.^:^^t^' .s^A^ 'rt^^v*:'^ L613t 3^ /. ,_L*We»;cQVi-c«JiV! • # * TALES BY A BARRISTER. VOL. I. LONDON : CHAPMAN AND HALL. 1844. k V.I CONTENTS. Vol. I. The Power of Attorney, The Receipt. Vol. II. ■ The Purchase. The Trustee. Vol. III. The Trustee concluded. PREFACE. The title of '^ Tales by a Barrister/' prefixed to the following volumes^ is so likely to suggest ideas of subjects con- nected with criminal trials^ that it is ne- cessary to say a few^ words in explanation of their real intention and character. The design of the work was suggested by the numerous instances coming to the writer's notice^ of persons in all ranks and classes incurring losses, often ruinous to them- selves and families, from the want of the commonest information respecting matters VI. PREFACE. which are every day occurring, and from some participation in which it is almost impossible for any one to be totally ex- empt. No man can go through life with- out having something to say to agreements, leases, sales, purchases, bargains, bills, indorsements, and other concomitants of buying and selling. Besides, if he do not unworthily shrink from his duties as a member of society, he must, at one time or other, undertake the functions and responsibilities of a trustee or ex- ecutor ; and even if he do not, he will, at all events, be connected with persons filling these offices, either as a party for whose benefit they are intrusted, or in the common course of business ; in either of which cases it concerns him materially to know something of the relations subsist- ing between him and them. Every one whose attention has been called to the subject, must have been struck with the impression, so common in PREFACE. Vll. society, that no layman can possibly com- prehend the language and mode of opera- tion of the simplest legal instrument. It is owing to this mischievous idea that we constantly see persons, of even liberal education, executing deeds and other in- struments, without attempting to make themselves masters of their contents, al- though the act may involve them in liabi- lities to the extent of their fortune, or place every thing they possess in the power of another. A very simple instance of this is given in the first tale of these volumes ; and if it be objected that such gross carelessness is exceedingly impro- bable, the answer is, that the case did actually happen precisely as it is there related ; and those who are conversant with legal matters will bear the author out in affirming that the comparative in- frequency of such results is more owing to the good faith and honor of respectable practitioners, than to the care and caution of their clients. Vlll. PREFACE. Of course, nothing so absurd was con- templated as to attempt to supply the want of information above alluded to by a series of tales, enabling every man to become his own lawyer. The object was to point out a few of the cases in every- day life where caution is necessary, and to indicate some of the shoals and quick- sands which render the navigation dan- gerous, and the conduct of a pilot needful. A man cannot have his legal adviser always at his elbow ; and oftentimes it happens to the lawyer, as to the physician, that the evil is perpetrated and rendered irre- mediable before his client comes to him. Another object with the writer was the hope, that if nothing in the shape of warning could induce individuals to make sufficient exertion to acquire such informa- tion upon legal matters as would, in some degree, emancipate them from the blind reliance which they place in their solicitor, they might, at least, be convinced of the necessity of ascertaining that their reliance PREFACE. IX. is worthily placed. If any thing in these volumes, by inducing a reader to look more narrowly into his affairs, or into the character and circumstances of those he is trusting, should be the means of pre- serving him, and those depending on him, from the ruin which has overtaken so many others, the purpose of the writer will have been attained ; and this exposi- tion of his motives will, he feels assured, obtain credit for the intention, whatever may be thought of the execution, of the work. Bath, February 2nd, 1844. THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. CHAPTER I. Of all the various improvements effected in our metropolis during tlie last twenty years, which have given to it an air of such sump- tuousness and refinement, there is perhaps not one more remarkable than the change which has been made in the appearance of St. James's Park. Few of those who, some years back, tra- versed its dreaiy and deserted walks in passing from one quarter of the town to another, could have imagined that the long, straight, shapeless canal which extended the whole length of the cold, damp, unmeaning looking green, would Vol. I. B 2 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. ever have been expanded into tlie noble piece of water, mtli its shrub-clad islets and gracefully mnding shores, which now render St. James's one of the most delightful promenades in Europe. For many years before this change had been accomplished, the Park had ceased to be the resort of the gay. In its long, dreary walks you met only those whose melancholy visages and well-worn garments announced that they be- longed either to those step-sons of Fortune to whom she never vouchsafes a smile, or to those prodigals whose incorrigible follies have at last exhausted her favor and benignity. If you ap- proached a bench, it was sure to be occupied by a person of one of these classes, or occasionally by an unfortunate whose poverty had driven her from the haunts of her better-dressed riA^als. There, under the mthered branches of the smoke- dried trees, which afforded neither shelter nor shade, would they sit for hours gazing wistfuUy upon the canal, as if bent upon finding in its sullen waters, a last refuge from misery and distress. But even this hope was denied them ; for, as in anticipation of the attempt, no ingress was then permitted within the fence surrounding the green. THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. S The eastern extremity of the Park, imme- diately in front of the Horse Guards, offered, however, an exception to this depressing scene, especially at the hour of guard mounting. That military pageant, which is nowhere enacted with more ceremonial than at St. James's, usually attracted then, as now, a large concourse of spectators. Among the motley groups there assembled, you might occasionally discern soms,. criticising militaires upon the half-pay list, at that time much more numerous than at present. To the practised eye there was no mistaking the well-worn and well-brushed military frock, the brim of the hat pulled down over the eyes like the peak of a cap, and above all, the scru- tinizino^ srlance cast down the line, to see if it were correctly dressed, if the Avheelings were properly made, . and if the officers covered truly in column. For a moment this little reminis- cence of former times would light up the eye of the veteran ; but • its animation departed when the closing of the mimic scene left him to con- trast the advantages of full pay, the joyous mess, his gay and frank-hearted companions, and the excitement of hope and action, with the diminished commons, the solitary lodging. Vol. I. B 2 4 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. and all the otlief e^ils of half-pay, of which the extinction of hope, life's chief support, is the saddest and greatest. One fine morning in spring, a gentleman who, from his gait and dress, was e^ddently a military- man, and had been one of the lookers-on at the morning parade, remained on the ground long after the troops had marched off and the tn'owd dispersed. Like many persons when men- tally abstracted, he j)aced backwards and fonvards in a huiTied manner, like a sentinel over a small extent of ground. The spot he had taken, by choice or accident, was that called Stewart's Walk, from the celebrated pedestrian of that name, w^ho, after perambulating on foot the whole of Europe, had taken a fancy to confine his diurnal walk to the short space shaded by four or five of the trees immediately opposite to the Horse Guards, and close to the entrance to the present inclosed promenade. The gentleman, engrossed by his own specu- lations, was so heedless of what was passing around him, as to be unaware of the approach of a person who, but for the absence of spec- tators, would certainly have attracted no little attention to himself. The party in question THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. O was a tall, gaunt-looking figure, more than six feet liigb, and his uncommonly narrow but sinewy, vdrj frame, and singular style of dress, gave to him in appearance, at least, half a foot more. His countenance, which climate and hard service had rendered of the colour of mahogany, w^as at first sight any thing but prepossessing. Beneath a j)air of grizzled, protruding browns, his clear, grey eyes looked forth from their deep sockets with an expression of mingled self-com- placency and mistrust of others, which, uniting with the thin, compressed lips and projecting chin, left no doubt of the caustic and self- sufiacient character of the owner. His dress consisted of the grey surtout coat worn at that time by officers of infantiy, with trousers of the same colour. As the fineness of the day had induced him to dispense with an under coat, the surtout hung about him more loosely than usual, increasing the effect of his remarkable spareness. In approaching the gentleman be- fore mentioned, he made sundiy efforts to attract his attention, and concluded with a military salute with a huge bamboo cane, which served him as a walking-stick. Finding this demonstration equally unavailing 6 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. as his fonner efforts, lie advanced close up to the object of them, and placing a huge, splaw hand upon his shoulder, exclaimed, " Eh ! Captain, what's come to you, that you canna see a freend and brother officer booing and saluting you in your veiy face, and one no so wee either that he may be overlooked like these poor bits o' cockney bodies who are no higher than a duck-legged diiimmer ? Eh ! mon, what's in the w^nd noo?" '^Ah ! Macpherson, is it you?'' returned the other, "but I beg pardon, I really did not see you." "And that's just what I'm complaining of," said the half-offended Scotchman. " But what in the de'il's name, mon, gars ye striding up and down this bit of gravel, as if ye had no more than six foot of plank to walk on, like the skipj^er of a Dutch herring boat ? Ah ! I see," (as the Captain cast an impatient glance at the clock,) " you're going to wait on the great man ; but you need be in no sic a doom's hurry, for I learned just now from Martin Mac Gra, that the levee will be a full hour later than usual : I am going myself, mon." "Indeed!" rejoined the captain. "Then I THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 7 hope yoii took care to inscribe your name on the list ; if not, I would ad\dse you to return immediately and '' " Much obleeged to you for your advice ; but that's already done in a vary leegible hand/' ''But, perhaps,'' added the Captain, who seemed anxious to get rid of his companion at all events, "you forgot to notice where you stood on the list ; and if so, you may lose your chance after all." "And what the de'il. Captain, should mak' ye think, I have clean lost all touch of caution and discretion ? I know my situation, as I always do, preceesely. I am just twalfth on the list, between Lieutenant Colonel Mucklewarm of the 4th and Ensign Sapless of the 58th. But come, the sun's getting a wee warm, and that ragged, ill-favoured chield, who has been looking at us all the time as if he intended to extract his next meal out of our pockets, has just left the bench ; so we may as weel tak' possession, — it wants a full hour to the levee." When seated on the vacated bench, the Scotch officer, who seemed determined not to take a hint from the silence of his compa- nion, proceeded in his attempts to force a conversation. " And now, Captain," continued 8 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. he, " joull, may be, be for telling me what's your business witli Sir Hemy/' " Oil ! no great matter, Mac ; merely two months' leave of absence." "And that's just what you'll not get." "Not get it! What do you mean?" de- manded the captain. " I've not been absent a day these five years : besides I have got the strongest recommendation from the Colonel." " Vary likely ; but you'll not get the leave for all that." "And why not?" "Simply because before a week's over, you'll be enjoying the comforts of a transport on your passage to Gibraltar." " Pshaw ! you know it's not a month since the last detachment for head quarters sailed; — ^but I see it's only your confounded habit of vexing your friends." "My friends, Captain Manton," said Mac- pherson, dra^ving himself up, "do me little honour in giving me credit for such a habit; but if my news is so distasteful, there's nae need of my telling it." " Psha ! Mac, you know I meant nothing : but tell me, is it really tme?" " I saw the order with my o^^ti eyes ; but THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 9 perhaps that is not sufficient evidence for Capt ain Mant on ? " "Nay, Mac, do not take mj little petulance in earnest ; — ^you know not how serious the disappointment Avould prove to me: — have you really seen the order?'' " Hout ! vary serious indeed ; and if the matter end in matrimony, as it's like to do, it may turn out more serious than you imagine, CaiDtain." " Psha ! matrimony ! I was talking of leave of absence." "Preceesely, for the purpose of making love to the young leddy you paid so much at- tention to at Chelmsford: — but tak' heed, Captain — yen's a perilous matter: if you don't end with making a fool of her, which may not be, you'll make one of yourself." " But, pshaw, man ! who talks of matrimony ?" said the captain evasively. "Every body: if you dinna yourself, other folks will for you: there are plenty of us ready to obey the Apostle's precept ' to look on the things of others,' in one sense at least. I cannot say it's always with a charitable in tention. The day after you went up to London, Vol. I. B 3 10 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. there were more questions speered about you than ever you dreamed of. Twa old crones called on Mrs. Macpherson, and after plying her with soft sawder about the beauty of the band, the uncommonly gentleman-like deport- ment of all the officers, and the soldier-like bearing of Captain Macpherson in particular, they instanced you as an uncommonly fine young man ; and then one of them wondered, vaiy naturally you know, whether you belonged to the Mantons of Leicestersliire, or to the wealthy Mantons of Livei-pool ; and then the other chimed in by saying that nae doot it must be one or the other, for it was impos- sible that mth such an aristocratic air, you could be at all connected with the great gun- maker in London, 'though to be sure,' she added, 'one does sometimes see people of low origin ^vith most unaccountably fine persons ;' to which the other rejoined, 'that even if it were so, it could not be said your father had never been heard of, for few people had made a greater noise in the world;' and then the twa old things showed the twa or three black bits o' teeth they had left, and set their old heads shaking with laughing, just like a Chinese Mandarin on a mantel-piece." THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 11 '" Indeed I" said the captain ; " it's a pleasant thing, tiiily, to be the object of such an in- quisition. And pray what answer did Mrs. Mac2)herson make to their enquiries?'' " Oh ! just then I entered myseF, and learning the point in question, I tuck upon me to sa}^, that naebody in the regiment knew any thing of the matter, and that you w^ere a prudent lad who had kept his own counsel." " I thank you, Mac, for that ; but is it really true that I am under orders to sail?" " 'Deed is it ; I saw the order myself, I tell you, mon. It seems that a large French force has made its appearance in the Mediterranean. The object is to attack and take possession of Algiers, and much good may it do them; though they 're like to catch a Tartar, I am thinking. It's all done with consent of our government, they say ; but as the French fleet might think proper to pay a friendly \4sit to Gibraltar or Malta, it has been thought right to send out a few more hands to do them all proper honor, in case they should take a fancy to land ; naething more : so an order has been issued to send out drafts from the depots to all the regiments in that quarter; and I'm thinking 12 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. you stand first oil tlie roster for foreign ser- vice/' "True enough, that/' exclaimed Manton. ''What, in Heaven's name, can I do?'' "Do! follow your orders, mon; the best thing that could ha23pen ye : you'll forget the lassie before you get sig4it of the Rock ;* and nae doot she'll forget you just as easily." Whether this last suggestion was meant as a comforter, or proceeded from malice prepense, on the part of the lieutenant, is uncertain. If the former, it was decidedly a failure, for the captain winced in his seat, and to change the subject, inquired what had brought the lieu- tenant up to London. "It can hardly be," he added, "for the pleasures or follies, as you term them, which London affords ; so I supj^ose it must be to see what you can do in the purchase of poor Barham's company." "As little the last as the first," replied the lieutenant ; " and to say truth, at my time of life, I scarce know w^hich of the two would be the greater folly for me to engage in. It's vaiy well, at your years, to give your money for * The name usually given to Gibraltar by its inhabitants. THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 13 promotion ; — promotion due, by the bye, to others who have paid for it in years and blood; — but for me, wdio have buifetted the world for sax and twenty years as a subaltern in all climates, getting nothing but hard knocks for my recompense, it would be but a poor piece of fooleiy to pay eleven hundred pounds to have my ears tickled with the title of captain : hoot ! mon, I should deseiTe to wear a cap and bells rather than an epaulette. Besides, mon, I am now senior on the list ; and, with God's bles- sing, I see not why we may not look out for a death vacancy which will give me the step in a year or two for nothing."' " True. I had forgot that, Mac.'' " Meanwhile, Sir," continued the lieutenant, " I have been thinking of making myself com- fortable in the interim, whilk I have pretty well accomplished by securing the appointment of paymaster of the depot, where I may laugh at the roster while you are grilling on the Rock." "Why, Mac, I should have thought you would have liked the Rock — cheap wine, glo- rious climate, — why, it's a delightful place." " Hoot ! mon, Avhat d' ye mean ? A delightful place ! I never could bear it since I found 14 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. myself there one 'day subaltern of the main guard with Captain the Honorable Augustus Lorimer, who was rocking in his cradle, only twenty years before, while I was fighting in India T\4th Pindarees and Mahrattas, to say nothing of fevers, liver, and dysenteiy. But come, mon, the hour has just struck ; and Colonel Muckleworm, who is only one before me on the list, has just turned under the archway. I must n't be backward to thank the great mon for my appointment, for though they seem to set light enough by it, it's what they all look to, — ahvays mind that, — and talking of the appointment, there are twa honest fellows of the right sort who are coming to me this evening to drink success to it ; and so if you'll join us, mon, I shall be blythe to see you." " I should be veiy happy, Mac ; but I am engaged this evening to a party at Mrs. Moreton's, in Grosvenor-Street." " Mrs. Moreton s, in Grosvenor-Street !" " Yes, man, our agent's, you know ; that is, his lady's, as the phrase is." " In Grosvenor-Street ! say you ? Weel, but that's capital, — an Anny Agent's wife giving parties in Grosvenor-Street ! That chiel Moreton THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 15 must be demented ; — and yet a few months ago, lie was a tlirifty pains-taking man that would never spend a bawbee more than he could help : but that comes of manying a fine lady ! Tak' heed, Captain, tak' heed : you'll see a fine lesson to-night, if you have only the grace to profit by it. But come on, come on, mon ; here are we chaffing by the hour, and may be our names already called." So saying, he passed his arm within his companion's, and they entered the Horse Guards together. CHAPTER II. In the evening Manton went, according to his in^'itation, to Grosvenor-Street, which was already filled -with the carriages of Mrs. Moreton's fashionable friends. That ladv had, lono- before her marriage, felt a conviction that her proper place was in those circles of fashion to which the decayed fortunes of her father, a retired general officer, permitted only an occasional access. Of course her only chance of entering these emded regions had depended on her forming a fortunate connexion, which, not^^dth- standing many favourable opportunities, she had failed to effect. Her hopes were in fact nearly desperate, when her good fortune brought Mr. Moreton to the house. In his capacity of a military agent he had long been acquainted with the general, who usually formed one at the snug weekly dinner parties given by Mr. Moi'eton THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 17 at his residence adjoining his office in Cecil- Street. Wliether General Meadows conceived that the hospitalities of the agent demanded some return on his part, or that the repeated failures of his daughter would reconcile her to a refuge in Cecil-Street, it is not veiy easy to determine. Perhaps hoth of these reasons had their effect in procuring for Mr. Moreton the honor of an invitation to Seymour-Street, Portman-Square, where the general was domiciliated in a tall narrow strip of a house, the scanty dimensions of which were supposed to he compensated by the gentility of the neighbourhood. Whatever honor accrued to Mr. Moreton from the ac- quaintance was dearly purchased ; as in less than three months after he became the husband of Miss Clarissa. The lady suffered him to lead her to the altar precisely as she would have done into a dramng-room, because there was no more presentable person at hand to perform the office. If the general thought that the snug dinner parties in Cecil-Street would be continued as usual under the new regime, he was as much deceived as Mr. Moreton himself Mrs. Moreton, 18 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. as before intimated, felt tliat her proper station was in the world of fashion ; and she certainly did not marry an army agent for the pui'pose of beino- immured in what she termed his den in the Strand. It was, she obsen^ed, a very proper place to make money in, but not to spend it. Within three months after the mar- riage, the modest establishment in Cecil-Street was broken up, and the astonished agent was transported to the fashionable regions of Gros- venor-Street. Though a prudent, and even a saving man, while left to his own guidance, he wanted resolution to resist the dangers of his " new estate,'' and consequently fell before the superior genius of his wife. The house in Gros- venor Street was famished in a style of elegance which bore ample testimony to Mrs. Moreton's exquisite taste. The establishment was increased to a cori'esponding scale ; and in order that these expences might not be incuiTed for nothing, the house was thrown open to the lady's fashion- able fiiends, whose ^dsits, formerly like those of angels, "few and far between," had increased surprisingly after her maniage ^vith the reputed wealthy Mr. Moreton. As his expences increased, the facile husband THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 19 made some attempts at expostulation ; but he was overborne, and suffered himself to be car- ried down the stream of fate. To meet the demands made upon him, he changed the nature of his investments, and embarked in several of the leading speculations of the day. Many of these were apparently prosperous ; the gaieties of Grosvenor-Street appeared to increase rather than diminish, and Mrs. Moreton's parties were crowded mth those who, if not among the elite of London society, belonged decidedly to the fashionable world. By all her former friends she was pronounced to be, and to a certain degree really was, a happy woman, while Mr. Moreton was a wealthy man in everybody's ojjinion but his own. To Manton, unused to the society and bril- liancy of the capital, the scene which met him on entering the rooms was very striking. An air of luxury combined with tasteful magnifi- cence pervaded the spacious suite of apartments. Superb lustres, depending from lofty ceilings threw over the rooms a radiant light, which, reflected a hundred times by the costly mirrors covering the walls, produced a brilliant and magical effect. The furniture, no less tasteful 20 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. than splendid, offered every variety of embellish- ment and convenience which ingenuity has contrived to meet the exigeant demands of luxmy. Flowers and rare exotics added their attractions to this temple of taste ; while the fragrance of the most delicate peifumes, exhaling through the rooms, imparted a sensation of plea- sure and voluptuousness. But the great charm in the eyes of the young soldier was the man^ellous display of beauty and loveliness arrayed in all the advantages which the tasteful modistes of the capital know so well how to employ. Manton inwardly acknowledged that even his imagination had never pictured any thing half so beautiful. So much was he delighted with the sight that he almost rejoiced that his non-acquaintance mth any of these fair creatures, by excluding him from the quadrilles, left him at liberty to admire and compare their charms at greater leisure. Wliile engaged in this gratiMng sun^ey, he was not a little disconcerted by an unexpected discovery, which occasioned him almost as much confusion as that experienced by some of the fair objects who had encountered his ardent gaze. Withdrawing his regards a moment from THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 21 the magic circle before liim to survey tlie other spectators, who, like himself, were looking at the dancers, he perceived a pair of bright eyes fastened upon him with an expression of sur- prise and interest which thrilled through his veiy soul, and rendered him at once indifferent to eveiy other object around him: from which circumstance the reader will divine that they belonged to the identical fair one alluded to by Macpherson in the morning. His first impulse was to hasten to her side ; but a look from the lady directed his attention to her companions ; and he then perceived, that, besides her aunt, whom he had known at Chelms- ford, she was accompanied by a stout, elderly gentleman, whom, by his decided and somewhat peremptory air, he had little difficulty in deter- mining to be her uncle. Sir Lionel Hardcastle, \sdtli whose absolute and eccentric