"Are you about to be married also, Sir?" enquired Catherine, with all the simplicity of her nature. Next day James, who had received a hint from him for whom he actually pandered to yield up his own sister, took his mother for a ride in his cabriolet, and contrived to waste a couple of hours by stop- "I marry yet awhile! oh! no, dear Catherine ping at various shops, giving his orders, and pur--never, when my heart is full of your imagechasing little presents for the unsuspecting Cathe- love scorns the ties of priestcraft, and ceremonial rine. rites. Ah! let me throw myself at your feetlet me kiss that hand-let me sip the delicious "To-morrow," said he, as they were returning home, "it shall be Kate's turn to accompany me.' "Poor girl- I am afraid we have left her too long already," exclaimed Mrs. Crawford, as, on reference to her son's watch, she discovered the time they had been absent. But in the interim what had passed? As soon as her mother and brother had departed, Catherine sate down and amused herself with her needle-work for a quarter of an hour, or twenty minutes, during which she thought of her lover. Then her ideas dwelt upon the disappearance of her poor sister, and tears came into her eyes. Suddenly the door opened, and Mr. Stewart stood before her. Annoyed at being thus discovered a prey to affliction, she hastily wiped her eyes, and greeted the visitor with all the modest warmth she would naturally show to the brother of her destined husband. He noticed the traces of her tears, and tenderly inquired the reason, still retaining the hand she had extended to him. Evading a direct answer, she stammered some excuse, and gently withdrew her hand: but the touch had thrilled through the veins of Mr. Stewart. They then both sate down, he drawing his chair somewhat closer to Catherine's than was necessary. But, of course, not suspecting his vile intentions, she felt no alarm-a slight embarrassment alone affected her. "I am afraid, Catherine," said he-this was the first time he had called her by her Christian name, and she blushed deeply: "and still," continued the affected young man, "I need scarcely be afraid that I intrude, as we are not altogether strangers to each other, the intentions of my brother being "Indeed, Sir," returned Catherine, "I am sorry you should have found me weeping; certain circumstances at the moment you entered, were present to my memory, and I could not help shedding tears." "And can such a charming creature as yourself have cause for grief?" asked Mr. Stewart, affecting a consolatory tone. "Where is there a heart that has not known it, Sir?" said Catherine, blushing deeply, and feeling annoyed at the compliment he paid her. "For myself" said the wily Mr. Stewart; "I am happy-happy as a King-and why? because I have wealth, much more than my brother-I have a prospect of a title, he has none-I am regarded as the heir of a noble house-he is naught but an officer in the army, dependent on the caprices of a father for nearly all his income: that is not the case with me-I am differently situated." Catherine thought within herself that these remarks might have been spared; she nevertheless said nothing. The other proceeded. "Therefore, you see, my dear girl, I have it in my power to make happy some other individual-some charming girl, who would share my prosperitywho would partake of my wealth-my expected honours- " sweets And, with the most consummate insolence, suiting the action to the word, he threw himself before her, seized her delicate hand, and covered it with his odious kisses, So stupified, so astonished was she at the energy of his language, and the sudden impetuosity, or rather grossness of his behaviour, that she sat powerless for more than a minute: then, collecting her scattered ideas, she pushed him from her, withdrew her hand, and turning a look of contempt upon him, while tears gathered in her eyes, she rushed towards the door. He sprang to his feet, and seized her by the arm. A violent scream escaped her—the door burst open and Henry Hunter darted into the room. Weak though he were from continued illness and sorrow, yet with gigantic force he laid hold upon the wretched profligate, and hurled him to the ground, from whence he rose slowly, all hell mustering in his bosom. We have before said that he was a notorious duellist, and no coward. In a minute he recovered breath, and drawing a small case from his pocket, threw his card on the table. "You shall hear from me again, Sir," cried he, his voice almost choked with wrath, as he pointed to his name, and addressed Mr. Hunter, who was occupied in reassuring Catherine of her safety. Meeting with no reply, and stung with disappointment, as well as by vexation, Mr. Stewart rushed out of the room, and quitted the house. In half an hour, Mrs. Crawford and James returned, The former was almost wild when she heard the treatment her daughter had experienced; the latter affected an excess of indignation; but his real internal feelings were terrible! When all had partially recovered their usual equanimity of temper, Catherine related what had passed, to the astonishment of Hunter and Mrs. Crawford, who, experienced though