gentle feelings and affections. Lord Ashborough -loved his nephew, though probably Henry Beauchamp was the only human -being he did sincerely love. In him all the better affections of his -heart had centred.</p> - -<p class="normal">Lord Ashborough had also loved his brother, Beauchamp's father; and in -early life, when the heart is soft, he had done him many a kindness, -which--as they were perhaps the only truly generous actions of his -life--made him love his brother still more, as the object that had -excited them. Neither, in the whole course of their lives, did there -occur one unfortunate point of rivalry between them; and Mr. -Beauchamp, or rather Governor Beauchamp, as he was at last generally -called, felt so deeply the various acts of friendship which his -brother had shown to him, and him alone, in all the world, that he -took the best way of expressing his gratitude, namely, by making Lord -Ashborough on all occasions appear to advantage, giving way to his -pride, putting the most favourable construction on his actions, and -never opposing him in words, however differently he might shape his -own conduct. Thus the love of his brother remained unshaken and -increasing, till the last day of Governor Beauchamp's life; and at his -death it was transferred to his son, rendered indeed more tender, but -not decreased by regret for the father, and by the softening power of -memory.</p> - -<p class="normal">It is sad to think that any less noble feelings should have mingled -with these purer affections, even though they might tend to increase -the intensity of his affection for Henry Beauchamp. It would be far -more grateful to the mind, to let this redeeming point stand out -resplendent in the character of the peer; but we are telling truth, -and it must not be. The shadow, however, perhaps is a slight one; but -it was pride of two kinds that gave the full height to Lord -Ashborough's love for Beauchamp. In the first place, to his title and -estates there was no other heir than Henry Beauchamp. There was not -even any collateral line of male descent, which could have perpetuated -the earldom, if his nephew had been removed. Henry Beauchamp dead, and -the peer saw himself the last Lord Ashborough. In him, therefore, had -centred all the many vague, and, we might almost call them, -<i>mysterious</i> feelings of interest, with which we regard the being -destined to carry on our race and name into the long futurity. Family -pride, then, tended to increase the earl's affection for his nephew; -but there was pride also of another kind concerned. Lord Ashborough -admired Henry Beauchamp as well as loved him; and, strange to say, -admired him, not only for the qualities which they possessed in -common, but for the qualities which his nephew possessed, and which he -himself did not. They were both good horsemen, and Lord Ashborough had -been in his youth, like Henry Beauchamp, skilled in all manly -exercises, had been elegant in his manners, and graceful in his -person; but light wit, a fertile imagination, a generous disposition, -were qualities that the earl had never possessed; and yet he was -gratified beyond measure that his nephew did possess them, delighted -in the admiration they called upon him, and was proud of the heir to -his fortune and his name.</p> - -<p class="normal">All these facts had been overlooked by Mr. Tims, whose mind, though of -the same kind of web as that of his patron, was of a grosser texture; -and not a little was he surprised and frightened, when he beheld the -effect which his abrupt tidings produced upon the earl.</p> - -<p class="normal">Lord Ashborough turned deadly pale, and, staggering up, rang the bell -violently. Mr. Tims would have spoken, but the earl waved his hand for -him to be silent; and when the servant appeared, exclaimed, "The drops -out of my dressing-room! Quick!"</p> - -<p class="normal">The man disappeared, but returned in a moment with vial and glass; and -pouring out a few drops, Lord Ashborough swallowed them hastily; and -then leaning his head upon his hand, paused for a minute or two, while -the servant stood silent beside him, and the lawyer gazed upon him in -horror and astonishment. In a short time the peer's colour returned; -and, giving a nod to the servant, who was evidently not unaccustomed -to scenes somewhat similar, he said, "You may go!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Now, Mr. Tims," he continued, when the door was once more closed, -"what were you telling me? But first, let me say you should be more -cautious in making such communications. Do you not know that I am -subject to spasms of the heart, which are always brought on by any -sudden affection of the mind?"