humours he had already been made acquainted, though he had never before seen him. From the lady's manner, Manton readily comprehended that he was not to present himself till Sir Lionel should be otherwise engaged, which, from the impatient glances he ever and anon directed towards the card-room, Manton trusted w^ould soon be the case. He w^as not deceived. A vacancy soon 22 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. occurred at one of the tables, ayIiicIi Sir Lionel was requested by a deputation from the party to fill up ; a request he very graciously complied with. He was scarcely departed, when, to the astonish- ment of the young lady's aunt, Mrs. Lsetitia Hardcastle, his place was supplied by Captain Manton, who oveipowered her expressions of surprise by his voluble protestations of pleasure at so unexpected a meeting. Anxious as he was to devote his attentions to the younger lady, Manton was too good a tactician not to know they were first due to the aunt ; and that she must be propitiated before he could avail himself of so fortunate and unlooked-for an opportunity. This sacrifice, however, was rendered unnecessary by the opportune arrival of Mrs. Moreton, who, coming up at the moment, insisted upon the young people standing up in a new set of quadrilles, while she carried off Mrs. Hardcastle to assist at the discussion of a delicate morsel of scandal, involving the gravity of a Cabinet Minister, and the fair fame of a fashionable Countess, which was then travelling the round of the drawing rooms before making its ap- pearance in Westminster Hall. Though fond of dancing on most occasions, THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 23 Manton and his partner preferred at that moment a quiet tete-a-tete to the pleasure of figuring in a quadrille. For this the ring of spectators as- sembled round the dancers offered every facility ; and they accordingly made choice of a position, where, shielded from the gaze of the company, they could enter into explanations, which, how- ever little interesting to others, were very much so to themselves. Wliile the different members of the quartette are thus agreeably occupied, it will be a fitting opportunity for explaining shortly to the reader this love adventure, the histoiy of which, though quite as uninteresting to third parties as such things usually are, is nevertheless essential to the comprehension of our narrative. The story is soon told. It happened that while Manton was quartered with a detachment of his regiment at Chelmsford, Miss Clara Hardcastle was paying a visit to a friend in that neighbourhood, under the charge of her aunt, Mrs. Laetitia, without whom she was rarely permitted to stir from Lickenmoss Hall, the seat of her uncle. Sir Lionel Hardcastle. Whatever it may be now, Chelmsford was then a very gay place. Like all others it has 24 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. probably degenerated in this respect, and lives only on the glories of the past. In every pro- \incial tovni you ^ill find some ancient de- fenders of its reputation, who, if you hint at its dulness, instantly overwhelm you \^^th the liistor}^ of its fonner gaieties. To judge from their accounts, there must have been a lament- able falling off of enjoyment in "merrie England,'' even mthin the last generation. But at the period we are speaking of, this change had not come over Chelmsford, which might partly be owing to the gamson, usually quartered in the place. Balls, pic-nics, and parties were then things of daily occurrence ; matters in which officers are generally so much at home, that they may almost be said to form part of their profession. Miss Hardcastle was not either of an age or a disposition to contemn such things, which certainly did not suffer by a comparison with the pastimes in vogue at Lickenmoss Hall, where the young lady was accustomed to ride out in the morning in company with Sir Lionel, and to read him to sleep in the evening ; after which she was usually indulged, in the absence of the curate to make up a rubber, in a game of cribbage with Mrs. Lsetitia. THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 25 In tliese agreeable parties, Captain Manton and Miss Hardcastle liad frequent opportunities of discovering tliat each jDossessed the qualities most admired by the other. The lady was stiTick A\ith Manton's cheerful and good-natured disposition, which seemed to draw happiness from eveiy thing, and to impart a spirit of joyousness to all around him. On the other hand, the laughing, dark eyes and animated countenance of Clara, joined to a certain pi- quant A^vacity and turn for repartee, rendered her perfectly irresistible in the eyes of the young soldier, Avho thought of nothing but making himself agreeable to so charming a person. In the mean time he had omitted no means of securing the good graces of Mrs. Lgetitia, in which he was remarkably successfid; owing chiefly to his good qualities as a listener, and the sympathy he evinced in the old lady's tastes and preferences. All these circumstances w^ere perfectly natural, and they had a natural tennination. When Manton's detachment re- ceived the route for the Isle of Wight, and the hour of parting came, the young people found they were past all recovery attached to each other ; and so strong did the feeling prove, Vol. I. c 26 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. that it tlireatened to make as light of Sir Lioners anger as it did of Aunt Lsetitia's alarms and ten'ors. Manton, however, was compelled to march with the detachment, but not until he and Clara were irrevocably pledged to each other, and Mrs. Laetitia, gained over by their cajolements, had promised to do all in her power to forward their union. Lieutenant Macpherson, who had been acting in the double capacity of pay-master and quar- ter-master, had remained at Chelmsford a day or two after the detachment had marched, to settle some regimental accounts. It was durin2' this intei-val that Mrs. Lsetitia, taking advan- tage of a slight acquaintance with Mrs. Mac- pherson, had called upon that lady in company with a friend, to ascertain the respectability of Manton's connexions, having been visited, on reflection, with certain misgivings as to the 23iiidence of her conduct in what had occurred. It was to this \isit that Macpherson alluded in his conversation with Manton in the Park. Had the worthy lieutenant been at all aware of what he would have termed the eeligihility of the connexion for his friend, the captain, he would not have failed to answer Mrs. Lsetitia's THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 27 enquiiies in the most satisfactory terms he could have de^dsed, instead of maintaining the cautious reserve which his pinidence dictated on the occasion. Soon after his anival at the Isle of Wight, Manton, apprehensive of being ordered to join the head quarters of his regiment then in garrison at Gibraltar, had gone up to London, for the purpose of procuring two months' leave of absence, before the time for embarkation should arrive. It was with this view he w^as waiting to see the military secretary to the commander in chief, w^hen he was encountered by Macpherson in the Park, as related in the preceding chapter. His intention was to pass the time of his leave at the house of a friend in Suffolk, who possessed an estate not far from the neighbourhood of Lickenmoss Hall, tiTisting to find some opportunity of cultivating the good- will of Sir Lionel, and gaining his consent to his union ^viili Clara. This hopeful project had, however, been that morning cinished in the bud by the militaiy secretary, who confirmed the report mentioned by Macpherson, that a strong reinforcement for the different regiments in the Mediterranean would sail in a few days ; adding, Vol. I. c 2 28 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. that as Captain" Manton was included in the list of officers named for that service, he would of course ^^'itlldraw a request, which, but for that circumstance, would have been instantly complied mth. In the conversation in which the lovers were now engaged, Clara informed Manton that shortly after his departure from Chelmsford, she had been suddenly summoned to join Sir Lionel at the house of her uncle Belford, in Curzon-Street. Mr. Belford, who was her mother s brother, held a lucrative situation in Somerset House, which compelled him to reside generally in London. He was a widower, with an only child, a daughter, about her o"s\ti age, whom she regarded vnih the affection of a sister. She was then absent on a visit to a friend at Bath, and Sir Lionel had promised they should continue in Curzon-Street till her return ; so that they would probably remain in towTi for some weeks. Manton, in return, acquainted her with the design he had formed of visiting in her neigh- bourhood, which was now entirely frustrated by his being unexpectedly ordered upon foreign service. This circumstance, he said, would com- pel him to set out for the Isle of Wight the THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 29 following morning ; but lie liopecl to be able to return and pass ten days or a fortnight in town previously to the embarkation. In this dilemma they judged it prudent to summon Mrs. Lsetitia to their council, to determine what course should be taken in the critical state of affairs. After considerable debate, it was finally resolved, with her concurrence, that no time should be lost in making a \dgorous attack upon Sir Lionel, in order to obtain his consent to their union before Manton's departure from England. Notwithstand- ing the formidable nature of the undertaking, a great deal was hoped from the suddenness of the attack, especially as Aunt Lsetitia, after a warfare of more than half a century, was pretty well acquainted with the weak points of the enemy, who, in spite of his blustering, was in reality very much in awe of her prowess. This arrange- ment was barely concluded, when Sir Lionel was seen emerging from the card-room. He was instantly joined by his sister and niece, to whom he announced his intention of going home immediately; a determination in which, to his astonishment, they acquiesced without any op- position. Their example was soon followed by Manton 30 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. himself. Tlie unexpected rencontre with Miss Hardcastle, and the train of reflections to which it had given rise, naturally indisposed him to remain any longer in the brilliant throng which was every moment becoming more crowded. He had already descended to the hall, and was on the point of quitting the house, when he was arrested by Moreton, by whom his exit had been perceived. " What ! going away already, Manton, and without any supper ! Come, that will never do ; if you don't like waiting for the rest, neither do I. A cold chicken and a bottle of Champagne will do us no harai. Come,'' and passing his arm within Manton's, he led him into the supper-room. The Champagne proved to be excellent, and Manton, who felt the want of something to revive him, found his spirits considerably lighter after swallowing two or three glasses. " You have heard, I suppose," said Moreton, as they remained seated at a small table in a recess, " that considerable drafts are ordered out from the depots to reinforce the regiments in the Mediterranean V " Yes," replied Manton, " and I was informed THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 31 this moming, by no less a person tlian tlie militaiy secretaiy himself, that I am included in the number/' " Indeed ! However you will not be displeased -with that : — the Mediterranean is a delightful station." " Oh ! yes, and at any other time nothing would have pleased me more ; — but just now, I confess, it is rather inconvenient.'' " Inconvenient ! Indeed, my young friend, I am sorry to hear this, — but if there is any assistance, — any advance which I " '' Oh ! no, no, thank you, nothing at all in that way. I am pretty well pro\dded in that respect ; my difficulties are of another kind." '' Well, well, I am glad to hear it," rejoined the agent. " We men of the desk, you know, think little can go ^vi'ong when the main point is right. The other matters mil come right themselves in time. But while we are on this subject, alloAv me to ask you if you have made all your arrangements for recei^dng your income abroad ? Your pay, of course, you mil continue to draw through us ; but your other property ? You have, I think, some money in the Funds ?" " Yes, ^5000 in the three per cents." 32 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. " Indeed ! so much ! Through whom, pray, do you draw your diA^dends V "Why, in truth,'' answered Manton, " I have hardly thought about it." " It will be necessary to give an authority to some person to draw them for you. The proper way is to grant a power of attorney for that puipose,'' added Moreton. " True, tiTie ; I am much obliged to you for reminding me of the thing : — perhaps, my dear sir, you would not object to act for me in this matter V " Not at all, not at all ;" returned the man of business. " Indeed, being your military agent, it ^\ill be for your interest that I should do so, as you mil then have but one account, which is always an advantage.'' Manton thanked his host for his readiness to assist him in so important a matter ; and it was finally arranged that Mr. Moreton should give instructions for preparing the necessary documents, which Manton could execute during the few days he hoped to pass in London pre\^ous to his embarkation. CHAPTER III. Whether it were that Miss Harclcastle was really indisposed by the events of tlie preceding- evening, or tliat slie was acting in concert witli Mrs. Lsetitia upon a well-considered plan of opera- tions, she remained confined to her room the whole of the next day. In answer to his questions respecting her non-appearance, Sir Lionel was drily informed by his sister that she was indisposed, and preferred keeping her room. " Indisposed, eh I" responded the baronet, — " don't wonder at it, — how could she be othenvise after passing the night in those infernally hot rooms — had enough of it myself — lost twenty guineas to that scare-crow of an usher, Sir Gregoiy Shadeless, who might hide himself behind his ow^i wand — thought I saw him tele- graphing with that old Countess of Gatton, with Vol. I. c .3 34 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. her false liair and- false teeth : however, if they catch me there again, Til be /' "Made a fool of as you always are, brother, when you dont follow my advice,'" said Mrs. Laetitia, finishing the sentence for him. " Have not I told you again and again that people who play shorts for guinea j)oints, don't sit down for nothing ?" "Well, I didn't want to be told that,'' growled the baronet. " Eeally, brother, you are so literal, you can- not comprehend anything: what do you suppose I meant by nothing?" " Why, nothing, to be sure." " Nothing ! indeed ! upon my word there is no use talking to some people : so you actually did not take the inuendo ?" " Take the de\il, sister, why can't you always speak plain English ?" " Plain English, indeed ! One might suppose you never lived out of the fens ! A pretty sort of world you would make of it mth your plain English. Don't you know, brother, that one of the greatest marks of good breeding consists in being able to say the most galling things in the politest terms imaginable ?" THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. oO " Umpli ' and what is that but cutting one's throat with a keener razor?" '^ And that is better tlian having one's brains knocked out with a bludgeon/' "I don't know that, sister; — but what's all this to do with Claiy's illness ? I tell you the girl is half killed already \^^th these London follies. It will take a full quarter to make her what she was before she came here ; so get your things packed up as soon as you can, and to- morrow we'll go back to the Hall." " To-mori'ow, indeed ! Do you suppose, brother, we can tramp off like gypsies at a moment's warning? Why, half the things ordered are not yet come home, and we have as many more purchases to make : besides, some regard is due to Philip ; — a pretty return, indeed, for all his kindness and hospitality, to leave his house, as if it were an inn, the first moment it suits us !" " But, zounds ! sister, we are not to stay here till the girl dies, to please Philip ; and as to your purchases, you don't suppose you are going to load my carriage with your trumpery !" " As to that, brother, my things will go in whatever carriage I go in myself ; — but this you may rely on, that Clary's going to-morrow is 36 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. quite out of the question. If the girl is really ill, she must have better ad^dce than can be had at Lickenmoss Hall.'' '' Wlij, jou don't suppose/' said the somewhat alarmed baronet, ''there is anything seriously the matter with her ? I thought you said she was only indisposed." " You know, brother, I have often told you that you don't understand women : our organiza- tion, both mental and physical, is a great deal too fine for the obtuseness of your compre- hension." The baronet's passion had been for some time rising, and there was no saying what an explosion this last obsen^ation of Mrs. Lgetitia might have created, had not his brother-in-law at that moment entered the drawing-room. With the skill of a practised tactician, Mrs. Lsetitia hastened to secure him as an ally, by declaring at once the ground of the quarrel, that Sir Lionel vrished to carr}^ off Clara to the Hall, -s^dthout waiting to ascertain the nature of her indisposition. Belford, with whom Clara was almost as great a favorite as vnih Sir Lionel, protested against so rash and dangerous a mea- sure. He declared, too, it was unfriendly to THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 87 leave liim alone in London before liis daugliter Isabella had returned fi'om the country. The baronet, who was scarcely an over-match for his sister, even when single handed, was totally discomfitted by this joint attack, and yielded the \dctoiy ^vithout any further effort, obser^dng that if any hami came of immuring Clary in the smoke and brimstone of a London atmos- phere, he should not be answerable for it. He then suffered himself to be led off by Belford to look at the Cattle-Show, held in the Bazaar in Baker-Street ; the selection of which place for such a puqDose did not fail, of course, to excite his anger as much as his surprise. " Pigs and cattle penned in among chairs and looking-glasses ! Umph ! should not wonder if I lived to see a bull in a china-shop after all i" Mrs. Lsetitia was one of those persons, who, ha\dng once taken up a cause, are not readily deten-ed by difficulties, and neglect no means to bring it to a successful issue. She perceived at a glance the advantage that would accrue to the cause, if she could gain over Belford to the side of the young people. This, however, was a matter not lightly to be attempted. Though a good-natured man, he had lived too 38 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. much in the world to be likely to enter at once into such a j^lan. She knew too, that the sympathies of men are not so easily enlisted on the behalf of the tender passion as those of women; and it was impossible to make an effort to gain him without detailing all the cir- cumstances of the case, which he might instantly communicate to her brother. On the other hand, Belford was scarcely less fond of Clara than herself, and she felt persuaded that Man- ton was precisely the person he would approve of, if once acquainted him. She was aware likewise, that the secret must be di\ailged wdienever an admirer should appear, backed by Sir Lionel's sanction ; an event which she believed might very shortly arrive. These reasons prevailed, and Mrs. Lsetitia ac- cordingly took an early opportunity pf relating to Belford the dilemma they were in, and of intreating his assistance in behalf of the young- people. She represented to him that Clara's happiness depended on her union \viih Manton, and that if all hopes of that event were sud- denly crushed, she would not answer for the consequences. With respect to Manton, she said his character was no less honorable than THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. -39 his appearance and manners were engaging, and she was sure he would himself be his wamiest supporter when they had become known to each other. His connexions she believed to be un- exceptionable. Though not a wealthy, he was not a needy man ; and his prospects in the anny, he being already a captain at so early an age, w^ere very flattering. Belford, though at first strongly opposed to the projected al- liance, was, in the end, brought over to Mrs. Lsetitia's view of the case ; being chiefly moved thereto by the conviction that the happiness of Clara, who was remarkable for the pertinacity of her predilections, and therefore the less likely to be influenced by a transient feeling, was really at stake in the matter. The next day Sir Lionel learnt, to his no little consternation, that his favorite was con- siderably worse, and that the medical man thought it better she should, for the present, remain confined to her room. Capricious and absolute as he was, though less perhaps by nature than by circumstances, which had in- vested him at an early age with the uncontrolled disposition of an ample fortune, the baronet was easily tenified at a danger which threat- 40 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. ened to deprive him of the object he most valued on earth. In his first alami, there was no efi'ort, no sacrifice which he was not ready- to make, to avert so great a calamity. He insisted that the first medical skill which the metropolis could aiford should be called in, and expressed his readiness to accompany his niece to Bath or Cheltenham, or even to France, or any other outlandish place, as he phrased it, if the doctors should think it likely to be bene- ficial. Advantage was taken of this favourable disposition, to insinuate that a remedy might possibly be found without going so far, and that there was reason to suspect that the young lady's indisposition was chiefly owing to despair of obtaining her uncle's sanction to an attach- ment which she secretly entertained. This intimation, however, did not produce exactly the efifect desired. Sir Lionel had no notion of any body's suffering, or at all events incurring danger, from causes that were not strictly corporeal. "So then," said he, when this hint was ventured, "it is only a love business, after all ; and here have I been frightening myself as if the pussy were seriously ill. Plague take you all, why couldn't you say so THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 41 at first, mtliout terrifying me out of my wits?'' " Why, to say the tmtli, Lionel," said Belford, who thought this the proper moment for inter- fering, " we did not expect to meet so ready a consent on your part." " Consent !" cried the baronet, " what the devil do you mean ? who talked of consenting V " Why, as you seemed to take the matter so easily and did not object " " Object ! How could I before I heard of it ? But I tell you now I do object ; I forbid every- thing of the kind : she sha'n't marry, and she sha'n't fall in love, except where I like it/' " But you wont object surely, Lionel, without kno^ving who it is V " Yes, but I will though, if he owns half Yorkshire. I don't care who he is, — he had no right to look at Clary, much less to speak to her, without my leave. Isn't she mine ? Haven't I brought her up ? Don't I love her as if she were part of my owoi flesh ? And won't she have all my estate when her poor old uncle's dead and gone?" '' No doubt she is much indebted to you, Lionel, for the care and tenderness you have shewn her, and the dear girl feels it, — I know she does ; 42 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. still, I don't see- whj you should sacrifice her happiness merely to gratify your own humours/' "Sacrifice the devil ! What do you mean, Belford ? Don't I tell you, I love her so much I won't part with her ? Besides, nobody knows anything about this fellow. Who is he ? and what is he ? You don't suppose I am going to give my Claiy to some nameless adventurer, when she is a match for a lord ?" "Far from it, far from it," returned Belford. " I only wish that, as Clary's happiness seems really to be at stake, you would at least see Captain Manton and judge for yourself" " Captain Manton, eh ! What, then, the fel- low is a captain after all ! Ah ! I see, I see ; — rot my stupidity! — it is all my own folly, in allomng her to go with her aunt to Chelmsford. I did not think of these fellows being there ; — and yet I should have remembered it too, for one of them had the impudence to come and trespass on my manor of Lickenmoss. But what of that ? D n the birds ; they may take them all ; but to come and rob me of what I love better than life ! and Clary too, to wish to leave her old uncle, and throw herself away upon a worthless coxcomb !" THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 43 "But why sliould we suppose so without taking- the trouble to examine. You know, very well, it is not like her. For my part I have too good an opinion of her judgment to think she would do anything of the kind. My life upon it, an empty-headed coxcomb would stand no chance with her whatever. At all events, let us see him, and then you can judge for your- self." " Zounds ! Belford, you would not admit the fellow into the house \" " To be sure I would," answered Belford, "how can we form any opinion of him otherwise ? Take my advice, for once, Lionel. Treat Clary reasonably, and you 11 have no occasion to repent it. If Captain Manton should prove unworthy of her, or if there should be anything objection- able on the score of circumstances or connexions, you can point it out to Clary, and I am sure she will listen to reason ; but if you try to force her, depend upon it she will resist the injustice, and cling to her attachment with more pertinacity than ever. She has a spice of your o^vn temper in her disposition, and I leave you to say how you would have felt at her age towards any- body who treated you as if you had neither sense, feeling, nor reason." 