Confession

ing her health and my temper-when an explosion took place, of a nature calculated to humble my uncle and m

ctices of tradesmen. What was the particular sort of relations existing between my father and uncle, I am not now prepared to state, nor is it absolutely necessary to my narrative. It is enough for me to say that an exposure of them took place, in part, in consequence of some discovering made by my father's unsatisfied creditors, by which the obscure transactions of thirty years were brought to light, or required to be brought to light; and in the development o

ns: firstly, to enable me to release the memory of my father from the imputation-under any circumstances discreditable-of bankruptcy, by compelling my uncle to disgorge the sums which he had appropriated, and which, as was alleged, would sati

were either of them sufficient reasons for this determination. I communicated the grounds of action, in a respectful letter, to my uncle, and soon discovered, by the alarm whi

edings-insisted, somewhat earnestly, and strove very hard to impress me with the conviction that my father's memory demanded that I should devote myself to the task

cult to persuade them, with a due knowledge of these facts, that he deliberately perpetrated such unprofitable villany. Besides, sir, you do not seem to remember

ely, "but it makes m

to heed this relationship?" I demanded ster

s, now, and hereafter-we must be friends. Mrs. Clifford is very anxious that it should be so-and-and-Edward," solemnl

to his misery-the fruit of those p

but can not meddle in this unless you are prepared to mak

ecognised, will sweep everything. The interest alone is a f

d to the dishonor of the act which you have committed; you have appropriated wealth which did not belong to you, and, in thus doing, you have subjected the memory of my father to the reproach of injustice which he did not deserve. I w

mended. Listen to me now; but stay-close th

ve from the clutch of his creditors, from the grasp of justice, his ill-gotten possessions. I have no patience in revealing the schemes by which this was to be effected; but, as a preliminary, I was to be made the proprietor of one half of the sum in qu

the bribe, so precious in my sight, as that which you have tendered in the person of your daughter, has power to t

share alone will be twenty odd thousand

gone too far. The creditors will make some concessions sooner than trust the uncertainties of a legal investigation, and whether you lose or gain, a legal investigation is what you should particularly desire to avoid. If you will adopt this counsel, I will act for you with Banks & Tressel: and if you will give me carte blanche, I think I can persuade them to a private arrangement by which they will receive the principal in liquidation of all demands. This may be considered a very fair basis for an arrangement, since the results of the specula

ly arrangement which could possibly have rescued him from the public exposure which was impending; but he did

vestigation-that I was persuaded from a hasty review which I had given to the case, that there were good grounds for action;-but, at the same time, I dwelt upon the casualties of such a course-the possibility that the chief living witness-if he were living-might not be found, or might not survive long enough-as he was reputed to be very old-for the purposes of examination before the

he matter was all satisfactorily arranged, and had just taken a seat at my table to write to Mr. Clifford to this effect, when, to my horror, I receive a note from that gentleman, informing me of his resolve to join issue with the claimants, and "maintain his RIGHTS(?) to the last moment." He tha

ement were all proposed as a something which I might be able to bring about in a future conference with him-but I was too anxious to save him from his lamentable folly-

and without looking into, or being able to comprehend the facts as they stood, she had taken around against any measure which should involve such a sacrifice. Her influence over the weak man beside her, was never so clear to me as now; and in learning to despise his character more than ever, I discovered, at the same time, the true source of many of his errors and much of his misconduct. She

fro, playing with his coatskirts, and feeling, no doubt, a portion of the

observation. "He promises to get him to dry land, and save him without so much as wetting his s

to the worthy lady, but my expostulati

& Tressell is a very strong one, very well arranged, and so admirably hung together, in its several links of testimony, that even the absence of old Hansford (the chief witne

uld it convict, if not your own father? It was as much his business as my husband's; and if there's any shame, I'm sure his memory and his son will have to b

loss, all the blame-and your husband all the profit, all the importance. He lived poor, and died so; without a knowledge of those profitable results to his brother of which the latter has made his own avails by leaving my father's memory to aspersion which he did not deserve, and his son to de

you as handsome an offer yesterday as any man could desire. Didn't he offer you ha

usiness. My respect for your husband and his family would, of its

!" said Mr. Clifford, approaching

ding a little. "Take the offer of Mr. Clifford, Edw

be afraid of, yet, for the look of the thing, I'd rather that you should be seen acting in the business. As it's so well known that y

one. The development of all the particulars connected with the transaction will disgrace you for ever, and drive you from the community. Even were I to take part with you, I do not see that it would change the aspect of affairs. So far f

daughter

which the gain is supposed to involve. Freely would I give the sum in question, were it mine, and all the wealth besides that I ever expect to acquire, to make Julia Cliff

h the Edgertons, and the Blakes, and Fortescues, and all them high-headed people. But I'm sure, Mr. Edward Clifford, my daughter needn't go a-begging to any man; and as for this bu

I beg to set you right on the subject of min

you did. You said he was nothing

, in their princely parlor together, little fancying that there was another argument which had been prepared to overthrow my feeble virtue. But all this had been arranged by the small cunning of this really witless couple. I was left to find my way down stairs as I might; and just when I was about to leave the dwellin