The Monikins

oral existence; and while his thoughts might be said to be ever on the stretch to attain glimpses into the future, they were by far too earthly to extend beyond any other settling day than those

habitually on the beauties of the stock-books, he had ever been kind to her, and of late he was even much disposed, as has already been stated, to contribute as much to her temporal comforts as comported with his pursuits and habits. On the other hand, the quiet temperament of my mother required some m

deeply struck with the physical ch

a long and solemn pause; "much more so than I had thought, or could have

le of death; but waved her hand,

with a distinctness and an energy for which she had long been reser

after all; and I am glad that thou art so much at ease. Dr. Etherington tells me thou art far from being well

d, its heartlessness or its selfishness; but she rebuked herself, and paused: "By the mercy of our blessed Redeemer, and through the benevolent agency of this excellent man," she resume

l tenderness; "if it be in my power to set thy heart at ease on this, or on any other point, name it, and I will give or

n interest in her happiness, and had it not, alas! been too late, this glimmering of kindness mig

alf, we have

that the physician thinks the boy more likely to l

s herself hastening away to the eternal bliss of the pure of mind and the redeemed, and her imagination, quiet and simple as it was, had drawn pictures in which she and her departed babes were standing before the throne of the Most High, chanting his glory

my mother, when her secret devotion was ended. "The child will have

test that he will st

and are not, in other respects, qualified to educate a boy

thought his dying consort had in soo

the child shall not be forgotten: I will have him

ther could use. For a fleet moment she even appeared to have gotten rid of her latest care. But the knowledge of charac

solemn promise to commit the education of our boy to Dr. Etheringt

him, I will send Jack to his house this very evening; for, to own the truth, I am but little qualified to

ech, though, meeting the anxious eyes of my mother, his own

added my mother; "but the Doctor has consented with difficulty to take

equired an explana

as reached his fourth year; and the other is, that you make an endowment

abled her to lift her head a little, and she fairly gasped for breath, in the intensity of her anxiety to h

hese endowments swallow up a great deal of

Doctor, who, in my soul, I believe had hoped that his condition would be rejected, having yielded to the importun

ousand

hough she succeeded in makin

reat deal of money, my dear

he hue of death, and by her breathi

t her pallid countenance and extreme distress, "have it thine own way-the mone

spered the word "Thanks," and then, losing all her powers of body, sank into the last sleep, as tranquilly as the infant drops its head on the bosom of the nurse. This was, after all, a sudden, and, in one sense, an unexpected death: all who witnessed it were struck with awe.

rington!" said the widowed man,

od woman, Mr.

wife, Dr.

lieved her to be

obedient, a

of much practical use in t

ver marry a

ivine

ould find such

s head, though the assent wa

has left

hat he might inherit," o

at his companion, but apparently m

r. Etherington, conformably to the

he deceased; but you will remember that there was a condition couple

its conventional rules of honor; a sort of specified morality, that is bottomed more on the convenience of its votaries than on the general law of right. He respect

answered, in the way of one who pondered, "and it was

eparture to the world of spirits, it may be said they leave the perf

whole frame shuddered, an

however, Doctor," he observed, after the delay of more tha

, she certain

r mutual satisfaction, Dr. Etherington, and the intention of poor Betsey most completely executed; she, poor woman, knew little o

d be completely fulfilled, you will n

matter of this nature. The intention of poor Betsey, Doctor, was to place her child under your care, with the expectation-

ese premises, and too polite to admit the

ails. It appears to me to be no more than strict justice, that he who does the work should receive the reward. This is a principle in which I

he body conveyed the sil

Betsey had little knowledge of business. She fancied that, in bestowing these ten thousand pounds on a charity, she was acting well; whereas

that you will furnish the means t

ue of money, I trust; but I am no miser, to stint my own flesh and blood. Jack shall never want for anything, while it is in my power to give it. I am by no mean

than that with the late Mrs. Goldencalf," the d

mine? The case is different with you, sir; you will have trouble-much trouble, I make no doubt; and it is proper that you should have a sufficient compensation. I was about to propose, therefore, that you should consent to receive my check for three, or four, or even for five thousand pounds," continued my ancestor, raising the offer as he saw the

face of Dr. Etherington flushed, then paled, and finally settled into a look of melancholy reprehension. He arose and paced the room for several minutes in silence; during which time h

for the presence of her God; since you heard the dying request from her lips; and since, in such a presence and in such a scene, you gave a pledge to respect her wishes, and, now, with the accursed spirit of gain upper-most, you would trifle with these most sacred obligations, in order to keep a little worthless gold in a hand that is already full to overflowing. Fancy that the pure spirit of thy confiding and single-minded wife were present at this conversation; fancy

brow, as if to shut out the view of his wife's spirit; turned, drew his writing materials nearer, wrote

he said, as the paper was delivered, "whenev

uch displeased, and my ancestor too much

n is a certain solace for grief, and so it proved to be in the present case; for luckily my father had made up that very day his private account of the sum total of his fortune. Sitting down, therefore, to the agreeable task, he went through the simple process of subtracting from it the amount for which