44 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. These remonstrances were not T\dtliout their effect upon the baronet, and he eventually yielded so far as to offer no opposition to Captain Manton's ^dsits to Curzon-Street while he re- mained in town with his niece, cautiously conditioning, however, that this concession should in no way be construed into an approval of the captain's pretensions. This intelligence was shortly conveyed in a letter fi'om Mrs. Lagtitia to Manton, who lost no time in availing himself of this privilege ; and mthin twelve hours after receiving the friendly dispatch he had j)aid his first ^dsit in Curzon-Street. In spite of Sir Lionel's prepossessions, he was constrained to allow that Captain Manton was not only a very gentlemanly, but, apparently, a very estimable person ; while with Belford he immediately became a decided favorite. But the baronet, though considerably softened, declared that his Clary, ^^ith Lickenmoss Hall in prospect, was too great a piize to be had for a few fine speeches. He did not pretend, he said, to deny he liked the captain better than he expected to do ; — he had more in him than he looked for ; he recollected well what he had seen, and though a soldier, was nothing at all of a puppy : he had very pretty notions, too, of sporting, and admitted THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 45 the superiority of the country over London. All these, the baronet added, were very great recom- mendations, no doubt, and, supposing other things turned out equally satisfactoiy, he should, per- haps, prefer him as a husband for Clary to any body else. But there were three other important points to be settled ; and when these were answered to his satisfaction, he might, perhaps, take the captain's proposals into consideration. The three points were, first, who and what were Captain Manton's connexions ; secondly, what was the amount of his rent-roll ; and thirdly, what portion of it did he propose to settle on Miss Hardcastle. The answer to the first was satisfactoiw. It was clearly established that the captain's name had been handed down to him through a suc- cession of fox-hunting squires, who had lived on their o^vn acres, feasted their rich neigh- bours, and transported their poor ones as poachers and sheep-stealers, since the days of the Tudors. To the second the answer was far from being so satisfactory. The return in fact was nil, the captain's father ha^dng been himself only a younger son. He, had, however personal property to the amount of some 46 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. ^5000, which, with his commission as captain in the regiment, formed the whole of his worldly substance. To the third point, the answer set forth, that the captain was quite willing that the whole of the lady's fortune should be set- tled on herself; but that he should want his own for the purpose of purchasing promotion in the service. By Mrs Lsetitia and Belford the result of the investigation was pronounced perfectly satis- factoiy. The captain, though not rich, was as well oif as the cadets of good families usually are. His answers had been fair and open ; and his proposal that the whole of Clary's fortune should be settled on herself, was a proof of his liberal and honorable disposition. There could be no objection except to his want of fortune ; and that ought not to be allowed to be an obstacle when Clary would have more than enough for both. It w^ould, therefore, be sheer cruelty to stand in the way of her happiness, as the young people were attached and in every respect suited to each other. If, indeed, there was any thing to be alleged against the cap- tain personally, or if his connexions had been objectionable, then it would have been a dif- THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 47 ferent case ; and liowever they might have felt for Clary, they would have been the first for putting an end to the aifair altogether. As it was, there was really no reasonable ground of objection ; and they hoped the baronet would see the thing in the same light, and consent to the marriage at once, as there was now no time to lose, Captain Manton being already under orders for foreign service, and expecting shortly to embark. Sir Lionel, however, was not so easily to be hurried into a favorable decision. He had been so accustomed to the presence of Clara, of whom he was in reality exceedingly fond, that he could not bear the idea of parting with her. He was, besides, very jealous of being talked into anything; and he resolved that if Manton was to have Claiy at all, it should not be just then, and only on his own terms. The conclusion he finally came to was, that as Manton was only a captain, and it was his, Sir LioneFs, decided opinion, that no officer under the rank of a field officer should marry, the parties must Avait, if the lady could so long hold the same mind, until the captain had obtained that grade : an arrangement, he observed, that would afford Clary an excellent 48 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. opportunity of proving lier gratitude to her uncle, by attending upon liim during tlie inteiTal in Lickenmoss Hall. It was furtheraiore expressly provided, that if the contingency before alluded to, of the young lady's changing her mind, should at any time occur, the whole treaty should be immediately at an end upon her simple announce- ment of that fact. With these conditions, the captain and his allies were obliged to rest contented. Indeed, the baronet observed that he was hardly to be justified in granting any terms at all to a landless man ; and that he had been moved thereto partly by consideration for the captain's good qualities ; but chiefly, he confessed, from his con^^ction that Clary would change her mind, and her name too, long before the captain had gained his spurs. Mrs. Lsetitia and Belford, who knew the young lady better, would have been much concerned at the tedious and unnecessary delay to which these conditions seemed to con- sign their favorites, had they not been informed by Manton that a majority would shortly be for sale in the regiment, and that he hoped to be in a condition to claim Sir Lienors performance of the engagement, at all events within the year ; THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 49 but this circumstance it was deemed prudent to witlihold from the baronet for the present. The few days Manton had been able to spend in London previous to his embarkation, had been so fully occupied with the above negociations, and his attentions to Clara, from whom he was about to be separated for so long a period, that he had scarcely been able to devote any time to the arrangement of his pecuniaiy affairs. He had, however, twice called at his agent's, and not finding Mr. Moreton at home on either occasion, he had requested the clerks to desire liim to have the necessary documents to enable that gentleman to receive his dividends in his absence prepared forthwith, that he might exe- cute them before leaving London. On calling again for that purpose in the afternoon of the day preceding the morning of his departure to join the detachment in the Isle of Wight, he found, to his mortification, that his instructions had not been complied with, though they had been duly communicated, as the clerk assured him, to his principal. At that moment, Mr. Moreton entered the office, and seeing Manton, begged him to step into his private room. He apologized for the delay which had taken place Vol. I. D 50 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. in regard to the" instiTiment, whicli he attributed to his solicitor, and promised that he would attend to it himself personally, and forward it to him at the Isle of Wight in ample time for him to execute and return it by the post to London before his embarkation. Satisfied with these assurances, Manton took his leave of the agent, who testified the sincerity of his interest in his welfare by again ofiering to accommodate him with any advance he might require ; an offer which w^as, however, declined with many acknowledgments for the considerate kindness by w^hich it was dictated. CHAPTER IV. On liis arrival at tlie barracks at Newport, in the Isle of Wight, Manton found everything in a bustle, owing to the preparations for hastening the departure of the various drafts destined for the regiments in the Mediterranean. The trans- ports had already arrived at Cowes, and the embarkation was to take place in the course of the week. The detachment for his own regiment consisted, besides himself, of another captain, a brevet-major who commanded, three subalterns, and a hundred and seventy men, including non- commissioned officers. Activity and duty are the best preventatives against vain and idle regrets. Had Manton been about to undertake the voyage as a simple traveller, with nothing but his own preparations to attend to, he would no doubt have suffered all that depression of spirit which the prospect of so long an absence, under his present circumstances, was so calcu- VoL. I. d2 52 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. lated to produce. But the duties wliicli now devolved upon liim left liim little time to tliink of other things. Besides his o\^ti prepa- rations for the voyage, there were the arms, accoutrements, clothing, and sea equipment of the men of his o^vn company to be looked after. He had also to settle with the pay- master of the depot the account of their several debts and credits, and receive from him the balances due to them. Upon the proper ful- filment of such duties, so uninteresting in their details, but so important in their nature, depends in a great measure the good order and efficiency of a regiment. The value of an officer may at once be kno^vn by the condition of the interior ceconomy of his company. Manton, who was really a good soldier and loved his profession, instead of leading such duties to be perforaied by his sergeant, attended to them sedulously himself. He did not belong to that class of conceited young men who consider themselves as above their rank, and fall into the absurd error of supposing that an inaptitude for the perforaiance of subordinate duties is a sure sign of capacity for great ones. The consequence was, that his company was always in a state of THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 53 high order and discipline. He was liked by his men, not merely because he was good-natured, for soldiers soon learn to despise a merely good- natured officer ; but because, while he compelled others to do their duties, he took care to perform his own ; and at the same time looked after the rights and comforts of his soldiers. They knew well that if they came drunk or dirty to parade, or were absent from their duty, Manton w^as not the man to overlook it ; but they also knew that if they had any claim to back-pay or pen- sion, or had any reasonable cause of complaint against a superior, their captain would stand by them, and, in their own phrase, see them fairly righted. The morning preceding the embarkation, while Manton was at breakfast, the sergeant of his company entered with some letters. Among them was rather a bulky packet, which, on opening, he found to be from his agent, Mr. Moreton. That gentlemen's letter was as follows. " Cecil- Street, Strand, London, June \1th, 18—. ''Dear Sir, "I enclose a power of attorney for your execution, authorizing me to receive the divi- 54 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. dends of your stock in tlie three per cent, consols during your absence from England. The instrument, which is in the usual form, is fully prepared, and requires nothing but your signature, and that of the witness attesting the execution, who, I suppose, will be some one of your brother officers. I regret that a pressure of business has compelled me to delay writing until so late, but I trust the packet will arrive before you sail. Allow me to repeat, that if at any time you should require an advance of cash, it \Adll give me great pleasure to be of any service to you in that way. Wishing you every happiness and success, "I remain. Dear Sir, "Yours veiy truly, "Richard Moreton. " P. S. — Be good enough to return the papers by the night's post.'' Manton glanced over the document, which, so far as he understood its legal verbiage, seemed to be sufficient for the purpose. He resolved, however, to carry it to Macpherson, who was re- garded as an oracle by the regiment in all money affairs; and, if he approved of it, to THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 55 request liim to be tlie witness of tlie execution. On reaching that officer's quarters, he learnt from Mrs. Macphorson that her husband had not jet returned from town. "I was a fiile/' said she, "to let him go to London by himself, but he professed to be in such a hurry that he had not a moment to lose ; and we led- dies, you know, Captain Manton, cannot travel, like you gentlemen, at a moment's warning: besides, it seemed sic' a pity to run any chance of losing such an appointment so suitable for us, — just made, as it were, on purpose. But he should have been back three days ago. Fse warrant, when he does come, he'll not hear the last of it, for some time, at any rate." Manton endeavoured to pacify the lady by assuring her, that however perilous London might be for a bachelor like himself, it could have no dangers for so steady a character as the lieutenant, and then departed in search of a witness elsewhere. "I doubt if you speak as you think," said the lady, as she closed the door; "but gin ye do, you undertake for more than you can answer for." In crossing the parade, Manton met one of his subalterns, a good-humoured, thoughtless, 56 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. young Irisliinan/ who had just joined the depot. " Good morning, Dennis ; I want you to do me a favor/' " Then Tm glad to hear it/' replied the ensign, "for ril do it with all the pleasure in life/' "What! before you know what it is?" "To be sure, what's the use of a fiiend who is so mighty particular, that he wont grant a favor unless he knows what it is?" "Well, Dennis, do you know what a power of attorney is?" " By the powers, then, I do not ; but what signifies that?" "Why, not much; I only want you to see me execute one, and then to sign a declaration yourself to that effect/' " Is that all ? " cried Ensign Dennis ; " a mighty great favor to be sure ! " "Well, then," said Manton, "just step with me into the orderly room; we shall find pen and ink there ; and I have got the document in my pocket/' The instmment was accordingly executed, and attested in due form, and in less than half-an- hour deposited by Manton himself in the post- office. THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 57 Tlie next day, tlie detachment embarked on board tbe Lucy, a transport of about 850 tons, \jmg off Cowes. An embarkation of troops is a veiy pretty siglit for tbe spectators, but there are few things more unpleasant to the parties concerned. The number of men crowded into one boat, so heavily laden mth their packs and amis, that they can scarcely move, renders an embarkation not only unnecessarily troublesome and disagreeable, but absolutely dangerous. In fact, owing to this absurd practice, accidents, attended ^ith fatal consequences, are by no means uncommon. Some years back, the gre- nadier company of the 1 4th regiment, amounting to upwards of ninety men, was lost in the surf at Madras. The surf there, is perhaps, at no time quite free from danger; but there is no question that, whatever the danger may be, it is very much increased by this practice of over- loading the boats. Another troublesome business is to get the baggage on board ; and when that is accomplished, there is a still greater in stowing it away in the scanty accommodation allowed to troops. On the present occasion, the annoyances usually attendant on an embarkation were greatly in- VOL. I. D 3 58 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. creased, by the troops being ordered to embark before the vessels were ready for their reception, in order that they might sail as soon as possible. The decks of the vessel were consequently crowded with provisions, stores, and water casks. Every thing was in confusion: the officers and crew of the ship were too much engaged to afford any assistance to the troops ; and the latter, being all young soldiers, and new to such a scene, were incapable of helping themselves. To add to their distress, it came on to rain very hard, and the wind getting up, created such a sea, that the soldiers were unable to keep their legs on the wet slippery decks. Another cause of a different kind contributed to the confusion and perplexity of the scene. By the regulations of the sendee, no more than six women per company are allowed to go on board with their husbands. At the embarkation this order is rigidly enforced. But after the troops are on board, the poor women condemned to remain behind make use of eveiy artifice to get admission into the ship, where they lie concealed till she is fairly out at sea, when, one by one, they gradually make their appearance, and petition "his honor" the commanding officer to THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 59 place tliem on the list for rations. In most of the boats that came alongside, several of these poor creatures were concealed ; and, whenever the \dgilance of the officers and sentries could be evaded, they were smuggled in at the port- holes. Many who w^ere not so fortunate as to escape detection, were, in spite of their appeals to the compassion of the officers, compelled to leave the ship and return to their boats. There they remained, tossing upon the waters, exposed for hours to the rain and cold, watching the bark which contained all they held dear in life, and still hoping for an opportunity of regaining ad- mission to the vessel. Instead of looking after his own comforts, Manton did what he could for his poor soldiers. He represented to the skipper of the vessel that if he would allow his officers and men to lend a hand to settle the troops in their berths and stow away the baggage, he w^ould then have the decks clear for the ship's work, and save time in the end. " I believe you are right, sir,'' said the skipper. " The poor fellows look as strange on board as if they had never seen a ship. I doubt if one of them knows starboard from larboard ; and, to say 60 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. truth, they are sadly in tlie way on deck here, as soldiers, begging your pardon, usually are/' He then stepped forward to give the ne- cessary orders for this an-angement. " Fore- castle, there/' "Ay, aye. Sir/' "Avast hawling. Mr. Johnstone, have the goodness to leave the water casks for a time, and let the men help the soldiers down with the baggage ; and pray go below yourself with the sergeants, and point out the men's berths." As Manton turned away to assist in this mat- ter, the good-natured skipper, looking after him, exclaimed, "That's what I like now, — a fellow who can think of others as well as himself Come, I'm glad we have one officer amongst them at any rate. But what's come of the rest? Looking after their own berths, I warrant. Ay, aye, — I knew how it would be when I heard the commanding officer was manied, and was bringing his lady, as they call her, along with him." The reader has probably never seen the in- terior of a transport, especially that part of it destined for what is termed the accommodation of the troops. If he is suffering from the THE POWER OF ATTORIs'EY. 61 ^' res angustw domi" whether in a literal or figurative sense, he can hardly clo better than accompany Captain Manton on his present duty. Following the mate, Mr. Johnstone, do^\^l a steep, slippery ladder, that officer found himself in the place allotted to the soldiers. The height between decks did not exceed five feet, so that it was impossible to walk without stooping ; the omission of which precaution would infalliblv brino- vour head in collision vaih. one of the stout oaken beams which tra- versed the vessel. As there were no port-holes, there was no other li^ht than w^hat found its way through the solid bulFs eyes which sup- l^lied their place. By their aid, Manton dis- covered, when his sight had become a little accustomed to the obscurity of the place, that wooden berths were arranged in two tiers for the soldiers ag:ainst the sides of the vessel. The centre was destined for the hammocks of those unprovided T\ith berths ; for which jmr- pose eleets w^ere affixed to the beams. The whole arrangement strongly reminded him of the accounts he had read of the interior of slave ships. It has been before stated that there were no port-holes ; consequently air 62 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. could only be admitted at the hatch-ways. To facilitate its admission and create a current, a windsail (formed of a piece of canvass stretched upon hoops so as to fomi a cylinder), was in- serted at each hatchway. But even with these aids, the air was so close and unpleasant, being strongly tainted with the unwholesome vapour issuing from the hold of the shij), that Man- ton felt himself nearly stifled. "What must it be, then,'' said he, "when a hundred and fifty people have been j^assing the night in it I" " Why, sir,'' said Mr. Johnstone, who stood by, "what you and I should call absolutely insuf- ferable, but what many of them will think very comfortable." " Oh ! impossible !" returned Manton. " It must be perfectly unbearable." " Stop, sir, till we get fairly out to sea, and then you'll see the trouble you'll have in getting many of them out of it up into the fresh air on deck, especially the women, I don't know how it is, but the dislike the lower classes have to fresh air is quite astonishing. I have seen a good deal of it on ship-board, and I'm told it's just the same in hosj)itals and work-houses, and the dwellings of the poor generally. No account- THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 63 ing for tastes, sir. Some sailors wonder how you landsmen like to live so much ashore ; and I dare say, sir, you have seen enough of board a ship already, to wonder how any man would come here who could help it.'' "Veiytrue, Mr. Johnstone : no accounting for tastes, as you say ; but I don't see where you ntend to put the married people here." " Oh ! I have thought of them, sir, and have kept this end for them entirely : here they will be all by themselves." '^ By themselves ! Why, there are a dozen women at least, to say nothing of husbands and children." " Oh ! as to the husbands, we don't admit them ; they must get where they can ; and for twelve women there's space enough." '' Why, zounds I you hardly allow" them nine feet square !" " Well, sir, and very good allowance, too. Lord ! sir, you don't know how they pack, espe- cially the Irish. Why, sir, I heard once of a house in St. Giles's, where there w^ere four families in one room ; one to each corner. A neighbour was asking one of them how they managed for room ? ' For room,' said he, ' oh ! 64 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. faitli, we sliould do well enough for tliat, if it wasn't that the fellow in the corner opposite to me takes in lodgers I' But hark, sir, there's the captain calling for me. It is a busy time \vith us. The sergeants know where to put the men now, sir, and I recommend you to get them told off to their berths as soon as you can ; for we shall certainly go to sea before night. The wind is blowing right down the Channel, and the skipper would not lose a cap full of it, even if we went to sea upon salt junk and biscuit.'' So saying, the active, well-tempered mate spnmg up the companion ladder, and left the soldiers to themselves. Manton saw that the best thing to be done was to follow his advice. The men were accordingly distributed among the berths "with as much regularity as circumstances ad- mitted. This duty ]3erformed, Manton went to see after his own berth in the cabin assigned to the officers. He found his mess-mates, not one of whom had thought it worth his while to look after the accommodation of the men, squabbling very angrily about their own. It must be con- fessed, the quarters assigned to them were not of a very tempting description. Indeed, con- THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 65 sideling their habits and rank in life, they had as much reason to be dissatisfied as the soldiers. The space originally allotted to the five officers was about twelve feet by nine. With this, if fairly distributed, they might have managed ; but Major Nemo, who was a married man, and was accompanied by his better half, had insisted upon his right, as commanding officer, to have a cabin to himself. Accordingly, a full third of the original space had been partitioned off for this purpose. The other officers were conse- quently compelled to occupy a space about equal to that allowed to a wild-beast in a travelling menagerie. This, besides serving as a dormitory for the four unmaried officers, was to be the state- room of the whole party, the major and his lady being, of course, members of the mess. Major Nemo was one of that self-complacent class, who, not satisfied with being wholly taken up by themselves, imagine that everybody else must necessarily sympathize in their feelings. Manton had selected one of the only two stand- ing berths in the cabin, and was wondering how he should pack himself in so small a space, when the major entering, exclaimed, — "Oh! Manton, here you are at last. Could not think what 66 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. had become of - you. Did you ever know such ^dllanous accommodation ? You'll be quite shocked. Mrs. Nemo declares that what with her boxes, and her drawers, and her dressinor- table, she has hardly room to stir, — infamous, isn't it ? I have a great mind to write to my particular friend, Sir Jeremy Chippaway, the head of the transport board, and let him know how we are treated. Wouldn't it serve them all right r " Very,'' returned Manton. " To think of putting Mrs. Nemo to such inconvenience !" continued the major. " It's not to be borne." " Certainly not, Major, and if I were in your case, I'd very soon remedy the matter." " Eh ! But how ? You know, my good fellow, we sail this evening." "Never mind that ; plenty of time for my plan, Major, if you'll only adopt it." " Adopt it ! to be sure I will, my dear fellow ; what is it ?" " Why, land Mrs. Nemo and her baggage at once, and take a passage for her in the first packet, and then she'll go out like a lady, w^th every comfort." THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 67 " By the powers, Manton/' said Ensign Den- nis, rising up from a locker upon wliich he was extended, '^ and you're just right. There was ould Mrs. Colonel Mahon, who went out in the Shannon, an iligant packet she was, and commanded by Eory O'Sullivan, a cousin ger- man of my own, and as iligant a fellow as ever you saw ; and she said, that though she was sick every bit of the way, she had every comfort in life : it was just like an hotel.'' " Dare say it was," chimed in the major. ''Capital things those packets, — really, should have thought of that before — too late now; — but we can rough it. Mrs. Nemo, though as dehcate as a sylph, has the heart of a hero. By the bye, Manton, snug berth that of yours, eh ! How do you get into it ? " Here he w^as interrupted by a terrible crash in the adjoining cabin, and the voice of his sylph shouting out his name with the lungs of a boatswain. A black servant popped his head into the cabin, exclaiming, " Oh ! Lord, sir, missus ! " " Well, what's to do, now ?" cried the major. " Speak out, you black idiot, you." " Idiot yourself," shouted the lady from the inner cabin, " come and see, can't you ?" 