they were in the ways of the world, could not conceive that so much villainy lurked in the breast of the brother of him to whom Catherine was engaged. After numberless comments upon the subject, Hunter requested a private conversation with Mrs. Crawford-a request which was immediately granted. The When they were alone together in another apartment, the young surgeon unfolded all that had happened since he last saw her. Nor was he disappointed in his anticipations of procuring pardon for the afflicted and penitent wanderer. delighted mother, forgetting her daughter's shame, and only bent on recovering her once more, immediately wrote a long letter to Emily, informing her of her entire forgiveness. It was then arranged, that as Emily would shortly become a mother, she should remain with Mrs. Pembroke yet awhile, and that Mrs Crawford should hasten to Guernsey, as soon as she could procure a comfortable residence for Catherine in a respectable family during her absence. "For, James," said Mrs. Crawford," is ac customed to recieve numberless visitors and young men at his house, and it would scarcely be decent for her to stay with him;-witness the event of this morning! Nor can my daughter accompany me to Guernsey, Mr. Hunter; for I do not wish either her or James to be informed of their sister's disgrace.' Such were his ideas, when suddenly he resolved to wait till he saw Crawford once more, and consult with him upon the best means to be pursued for the possession of his sister. He saw that force, and not promises-or that intimidation at least would be necessary; but his mind was worked up to that point at which he cared not what he did to succeed in the object of his pursuit, so long as his vindictive feelings were appeased by her disgrace. With regard to Hunter, Stewart made a vow to call him out the following day. James and Catherine were, nevertheless, made acquainted with the fact that Emily was safe, that she was then living in Guernsey, and that Mrs. Crawford was going thither to see her: but neither questioned their mother as to particulars,-the But in the midst of his reflections would come former being callous as to his family's welfare; the other accustomed to hear all her fond parent the damning conviction that he had been rejected might chose to tell her, and to seek by interroga--his promises disregarded-and his suit refused tion for no more. We may readily suppose the by a needy girl,-that a stranger's hand had hurled delight of the amiable Catherine, and the feigned him to the ground-and that a stranger's hand joy of Crawford. We say feigned, because he had interrupted him when, perhaps, another micared nothing about the matter-so reckless was nute might have completed his victory. All this he of a sister's felicity-so disappointed was he came rushing to his memory-and he grew nearly at the result of Mr. Stewart's attack upon the in- distracted. nocent Catherine. Crawford presently sought an opportunity of speaking to Hunter alone. "This must be arranged," said James, assuming a determined and resolute air, and alluding to Mr. Stewart's affair with Catherine. "Yes: and it rests with you to bring the villain to an account," returned Hunter, not willing to risk his own life immediately, as he had made up his mind to avenge the wrongs of Emily in the blood of Arnold, or else die himself in the attempt. "You are right," said James, his heart sinking within him-not from fear for his life, but through dread of an exposure at the hands of Mr. Stewart. "This evening, or to-morrow morning early, will be time enough for me to bear the message unless you have another friend-" began the young surgeon. "None more fitting than yourself. I assure you, though our acquaintance has not been of more than a few hours' duration-yet your kind. ness to my mother-for I have heard how you interested yourself "I require no thanks, Mr. Crawford," interrupted Hunter. "And now let us return to the ladies, who must not be permitted to imagine that a hostile meeting is intended!" The long conversations and disclosures which had taken place since the departure of Mr. Stewart, had occupied so much time, that it was now six o'clock in the evening, and dinner was announced. But the meal passed almost untouched. Hunter took his leave at an early hour, and returned to the hotel where he was staying. And now let us relate what took place that night at the house of Lord Fanmore. What were the feelings of the Honourable Mr. Stewart? Never was pride so humbled,-never was vexation more acute than in the bosom of this young man. He had hurried home to his apartment, and had paced the chamber in a frenzy of mingled resentment and disappointment, and then in deep humiliation. "What!" thought he "to be thus spurned by a low-bred girl? Good God! that I should have lived to see this day! But I will be revenged; for I will expose her brother to the world, and break her heart in the general crash!" It was late when he retired to rest;-but that rest was eternal! The violence of agitating passions produced apoplexy; and when the grey dawn of a wintry morning at length streamed in at his window, and his valet entered the chamber at the