</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Tims apologized and declared his ignorance, and vowed he would -not have done such a thing for the world, <i>et cœtera</i>; but Lord -Ashborough soon stopped him, and demanded, with some impatience, what -had given rise to the apprehension he had expressed. The lawyer, then, -with circumlocution, if not with delicacy, proceeded to state the -rumours that he had heard at Emberton, which had been confirmed to him -by Mrs. Wilson, namely, that Mr. Beauchamp's hat had been washed on -shore on the sea-side not far from that place. He had found it his -duty, he said, to make enquiries, especially as the good landlady had -declared that the young gentleman had appeared very melancholy and -"out of sorts" on the day he left her. No other part of Mr. -Beauchamp's apparel had been found except a glove, which was picked up -on the road leading from Emberton to a little fishing village not far -off.</p> - -<p class="normal">"There is one sad fact, my lord, however," continued the lawyer "which -gives me great apprehension. I, myself, in the course of my enquiries, -discovered Mr. Beauchamp's beautiful hunter, Martindale, in the hands -of a poor pot-house keeper, in a village about three miles, or not so -much, from Emberton. This man and his servants were the last people -who saw your nephew. He came there, it appears, late one evening on -horseback, asked if they had a good dry stable, put up his horse, saw -it properly attended to, and then walked out, looking very grave and -disconsolate, the man said. I found that this person knew the horse's -name; and, when I asked him how he had learned it, for he did not know -Mr. Beauchamp at all, he said, that the gentleman, just before he -went, had patted the horse's neck, and said, 'my poor Martindale! I -must take care of you, however!'"</p> - -<p class="normal">Lord Ashborough listened with a quivering lip and haggard eye as Mr. -Tims proceeded with his tale. "Have you been at his house?" he -demanded, as the other concluded.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I went there the first thing this morning, my lord," replied Mr. -Tims; "but I am very sorry to say, none of his servants know any thing -whatever in regard to him. They all say they have been expecting him -in town every day for the last week."</p> - -<p class="normal">Lord Ashborough again rang the bell. "Order horses to the carriage -immediately!" he said, when his servant appeared; "and go on to -Marlborough Street with my compliments to Sir George F----, and a -request that he would send me an experienced officer, who can go down -with me into the country directly. Mr. Tims, I must enquire into this -business myself. I leave you here behind to take every measure that is -necessary; but, above all things, remember that you have ten thousand -pounds to pay into the hands of poor Beauchamp's agents. Do not fail -to do it in the course of to-day; and explain to them that the -business of the bill was entirely owing to forgetfulness. Let all the -expenses be paid, and clear away that business at once. I am almost -sorry that it was ever done."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And about Sir Sidney Delaware, my lord?" said Mr. Tims. "What"----</p> - -<p class="normal">"Proceed against him instantly!" interrupted the peer, setting his -teeth firm. "Proceed against him instantly, by every means and all -means! The same with his son! Leave not a stone unturned to bring him -to justice, or punish him for contumacy. If it had not been for those -two villains, and their damned intrigues, this would not have happened -to poor Henry!"</p> - -<p class="normal">Thus do men deceive themselves; and thus those things that, would they -listen to conscience instead of desire, might become warnings and -reproofs, they turn to apologies for committing fresh wrongs, and fuel -to feed the fire of their passions into a blaze. The observation may -be commonplace, but it is true; and let the man who does not do so, -call it trite, if he will--no one else has a right.</p> - -<p class="normal">It was evident that the earl was in no placable mood; and Mr. Tims, -though he had much yet to speak of, and many a plan to propose, in -order to overcome those legal difficulties to the design he had -suggested, which were now springing up rapidly to his mind, yet -thought it expedient to put off the discussion of the whole till his -noble patron was in a more fitting humour, not a little apprehensive -that, if he touched upon the matter at present, the earl's anger might -turn upon himself, for discovering obstacles in a path which he had -formerly represented as smooth and easy. He therefore contented -himself with asking a few more directions; and, leaving Lord -Ashborough, proceeded straight to Doctors' Commons to make the -necessary arrangements concerning his uncle's property. That done, he -visited the stamp-office; his business there being of no small -consequence to himself. It was neither more nor less than to cause a -paper to be stamped, which he had found amongst other documents -belonging to his uncle, which acknowledged the receipt of the sum of -ten thousand pounds from Mr. Tims of Ryebury, and was signed by Henry -Beauchamp.