68 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. At this hint ^:he major disappeared ; and the officers had their revenge in overhearing the torrent of abuse which the delicate sjlph poured upon the hen-pecked commandant, who was as submissive to her, and, indeed, to any one who had the spirit to oppose him, as he was overbear- ing to his inferiors and the diffident. The lady, for the purpose of hearing the con- versation between her husband and the officers more at her ease, had been reclining upon a couch, while the black servant was arranging the oeconomy of her cabin. Pompey, in endeavouring to move a heavy trunk, had planted one foot for support against the leg of the couch, which, not being strong enough to resist the pressure, had given way, and the fair Nemo had been precipitated to the floor. This catastrophe com- pleted her indignation, excited by the description given by Dennis of the superior comfort enjoyed by Mrs. Colonel Mahon in the packet, and roused her resentment against the major, whose meanness had subjected her to the inconvenience and indignity of going out in a transport. By the united exertions of Pompey and her teri'ified spouse, Mrs. Nemo was soon replaced in her hoiizontal position, and whatever fears might have been entertained of the injurious conse- THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 69 quences of the accident, were speedily removed by the torrent of invective she discharged upon her husband, as soon as she found herself safe again on the couch. To his inquiries if she were hurt, she replied, — "Hurt, indeed! — ^to be sure I am, but if I were killed, you monster, you wouldn't be hurt ; but that's what Tm brought here for. I see now, — I see how it is ; other ladies can go out in elegant packets, having every com- fort and convenience that ladies ought to have ; but I, forsooth, I must go out in a dirty, tiiimpery transport, as if I was the wife of the quarter- master. I shall never be able to meet that Mrs. Colonel Mahon : she'll always be talking of the packet and the elegant accommodation she had on board ; — Fm sure she will : and pray, sir, haven't I as much right to a packet as she has ? Wasn't our house called a villa ? Wasn't there a lodge to it, and a carriage drive up to the door, and did I ever visit any- body but carriage people ? And didn't I honor you by becoming your wife when you were only a captain, with nothing but your paltry pay?" " But, my dear love," broke in the major, " consider " "So I do consider; but when do you consider 70 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. me, sir ? If yeu had any consideration for me, I shouldn't now be on board this vile, dirty transport ; but Fll not endure it, sir, — Vl\ not endure it, — Fll '' What the lady intended to do cannot now be surmised ; for at this moment her complaints were interrupted by a prodigious noise on deck, and a loud knocking at the cabin door. The sergeant-major had come to say that the anchor was up, and the last boat on the point of leav- ing the ship. He had also brought with him the embarkation returns for the major's signature. That skilful commander seized this opportunity of beating a retreat, and accompanied the ser- geant to the deck, ostensibly with the object of examining the returns, but in reality to escape from a contest which always ended in his dis- comfiture. Hearing the vessel was under weigh, Manton went immediately on deck. The scene was any thing but cheering. One unbroken expanse of dreary cloud covered the heavens, and the waters instead of reflecting the bright hues of a summer's sky, were of a heavy turgid colour. A drizzling but searching rain still continued to fall, damping the good humour, as well as the THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 7l jackets of the sailors, who churlishly swore at the poor soldiers who happened unintentionally to get in their way while working the vessel. Most of the latter, at least those belonging to the watch on deck, covered with their grey great coats, were cowering beneath the bul- warks, or seeking shelter from the rain under the boats and spars which are stowed between the fore and main-masts. Some of them, how- ever, regardless of the weather, remained ex- posed to the rain, with their eyes fixed earnestly on the land, as the vessel dropped down towards the Needles. They looked wistfully at the neat, comfortable dwellings which studded the shores they were so rapidly leaving, and might never again behold. Were they thinking of their own homes and the friends they had left be- hind, or, homeless and friendless, were they only comparing the comfort and happiness of others with their own forlorn and desolate condition? One or two individuals, whom folly and im- prudence had reduced to want, might be among the former; but the generality of our soldiers, taken from the worst-conditioned of the labour- ing classes, have seldom known comforts superior to those found within the walls of a barrack- room. 72 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. As they were passing the small town of Yar- mouth the vessel was hailed by a boat which had put off from the shore. A rope was thrown to the boatmen, who succeeded, notwithstanding the way the ship was making, in getting along- side, when an officer in uniform came on board. Seeing Captain Manton on the deck, and sup- posing him to be the commanding officer of the detachment, he reported himself to him as Lieutenant Watson, observing, that he had only that morning joined the depot from leave, and hearing a detachment was to sail that day for Gibraltar, he had obtained leave from the commandant at the barracks to join the ves- sel. Manton replied that, though he had never before had the pleasure of seeing Lieutenant Watson, he had frequently heard of him, and was veiy glad of such an acquisition to the mess. At the same time he observ-ed, he was not the commanding officer on board, that honor belonging to Major Nemo, who had just gone below ; upon which the lieutenant, after thanking him for his courtesy, descended to report his anival to that dignitary. Manton, enveloped in his cloak, remained on deck till the vessel w^as considerably past the Needles. He was still absorbed in his reverie. THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 73 wlien the pilot, who was on the point of leaving, asked him if he had any letters for the shore. The question recalled him to his situation. He had retained one letter to add a postcript in pencil at the last moment, which he did upon the capstan. As he gave it, with half-a-crown, into the hands of the rough-coated Palinurus, there was a moisture in his ejes, which did not escape the obsen^ation of the latter. It did not, however, lessen him in the honest seaman's estimation. " Ay, aye," said he, glancing at the address of the letter when seated in his boat, "to a woman, — I thought as much, when I see'd a tear in his eye ; but he has a stout heart, for all that, I warrant him ; and this here half-crown's of the right sort, too.'' He then looked up at the heavens, and observing that nothing would come so far up Channel in such weather without a pilot on board, ordered his crew, consisting of a weather-beaten tar and his o^yn son, to stand in towards Christchurch ; at the same time he commenced singing — " What's it to you if my eyes I'm a piping, A tear, d'ye see, 's a relief in its way," &c. Vol. I. E CHAPTER V. As the wind, wMcli continued fair, fi^esliened to a stiff breeze, tlie vessel soon cleared tlie Channel, and, after skirting the Bay of Biscay, got into smooth water, with fine weather, on the coast of Portugal. Nothing is more wearisome than life at sea to landsmen, especially soldiers, who are usually embarked on board transports wretchedly found, and without any attempt at comfort or convenience. Even on board the best-ordered packets, where, to say nothing of four meals a-day, served in the style of a first- rate hotel, the passengers have the advantage of a library, and every contrivance which can contribute to their comfort and amusement, a voyage to America or to the Mediterranean in a sailing vessel, will prove a sore trial to the patience of most persons. But in transports at sea, or in barracks ashore, it is a rule, never THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 75 departed from in our military system, that no attention is to be paid to the comfort or con- venience of men or officers. Whether it be that the highly-paid functionaries who preside over the transport and barrack departments, are so well convinced, from experience in their own case, that an immoderate degree of ease in- disposes men to the perforaiance of their duties; — or that the primary object of all legitimate and right-thinking governments, that of giving ample salaries to their immediate dependents, is found to be incompatible mth the secondary one of providing for the necessities of those who risk life, health, and limb, in the service of the state, we cannot undertake to decide ; — but certain it is, that the accommodation pro\dded for our troops, whether on land or at sea, is perfectly in accordance with either hypothesis. Neither the fare nor the occupations on board the Lucy were of a nature to make the time pass either pleasantly or rapidly. The former con- sisted chiefly of salt provisions, varied occasionally ^\ith a couple of tough, stringy fowls, the wings and breasts of which were barely suflicient for the delicate Mrs. Nemo, while the legs offered an admirable exercise for the politeness of the Vol. I. E 2 76 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. rest of the company, who handed them to each other without an attempt, or even a wish, to appropriate them to themselves. The latter, independently of breakfast, luncheon, dinner, and supper, were confined to the morning and evening parades, looking out for strange sails, flying fish and grampuses, and guessing how many knots would appear on the log at noon. As to books, the few belonging to the different parties were safely stowed out of reach, with the hea^^ baggage, in the hold. Among persons thus situated, it is not much to be mai"\relled at, that recourse should occa- sionally be had to expedients for passing the time which are not of a remarkably edifying character. A very usual one in such circum- stances is betting, the prevalence of which is, doubtless, omng to its adaptation to the necessities of the case. It combines, indeed, many advan- tages. There is no occasion for sitting for hours together in a confined cabin, poring stupidly over a pack of cards, as at whist, or loo : it is much better carried on while pacing the deck, thus securing the threefold advantage of exercise, amusement, and creating an appetite. For in- stance, the moment a sail is seen in the horizon, THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. W you may bet wlietlior it is a ship, a brig, or a schooner. Another excellent subject is upon what day you will arrive at any given place. In short, if a question or dispute arises upon any matter of fact, betting is an admirable mode of settling the point. The practice has no doubt been condemned by moralists, but with less reason than may at first sight be imagined. At all events, there is more to be alleged in its behalf than many persons suppose. It accustoms people to be exact in their ideas and definitions, and promotes tiiith as much as it discourages false- hood, by rewarding one, and punishing the other. It makes a man think of what he is going to say. He will not be so apt to make an assertion upon every light occasion, if he knows he will be compelled to support it by a bet. Instead therefore of being visited with opprobrium, an established better should be regarded as one of the sternest and ablest supporters of truth ; and, as tiiith is the very foundation of morals, as the severest and most efficacious of moralists. It is quite possible that Major Nemo, who was a most inveterate better, exercised his high functions without being aware of their true moral value. Be that as it may, it is certain 78 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. the most j^rofound conviction of the importance of his vocation could not have made him more rigorous in its exercise. Never did an asser- tion which he had reasons for doubting escape him. No sooner was it uttered than he applied to it the true spear of Ithuriel — a bet. " I doubt it, — it can't be, — I'll bet you five pounds upon it.'' True it is, he often paid dearly for his daring ventures in the cause of tinith ; but the remembrance of this never deterred him. Indeed, it seemed to excite him to iresh attempts, by which he appeared (for something human will still be found in the most virtuous minds), to seek to indemnify himself for the losses he had incurred. A favorite study ^yith. the major was, that most interesting book to a certain class of military men — the Araiy List. It was literally his vade-mecum, his daily and nightly companion. From its authentic pages, he drew the principal part of that wonderful mass of information which struck the more juvenile subalterns with astonish- ment and awe. In the course of nearly thirty years' service, he had come in contact with almost every regiment in the army. He did not, as too many officers do, permit such opportunities to THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 79 pass unprofitably. Every officers history was minutely searclied out in his collection of Army Lists, which extended back to the period at which he had himself entered the service. The dates of his various commissions were ascer- tained, the different regiments in which he had served, and whether his several grades had been acquired by purchase, interest, or seniority. This prodigious collection of facts was carefully laid up in the storehouse of Major Nemo's memory, which was so exercised by daily con- versation on his favorite subject, that they were always forthcoming whenever wanted. That admirable work, the New Army List,* in which the greater part of this useful information is given to the military public, had not then ap- peared. How peculiarly well qualified Major Nemo would have been to assist the editor in his learned labours need not be said. Perhaps, however, he would have hesitated to assist in the compilation of a work so calculated to diminish the value of his hardly-earned acquire- ments. It would have been lending a suicidal hand to the destiiiction of his own reputation. * Edited by Lieut. Hart, 49th Regiment. 80 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. One momingj-wlieii the parade had been dis- missed, and the officers were lounging, as usual, on the poop, the sergeant on duty brought for- ward an Irish recruit who had lost the Sj^hinx off his breast-j)late, an honorary distinction worn by the regiment in commemoration of its services in Egypt. "What!'' said Major Nemo, who was de- lighted with an opportunity of displaying his eloquence and authority at the same time. " What, sir ! lost the Sphinx off your breast- plate ! Do you know what the Sphinx is, sirr " Och ! to be sure, yer honor ; it's a little brass crathur, wi' a face like a woman's, and the body of a greyhound. I'm not like to forget it, — for don't I bmsh the face of it every day to make it bright, yer honor?'' " But do you know why it was given to the regiment, sir ?" " Faith, not I, yer honor." " Then, sir, let me tell you it was given by his Most Gracious Majesty as a badge to mark the distinguished sendees of the regiment in Egypt ; and to lose it, sir, is an insult, not only to the regiment, but to his Majesty himself. THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 81 sir ; and I shall stop your grog till you find it. Do you hear, Sergeant Macalister ? Stop Mur- phy's grog till the Sphinx is found/' " But, plase yer honor," cried poor Murphy, " suppose it is gone overboard, how will I do then r " Do, sir ! you'll do without your grog, sir : that's how you'll do. Take him away, Ma- calister." The reader will remember that after the Lucy was under weigh, Avhile still off the Isle of Wight, she was boarded by a Lieutenant Watson, who came to join the detachment. This gentleman, who was a lieutenant of very old standing, and had served in the Peninsular war, was regarded as one of the best and most efficient officers in the regiment. He was a person of studious habits and very extensive information ; and being of rather a cynical disposition, occasioned perhaps by so many officers having passed over his head from his inability to purchase, he had acquired a very formidable reputation. What made him pecu- liarly dreaded, was his utter freedom from that sort of social cowardice, which makes people apparently approve of sentiments and actions Vol. I. E 3 82 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. which they inwardly condemn. Nothing of this weakness belonged to Watson. He never ^^it- nessed an injustice in words or deeds which he did not immediately reprobate, nor listened to the assumptions of arrogance or ignorance without forth^^dth exposing them. Nor was he to be silenced by those arguments which have sometimes great weight with good talkers. His courage had been too often proved to be questioned. He was, besides, a veiy good shot, and always ready to give proof of his skill to any one who desired it. Fui*thennore, he was an excellent soldier; understood his o^vn duties as well as those of others perfectly, and was thoroughly conversant, not only with the regu- lations of the semce, but with the military code. It ^^dll readily be imagined that, however Manton might rejoice at the acquisition to the mess of such a person as Watson, for whose character he had conceived a great respect, it was considered any thing but a matter of con- gratulation by Major Nemo. That worthy commander felt that he should not only be obliged to forego many little indulgences of tyi'anny in the presence of so redoubted a per- THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 83 sonage, but that he himself might not always be exempted from the shafts of his ridicule and sarcasm. At the time he pronounced the sen- tence upon Mui-phy, he was not aw^are that "Watson was standing immediately behind him. The latter, however, w^ho knew that the men, crowded as they were in the dark between decks, without any place in which to put their things, might very easily lose a little ornament off their accoutrements, without being really to blame, resolved to interfere in the poor fellow's behalf. "Surely, Major,'' said he, when Murphy had retired, "you won't keep the fellow without his grog all the passage ! Suppose, as he says, it is gone overboard amongst the rubbish ?" "Then he ought to have taken more care of it," responded the major. "Yes, if he had any place to keep his traps in ; but consider how the poor fellows are hud- dled in the dark together." "What's that to me?" replied Nemo. "He has no right to lose any thing, especially the Sphinx. Lose the Sphinx, indeed ! Why it is the badge of the regiment !" " But, how should he, a poor recruit, know what it is ?" 84 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. " Know ! Why, sir, eveiy man in the regi- ment ouglit to know/' '' Know wliat a Spliinx is I" repeated Watson. " Why, I question if every officer knows it. Come, Major, do you know yourself?" " Really, Mr. Watson,'' replied the offended Nemo, "I don't understand you; — and let me tell you, it is veiy extraordinary to ask such a question. Know ! of course, I know." "Well, but Major, that's just what I doubt." " Upon my word, Mr. Watson, you appear to forget my rank. Let me tell you, sir, " "Oh! no offence. Major, no offence : you know so many things, you may very well afford not to know what a Sphinx is." "But, I tell you distinctly, sir, I do." " Then of course you'll have no objection to back your assertion T\dth a bet." " A bet, sir ?" repeated Nemo, tiying to look extremely dignified. "A bet!" " Yes, Major, a bet ; no unusual thing with you, you know. Come, to bring the matter to a point, as you say, I'll bet you five pounds you don't know." "Not know, sir!" "Aye," replied the persevering lieutenant, "I'll THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 85 bet YOU fiYe pounds you don't know wliat a Sphinx is/' The major would have backed out if he could; but Watson was too positive a person to escape from : there was, besides, no chance of brow-beating him. As a last attempt, how- ever, he tried to laugh it off. "Well now,'' said he, "this is really too trifling." "Trifling, Major!" repeated Watson, "not at all, not a whit more so than your betting five pounds with Manton, that old Gully, the quar- ter-master, died the last day in June instead of the first day in July; or than your win- ning the same sum from poor Dennis, because Shrove Tuesday never fell upon a Wednesday." "Oh! that's another thing altogether, — quite different ; besides, I don't think the badge of the regiment is a proper subject for a bet." " Come, that's a veiy good fence, Major ; I doubt if (Edipus himself could have made a better." " Sir, I don't understand this. I know nothing about (Edipus." " Then, of course," rejoined the malicious lieutenant, " you know nothing about the Sphinx," 86 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. " Sir, I didn't" say that ; I said I knew what the Sphinx was ; and let me tell you, sir, I have been more than twenty years in the re- giment, and I think I ought to know." " I am not disputing that. Major," observed Watson with a smile. " I only offer to bet that you dont know." "Don't know, what!" said the doctor, who, having just emerged from the lower deck, where he had been attending the sick, now joined the party. " The Sphinx," replied Watson ; " I offered to bet the major he didn't know what the Sphinx was." "To be sure not," said the doctor ; " how the divil should he, when she was never in the army at all, at all. I hardly know myself: a mighty queer creature she was, that's certain : but och ! if you had only ould Colonel Marvel aboard, fait', he'd tell you all about her." "You recollect the Colonel, then, Doctor," said Watson. " To be sure I do :" replied the medico. " I was hospital mate at Alexandria when he was captain of grenadiers : that was just five years before I joined the regiment myself. Faith ! I remember it well ; for there was a mighty THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 87 great laugli against liim at tliat same period." "Ah! about what, Doctor?" "Whj, you see ould Maiwel, — we called him ould then, though he couldn't be above thirty; but he'd a face as long as a horse, and tould such uncommon queer stories, looking all the time as grave as a judge, while every one else was dying with laughter, that you couldn't be- lieve he ever had been young, — well ! ould MaiTol was very fond of hearing himself talk, and could never forbear breaking in if any one else was speaking. One day he was dining mth a large party at General Hutchinson's, who had succeeded Sir Ralph Abercrombie in command of the anny. At that time we were all mightily afraid of the plague, and there were long discussions whether it was contagious or not. A gentlemen at table who was a conta- gionist had just mentioned a case in support of his opinions. It was not for poor Marvel to hear this in quiet. He set up directly as a non- contagionist, and declared he had that very momins: shaken hands with a man who had symptoms of plague, and was then on his way to the hospital. You may guess we all stared, but ould Marvel stuck to it. The general. 88 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. who appeared to "take no notice of what he said, whispered something to an attendant, who left the room. The discussion went on, and ould Manuel's voice, as usual, was heard above all the rest ; but he was soon stopped, however, by an unexpected antagonist. The door opened, and a staff-sergeant, walking up to him, said he had an order from the commander in chief to convey him instantly to the quarantine ground. Ould Marvel cast a glance up the table ; but the general looked so grave he saw there was no mistake ; and so he was obliged to accompany the sergeant." "Then he really had touched the man?" said Watson. " Devil a bit," returned the doctor; "he had a greater dread of the plague than any man in the camp : every one knew that. However, he was kept in quarantine three weeks, and all the officers made it a point to visit the barrier every morning to laugh at him. Very sore he was about it afterwards." "Poor old Marvel," said Watson, "he must have been an old soldier when he left us. I recollect, on my joining, he told me he had then been thirty-three years in the regiment." THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 89 " Ocli ! old soldier, enougli," cried the doctor — "that's certain, but not so old as that. Let's see : he got his majority four years afterwards, in 1805.'