usual hour, he found his master a corpse! And it was thus that Lord Fanmore's eldest son ended his days-and his ashes were deposited in the tomb of his forefathers. CHAPTER XXXVII. Deeper and deeper grow the shades of guilt- IT may be that the reader feels we have too long But Miss Maxwell has not been forgotten; and now we resume her story. The reader will not require to be told that Sophia's mastery over James Crawford was not only complete and all-sufficient, by the time that she had exacted from him the promise at the Mermaid Tavern to return the money obtained from her father; but he dreaded that mastery, as if foreseeing that it would end in all the horrors of the doom which she imprecated upon his head, and swore that she had given herself up to ensure. We therefore have not paused to detail how strictly to the letter the thing demanded of the youthful imposter was fulfilled by him, at the hour and place named by the impassioned and revengeful girl; but here as in the last few chap ters of our tale-we hasten forward, and leaping over weeks and months, only take such backward glances as may serve to fill up satisfactorily the picture of incidents necessary to a clear comprehension of the story and a proper development of character. strive to feel and act in accordance with your sentiments; and let me add, should an abiding and profound consideration on my part of all the calamities which have lately befallen me, issue in greater humility of mind and watchfulness of conduct, the Sophia still resided with Mrs. Lambert, and appointed by an all-wise Father above, for my grievous dispensations will be seen to have been still pursued with unceasing assiduity and earn-wholesome chastisement-for my eternal good.' estness her two missions;-ministering to the comfort of her father, who had been so unex-pathy and homage, not a rude vociferous cry, within There was upon this a murmur of intense sympectedly smitten to the ground from a lofty posi- the walls of the crowded court,-so intense, subtion; and, with still more eager and unveering duing, and heart-touching, that even the officers of intent, pursuing her fell purposes towards Crawford and his accomplice. The more amiable justice,-aye, and the venerable judge himself, added and affectionate of these pursuits must for a little to its power if not by voice, at least by fixed admiration; so that it needed the occurrence of some direct the flood of sympathy and tender thoughts other incident of parallel interest to arrest and that filled the Hall. detain us. The reader will remember that the once flourishing Mr. Maxwell, Sophia's father, had been cast into prison, accused of a vile fraud in his mercantile transactions!-in short, of a gross vitiation of one of those documents which are continually passing between men in extensive commercial business. Nor was such an event wanting; for just as Mr. Maxwell ended his short speech, his lovely daughter dropt to the floor, unable to bear up against the tide of emotion within her, hereto so pent and so heroically resisted. He had lain, accordingly, for a considerable number of weeks within the dismal cells of New-higher sublimity, when the father sped to her But the scene appeared to acquire even still a gate. The day for his trial at length arrived; but the particulars of the solemn arraignment and its issue we do not detail, at least as an Old Bailey scene, farther than to state that the daughter, all radiant, appeared in court, rivetting every eye by the self-possession and propriety of her demeanour, and that the prosecution entirely broke down, in asmuch as the chief witness had absconded. This was Mr. Maxwell's late principal clerk, who, in fact, it now became quite manifest, should have been the accused. It was upon this announcement to the desolated prisoner that he-poor well-meaning man perhaps for the first time in his life, spoke with heroic magnanimity. But we should previously observe that the venerable judge thus addressed him : succour, taking her into his arms with all the yearnings of a parent, and withdrawing through the dividing c owd. The merchant procceded to an hotel hard by, where Sophia remained for several days in a precarious condition. When she was fully restored to health again, she suggested, her father yielding to each thing the now provident and thoughtful girl recommended, that he should for a time make the inn his home, while she herself had her lodgings with the good Mrs. Lambert. It was also as this arrangement was come to, that she put into his hands the thousands obtained from the alarmed impostors, it being for the first time that a syllable on the subject had been uttered to him. "How and whence is this, my child?" cried the astounded merchant. Mr. Maxwell could only weep on all this, and smother his child with his caresses. The earnestness and exactions of one of Sophia's late daily occupations were now slackened, "Prisoner at the bar, but so immediately to "At present, dear parent, inquire no farther; go forth into the world a gentlemen of unble-only believe me, it hath been honestly come by, mished character, hard has been your recent fate; and is, in short, but a part