</p> - -<p class="normal">Considerable difficulties were offered at the stamp-office to the -immediate legalization of this paper; but Mr. Tims was so completely -aware of every legal point, and, through Lord Ashborough's business, -was so well known at the office, that it was at length completed, and -he immediately turned his steps towards the house of Messrs. Steelyard -and Wilkinson, who had lately become the law-agents of Henry -Beauchamp. Before he had gone above half a mile on the road thither, -he pulled the check-string of the hackney-coach in which he was -seated, and bade the man drive to Clement's Inn. This was immediately -done; and Mr. Tims entered his chambers, and retired into its inmost -recesses, to pause upon and consider the step that he had just been -about to take.</p> - -<p class="normal">This was no other than to wait upon Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson, -and tender them Mr. Beauchamp's stamped acknowledgement of the receipt -of ten thousand pounds from his uncle, in discharge of the ten -thousand pounds which he had been directed to pay by Lord Ashborough, -appropriating to himself, as his uncle's heir, the money which was -thus left in his hands. The matter was susceptible of various points -of view; for, though the law does not recognize the principle of any -man helping himself in such a manner, yet we are informed by those who -know better than ourselves, that it is very difficult under many -circumstances to prevent him from doing so. There was one point, -however, which greatly incommoded Mr. Tims, namely, that the -acknowledgement in Mr. Beauchamp's hand, was dated on the very day of -the Ryebury murder, and thereby offered a strong presumption, that the -money had really been placed in Captain Delaware's chamber by his -cousin. Many important consequences might ensue should Mr. Beauchamp -reappear, and declare such to have been the fact; and although Mr. -Tims sincerely hoped and trusted that he was at the bottom of the sea, -yet, as it might happen that he was not, the lawyer, with laudable -precaution, sat down to state to himself the results which would take -place, in each of the two cases, if he were now to present his -acknowledgement.</p> - -<p class="normal">He found, therefore, that should Mr. Beauchamp never be heard of more, -the case would go on against Captain Delaware, the suit in chancery -might proceed against Sir Sidney Delaware, the twenty-five thousand -pounds he had got would remain in his hands, and, by presenting the -acknowledgement, he would be enabled to retain possession of ten -thousand pounds more. All this, therefore, was in favour of acting as -he had determined.</p> - -<p class="normal">On the other hand, if Mr. Beauchamp did reappear--which he did not -think likely--he began to suspect that Captain Delaware would be -cleared, that the twenty-five thousand pounds would be transferred to -Lord Ashborough, that the Emberton estate would be freed from all -encumbrance, and that he would undoubtedly lose the twelve thousand -pounds which had been stolen from his uncle, as well as Lord -Ashborough's favour and business. "The more reason," he thought, "why -I should immediately get this money, which undoubtedly did belong to -my uncle! But, can I then continue the process against Captain -Delaware," he continued, "with such a strong presumption of his -innocence in my own hands?"--and he looked at the note, which nearly -amounted to positive proof--"But what have I to do with that? It does -not absolutely prove his innocence. The coroner's inquest has returned -its verdict, and the law must take its course--besides, Henry -Beauchamp is at the bottom of the sea, and a jury of fishes sitting on -his own body by this time--Pshaw! I will present the acknowledgement -to-morrow."</p> - -<p class="normal">This doughty resolution Mr. Tims accordingly fulfilled, and at noon, -waited in person on Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson. He was shown into -the private room of the latter, a seat was placed for him, and his -business was asked.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, Mr. Wilkinson," he replied, "I have first to explain to you an -uncommonly awkward blunder, which took place by some forgetfulness on -the part of my noble friend and client, the Earl of Ashborough, who, -not adverting to the arrangements made between us, did not leave -assets in my office to pay the bill drawn by you on Mr. Beauchamp's -account. Had I been in town myself," he added, feeling wealthy, "of -course I would have supplied the money; but I, like my noble friend -and client, was out of town till yesterday."