* "Begging your pardon, Doctor, you make a slight mistake there," said the major, who for some time had held rather aloof from the party. " By the powers, then, begging yours. Major," replied the doctor, "there's no mistake at all." " You'll excuse me. Doctor Davey," resumed Nemo, who scented a bet, " but Colonel Marvel did not get his majority till 1806." "And you'll excuse me. Major Nemo; but I say he got it in 1805. I know you are mighty cor- rect in these matters in general. Major, but you're out now any how." "I'll bet you five pounds upon it, Doctor," said Major Nemo, warming. " Fait' ! then, I mil, though I am not much of a better." " Very well," said the major. " Now let us be clear, so as to have no mistake. I bet you five pounds. Doctor, that Colonel Marvel did not get his majority before 1806; you bet me five pounds that he did." " Yes, fait', that's just it." 90 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. "You sliould say done" said the major. " Well ! done'' quotli the medico. ^' Done'' added the major. When the points had been settled, the major drew forth a red Morocco pocket-book, and entered the bet with all due formality. " You may book it. Major," cried the doctor, nothing daunted by this solemnity ; " but, by J s, you'll find you have been booking yourself I'm like to know pretty correctly, for wasn't it myself who attended ould Major Rumbledown in his last illness ; and didn't Captain Marvel succeed to his vacancy ?" " No, he did not," said the major, peremptorily " Not succeed to ould Rumbledown ! Fait', Major, I'm thinking you have lost your recollec- tion quite entirely, this morning." " No fear of that, Doctor ; but Captain MaiTel was not Major Rumbledo^vn's immediate suc- cessor." " By the powers, then, begging your pardon, he was." "What!" exclaimed Nemo, "his immediate successor V " His immediate successor," responded the medico, stoutly. THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 91 " As you arc so positive, Doctor, perliaps you'll venture a small bet upon tliat point also ?" " To be sure I will ; tliougb, fait', Major, I hardly like to take advantage of you." '' Oh ! as to that. Doctor, you are perfectly welcome to any advantage you can take. But, to come to the point ; I bet you five pounds that Captain Marvel was not Major Rumbledown's immediate successor in the majority." " And I bet you five pounds that he was." "Done," cried the major. "Done/' quoth the doctor. Forth came the red pocket-book again, and the bet was duly entered under its predecessor. '' Glad to see you so regular, Major. I only hope you'll be as ready to stump do^vn when the time comes. Fait', you'll find yourself on the wrong page this time, for I recollect now we all said how lucky Marvel was to get the majority for nothing, by ould Rumbledown's slip- ping off so suddenly." " Eh !" said the major, anticipating another bet, — "got the majority for nothing! What do you mean by that ?" " Mane ! What should I mane," replied the 92 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. Hibernian, " but tbat Marvel got tbe majority "v^dthout j)urdiase ?" " There you are mistaken again, I fancy, Doctor." "Devil a bap'ortli, Major; I am as sure of it as I am of my breakfast, whicb I ate two hours ago. Perhaps you will have no objection to a bet on that point too, eh! Major?" " None upon earth ; but let us be quite clear : no mistake, you know. You say Marvel got the majority without purchase. I say he did not. What's your bet?'' " Oh ! better be all regular : same as the others, — five pounds.'' " Bone,'' said the major. And ^^ Done," again echoed the doctor. Again the red pocket-book made its ap- j)earance, and while the major was making the entry, the doctor, urged by his e^il genius, continued to banter his opponent. " I hope you put down the date. Major." "To be sure I do; but why?" " Because I'm thinking when the time comes, if your memoiy serves you no better than it has done this morning, you'll be for forgetting it all entirely." THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 93 " Never fear for my memoiy, Doctor ; I only hope you'll be quite satisfied with your own, that's all." " Why, Major, you are not such a monopolizer, as to think nobody can be right but yourself!" " Oh ! I ! not at all ! You ma^ be right, you know, and I mai/ be wrong." " To be sure you may," rejoined the doctor ; "and to show you my opinion. Major, Til just double the bets if you please." '-' Eh ! Wliat ! Double all three ?" "Fait', ^vill I, all three." " Do?ie," cried the major ; and, '^ Do?ie, done," repeated the doctor. Once more the red-book came forth ; and this time the entry was made by the major, with a smile of satisfaction which infused some degree of alarm into the breast of the worthy Hibernian himself. " Well, Davey," said Watson, " you have done I hope for this morning." " Yes, troth, and pretty well too, I think. But I am not an exclusive ; so if you like. Til give you a chance ; TU let you in for half the bets." " Much obliged to you ; but I would rather remain out." 94? THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. " Eh ! WhatJ It can't be ! Sure you don't think I am in the wrong box, — you don t think the major s right V "Just as right to take your bets as he was to refuse mine/' " Troth, man, if you thought so, why didn't you give me a hint ?" " A hint ! What's the use of a hint to a man who is backing his opinion with his money ? Tush ! man, if you want experience you must buy it; it's worth nothing othen^dse, and that you'll find. But, stop a minute, I'll soon see what your chance is ; a small one, I fear. I saw by the working of old Nemo's features that he was sure of his game : besides, man, in such matters you might as well bet against the Army List itself." Leaving the doctor, Watson addressed himself to the major, with a view of ascertaining how far his fears for the former were well grounded. " I suspect. Major," said Watson, addressing his chief, " you'll prove right in this matter, and that poor Davey has tmsted rather too much to his memory." " I suspect so, too, Mr. Watson ; especially as I can, in some degree, account for his mistake. THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 95 supposing it to be such. The facts, as I believe, are, that Major Eumbledown died, as the doctor rightly remembers, the third of December, 1805, and every body thought Captain Manuel, being the senior captain, would succeed to the death vacancy ; and, of course, if he did so, it would be without purchase. But the fact is, — that is if I am right, — I maybe wrong, you know, — like any one else, — but, if I am right, — Captain Manuel did not succeed immediately to the ma- jority ; but it was given to an officer in another regiment. Captain Pophimin, on the understand- ing that he should immediately sell, which he did in the course of the next month, January, 1806, to Captain Marvel. From all this, it follows, that Captain Manuel did not get his majority in 1805, that he did not immediately succeed to Major Rumbledown ; and lastly, that he did not get the majority without purchase: — that is, supposing that I am right. I may be \n'ong, like any other man, you know ; but I rather suspect I am right." " So do I,'' said Watson diily, and went to communicate the result to the unfortunate doctor. CHAPTER VI. " Major, you have been at tlie Rock/' said Watson, addressing himself to the accurate Nemo, when the party were the next day pro- menading the quarter-deck. " What do you think of it as a quarter?'" " Oh ! admirable ! capital I" replied Nemo. "All the field-officers have separate houses, and very good allowances ; and as there are four regiments in garrison, I shall get the advantage of my brevet rank." " Humph I" said the lieutenant, " is that all ?" "Oh! by no means; very good society, — card parties eveiy night at the general's, and capital suppers, — field-officers always asked.'' "And for the subalterns. Major, I suppose there is plenty of hard duty, and as much society as they can find — amongst themselves." " I suppose so ; that is, I dare say it may be so." THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 97 "■ No doubt of it, Major : you may bet upon it safely. But wlio do you think is in command of the regiment ? Colonel Belson, I lieard at the depot, had received leave of absence.'' "Eh! who's in command?" exclaimed Nemo. "Really that's hard to say, — why, Trotter, as senior major, should be; — and yet there are always so many chances from changes and ac- cidents, that he may not be." " Oh ! Major," said Ensign Dennis, " you may be quite easy on that head : deuce a bit would Major Trotter be out of the way if there was a chance of command." "Very likely, as you say, Mr. Dennis: yet I almost doubt if he is there : — so fond of tra- velling about, you know : the communication too with Spain has been lately re-opened." "Come, Major," said the ensign, "I'll bet two to one we find him snug enough in com- mand." " Eh ! what ! two to one ! why that really is a temptation: pounds or guineas?" " Guineas, of course," said the ensign. " Two to one ! — that is ten to five, eh ! Dennis?" " Well, well, as you like. Major, — ten to five." Vol. I. r 98 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. " Wliat ! you_ bet me ten guineas to five we find Major Trotter in command of the re- giment on our arrival?" "Just so, Major." ^^ Done,'* said the major; and ^' Done'* said the ensign. " Well, Major, I think I shall have done you there," said Dennis. " Very likely, very likely, Dennis ; that is, as it may be ; you have your chance, and I have mine, you know," responded the major, with an air of the most perfect resignation to the issue of the event, inspired by a certain piece of information he had obtained at the agent's before leaving England, namely, that Major Trotter had already obtained leave of absence, and that Colonel Belson's leave had been deferred until another field-officer should join at head quarters. " Did you hear that Trotter is going to sell out?" said the major. "There is a chance for you, Manton." "For me! how?" "Why, you are next for purchase.'' " I wish I were : you forget Charlton." " Oh ! as to Charlton, observed Nemo, "no fear THE POWER OF ATTOENEY. 99 of him, I fancy ; but, Watson, you can tell that : no one so intimate with him as you are." "I am afraid it is already too well known," said Watson, " that Captain Manton has nothing to apprehend from the prior claim of my friend Charlton." " Well, Watson," said Manton, "I see I have not your good washes in the matter." "You speak tinily," replied Watson, "nothing would give me a more sensible mortification than to see a young officer of your standing- walk over the head of the best and bravest officer in the regiment, who had already ren- dered good service to his countiy before you had ceased or even begun to be a school-boy : but such is the result of the infamous system of purchase which degrades and demoralizes the army." " Degrades the army !" said Ensign Dennis. "By the powders, I should like to know how that can be, when it is the only thing that brings all the men of rank into it." "Very true," said the major, " I declare, — what would become of the resj)ectability of the army without the system of purchase ?" " The army is much obliged to you, Major," Vol. I. F 2 100 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. said Watson. " In your opinion, then, its respect- ability dej^ends not upon tlie worth, courage, and talents of its officers, but upon the contents of their pockets !" " Oh ! it is all very fine talking about worth, and talents, and so forth," rejoined Nemo ; " but I say, let our officers be gentlemen." " And so say I, Major," returned Watson ; " but the question is, what constitutes a gentle- man? Is it the possession simply of so much money, or of education and conduct ?" " But you mil allow, Watson," intei-posed Manton, " that the possession of wealth is the best general assurance for the possession of the other qualities you mention." " If you speak with reference to the two large distinct classes of rich and poor, I grant it is. But if you speak of the comparatively rich and l^oor among the gentry, I deny your position altogether. For my part, I must say, I have seen more instances of gross ignorance and dis- honorable conduct amongst men of wealth, than amongst those of more limited means. As to the ignorance, it is easily accounted for ; — men who are born to great wealth, are not so likely to go through the drudgery of learning, as those THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 101 who have their o^^^l fortunes to make. If you inquire at Cambridge, or Oxford, you mil find that very few gold-laced fellow-commoners ever become wi-anglers, or double first-class men. Look at the successful competitors in medicine, the law, or any pursuit demanding scientific acquirement, and see if those who are most eminent in them were ever distinguished for their wealth. But, not to go beyond our own profession, look at the artillery and engineers : the ofiicers of those corps are allowedly the most cultivated in the service. Are they generally men of wealth? — the fact is notoriously the re- verse." " So much the worse for them,'' said the major. " For my part, I can't say that I see any good in all this education. Wliat use on earth is a know- ledge of mathematics and fortification to an ensign ? It only makes him think he knows more than his superiors. I'd rather see a young man make himself agreeable in society, able to take a hand at whist, and play a gentlemanly game at billiards." " Aye, Major," said Ensign Dennis, " or throw a chance at hazard, take up a bet, throw off his glass, and ride well after the hounds ; that's my notion of a gentleman." 102 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. " YouVe a pretty good stock of such gentlemen in County Cork, Dennis/' said Watson. " To be sure we have/' replied the ensign ; " and, by the powers ! I should like to know who it is "will gainsay them !" " Not I, for one," said Watson. " At any rate, not just now, for I see land* in sight ; and, gentle or simple, I prefer my dinner, any day, to an argument." * A nautical phrase, denoting that dinner is serving. CHAPTER VII. Though Manton was superior in rank to Watson, having purchased a company over his liead, he was his junior in years, and had entered the service long after him. Possessing but mo- derate abilities himself, he had, nevertheless, discernment enough to see that Watson was a man of very superior talents and attainments. It is true there was about him a hrusquerie, amounting, at times, almost to i-udeness ; but Manton had several opportunities of seeing that it was accom- panied by a high tone of moral feeling, a generous regard for the rights of others, especially the oppressed, a scrupulous love of truth, and an honest independence, which made him incapable of concealing his sentiments, or suiting them to the caprices of authority or prejudice. These qualities, united to general and accurate informa- tion, commanded, at once, his regard and esteem. 104 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. It was a day or two after the conversation contained in the last chapter, that Manton endeavoured to renew the subject of it with Watson. They had entered the Straits of Gibraltar, and were coasting, with a light wind, \vithin about three miles of the Spanish shore. The weather was deliciously calm and beautiful. A slight breeze scarcely ruffled the glistening waters, which, rolling idly towards the land, broke so gently on the beach as scarce to mark it with a silvery fringe. A range of gently swelling hills extended along the shore, and in their recesses might be discerned the white buildings glistening in the sun, and rendered more conspicuous by the dark and luxuriant foliage of the woods and groves. Occasionally the line of beach was interrupted by small fishing ■villages, distinguished by the masts of the little craft belonging to them, and a few scattered white-washed cottages. It was one of those scenes which fill the mind with pleasurable sensations, vague and indistinct. The heat of the unclouded sun, tempered by the delicious breeze, the almost imperceptible motion of the vessel, as she glided through the calm waters, and the gentle murmur of the tiny wave, as it THE POWER OF ATTORITEY. 105 broke along the sliore, all combined with the beauty of the surrounding sceneiy to produce that delicious frame of mind, when the mind, unconscious of the cares and ills of life, finds a pleasure in mere existence, and surrenders itself up to the enchantment of the moment. Watson was sitting by himself on the taf- rail, gazing on the scene, and ajDparently in- dulo'ino- in the reveries it was so calculated to inspire, when he was joined by Manton. " I have been thinking," said the latter, "of our argument respecting the purchase system, which you broke off so abruptly the other day, and afterwards seemed so shy of resuming. What was the secret of your repugnance ? Come, confess now, — a consciousness of the weakness of your cause." " Pshaw ! man ; " replied Watson, " say rather, begging your pardon, the weakness of my op- ponents' noddles. What is the use of talking to such dolts as Nemo and Dennis ? I am half ashamed to think I ever addressed an ar- gument to them.'' "Then you really do consider the system of purchase injurious to the service?" "Unquestionably; can you doubt it?" Vol. I. r 3 106 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. " Really and intrinsically, apart from all per- sonal feeling arising from any injuiy you may have sustained from its operation?'' " You do right to put the question so/' observ^ed Watson ; " it is hardly to be expected that a man should judge impartially of the real value of a regulation which has operated to his own disadvantage. However, my arguments are open to examination ; and if based upon narrow and personal, instead of general and public grounds, that circumstance may be pointed out." " Certainly ; and I shall endeavour to do so : you'll not be offended at my freedom ?" " Not at all ; but as you impugn my motives, recollect your own are not unassailable. A man who benefits personally by any regulation, is at least as likely to overlook its defects, as those who lose by it are to exaggerate them." " Tine enough. Well, you shall state what you conceive to be the evils of the system, and I will endeavour to answer them." "First of all, then," said Watson,* "this * As many of our readers may not be acquainted with the system of promotion established in the British army, the following concise account of it may not be unacceptable : — The professed principle is that of rotation by regimental THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 107 system of purchase divides the officers of the army into two classes — those who can purchase, and those who cannot/' seniority ; but since the time of Charles II, a practice has prevailed of allowing officers to dispose of their commissions by sale, subject to certain regulations. This practice has so much increased of late years, that a vacancy by death or re- tirement rarely happens ; because an officer who wishes to quit the service, or who perceives his end approaching, gene- rally sells his commission, in order to secure the produce of it to his family. The substance of the regulations under which the sale is allowed, is as follows : — If an officer wishes to sell, the senior officer of the next grade has the first right to purchase ; if he cannot, the next officer in succession by seniority has the right ; if he cannot, the next has ; and so on down to the junior. Take an instance : a major wishes to sell — the senior captain is entitled to purchase the majority ; if he cannot, the next captain, and so on : the senior lieutenant is in like manner entitled to purchase the company, (i.e. captaincy) vacated by the purchasing cap- tain ; if he cannot, the next lieutenant, and so on. The senior ensign is in like manner entitled to purchase the lieutenanicy vacated by the purchasing lieutenant ; if he cannot, the next ensign, and so on. The ensigncy vacated by the purchasing ensign, is purchased by a private gentle- man, selected by the commander in chief from the list kept by him of gentlemen who are candidates for commissions in the army. Thus, it will be seen, that no officer can pass over the head of his senior, by purchase, unless that senior is unable to purchase. As regards the wealthy, therefore, the s3-stem is fair : its injustice operates only on the poorer 108 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. " That may bej'' rejoined Manton ; " but the distinction is not apparent : no one can tell to which class an officer belongs/' " Strangers, indeed, cannot ; but it is soon known in a regiment ; at all events, it is suffi- cient that it is known by the individual himself, to produce very serious evils to the service/' " What are they, pray ? For I confess that, after six years' exj)erience in the service, I am yet ignorant of them/' " That is very possible. People may pass their days in the midst of abuses, without perceiving them to be such, especially if they find their advantage in them. Do you suppose that lawyers are particularly affected by the expenses, the delays, and anxieties which hand over their clients to years of protracted torture ? — about as much as the sentimental angler is by the "writhings of the worm upon the hook. But to the point. The first and grand evil which ap- officers. The prices of the various commissions are regu- lated by authority. If an officer is willing to pay the regulated price, a junior, who is willing to give more, cannot pass over his head ; but, in that case, the senior may wave his claim to the junior, which is sometimes done for a consideration. THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 109 pears to have escaped your obseiTation, is the discouragement it gives to all scientific acquire- ment on the part of the officers/' " Upon what ground do you charge the custom of purchase -with such a consequence V inquired Manton. "A moment's consideration will show you that it flows from it, almost necessarily. An officer who can purchase knows very well that the want of such acquirement will not retard his rise ; while he who cannot is equally aware that the possession of it will not advance his. The foiTQer knows that his guineas, and not his qualifications, will be counted ; and the lat- ter' is conscious that his qualifications, whatever they may be, are of no use to him without the guineas. The consequence is, that all pro- fessional acquirement, beyond the mere drill of a battalion, is generally neglected by both. You know most of our officers intimately, — ex- cellent fellows, generally speaking, they are, — full of honour, true as steel, brave, generous, noble-hearted, ever ready to serve a friend or face an enemy : but what are their pursuits ? Is there one among them who ever devotes ten minutes in a month to the study of his profes- 110 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. sion ? You know very well there is not. Well, what is the reason of this? Any want of zeal or ability on their part ? Not at all : in other professions, where industiy, perseverance, and knowledge are required, they would have been active and fonnidable competitors for pre-emi- nency. What, then, is the reason of their neg- lecting to fit themselves for the higher depart- ments of their profession ? E^adently the simple one that they have no motive for doing so ; and, depend upon it, men will never seriously labour without one.'' "Well, so far, I think you may be right," replied Manton. " I do not deny that profes- sional acquirement of the nature you speak of is certainly in veiy little estimation amongst us : it midit be better if it were othenvise ; but after all, I confess I do not see the great value which you appear to ascribe to it. We contrive to do very well Avithout it. Are not our regiments in admirable order?" " This from you, Manton ! I had hoped bet- ter things, I confess. From men like Nemo and Dennis, I might have looked for such an answer ; but, with the rank you hold, at your years, and the prospect before you, one has a THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. Ill right to expect something better. Our regi- ments in admirable order ! No doubt they are : the men are, in general, well drilled, their discipline is good, and their general efficiency unexceptionable ; most important points, doubt- less, but the credit of which belongs in no small degree to the non-commissioned officers ; for, after all, it is the sergeant who drills the men, and, by his constant presence amongst them, preserves discipline and subordination. But, not to detract from the credit due to the officers on this point, is it all we have to ex- pect from them? Have you ever seriously con- sidered the nature of your profession? Are you aware of the kind of duties required from officers in the departments of the adjutant and quarter-master generals, and in fact, of all staff- officers? I beg your pardon for asking such questions. You know, as well as I do, that those duties cannot be efficiently performed without considerable knowledge, both of a scientific and general character, and the habit of employing that knowledge with promptitude and accuracy. Suppose the best drilled and best appointed army in the universe to take the field, officered by men who know no more of their profession, than what belongs to the drill-sergeant or the 112 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. adjutant, wliat would become of such an army? Without men of science amongst them, how could they execute a combined movement, or even a simple advance, without exposing them- selves to utter destmction ? Without officers speaking the language, and conversant mth the habits and resources of the country, how are they to obtain supplies and information? How are they to take up positions, to foiTa encamp- ments, to erect works, or in fact, to accomplish any one of the necessary operations of war? A dexterous and enterprising enemy would, in a few weeks, destroy such an army, "svithout en- countering the risk of a single combat. Ha- rassed by daily surprises, terrified by movements which it did not comprehend, expending its strength in useless marches, deceived upon every occasion, unable to procure proper information, and deprived of necessary supplies, its ranks would be daily weakened by sickness, privation, and desertion, until compelled at last to sur- render at discretion. Really I am ashamed to bring foi*ward arguments so obvious.'' "Yet you will allow that, in spite of our alleged deficiencies, we did pretty well during the Peninsular war."" " True, we did so, e'centually ; thanks to the THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 113 noble and talented chief wlio led us ; but bad he belonsfed to the inert and unscientific class you are advocating, in what case should we have been then? But, brilliant as were both the course and issue of that contest, you are grievously in error if you suppose that it w^as unaccompanied, especially in the commencement, by serious checks and difficulties, resulting from these very deficiencies which you appear to treat so lightly. Besides, the composition of the army was not then what it is now. The practice of purchase had not reached the alarming height it has since attained. The majority of the officers regarded the army as their permanent profession ; and did not enter the service, as men do now, merely to beguile a few years before settling down into matrimony. They were, in consequence, soldiers ; and when expe- rience showed them their defects, they set seriously to work to amend them. But, with all their efforts, they could never make up for the difference of skill between them and their more scientific adversaries. If you want evidence of this, you will find it in the frightful losses we sustained at Badajos, at St. Sebastian, and before the numerous field-works which our inde- 114 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. fatigable enemies threw up with so much celerity and judgment on every occasion/' " Well, but even granting that all you say did actually happen, you mil allow that the recurrence of the evil is sufficiently guarded against by the establishment of the Military College at Sandhurst, which has of late years sent a considerable number of officers scientifically educated into the service. If I mistake not, Watson, you were yourself at the college.'' "I was, and I am glad you have mentioned it. The manner in which the objects of that well-conceived institution are frustrated by the purchase-system, affords the strongest illustra- tion of its pernicious effects." "Why, surely, you have nothing to object to the college. I think I have heard you say your- self that the system of education in force there was excellent, and admirably adapted to the purpose intended." " It is so ; that is, for those who are willing to avail themselves of it ; but mark how completely the purpose is defeated, as regards the generality, by the unreasonable system you advocate. To entitle a cadet to a commission without purchase, he must go through the academic course pre- THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 115 scribed, and at the conclusion, pass a very- rigorous and searching examination in every branch of his studies. There is no doubt that the youth who does so may be expected to prove an efficient officer. So far so good. But though this be requisite to obtain a commission tcithont purchase, yet every cadet is allowed to hold a commission by purchase, although he may have made no progress whatever in his studies. The consequence is just what might be expected. All who can afford the sum necessary to purchase a commission naturally embrace this mode of avoiding the labour of scientific acquirement ; and, with the trifling exception of knowing something of the duties of the parade, enter the service as ignorant and inefficient as if they had been educated at Eton, or Westminster. The system, too, tends to foster in the minds of the students a base respect for wealth, and to stifle all emulous and noble feeling. The purchaser of a commission is regarded as more respectable than he who owes it to industry and talent. Is it possible to imagine a more baneful perversion of youthful feeling ? And can we wonder that the students of Sandhurst should be tainted with the false notions and 116 