of what was your own. but as for this false arraignment you will have Such was the now admirable, but ruined young the greatness of mind thus to console yourself,- lady's response. you will remember, as the admiring world is sure to do, that if you have borne the weight and bitterness of doubt or obloquy for a season, it has been by no perversion of the forms of law nor the principles of constitutional freedom :-nay, more, her father required not half of the intensities that your grievous case is a noble example of how of her nature to be lavished on him. Nothing impartially the administration of justice is pur- but joy and prosperity met her steps, when she sued in our land,-pursued, however, by short- approached his temporary residence at the hotel; sighted and imperfect man, so that the innocent a circumstance which at times she thoughtfully at times dwell under a cloud while the guilty go free and sadly contrasted with her own secret and and in the sunshine of public favour. Mr. Max-increasing bosom-tumults and actual encounters well, permit me to repeat that you may comfort with trouble. yourself, by not only going forth a more honoured man, more sincerely looked up to than you ever were, even when in the zenith of your prosperity; but that this day's proceedings will redound to the good and the glory of your country-falsely accused though you have been-by proclaiming not only how keen is the edge of the sword of justice in Great Britain, and how blind to the rank of the accused are its administrators; but how seldom the innocent are long permitted to suffer amongst us." 66 My Lord," answered the merchant," I shall Think of the young, frail, delicate girl, singlehanded, having to contend with consummate and experienced villains, not surpassed for hypocrisy, felonious daring, and actual enormity by any that ever were a curse and a pollution in the great Babel of London! Who would not have pitied her when thus beset, independently altogether of the terrors and the remorse within, for the soothing of which she knew of no balm? And yet how preferable her condition and prospects to the position and dangers of the miscreants against whom she cherished such an implacable spirit! pounds were on the shortest notice to be refunded These miscreants themselves, Arnold and his | plished partner, as that at her nod thousands of pupil Crawford, had by this time not only mutual fears of one another, but frequent occasions of discourse that seemed to be bordering nearer and nearer upon the stormy. James's negligence-accursed simpleton!" and such like terms esrelative to his tutor's letters, whose contents were caped the arch-impostor in his private moments, of the serious, even desperate nature already and very nearly obtained audible expression even mentioned; especially that document in which he to the hearing of the youth who was so desigspoke of sending Sophia to a never waking sleep, nated. was more than once a theme of angry accusation and stern insinuation,-the impeachments growing fiercer and more menacing ever after the youth's vain efforts to obtain the document from Dimmock. It was not at all a clear case that the letter might not yet see the light. Still, how much sorer did Arnold's feelings of bitterness grow, when he found that the girl whom he had hitherto spoken of uniformly and represented as the silliest of her sex, had so mastered Crawford, his own proficient scholar and accom "And how otherwise would you yourself have acted, beset by such an inveterate, plotting, and I must now say, clever foe, as she has already shown herself-possessed one way and another as she already is of matters so exceedingly inconvenient for us?" was the question which James again and again put to Arnold, who was driven to madness nearly by the issue. "I would have acted in some way very different from that in which you have fooled us," the elder miscreant would answer. "First of all I would not have allowed her ever to have become possessed of the knowledge she has obtained of us through your want of circumspection. Do you suppose, James Crawford, that I should have been so blind as to let a being whose person was as familiar to me, as hers has been to you, disguised in any way whatever, lie for a length of time stretched at my very foot, and not have known who the creature was? Even when confronted by the fiendish thing at the Mermaid, I should have dealt successfully with her,—I should, had there been no other resource, have whirled her from my presence, and even taken care that she should never have troubled me or other man more; I should have killed her on the spot rather than have been so fooled and fleeced!" In this inconsequential way would Arnold vituperate and talk; so that after all Crawford would shut his mouth, by saying; "Why do you not take some measures safe for yourself, and for preserving me from her constant persecution, seeing that you think the things so easily to be done, and seeing also that you look upon my services for both of our advantages, as being absolutely necessary?" Such home-questions generally put the arch plotter to a non-plus, and drove him to some other topic, perhaps of complaint; but