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Rather unfortunate, indeed, Mr. Tims!" replied Mr. Wilkinson dryly, -"especially as Mr. Beauchamp drew for the money. His letter was -couched in such terms as to permit of our handing over the assets that -were in our hands; but we cannot tell that he has not been put to -great inconvenience. Lord Ashborough's note was of course -protested.--Here it is! I hope you have come to retire it."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I am directed by my Lord Ashborough to do so," answered the lawyer; -"but I rather imagine that Mr. Beauchamp could not be put to much -inconvenience; for I find by this document that he has obtained that -sum, and four hundred and thirty-two pounds more, from my late -unfortunate uncle, to whose property I have taken out letters of -administration, and therefore, retaining the ten thousand pounds now -in hand, I request you would hand me over the four hundred and -thirty-two pounds at your convenience, when I will give you a receipt -in full."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sir, this is somewhat unprecedented," replied Mr. Wilkinson, "and I -think you will find that money cannot thus be stopped, <i>in transit</i>, -without form of law. Such proceedings, if once admitted, would open a -door to the most scandalous abuses. You acknowledge that you are -commissioned to pay us this money, on account of Lord Ashborough. -Having done so, you will have every right to present your claim -against Mr. Beauchamp, which will, of course, be immediately examined -and attended to."</p> - -<p class="normal">Mr. Tims replied, and Mr. Wilkinson rejoined; but as it is more than -probable that the reader may already have heard more than he desires -of such a discussion, it will be unnecessary to say more than that Mr. -Tims adhered to his first resolution, and carried off the sum he had -in hand, leaving Mr. Wilkinson to send down to Lord Ashborough his -protested bill, and Beauchamp's note of hand, if he pleased.</p> - -<p class="normal">In the mean time, that noble lord proceeded, as fast as a light -chariot and good horses could carry him, down to Emberton. It was -dark, however, ere he arrived; and the first object that met his sight -the following morning, as he looked forth from the windows of the inn, -was the old mansion, at the end of its wide and solitary park, with -the stream flowing calmly on, through the midst of the brown grass and -antique trees, and the swans floating upon its bosom in the early -light. He had not seen it since he was a mere youth, and the finger of -time had written that sad word <i>decay</i> on the whole aspect of the -place. To the earl, through whose whole frame the same chilly hand had -spread the growing stiffness of age, the sight was awfully sad, of the -place where he had spent the most elastic days of life, and it was -long ere he could withdraw his eyes, as he paused and contemplated -every feature of the scene, and woke a thousand memories that had long -slept in the night of the past.</p> - -<p class="normal">There was a change over all he saw since last he had beheld it--a -gloom, a desolation, a darkness; and he felt, too, that there was a -change as great in himself. But there was something more in his -thoughts; the decay in his own frame was greater, more rapid, more -irremediable. The scene might flourish again under some cultivating -hand; the mansion, repaired with care, and ornamented with taste, -might assume a brighter aspect, but nothing could restore life's -freshness or the body's strength to him. Each day that past must see -some farther progress in the downfall of his powers; and few, few -brief months and years would behold him in the earth, without leaving -a being behind him to carry on his lineage into time, if Henry -Beauchamp were, indeed, as his fears anticipated. It was the first -time that he had thought in such a sort for long; and most unfortunate -was it that there was no voice, either in his own heart, or from -without, to point the moral at the moment, and to lead the vague ideas -excited, of life, and death, and immortality, to their just -conclusion. He thought of death and of his own decay indeed; but he -never thought of using better the life that still remained--for he -scarcely knew that he had used the past amiss--and after indulging for -some minutes those meditations that will at times have way, he found -that they only served to make him melancholy, and turned again to the -everyday round of life.