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. vicious sentiments prevalent in our public semi- naries? Owing to the facilities tlius afforded to the cadets of entering the service hy pitrchase, those who go through the really arduous course prescribed by the college form but a very inconsiderable minority. But even this advan- tage, small as it is, is much less than it seems. The few cadets who obtain commissions as the reward of their exertions belong, almost without exception, to the class who have not where- withal to purchase them. But if a man cannot purchase an ensigncy, it is e\ddent he will not be able to purchase the other steps which will cost ten times as much ; and, thus it follows that the only persons upon whom the college puts its seal as worthy of promotion are precisely those who, under the present system of pur- chase, can never, by any possibility, obtain it. I suppose, after this, you mil not lay any great stress upon the services derived by the army from that institution, the principle of which, I assure you I value as much as you can do. In short, there is no part of our military state upon which the system of purchase does not act with mischievous effect.'' '' Well, I suppose I must allow that the system THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 117 is not, perhaps, the best for producing skilful officers, and that it is even pernicious in a military point of view. But, on the other hand, you must grant that it is more consonant to the spirit of our institutions than a system based upon the claims of merit and service would be. You know Paley affirms, that to prevent a standing army from proving destructive to public liberty, it is desirable that the officers should be taken from the rich and powei^l families of the country ; and you will allow that nothing encourages them to enter our ranks so much as the system of purchase.'' " I perceive that, like many others,'' returned Watson, " you are misled by a specious fallacy, recommended by a powerful name. In times when not only the general wealth and intelli- gence of the population, but its numbers also, were very much below what they now are, and there existed no other counterpoise to the power of the cro^vn than the aristocracy, there may have been some force in the argument you adduce ; but, as applied to the existing state of things, it is not only worthless, but ridiculous. Strange indeed, would it be, if the vigorous, enterprising, en- lightened middle class of this country should 118 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. look up for protection to the pampered crew of titled idlers, wlio do not possses the thousandth part of their own energy and power. No, if any ministry should be so insane as to dream of employing the army as an instrument to subvert the liberties of this countiy, the people must, and would, look to themselves, and not to the aristocracy for protection. But the idea of such a project is in itself ridiculous. The utmost disposable, regular force in the three kingdoms never exceeds fifty thousand men ; and even if every man of them could be brought over, what could such inconsiderable numbers effect against a population of four and twenty millions ? Besides, the argument sup- poses that if the members of the aristocracy were not lured into the service by holding out to them undue advantages, the army must necessarily be ofiicered by a set of needy adventurers. This I deny. The commissions would be held, as in many regiments of the line they now are, by the members of that intelligent middle class which, in England, furnishes us with resolute and persevering com- petitors in all the active departments of life. To say such men are unconnected with the THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 119 property of the nation, because tliey may not possess a large portion of it themselves, is absurd. The property held by their families, though not so imposing in appearance, dees not, perhaps, fall short in value of the huge isolated domains of the aristocracy. It is evident that none could be more interested in maintaining inviolable the rights of property than they are ; and as to public liberty, I should be glad to know why it should be more in danger from such men, — men cradled in freedom, and whose love for it is a passion, — than from the heirs and hangers-on of nobility, w^ho ever evince a sort of instinctive enmity to its spirit and progress. Come, mend your instance, man. I scarce think you would apprehend any serious danger to liberty from the desertion of our aristocratic friends, who do us the honor of usurping the rewards earned by our services." "To say the truth, I agree Avith you that the danger is chimerical enough. But do you not think that, considering how long the cus- tom of purchase has existed, and how con- sonant it is to our aristocratic usages, it may fairly be regarded as adopted by the consti- tution ? In fact, I have lately seen it des- 120 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. cribedj by a very intelligent writer, as 'part and parcel of the constitution/ " " To be sure, all abuses are so. The moment that the absurdity or injustice of any custom by which aristocracy can benefit, is shown to be so flagrant that it cannot be defended, without an insult to reason, on its own grounds, it is in- stantly adopted into the constitution. How could the representation of Old Sarum and Gatton, two of the least important, and the non-representa- tion of Manchester and Birmingham, two of the most important places in the empire, have been so long maintained in defiance of every principle of right, and in the teeth of the intelligence of the age, except on the plea that such anomalies were part and parcel of the constitution ? The custom of purchase has indeed strong pretensions to be so regarded, for it originated in the time of Charles the second, and was adopted as a means of supplying the extravagance of himself and his profligate companions ; so that if a claim thus supported by time, and the very grossest corruption, is not to be admitted, it is very hard to say what can be maintained. I allow at once, then, that the system of purchase is not only conformable to our aristocratic usages, THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 121 but tliat it is actually 'part and parcel of tlie constitution,' as the constitution is understood by sucli advocates. However, we liave seen tbe disabilities of Roman catholics and dissenters, which also once formed part and parcel of the constitution, removed; so that we need not positively despair of the removal of the evil on account of the formidable difficulty you have suggested." "Well, however light you may make of that difficulty, I fancy you will not so easily dispose of the one I am going to mention. It is gene- rally allow^ed, that the capital invested in the purchase of commissions, and which has been so invested on the understanding that the hold- ers possess the right of sale, amounts to up- wards of three millions. I suppose that even you would not advocate the abolition of the system without indemnifying those who have purchased ; and, if so, I should like to know if you think the House of Commons would ever grant the funds necessary for that 23urpose?" "Whenever a difficulty is capable of being- summed up in pounds sterling, I grant it gene- rally makes a very formidable appearance ; but the one you have mentioned is not insur- VoL. I. G 122 THE POWER or ATTORNEY. mountable. Permission to sell might be extended for a year longer, witli the distinct understanding that it would cease at the expiration of that 23eriod, and that the new purchasers would, in consequence, acquire no right of sale. There are so many officers anxious to obtain rank upon any terms, — double the regulated price of a commission being, as you know, very often offered to induce officers to sell, — that there would be no difficulty in finding purchasers. Indeed, the limitation of the time would, in my opinion, increase the eagerness of the buyers, as it would be the last opportunity that they could look for of getting over the heads of their seniors : so that, you see, the difficulty is, after all, not so great as you imagined. Besides, I only undertook to prove that the system is in itself pernicious and absurd, repugnant to the militaiy state, and fraught wdth evils to the service and the countiy, which, I trust, I have established to your conviction." " I feel I am too poor an advocate," said Manton, '' to maintain any cause against you ; but certainly you have made the system of pur- chase appear equally mischievous and impolitic. But among the arguments you have brought THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 123 against it, I am rather astonislied you should liave said nothing of its injustice. To tell you the truth, considering how much you have suffered by the number of junior officers who have purchased over your head, and who had not a tenth part of your claims to promotion, I confess I expected the injustice of the thing would have formed a prominent part in your arguments.'' " In other words, you cannot understand how a man's regard for the public weal should not be absorbed by private views, whenever they have relation to the same objects ! Pardon me for saying that is in perfect keeping with the advocacy of the purchase system, based as it is upon selfishness and injustice. But you forget what Paley once said of the poorer members of the two services, ' that they are the only classes which ever gave any proofs of a genuine patriot- ism.' However, without pretending to greater purity on these matters than others, I may say I should not feel justified in basing my arguments upon any other than public grounds ; and that if I really believed the system to be beneficial to the interests of the country, no feeling of per- sonal wrong or injustice would ever induce me to utter a word against it." Vol. I. G 2 124 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. " I believe you, Watson, A^itli all my heart ; and if anything were wanting to prove the folly of the system you have exposed, it would be found in the fact, that I, who have not been in the service a third part of the time that you have, and do not possess a tythe of your experience and knowledge upon all matters connected with it, am, nevertheless, your supe- rior in rank, for no other reason than that I could count more guineas than you/' '' Say, rather," replied Watson, " that I had none to count; — but come, we have whiled away the time till we have reached Camero Point, and are just entering the Bay of Gibraltar. You have never seen the Rock; — come forward and catch the first glimpse as we open the Bay. It is a noble sight.'' It was indeed so. As the vessel entered the Bay, the last rays of the setting sun fell upon the bastioned rock, which, bristling ^vith cannon, and stretching far into the calm waters, lay like a lion (to which its form bears some resemblance) restino; in the consciousness of its streno^th. On the opposite side of the Strait, not more than fifteen miles across, rose the huge Abyla, elevat- ing his head to the very clouds ; and between these gigantic heights, known to the ancients THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 125 as the Pillars of Hercules, nislied tlie waters of the Atlantic, with a mighty current, into the bosom of the Mediterranean. Across the Bay, facing the western front of the fortress, were seen the white buildings of Algueziras, backed by a range of beautifully-formed hills, which gradually lessened as they receded from the shore. A few men of war lay at anchor in the harbour, while the number of mercantile vessels from the various ports of the Mediterranean gave animation to the scene, and attested the value to England of this important fortress. As the transport came to an anchor, a crowd of spectators, civilians and military, was as- sembled on the moles and landing-places, to learn the number and names of her passengers. In a few minutes a boat put off from the shore with a quarantine officer, who admitted them to pratique, and brought an order for the landing of the troops on the follo^^dng morning. CHAPTER VIII. At an early liour the next morning, the adjutant of the regiment came on board to assist in landing the detachment, and to conduct them to the baiTacks of the regiment. As this functionary is always possessed of information upon all matters interesting to new-comers, he had no sooner delivered his orders to Major Nemo than he was surrounded by the rest of the officers, who forthwith proceeded to interro- gate him upon regimental affairs, and the advantages and capabilities of their new quar- ters. Adjutant O'Grady was, as the omicron before his name denotes, a native of the Emerald Isle, which furnishes so large a proportion of our military heroes. He was of an active and vigor- ous frame, Anth a soldierly physiognomy, well bronzed Anth hard service and reasonably hard THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 127 drinking. He was the second senior lieutenant, being next on the list to Macpherson, and, like liim, had made his way to his present standing by more than twenty years of hard service, aided by the fevers of the West Indies, and the battles and sieges of the Peninsular war. Besides being a good soldier, he was a kind-hearted fellow, and employed the influence which his duties as adjutant gave him with the commanding officer, to maintain a good feeling among the officers, and to promote the welfare of the soldiers. He was, accordingly, held in great esteem by all parties ; one consequence of which was, a license in speaking allowed to no other person. " "Well, O'Grady, hearty as ever, eh I — glad to see you, glad to see you," were the salutations which, with many a shake of the hand, were addressed to the worthy adjutant. " Thank you, lads, thank you," responded the good-humoured official, — "glad to see you too, and so will others be no doubt : you'll all be w^elcome, heartily welcome, gentlemen, I can assure you. Let me see, — one captain and four subs., almost a day's relief." " Relief," cried Ensign Dennis ; " its a great relief to us to get on shore ; but what relief it may be to others I don't understand at all." 128 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. "I'll undertake to say, sir," said the adjutant, " addressing himself to Dennis, whose ignorance drew forth something between a smile and a sneer from the old soldier, — "I'll undertake to say, that by the time you have mounted half a dozen guards, with the thermometer at 100", buckled up to your throat in uniform, to say nothing of your sword, sash, belt, and gorget, which may not be removed on any account during the whole twenty-four hours, you'll com- prehend clearly enough the nature of a relief, and be just as ready to extend a hearty wel- come to any new comers who may arrive to take part in these diversions, as youll no doubt receive from your brother officers on shore." " What ! O'Grady," said Watson, " plenty of guards, eh?" "Enough to satisfy you. Til engage," returned the adjutant. " There's the Land Port, and the Water Port ; and then there's the Main, the Ragged Staff, and the New Mole, — all officers' guards, — two captains, and five subs, every day. The brigade days, too, are just beginning. You've come in a nice time : you'll soon find out what the delights of the Rock are." " Well, we must take our share with the rest." THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 129 " Faith, then, you may say that, Watson : the colonel himself attends." " The colonel I" cried Dennis, " the major, you mean." "Begging your pardon, then, Mr. Dennis," replied Adjutant O'Grady, " I mean just what I said. I've been too long an adjutant to make mistakes ; and, least of all, to mistake a colonel for a major." "But I thought," said the ensign, "that Colonel Belson w^as gone home, and that Major Trotter was in command of the regiment." " By the powers ! then, sir, you have got the first news of it ; for it is only half an hour ago that I left the colonel in his own quarters ; and as to Major Trotter, there came a report yester- day, by the overland mail, that he was going to sell out." " Then I am done," said the ensign. "Done !" echoed the adjutant, not compre- hending the allusion. " Yes, done by the major," returned the en- sign ; "in for ten." " Ha, ha, ha!" burst from Watson. "I recollect, — poor Dennis, upon some authority or another, betted Major Nemo that we should find Trotter in command of the regiment on our arrival." Vol. I. a 3 130 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. " Oh ! betted with Major Nemo, did he ?" said 0' Grady, surveying the ensign with a very compassionate air : " very good practice, very good indeed — that is if the gentleman's inclined to betting: plenty of that on the Rock; — it's a mighty favorite pastime in hot weather. But, Watson, my good fellow, it's time we should be moving. I see the boats for the detachment are just putting oiF from the shore. I wish you w^ould form your fellows in the gangway." In an instant the long roll of the drum was heard through the vessel. The soldiers, who had been for some time arranging their knap- sacks and preparing for disembarkation, fell into their ranks, and in less than half an hour were landed within the walls of the impregnable fortress which they had been for a long time regarding with feelings of curiosity and ad- miration. CHAPTER IX. It was not long after their arrival at Gibraltar, that Manton and Watson found themselves one morning' on duty at the Water Port, the former as captain, and the latter as subaltern of the guard. Both had by this time become pretty well acquainted with the localities of the different guards, the duties of the garrison falling rather heavily on account of a sickness which had con- siderably reduced the strength of the roster. If the reader has never penetrated into the interior of a guard-room, he will perhaps have no ob- jection to accompany us into that of the Water Port. The two guard-rooms, one appropriated to the men, and the other to the officers, were, and we presume still are, situated on each side of the port, or gate, leading out through the fortifications upon a small mole or landing-place, lying in the angle formed by one of the flanks 132 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. and tlie curtain of a bastion. This open space, besides being one of the points at which you enter into the fortress, is appropriated to the landing of merchandise, especially of provisions intended for the consumption of the place. It is consequently by far the busiest and noisiest quarter of the town. The guard-room occupied by the two friends was a vaulted chamber in the bomb-proof ram- parts of the fortifications, ha^dng no other entrance for light and air, than that afforded by the door-way. On opposite sides of the apartment were two light iron-framed couches, intended for the captain and his subaltern, while a stout oaken table, and three chairs of the same material, completed the furniture. The floor of the room was stone, and the walls and arched ceiling of brick were covered with a good coating of white-wash. Beyond this, no attempt was made to interfere wdth the Spartan simplicity of this military apartment, which Manton, as he sat lounging on two of the chairs, having converted one into what is termed a Bath footstool, could not help con- trasting with the luxurious magnificence of Mrs. Moreton's drawingr-room in Grosvenor- THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 133 Street. It would, however, be unjust to him to suppose that he looked back with any re- grets to such things : on the contrary, he felt a real satisfaction in the consciousness that their absence in no degree detracted from his enjoy- ment. Over the fire-place were suspended two boards, on which were pasted the general regula- tions to be observ^ed by all guards at Gibraltar, and by those of the Water Port in particular. One of them was to the effect, that every relief, by day and night, was to be personally inspected by the captain, or his subaltern, both before leaving, and on returning to, the guard : a re- gulation which threatened to interfere materially with the comforts of the aforesaid iron sofas, as the sentries on all guards are relieved eveiy two hours. As guard mounting at Gibraltar takes place at an early hour, the breakfast of the officers is postponed until that ceremony is over, and they have fairly taken possession of their quar- ters for the day. Indeed, the breakfast is one of the most efficient means of relie\dng the ennui of a guard ; and it is accordingly always of a nature to occupy as much time as can well be spent upon it ; that is to say, it is 184 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. both liberal in quantity and varied in quality; and seldom is it that the appetites of the con- sumers do not coiTespond to its excellence. In all military services it is a rule to live well when you can ; and in none is this rule more scrupulously attended to than in our own. What- ever may be the disadvantages and hardships endured by our troops in the colonies and gar- risons abroad, that of bad living, so far at least as the officers are concerned, is not of the number. In the West Indies they are ex- posed to hurricanes and yellow fever; in the East, to land winds, liver complaints, and cholera morbus ; in North America they may be frostbitten; and in Gibraltar, Malta, Corfu, and the other garrisons of the Mediterranean, they may be devoured by ennui, or harassed to death with guards, drills, field days, funerals, courts martial, and many other military woes ; but in none of these places do they suffer from poor, or as it is teiined, had living. Occasionally, indeed, an exception occurs in India, when, during a long pursuit after the Pindan'ees, or an unpleasant contest in the jungles with the Burmese, or an expedition like that into Aff- ghanistan, our officers may be reduced, in THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 135 common vdili the men, to subsist on a little bad rice, occasionally assisted with a slice off the yet quivering carcase of a draught bullock, converted into rations because he was too ex- hausted to move. But, with these exceptions, for w^hich the survivors soon indemnify them- selves, the mess tables of our regiments in gar- rison abroad are always covered with generous fare, and well supplied w^th the best vintages of France, Portugal, and Spain. It should be added, that in these re-unions good manners, as well as good humour, always prevail, and that the mess, — from which, as in civil society, excess has long since been banished, — offers to our military men, if not all the comforts of a home, at least a very considerable indemnifi- cation for the domestic sacrifices which their profession requires. As we have already so far digressed, we may add that many of our stationary garrisons, and Gibraltar in particular, possess ample and well-selected libraries, by means of v/hicli an officer may not only pass his leisure hours agreeably, but add very ma- terially to his stock of general as well as pro- fessional knowledge; and thus, while he prepares for the higher grades of his profession, entitle 136 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. himself to a favorable reception in any society in which he may afterwards be thrown. From this little insight, by the way, it may be in- ferred that a military life is not without its advantages. Indeed, to a young man who has imbibed those rational tastes and habits which place him above the ^nllgar temptations of idle- ness and dissipation, it holds out many peculiar inducements, pro\dded he has the means of following it up effectually. These means are a fund sufficient to afford him an income adequate to the maintenance, of his rank, and to pur- chase the different steps up to the rank of lieutenant colonel. We have elsewhere, through the medium of our friend Watson, expressed our conviction of the pernicious effects of the system of purchase ; but as it exists in our semce, no young man should enter it without possessing the means of complpng Avith its requirements. If he do, he wiU infallibly lay u}) for himself a rich harvest of mortification and disappointment, unless indeed he possess a veiy extraordinary measure of philosophy or apathy. But it is time to return to our guard- room. The two friends were anxiously watching the THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 137 arrival of breakfast, wlien tlieir sen^ants made their appearance -mih. the necessary materials for tlie meal. The oaken table was instantly covered with a decent cloth, and in a few minutes the kettle was singing upon a few bits of ignited charcoal, placed in a little earthenware stove resembling a flower-pot. On another of these portable stoves some delicate bream, just taken out of the water, were hissing and fr}^ng in a pan, and close beside, on a clean napkin, was another relay of the same fish, ready to succeed to their place. Besides these, there was store of ham and eggs and cold chicken, accompanied mth some savouiy slices of the real Bologna sausage, while small rolls, of the finest flour, completed the repast, at least so far as the edibles were concerned. The liquids, as in all English breakfasts, were confined to tea and cofiee ; the former, the finest pearl green tea, which at Gibraltar, a free port, is purchased at a trifling cost. When breakfast was dispatched, Watson, as the subaltern, prepared to visit the difierent sentries of the guard, while the captain, who deemed it incumbent upon him to learn some- thing of Spanish during his residence in Gibraltar, 138 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. took up his grammar, and deposited himself at full-length on one of the iron sofas, with the laudable resolution of mastering the tenses of a Spanish verb. The reader may have learned by experience that there are more narcotics in the world than those to be found in the materia medica. For our own part, we know of none more efficacious than a lesson in a foreign lan- guage taken on a sofa. Manton had that morning risen two hours before his wont to attend the guard-mounting ; and the reader will not, therefore, be astonished that long before Watson's return, he w^as conjugating the verb dor mire in very audible strains. Meanwhile, Watson, ha\ing completed his tour of inspection, lingered at the landing-place, before described as lying immediately without the forti- fications, to gaze at the strange and busy scene before him. Close to the jetty lay numerous barks from the various ports of the Mediten-a- nean, of all sizes and build, shoeing as much diversity in their fantastic masts and rigging as in the gaudy colours yA\h. which they were painted. The contracted space of the mole, which scarcely afforded room for the landing of the various cargoes, was covered with every THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 139 description of mercliandise. Bales of silk and cotton goods, quantities of oranges, grapes, figs, eggs, hams, sausages, salt fish, tobacco, with baskets of game and poultry, and casks of wine, oil, and brandy, were crowded so thickly together that it was scarcely possible to move between them. But this inconvenience was nothing compared to that arising from the noisy, chat- tering, shouting, stmggling mob