at length be found it was no longer in his power to stand Crawford's banter; or rather, that unless some more skilled actor were employed, another demand would be made upon the firm's bank, by the said clever and persevering Sophia Maxwell. In short, she had been to the Mermaid Tavern once more, dressed up in Tommy Lambert's Sunday suit, and with, if possible, greater spirit and power than on the first occasion, had demanded a further sum as an indemnity for all the wrongs she herself had suffered ! "I shall see her in hell-fire before she screw a farthing from me or from you either, in my presence," cried Arnold. "We may and can_arm ourselves with a large sum, it is true. I am proud to say it; but I intend to arm myself with something else which will go into an exceedingly small compass, and do a deal of work nevertheless if rightly handled." The worthies parted, the elder of them unhesitatingly satisfied that he should, with his practised dexterity foil the girl, and show himself a man of extraordinary fertility of invention and of consummate tact, although not at all fond of the occasion, seeing that Sophia knew too much of their imposture to be altogether safe. On the other hand, while the younger party still harboured a degree of restraint on account of Arnold's frequent severe lecturings about his blunders and pusilanimity, the very last of these, comparing him to a crouching hound under the lash,-and while James also still deemed it strange and unsatisfactory, that he was so much kept in the dark relative to the movements of his leader, he rather liked the idea that Arnold was going to encounter Sophia with such a lofty conception of his own astuteness, fully anticipating a scene where the practised villain was likely to come off second best. "I could tell him," said James to himself, "that he will catch a Tartar; but I think it better to let him find it out at his own leisure." Time halts not;-the hour approached for the Mermaid meeting; and each of the several parties was punctual to the arrangements, as already indicated. Miss Maxwell was in the boy's habiliments as before, and was escorted by the good and serviceable Mrs. Lambert; who was specially instructed to wait at the bar of the tavern, and to come to the young lady's assistance on the slightest call to that effect. At the same time Sophia did not anticipate a violent or noisy scene. For herself she had "She makes the peremptory demand," said James one morning, after having for hours almost despaired of finding out his tutor; "and eight o'clock this night is the precise time when I am to throw down the cash in the parlour of the Mer-resolved to preserve the most complete com. maid. Had I not found you out in time, my mand of her temper possible, aware of the friend," added James, "what reckon you, might subtlety of those whom she expected to conhave been the consequence? Now, however, you front; for Crawford had told her, with the view can prepare and bethink yourself how we are to of affrighting and preventing her from further act. I shall implicitly follow your directions-teasing or persecuting him, that if she persisted in and surely after that, if we are permitted to extend our game untroubled by the fiend, I shall be spared somewhat of your angry and biting discourses relative to the incapacity which you have recently discovered to be so characteristic of my conduct on certain unexpected occasions." her threats he would to a certainty bring his influential and widely-respected, as well as known friend, Mr. Arnold, to reason with her, and make the fitting replies. "Let the widely-known and respected Mr. Arnold, your friend,"-laying a significant em"There is no help for it, I see," answered Ar-phasis on the latter words," be brought; and I nold, "although at the most serious inconvenience shall, as best my powers serve me, face him," had for myself at this particular time. But there been the answer to what was intended as a foremust be no more blundering-no more of that warning threat. white-livered pusilanimity that will permit a weak, fallen, immodest girl to bend a man in such a degree as to make him crouch like a hound under the lash. I shall confront the she-devil along with you, and appoint the Mermaid itself as the place where we shall meet, say, half an hour prior to her coming as named by herself." "I advise, my friend, that at all events we provide ourselves with the thousand pounds; you know not what a turn affairs may take. At any rate, it is easy to keep hold of the money, if that be safe, and take it home with us again," observed James. Behold, then, the pair of impostors seated in the parlour of the tavern, and see how they are prepared for action! Arnold has taken his seat nearest to where Sophia will enter, as if to be the principal speaker on that side, and the principal performer too. "James!" said he, "here are a few orangesthey are of the best sort that can be procured, and most delicious specimens of fruit. I propose that you make free with them; and should an opportunity occur of employing sweet words and the polite, you may as well hand this or that one, -mind, none others, to your quondam mistress➡ |