</p> - -<p class="normal">When he was dressed and had breakfasted, he set out for the small -village near which Henry Beauchamp's hat had been found. In his way, -he stopped also at the house where the hunter had been left, -identified the horse, and listened attentively to the replies which -the landlord and his servants made to the shrewd questions of an -officer he brought with him from London.</p> - -<p class="normal">The man's tale was very simple, and quite the same that he had given -to Mr. Tims. He described Henry Beauchamp very exactly, declared that -he had appeared grave and melancholy when he came there; and that he -had never heard anything of him since. The servants told the same -story; and Lord Ashborough only acquired an additional degree of -gloom, from ascertaining in person the accuracy of the lawyer's -report.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh, he is gone!" he thought, as he returned to his carriage, giving -way to despair in regard to his nephew. "He is gone! This Sidney -Delaware is destined to be the blight of all my hopes and -expectations. If it had not been for his vile intrigues to get quit of -that annuity, all this would never have happened; but I will make him -rue it, should it cost me half my fortune."</p> - -<p class="normal">It may be asked, whether the earl did never for a moment allow the -remembrance, that his own intrigues might have something to do with -the business, to cross his mind. Perhaps he did--perhaps, indeed, he -could not prevent such thoughts from intruding. But that made him only -the more bitter against Sir Sidney Delaware. Have you never remarked a -nurse, when a child has fallen down and hurt itself, bid it beat the -naughty ground against which it fell? Have you never seen a boy when -he has cut his finger, throw the knife out of the window, or even a -man curse the instrument that he has used clumsily? It is the first -impulse of pampered human nature, to attribute the pangs we suffer to -any thing but our own errors, and to revenge the pain, which we have -inflicted on ourselves, upon the passive instrument. Lord Ashborough -did no more, although, as he rolled on towards the sea-side, he -meditated every sort of evil against Sir Sidney Delaware.</p> - -<p class="normal">No great information could be obtained upon the coast, although Lord -Ashborough spent the whole day in fruitless enquiries, and although -one of the officers of the coast-guard gave every assistance, with the -keen and active intelligence of a sailor.</p> - -<p class="normal">The only thing elicited, which seemed to bear at all upon the fate of -Henry Burrel, was the fact, that one of the sailors, on the look-out -about a week before, had heard, or fancied he heard, a man's voice -calling loudly for help. So convinced had he been himself of the fact, -that, with one of his comrades, he ran down the shore in the direction -of the sounds; but he could discover nothing. It was a fine clear -moonlight night, he said, so that he must have seen any thing, if -there had been any thing to see; but the sound only continued a -moment, and on not finding any person, he had concluded that it was -all the work of fancy.</p> - -<p class="normal">With these scanty tidings, which, of course, only served to increase -his apprehensions, Lord Ashborough was obliged to be satisfied for the -time; and, returning to the inn at Emberton, he gave orders for -printing placards, and inserting advertisements in the newspapers, -each purporting that a large reward would be paid on the discovery of -the body of a gentleman, supposed to be drowned, of whom a very -accurate description was subjoined. The placards were pasted up all -over the country; and Lord Ashborough himself remained two days at -Emberton, but there was something in the aspect of the old mansion and -the park, that was painful to him. When he rose, there it was before -his eyes; when he went out, there it stood, grave and gray, apparently -in his very path; when he returned, he found it still sad and gloomy -at his door. At length, satisfied that he had done ail in his power to -discover his nephew, he returned to town, leaving the police-officer -behind him, with orders to spare neither trouble nor expense to -ascertain the facts; and although the earl himself did not choose to -appear openly in the business of Captain Delaware, a private hint was -conveyed to the officer through his lordship's valet, that, to aid the -others who were upon the search, might be very advantageous to -himself.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h3>END OF VOLUME SECOND.</h3> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>EDINBURGH:</h4> -<h5>M. AITKEN, 1, ST. JAMES'S SQUARE.</h5> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> - - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Delaware;, by -G. P. 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