of vendors and buyers, of all creeds and nations; — Jews from Barbary and the Levant, Moreots, Greek Islanders, Sardinians, Sicilians, Neapolitans, Genoese, Portu- guese, and Spaniards, with occasionally a few Turks and Armenians, the former distinguished by their turbans, and the latter by their high mitre-shaped caps, and both still more by their quiet, staid demeanour, contrasted A^dth the \vrangling, restless crew around them. We should not omit the English sentry, who, con- spicuous by his red uniform and soldier-like appearance, continued to pace his beat \vith imperturbable gra\'ity, occasionally regarding the gabbling mol) with a glance of superlative contempt. The transactions of this motley collection of traders are carried on in a sort of lingua franca 140 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. a bastard mixture of tongues, in which, however, the Italian predominates, understood in all the ports of the MediteiTanean. When any difficulty of comprehension occurs, recourse is had to pan- tomime and shouting, the speaker invariably elevating his voice till he believes himself understood. A bargain between two of these worthies, when one is enhancing and the other depreciating the value of the goods in question, is really woiih witnessing. The owner of the merchandise is always the more demonstrative ; the buyer contenting himself mth assuming an air of indifference, and of the most provoking incredulity. But the vendor ! — there is no de- picting the energy of his eloquence : — he appeals to all the saints, and his patron in particular, to attest the purity of his honesty, and that he was never known to ask a grano more than his goods were fairly worth, — he is absolutely ruined by the price he asks, — it is giving them away : then, as to the quality of the goods, — he bids the other look at them, — has he ever seen better? — could the saints desire more? — One moment he flings his arms aloft in the air; the next he raps the ground ^\ith his knuckles ; and then, walking up to his antago- THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 141 nist, desires to know if lie wishes to have the goods for nothing. The hitter, if he still holds out, answers this appeal by protruding his chin, and scraping his throat mtli his thumb nail, which, anglicised, means, " I wish you may get it." If, however, he is content with the proposal, he cries out, "Basta:'' the contest is instantly over, and both parties relapse into their ordi- naiy demeanour, with a suddenness almost as surprising to an Englishman as their previous excitement. This scene is usually enacted under the rays of a scorching sun, reflected back with three-fold intensity from the huge lime- stone rock, which rises perpendicularly 1400 feet. And when to all this clamour, heat, and "confusion worse confounded,'' are added clouds of an impalpable white dust arising from the decomposition of the rock, which the slightest breath of air is sure to raise, the reader will have a pretty correct idea of this Pandemonium of barter. On re-entering the bamer, Watson heard the well-kno"\Mi sound of " Guard turn out,'' and, quickening his pace, reached his post in time to receive the gallant Nemo, who, followed by an orderly dragoon, galloped up as field-officer of 142 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. the day. "Wlien the usual ceremonies had passed, Major Nemo dismounted, and accompanied Man- ton and Watson into the guard-room to get some luncheon, and have a chat -svith his old shipmates. Fruit, biscuits, wine, soda water, and brandy were instantly produced. The major, Avho was of the old school, selected the latter liquid, ^^ith which he half filled a tumbler, diluting it with iced water which was kept in a fine porous earthenware goblet. " Of all beverages,'' cried Nemo, as he replaced his glass empty on the table, " 111 uphold brandy and water as the most wholesome, especially in warm climates. I've diTink it at Calcutta and Madras, with Quihis and Mulls ; and in Jamaica and Barbadoes, mth white coats and broad- brims : it's a refresher and tonic at once ; aye, and a calmer too : a man never feels so right as when he has just taken a refresher, — always in moderation, you know, — in moderation, — mark that. It's to that I owe my excellent health and spirits." He might have added his complexion too, which was very much the colour of a cock turkey's comb, his face having acquired that coarse, plethoric hue which usually marks a THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 14o brandy-and-water drinker of five and twenty years standing. "Try another, Major/' said Watson, attempt- ing to refill his glass. "No, no, — no, thank you, my boy — quite im- possible, — three more guards to visit yet. But have you heard the news? — such a stir up at the barracks. Trotter has sent in his papers to sell out, and just at the very nick, when money is most wanted, Moreton, our regimental agent, has failed." " Failed ! \" cried Manton and Watson at once. "Moreton failed!!" " Aye, sure as a gun. There he is in the Gazette, — no mistake at all, — they say he is quite cleaned out, and won't cut up for sixpence in the pound, Hope you had nothing with him, — most fortunate thing for me, — couldn't have hap- pened at a better moment, — hadn't a single shilling in his hands at the time." The major must have been unfortunate indeed to have been affected by Mr. Moreton's or any body else's failure, as he had no private funds of his o^^^l, and made a point of drawing his pay the moment it was due. To Manton, who had always money l}^ng in his agent's hands, 144 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. the matter was of more importance. Still, the loss of an ordinary balance could not materially affect liim. Yet he could not altogether drive away certain undefined misgi^dngs which these tidings created in his mind. The major, ha^dng delivered his comments upon the atrocities of all dishonest agents, and of Mr. Moreton's in particular, whose failure he had always predicted from his extravagance (which, to do him justice, he had ample opportunities of witnessing, hav- ing usually dined at least four days in the week at that gentleman's house, whenever he was in London), remounted his horse, and proceeded to finish the tour of the difi'erent guards, dissemi- nating at each the neAvs and scandal of the fortress. When he was gone, Watson expressed a hope that Manton was not likely to be a sufferer to any great extent from the agent's failure. " Why, no : nothing veiy serious,"' replied Manton. "To be sure, there are my last half- year's dividends from the fands : — the loss of so large a part of my income would be an in- convenience, certainly; — but- nothing more." " Oh ! that would not hurt vou much, — a little blood-letting that may teach you caution. But THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 145 are you sure you have left no larger deposit in his hands ? How have you managed about the money for the purchase of your majority V " That, thank Heaven/' answered Manton is all safely arranged. "Goring's house, in Lombard- Street has agreed to advance the money whenever it may be called for ; I undertaking to sell as much of my stock in the three per cents as may be necessary to reimburse them.'' " Indeed," said Watson, " it is very liberal in them to make so large an advance without any positive security.'' " Oh !" returned Manton, " they have known our family for years, and are perfectly well ac- quainted with the state of my affairs.'' "And they have actually undertaken to ad- vance the money the instant the regimental agent required it ?" demanded Watson. " Positively on the instant," answered Manton. " Then, my dear fellow," returned Watson, "you must write without the loss of a day to countermand your instructions ; otherwise More- ton may draw the money on pretence of effecting a purchase for you, — and, if it once gets into his hands, it is lost to you. Of course, if the Gorings know of his failure, as most probably Vol. I. H 146 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. they do, they mil not pay an}i:liing to liim. Still I would leave nothing to chance." " But if, as Nemo says," observed Manton, " Major Trotter has actually sent in his papers to sell, my money must be forthcoming directly ; othenvise some one will get the step over my head." "Veiy true," replied Watson, "that must be provided for ; but I do not exactly see how to do it. If another agent had been appointed to the regiment, it would be easy enough ; — but all we know of is Moreton's failure. It is a difficulty, certainly, — but not an insurmountable one. Stay a moment ; — ^yes, yes, that mil do. You must write to Gorings, and request them to inform the War-office that they are ready to pay down your purchase money for the ma- jority when called upon ; but that, in consequence of the failure of the regimental agent, they do not know into whose hands they are authorized to pay it, and therefore beg for some instructions on the subject. Wliatever may then happen, this will at all events secure you from losing the step by any apparent remissness on your part. But you must write at once. The over-land mail starts to-morrow, and if you miss it, you will lose a fortnight." THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 147 "Egad! that is veiy true," returned Manton. " Tliank you a thousand times, my good fellow, for the interest you take in my behalf: I'll write immediately. But, faith ! Watson, there is somethino; in all this I don't understand. It is not very long since you expressed your- self most strongly against the bare idea of my passing over Charlton's head; and now you seem as anxious to secure my promotion as I could be myself. You never act from caprice, I know. You must have some other reason than a mere partiality for me. Pray how long is it that you have felt this zeal in my favor?" " Ever since I found that poor Lorimer, the honorable Augustus, was next to you for pur- chase, and that if we don't have you, we must have him. Neither of you are fit for it ; but you at le&st have something in you, and may in time make a soldier. What the plague could have induced his noble friends to send him amongst us ? If he had simply wanted brains, one would not have wondered ; but he hasn't even strength to go through a field day, and has no more heart than a partridge. Why the deuce did they not make him a com- missioner of excise, or give him a deanery? Vol. I. H 2 148 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. in either of whicli cases he would have got more than all the captains in the regiment put together, with the field officers to boot. But come, you'll just have time to finish your let- ter before dinner, while I look to the reliefs and pay another visit to the sentries." In less than half an hour, Manton had writ- ten and dispatched his letter to the post-office, and the lieutenant had returned from his duties, when the arrival of the servants gave note of preparation for dinner. Ha\ing already detained the reader so long in the guard-room, we shall not inflict upon him a description of the dinner, which was nevertheless even better calculated than the breakfast to assist in be- guiling the tediousness of the lingering hours. When the cloth was removed, a dessert of the finest grapes and oranges, which in Gibraltar cost but a few pence, was placed on the table, flanked by a bottle of claret, and another of Madeira. That our worthy lieutenant, however, may not lie under the imputation of an ex- travagance beyond his means, we must observe, that when a captain and a subaltern mount guard together, the wine is, according to the immemorial usage of the service, furnished by THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 149 the former: a custom whicli bears somewhat hard upon those captains who are married men, and have no means besides their pay of pro- viding for their families. Watson, who was a strict disciplinarian, had no disposition to benefit by Manton's liberality in this instance, and, after taking a single glass of wine, proposed a walk on the ramparts. It was a beautiful evening. The sun, as he approached the horizon, threw his slanting rays athwart the glorious scene upon which the two soldiers were gazing, with a glowing effect hardly conceivable in our northern clime. At such a moment the appearance of the fortress of Gibraltar is picturesque in the extreme. Rising in solitary grandeur from the extremity of the sandy waste on which it is situated, rearing its bare and rugged summits to the clouds, and bristling with cannon which look threateningly down from their numerous portals in its precipices and clifis, it seems to repose in the security of its own strength, and to bid defiance to every attack. As the sun sunk below the horizon, the signal- gun, placed about midway on the long, sharp, ridgy summit of the rock, whose rugged outline 150 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. was distinctly indented against the deep azure of the heavens, gave notice of his disappearance. The echoes of the suiTOunding crags and rocks returned the report w^th long-continued rever- berations ; while the drums and bugles of the different regiments replied by sounding the evening retreat. At this well-known signal, the guard, as is customaiy, turned out and stood to their arms ; and our friends descended from the ramparts to inspect the arms and ammunition, and see that the men were sober and fit for duty. Immediately without the Water Port, a narrow reef of rocks extends about one hundred and fifty yards into the Bay. Upon this ridge, which barely rises above the surface of the water, is placed a heavy battery, flanking the ground in front of the fortress on the Spanish side, and which, during the last siege, committed such havoc among the enemy's troops, that it was named by them the " Lingua del Diawlo." This battery communicates mth the fortress by means of a drawbridge, which is raised at sunset, when the subaltern of the Water Port guard passes into the batteiy mth a small detachment, who find accommodation for the night in a guard- room erected at its extremity. THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 151 The day had been succeeded by one of those radiant moonliofhts which throw an air of such inexpressible beauty over the sceneiy of southern climes. After inspecting the midnight reliefs, Watson, struck with the profound stillness and beauty of the scene, remained on the battery, gazing on the impressive objects around him. The moon, rising from behind the giant rock, touched its crags and pinnacles with her sil- ver rays, which, glancing far beyond the deep shadows of the mountain, fell upon the taper masts of the vessels riding in the Bay, and sparkled in the foam of the distant waves which broke gently over the low projecting points of the rocky shore. No sound disturbed the still- ness of the night, except the occasional challenge of the sentries, and the slight splash of the rippling w^aters as they dashed against the sides of the boats and shipping. In none except those w^hose perceptions are deadened by dissi- pation and excess, can such a scene fail to excite emotions of an elevating nature. By Watson, who had endured that cmshing disappointment which makes men live more by themselves and less with others, its charm was felt in all its power. As he paced the batteiy, gazing upon 152 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. the miglity fortress, the remembrance of the stirring deeds of which it had been the scene came vividly before him, with the mingled web of associations which fancy weaves on such occasions. On re-entering his guard-room, and finding his imagination too excited to allow any immediate hopes of sleep, he occupied himself in embodying his ideas in the following unfinished stanzas, which we give to the reader more for the local propriety belonging to them, and the heroic defence, unsurpassed in the annals of this or any other country, which they commemorate, than for their poetical merit, which must be judged of only by the standard of the guard- room : — Dark spirit of night ! full well I love thy hour ! When Silence rules, in ebon garb array'd, Thou bring'st with thee a deep and secret power To pensive minds, by " thick-eyed musing " made To shun the day and court thy awful shade. Hear! for thy shrine no truer votary knows, And none has e'er sincerer homage paid, Than he from whom this grateful tribute flows To thee, whose holy calm hath softened early woes! On Calpe's* rock I hail thy gloom profound I Meet place for musing's highest, deepest vein ! * The ancient name for Gibraltar. THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 15S Above, below, on every object round, Events have stamp'd a place in memory's train. Which time itself shall aye assail in vain : Immortal rock ! which in those tales of eld (While yet the Thunderer kept his awful reign) Earth's farthest bounds with old Abyla held, Thy fame shall yet increase with Britain's glory swell'd. Though now in silent grandeur thou art still, And nought disturbs thy solitary sleep, Save the night-breeze that sighs upon thy hill, And the blue waters which around thee sweep, Waking the murm'ring music of the deep ; Yet thy dark caves, wherein the sea-nymphs hide, And wantonly their sportive revels keep. Have echoed to war's loudest note of pride, When Crillon's banner waved, and thou his strength defied. Then burst the storm of war upon thy head In such a guise, the stoutest heart might tame ! The deep blue sky was changed to dusky red, And fierce destruction, like a whirlwind, came, Making the air one sheet of vivid flame ; An army and a navy on each hand,* Launch all the terrors that fell war can frame * On the day of the grand attack made on Gibraltar, the 13th of September, 1782, by the combined French and Spanish forces, under the Due de Crillon, the fortress was furiously assaulted simultaneously by land and sea. It was computed that more than 1200 pieces of ordnance were in full play on this occasion at the same time. Vol. I. H .3 154 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. Against thy strength ; — can'st thou such odds withstand ? Nor quails the courage yet of Elliott's iron* band ? No ! by yon heaven ! though mingled shot and shell Fall like the hail-storm of December's day, Not on one brow sits pallid fear to tell A craven recreant in the gallant play, Where life and fame are staked upon the lay. A thousand guns, that from the rocky shore Bristle thy front in terrible array To thy high crest, in fearful union roar, [are o'er. While weeps Spain's haughty Queen,t and Crillon's boasts And hark! from out the thick, dense, sulph'rous cloud. Beneath whose shade a new Armada lies, Comes forth a shout, so piercing and so loud, Thrilling each heart, and reaching to the skies, Though peal on peal the volley'd thunders rise. Is it of triumph ? No, — of death ; — for see. The lurid flame breaks forth and upward flies. Circling their ships, — and no way left to flee, While billows yawn around and mock their misery. * It would appear from this epithet, that the worthy lieutenant had in mind Cromwell's favorite troopers, whom he called his Iron- sides. t On an eminence, about two miles distant from Gibraltar, is still to be seen a small stone building, about the dimensions of a sentry-box, from which Queen Philippa of Spain, viewed the assault, and from which she vowed not to stir till she beheld the French and Spanish flags waving over the fortress. It is called the Queen of Spain's chair. THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 155 And must they perish ? Hath man's warring hate Forsworn all mercy ? Doth not nature crave Some touch of pity for a foeman's fate ? Or must the heaving of the blood-stained wave Close o'er the remnant of the haughty brave ? No, — from the shore the generous Britons speed, Daring e'en death, a conquer'd foe to save. Oh ! gallant Curtis ! * this, thy glorious deed. Thy fame for ever crowns beyond a conqueror's meed. But it hath passed, — long years have since roll'd by. * The Spanish line-of-battle ships were dismasted, and their hulls covered with hides and other contrivances, to render them impervious to red-hot shot ; and in this condition they were towed to their stations, in front of the fortress. For many hours all the efforts of the garrison to burn these huge floating fortresses with heated shot, were expended in vain. At length, a thick smoke was observed to issue from one of the vessels. The fire upon that part was re- doubled, and shortly after, the flames burst forth, and communicating to the other vessels, the whole fleet was soon in a blaze. The situa- tion of the crews was fearful in the extreme. The few boats they had at the commencement of the action, had been destroyed ; and they had no mode of escape from the double death which threatened them. In this extremity. Captain Curtis, of the Royal Navy, with the generous intrepidity of a British sailor, put oflfto their assistance with all the boats that could be procured, and saved the Hves of some hundreds of these unfortunate men ; notwithstanding that the enemy, not aware of his humane intention, kept up a fire upon the boats from the Spanish shore. CHAPTER X A few weeks after the guard-mounting men- tioned in tlie last chapter, Manton walked one morning into the barrack -room of his friend, the lieutenant. The latter saw from his coun- tenance that something unpleasant had occuiTed. "You are not a man to get into quarrels,'' said Watson, handing him a chair, " or I should imagine fr^om that serious brow, you were come to request my company, at some quiet spot, to a snug party of four. Come, man, what is it? T detest duelling, it is true : still, I know by experience one cannot always avoid it, and I am not the man to turn my back upon a friend. What, in heaven's name, has happened?'' " Nothing that pistols can mend, unless in- deed I should turn one against myself," replied Manton. THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 157 " Psliaw ! man, tliat is a worse madness than the other ; but let us know what we are talking of." " You recollect my writing to Goring's house, by your ad\dce, requesting them to take the necessaiy steps to secure the purchase of my majority." " Perfectly well ; and you ought by this time to have had an answer.'' " There it is,"" said Manton, taking a letter from his pocket, and throwing it on the table : " read it." Watson took up the letter, and read as follows : — Lombard-Street, July 18^^, 18 — . "Dear Sir, "We were duly favored with your letter of the 21st ultimo, respecting the advance of ^1260, which we had agreed to make for the purchase of your majority, on the condition of your immediately authorizing us to sell in your name sufficient stock in the three per cent, consols, to repay our advances ; and we have now to inform you, that on applying at the bank to ascertain what amount of stock was 158 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. standing in your name, we learned there was none, — stock to the amount of five thousand pounds having been sold on the 10th of last month, by Mr. James Moreton, by virtue of a Power of Attorney given to him by you for that purpose. Under these circumstances, we must decline making so large an advance, until you can offer us some other security for the re-payment of the same. "We are, " Dear Sir, "Your obedient Sen^ants, "Ralph Goring & Co." " Captain Manton, Begiment, Gibraltar!' " Why, what in heaven's name is the mean- ing of this?" said Watson, throwing himself back into his chair, and fixing his eyes upon Manton. " Did you really give such a power as this to Moreton?" " Nothing of the kind. The power I gave him was merely to enable him to receive my di\ddends from the bank for me." "But how came you to trust him mth such a matter? Why did you not employ Goring's house to receive them for you?" THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 159 " Wliy, I liarclly know : I ouglit to have done so, no doubt ; but Moreton asked me to appoint liim, and I could not well refuse with- out implying some distrust, you know." "And so, rather than hurt another man's feelings, you chose to risk your whole fortune upon his integrity." " No, no, not so foolish as that either : the power I gave him was merely, as I told you, to receive my di^ddends : I did not tmst him beyond that." " Then how the devil has he been able to sell the stock V enquired Watson. " That is just what I cannot comprehend ; and I came to see if you could throw any light upon the subject,'' replied Manton. To this appeal Watson returned no answer; but, with his legs thiTist out as far as they could extend, and his eyes fixed on the ceil- ing, appeared lost in thought, while he muttered to himself, — " A precious piece of business tnily ! Here has been some confounded villany, — though how perpetrated I cannot divine. Moreton would hardly commit a forgery : he knows too well the consequences of that. The power given to him was only to receive the dividends ; yet that he 160 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. has sold tlie stock and received the money is quite clear. One thing, at all events, is certain, the mystery cannot be made out here. Manton," added he, rising up, "you must be off to Eng- land to sift out this villany, and you must start by the first over-land mail. That will be the beginning of next week, — Monday : this is Friday. You have two clear days to prepare. Go to Colonel Belson forthwith, and communicate the whole affair to him. He will see the necessitv of acting at once, and will get you leave from the Governor to start for England without delay.'' " You think then, that wiiting will not do as well r " Of course not : how could it ? You must be on the spot : it may be necessary to arrest Moreton. And now I think of it, you will re- quire a good professional adviser. Do you know any legal man you can rely upon V " No : my course hitherto, thank heaven, has kept me pretty clear of these gentry.'' " So much the worse for you," returned Watson. " Had you been in the way of getting information on some common points, you might not have got into this confounded scrape ; — but that's past. Let me see, — there is my cousin. THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 161 Frank Coverley ; — yes, lie will do ; no better hand in London at feiTeting out a business of this kind. If anything can be saved out of the fire, which I much doubt, he is the man to do it. I will give you a letter to Frank. You'll find him a shrewd, clever, hard-working fellow, though nothing loath to enjoyment when work is over." Manton, who had the highest opinion of Watson's judgment, felt, at that moment, the value of a Mend upon whom he could so entirely rely. With the warmth of feeling that was natural to him, he thanked Watson for the interest he took in his welfare as well as for his judicious advice, and assured him there was nothing he valued more highly than his friend- ship. " Friendship f " said the lieutenant, " why, man, there has been nothing but words passed between us yet ; and that reminds me I have something else to say. Your funds, I think, were all in Moreton's hands : you'll get nothing from that quarter, at least for the present. I need not tell you that money is the sinews of law, as well as of war ; without that you can do nothing, and may as well stay here and save 162 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. yourself the exj)enses of your journey. I am a poor man, it is true, but not so poor that I may not help a Mend at a ^^inch. The fact is, that some years ago, an old aunt, rest her soul ! di\aded a thousand pounds between my cousin Frank and myself. My share I have kept as a nest-egg ever since. It has been left in Frank's hands, for a solicitor cannot cany on business to any effect mthout funds.'' " And this money," said Manton, inteiiTipting him, "you are going to lend to me !'' "To be sure, why else should I have men- tioned it r " And do you suppose I \^ill accept it ? From you, too, who never expended an idle shilling upon yourself?" " That is the very reason, man, I can lend it to you." "But, positively, I will not take this money." " But you must, or you may as well stay here, and give up all chance of recovering your property." " You forget I have still my pay as Captain." " Your pay as Captain ! Eleven and seven- pence a-day ! Why, in London, it will hardly pay for your dinner and lodgings, to say nothing THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 163 of law- charges, and a liundred other expenses to be incun'ed on sucli an errand as you are going upon/' " Oil ! but I sliall find resources. I have, you know, many friends.'' " ^yiio vdW wish you back at Gibraltar the moment you begin to borrow money from them. Come, man, take a friend's advice, and submit to be ruled by me in this matter. There is no time to be lost : go at once to the colonel, and get him to apply to the general for your leave. In the mean time I will pre- pare a letter for Frank, which mil insure you the means of prosecuting your object effectually." After some opposition on the part of Manton, who inwardly resolved not to expend a farthing of the money beyond w^hat was absolutely ne- cessary, this arrangement Avas finally agreed to ; and having twice failed in an attempt to express the feelings which fairly overpowered him, he -wrung Watson by the hand, and darting out of the room, proceeded to the quarters of' Colonel Belson. The colonel was fortunately at home; and ha\dnQ^ listened to Manton's detail of the cir- cumstances above narrated, he concurred at 164 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. once in opinion with Watson that Manton should proceed immediately to England, and undertook, in the course of the day, to obtain the general's permission for him to do so. Colonel Bel- son was as good as his word. The same eve- ning at mess, Manton received, by the hands of the coloneFs orderly, an official letter con- taining his excellency's permission for him to proceed to England on his private affairs, for which purpose, leave of absence was granted to him for six months. A private note from the colonel accompanied the letter, expressing a cordial wish that the unpleasant circumstances which called Captain Manton from his regi- mental duties, would eventually be arranged to to his satisfaction. CHAPTER XL Manton lost no time in availing himself of the permission granted to him. On the evening of the next day he was already on his road to the Spanish capital, having arranged to accom- pany the courier who carried the overland mail as far as the French frontier, whence he was certain of finding a conveyance to Paris. He was fortunate enough to escape the delays which, from various causes, render the duration of a journey in Spain a very uncertain affair, and reached London on the eleventh day from the time of his leaving the fortress. His first step, after having recruited himself by a night's rest from the fatigues of his jour- ney, was to call on Mr. Coverley with Watson's letter. He accordingly proceeded to Gray's Inn, where a porter directed him to the lawyer's chambers. Sending in his card with one of 166 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. Watson's by a clerk, lie was immediately ushered into Mr, Coverley's room, wlio greeted him A^ery cordially, obsemng he was greatly obliged to his cousin for the honor of the visit, and that he should be extremely happy if he could be of any service to Captain Manton. The latter replied by handing to him the letter, which he said Avould explain the cause of his visit. While Mr. Coverley was reading the letter, Manton had leisure to survey the person and apartment of his new legal adviser. The lawyer was above the middle size, and though but a little past thirty, his figure was already so full as to approach almost to corpulency. His countenance, which announced good humour and intelligence, was distinguished by a certain air of professional shrewdness, w^hich especially showed itself as he perused certain passages of the letter, from be- hind which he shot sundry glances at the cap- tain, evidently implying a veiy moderate estimate of the soldier's worldly wisdom. His complexion, naturally florid, appeared to be heightened by causes which indicated that he was not a stran- ger to what is termed good living. In this instance at least, appearances were not deceitful; for he Avas indeed as little a stranger to it as a THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 167 man could be who, when he did not dine at his club, which was celebrated for its cuisine, was certain to be enacting the part of a vice-presi- dent at a public dinner, or of a favorite guest at some social board. The room in which he was sitting had nothing in common mth the dark antique chambers which are found both in the Temple and Lincoln's Inn. It was situated in a range of new build- ings, and was of the usual size and proportions of a comfortable modern apartment. Nor did it in its garniture and appurtenances bear any closer resemblance to those awful receptacles of dust and learning before mentioned. Instead of rows of black letter, and tomes of law, as formid- able in appearance as the ancient sages by whom they were written, the shelves were adorned, not crowded, \\\ih. a few newly-bound volumes, con sisting of those epitomes of law, which too much leisure has induced the tribe of modem barristers to dig up from out of the mass of rubbish under which they lay buried : a thankless and unwise labour, by which they enabled solicitors to dis- pense with the assistance of counsel on many occasions, to the no great advantage, perhaps, of the clients. More than one table was covered 168 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. witli several sets of paper neatly secured with red tape, on the outsides of which were labelled in distinct characters the names of the unhappy- litigants to whose affairs they related. Altogether the office bore the appearance of belonging to a man whose moderate practice was likely to increase under his own active superintendence and exertions : an appearance much corroborated by the fact, that at the time of Manton's en- trance, the solicitor was employed in preparing, with his own hands, an abstract of title to bo laid before a conveyancing counsel. When the lawyer had finished the perusal of the letter, which he read with great deliberation, he addressed Manton by saying that he was sorrj^ their acquaintance should commence with so un- pleasant a business, but that his services should be entirely at the captain's disposal. " Watson's letter," said he, " gives me a succinct account of this untoward affair ; but I must nevertheless learn some particulars from yourself I hope your first \isit has been paid to me, and that you have not been to Mr. Moreton's." Manton assured him that it was so, and that in fact he had seen no one but himself THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 169 " I am glad of that," replied tlie solicitor. " I like to liave eveiytliing to myself a principio, tliat I may not be entangled with another man's web. From Watson's letter, I understand that Mr. Moreton was the agent of yom' regiment, and that you executed a power of attorney, enabling him to receive your dividends from the bank during your absence abroad." " Precisely so." " It further appears by a letter from the Messrs. Goring and Co., that the stock in the three per cents, standing in your name, was sold out on the 10th of June last, by Mr. Moreton, under a sufficient instrument executed and given to him by you for that jmrpose." " So says the letter ; but no such authority was given by me, at least intentionally." " Pray, Captain Manton, did you ever execute any other instiiiment empowering Mr. Moreton to act in your behalf, besides the one you have mentioned ? " " Most certainly not." " Are you quite certain that the instrument executed by you enabled Mr. Moreton only to receive your dividends, and did not contain any general powers authorising him to transfer or Vol. I. I 170 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. dispose of the capital of the stock on your behalf?" " That I cannot positively affirm/' replied Manton ; " though, most undoubtedly, I should not knomngly have trusted him or any man ^nth such a power. The fact is, the instrument was forwarded to me at the Isle of Wight when I was on the point of embarking for foreign service ; and as I executed it amidst the hurrj and confusion usual on such occasions, I cannot speak precisely as to its contents. Besides, as I had fully explained my intentions to Mr. Moreton, and had every confidence in him, I concluded that the instrument was, of course, framed according to my directions." " And you executed the instrument, then," asked the lawyer, " without being fully certain of the extent and limitation of the powers you delegated?" " I am afraid I must sav so ; and though that may appear a silly trick to you, a la^\yer, yet let me ask how w^e, the uninitiated, are to do otherwise ? If no man would execute a deed until he had fully extricated the sense out of the mass of gibberish in which your fraternity envelop it, when would affairs ever be finished? THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. I7l Besides, the plain sense of the words of an in- strument does not always correspond with their legal meaning. I recollect being called upon once to sign a bond to prevent a brother officer being sent to a prison ; and when I objected to the largeness of the penalty in case the money was not forthcoming within a certain time, which was just double the original amount of the debt, I was assured that the clause in question had really no force whatever, and that no more could be demanded than the original sum and the interest due upon it.* " Ay, aye, right enough," answered Coverley ; "we have some few mysteries, to be sure, which must be a little perplexing to laymen." " So," continued the captain, " had the deed contained even the powers you mention, I might have supposed that they were merely words of course, and that Mr. Moreton, or his lawyer who drew the instrument, had been compelled to insert them as a matter of form." * The penalty in a bond, in case the money be not forthcoming on the day mentioned, is always double the amount of the debt or sum intended to be secured ; but no more than the sum actually owing, with the interest due, can be recovered. Vol. I. I 2 172 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. "Really, Captain Manton/' answered the law- yer, " there is much reason in what you say, and I owe you some apology for attributing to you a greater share of thoughtlessness than I find you are fairly chargeable with. But why didn't you use one of the printed forms pre- pared by the bank, instead of having a legal instrument drawn for the occasion?" " I was not aware," replied Manton, " of the existence of any thing of the kind." " Few people are,'' observed Coverley. " It is a l^ity it is not more generally known. But the fact is, the bank is in the habit of issuing two distinct forms of powers of attorney, — one authorizing the sale of the stock itself, the other restricted to the receiving of di^ddends, — and the words authorizing the sale of the stock are printed in red letters, so as to catch the eye at the first glance." " Indeed ! that is an excellent precaution ! — But how came they, then, to allow Moreton to sell the stock? For I am confident I never signed such a paper as you speak of?" " Oh ! of course," obseiTod Coverley, " they have no power to compel people to use any particular form of legal instrument. They can THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 17-3 only offer tlieir o^vn form, and if others don't choose to adopt it, they can do no more. No doubt Moreton took good care the instrument should be fully sufficient for his purpose, and that being so, they could not of course dispute it. At least, I fear this will prove to be the case. However, we must look into it. The only chance we have of recovering any thing, must be found in their carelessness. But, to say tmth, they are generally so strict in trans- actions of this nature that there is little chance of catching them napping. However, we must try. If you will place the affair in my hands. Captain Manton, and allow me carte blanche, I will put matters in train immediately; and, at all events, you shall know the worst within a few days." Manton replied, that he was only too happy to place the matter in such hands, and begged Mr. Coverley to act according to his own dis- cretion. " But there is still another subject. Captain Manton," resumed the la^vyer, " on which I must receive your directions. My cousin Wat- son, who has a considerable sum in my hands, desires me to make you any advances you may 174 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. require. The expenses of so long a journey must have exhausted the funds which a prudent traveller would carry about with him, and " Manton hastened to assure him that he was already well provided for some time ; but that, should he require any assistance of that nature, he should not fail to apply to him ; — and then, tendering his thanks to Coverley for the friendly zeal with which he had entered into his case, took his departure, leaving the lawyer wonder- ing how many of his clients would have declined a loan, for which the lender wanted neither interest nor security. CHAPTER XII. When Maiiton turned out of Gray's Inn into Holboni, lie proceeded westward towards Oxford- Street, pondering upon Lis interview with the lawyer and the threatening aspect of his aifairs, in the midst of the countless thousands who passed, as regardless of him and of his ab- stractions as he was himself of the cares and hopes of the living tide which poured incessantly by him. In this state he had almost uncon- sciously traversed the whole of Oxford-Street, and on being recalled from his reverie by some obstruction in the causeway, he found himself nearly opposite Cumberland Gate. The quiet repose of the park, contrasted with the rush and noise of the crowded streets, invited him to enter, and he felt at once in some measure relieved when he exchanged the heated and dusty pavement for the cool, elastic turf. Avoid- 176 THE POWER OF ATTORl^EY. ing the crowded walk, lie sauntered across the green in the direction of the Serpentine, and took 2)ossession of one of the benches placed along its banks. Here, extended at his ease, Manton endea- voured to decide upon what course he should pursue in the present crisis of his affairs. The serious loss of fortune with which he was threatened was not the only difficulty which pressed upon him. It will be remembered that by the terms of the treaty with Sir Lionel, it was conditioned that Manton should not advance his pretensions to the hand of Clara, until he had attained the rank of a field officer. Now, so long as he possessed the means of purchasing, his chances of success were anything but dis- couraging. Promotion could not be very distant, and might come speedily. In fact, should his money, or even a part of it sufficient for the purchase, be recovered, he would in a short time succeed to Major Trotter s vacancy, and thus be in a condition to appear again in the field. But in the mean time how was he to act ? Could he apprize Clara and her family of his sudden return to England without acquainting them with the circumstances which rendered it neces- THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 177 sary? And if he did so, might not her uncle regard it as a reason for putting an end to the treaty altogether, on the plea, not an unreason- able one, that mthout the means of purchase, his prospects of promotion were utterly hopeless ? During his absence from England, he had lost his firmest supporter and warmest ally, by the death of Clara's aunt, Mrs. Lsetitia, who had been carried off by a sudden attack of influenza. True, the old lady had left the bulk of her fortune, amounting to some ten or twelve thou- sand pounds, to her niece, which, to a certain degree, rendered her independent of Sir Lionel : but Manton felt that, as a man of character and honor, he could not take advantage of this circumstance. There still remained his other ally, Mr. Belford. Would it be well to confide the state of his circumstances to him, relying on his partiality to keep the matter from Sir Lionel ? But he might be deceived in his expectations. Mr. Belford might have his caprices like other people ; and, during his absence, might have seen others whose alliance he might prefer to his o^\^l, notwithstanding the former friendly feelings that gentleman entertained towards him ; and if so, this reverse of fortune would Vol. I. I 3 178 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. be a plausible excuse for tbe change. Upon consideration, therefore, be tbougbt tbe wiser course would be to make no precipitate dis- closures, and to keep bis return a secret until tbe crisis of bis fortune bad been determined. Upon Clara's constancy and affection, be knew be could place tbe utmost reliance ; and tbat tbe only effect of bis misfortunes, wben known to ber, would be to render tbe engagement existing between tbem still more binding and sacred on ber part. Her letters addressed to bim at Gibraltar, wbile distinguished by tbe animated style which agreed so well with ber cheei'ful and lively disposition, displayed a spirit of confiding frankness, which formed a distin- guishing feature in her character. The only danger was, that she would resent what might be construed into a want of confidence so un- merited. This might be excused by the difficulty of communicating with ber unkno^^^l to others, and the wish to spare her much needless anxiety in case tbe anticipated loss should, by any means, be averted. Should, however, the calamity which he had so much reason to dread eventually occur, Manton resolved to inform both uncle and niece immediately of the fall extent of bis THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 179 loss, and leave them to determine whether the engagement should continue, or be at once finally and irrevocably cancelled. Having thus formed his resolution as to the part to be taken by him in either case, he endeavoured to dismiss the subject from his mind ; and springing up from his seat, looked around for some object which might direct his thoughts into another channel. It is seldom, however, that our resolutions are so independent of circumstances as we are apt to imao:ine them. As Manton rose from his seat, he heard the sound of a horse behind him, ap- proaching at full speed. A single glance show^ed him that the rider, a young lady, had lost all command of her steed, and was in imminent danger of being thrown. In an instant he had vaulted over the railings which separated him from the road, and, regardless of the risk he incurred, seized the reins with one hand, while, wdth the other, he kept the rider from falling ; and, after a desperate effort, he succeeded in landing her safely on the turf. The lady, though unhurt, had fainted from terror ; and Manton was endeavouring to restore her, w^hen another lady, her companion, rode up to her assistance. 180 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. The new comer threw herself from her horse w^ithout assistance, and hastily fastening him to the rails, flew to her friend. She had, however, no sooner caught sight of Manton, than she ex- claimed in a tone of the utmost sui-prise, " Good Heavens ! Captain Manton in England, and without my knowledge I" If the soldier's appearance astonished the fair equestrian, the well-known tones of Clara's voice, for she it was, were to him no less sui-prising. He seized her hand and covered it with his kisses. " But my cousin ! my dearest Isahel," cried Clara, disengaging herself from Manton, and taking her cousin in her arms, " speak, speak to me ; say, dearest, are you hurt V " Be not alarmed,'' said Manton, " she is not hurt, — only frightened. See, she is recovering." The young lady, who had sustained no material injury, here opened her eyes, and soon regained strength and composure enough to learn the extent of her obligations to her rescuer, and thank him for his assistance. "But I must let you know, cousin, the name of the gallant knight to whom you owe your rescue," said Clara: "I beseech you then, THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 181 fair lady, know Captain Manton, who appears to have been brought from Gibraltar by some good genius in the very nick of time to achieve this knightly adventure." " Heavens ! how extraordinary ! " exclaimed the lady. "I am sure I need not say the in- terest I have long felt for Captain Manton will not be diminished by this singular, and to me fortunate, introduction." " Interest ! '' said Clara ; " oh ! no doubt ; and of course Captain Manton will feel a corres- ponding interest in the lady he has saved : that is quite e?i regie: but really, my dear, you should ride a quieter horse, — you are not fit to be trusted with a runaway.'' " Indeed, coz., I am quite of your opinion ; and so far from ha\ing any inclination to mount again, I must beg Captain Manton to complete this morning's service by giving me his arm till we reach home." "And I am to be left, I suppose," said Clara, " to gallop after Robert, and help him to bring home the horses." " No need of that, — Robert will do it himself, my dear ; and here he comes in good time with my mad-cap of a roan. If you will trust your horse with him, we can walk home together." 182 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. " Or, if I should prefer riding, you ^^ill be contented with Captain Manton's escort alone/' " No doubt of it, my dear ; for after the expe- rience I have bad, I might consider myself under very efficient protection." " But Captain Manton may have reasons for keeping his arrival in England a secret from others, as, but for this accident, I conclude he would have done fi'om me ; and in that case it may not be agreeable to him to accompany us to Curzon-Street,'' replied Clara, e\ddently piqued. "Now, may heaven defend me from the mis- chievous little deity!'' exclaimed her cousin. "I declare there is no comprehending you. Here has Clary been as dull and moping as possible, — nay, it shall out, — weaiying heaven \nth her complaints, because, forsooth, her swain was banished to Gibraltar ; and now that he is unexpectedly restored to her by the aid of some pitying power, instead of welcom- ing him back, she flouts at the poor man because he arrived in time to save my precious self! Positively, if I were an enchantress, Fd whisk him back again till she knew how to be grateful." "And so punish the innocent for the guilty," said Manton. "But if Miss Hardcastle will THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 183 pemiit me to accompany her and her lively cousin home, I will undertake to satisfy her for my apparent neglect in not apprizing her of my return to England: — indeed, I left Gib- raltar very unexpectedly, and landed at Dover only yesterday morning. My reasons for this sudden journey I will explain whenever Miss Hardcastle will give me an opportunity of doing so." "And no doubt ask pardon for acting upon them T^ithout her sovereign permission. To see what inconsistent, abject creatures you men are, with all your boasted independence ! Half an hour ago, you did not hesitate to grapple with a wild horse at the height of its speed, and now you are trembling before a capricious mistress, who would be all the better, and like you none the worse, for a right good scold- ing, — but heavens ! Captain Manton, you are pale, and your arm hangs by your side as if " It was now Clara's turn to be alarmed. Manton's increasing paleness showed he was suffering severely ; and to her earnest inquiries he was compelled to confess that his arm had been ^Touched in his efforts to stop the horse. 184 THE POWER OF ATTORXEY. The look of distress and tenderness with which she heard this avowal sufficiently repaid him for her petulance; and gave full assurance that her affection for him had suffered no abate- ment. Both ladies wished to dispatch Robert for a surgeon, but Manton assured them it was quite unnecessary, and that he was quite ca- pable of walking. It was finally arranged that the servant should return home Avith the horses, and that Manton with the ladies should walk slowly across the park and take the first coach they should meet. On their way, Clara insisted on stopping at Mr. Wellbank's, the surgeon who attended in Curzon-Street. That gentleman, who was fortunately within, having examined the arm, assured them that the injury was of no material consequence, and that the pain, though severe for the moment, would yield to the effect of an embrocation which he would prepare and send immediately. On their arrival in Curzon-Street, Isabella learned that her father was out and would not return till dinner. Knomng how anxious Clara must be to hear the reasons of Manton's un- expected return to England, and that her presence could never be more easily dispensed with, she THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 185 good-naturedly feigned tlie necessity of making a round of calls wliicli would occupy lier for the remainder of tlie morning. Left to themselves, Manton explained to Clara the danger which threatened his property, and the consequent necessity he had been under of returning im- mediately to England. He accounted for his not having informed her, since his arrival, of the circumstances in which he was j)laced, by his wish to spare her any unnecessary anxiety. The lady accepted the apology, though she chid him for the concealment, observing she would rather suffer any amount of anxiety, than be tormented mtli the idea that he should be in the habit of withholding anything from her. "It is not doing justice," she observed, " either to my sense or my affection. At the time of contracting my engagement with you, I was fully sensible of its importance. I knew it involved a partnership for life ; and I was not so thoughtless as not to be aware that the cares and anxieties of life are at least as numerous as its pleasures. How then can they be exempted from our contract ? To attempt to do so, is to treat me more as a mistress than as a vdfe. If you think me too volatile to appreciate my duties, indeed, Charles, you do me an injustice." 186 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. This appeal was not without its effect upon Manton. In fact, under an appearance of volatility and caprice, arising from an exuberance of spirits and the indulgence A\ith which she had ever been treated, Clara possessed a strength as well as generosity of character very rarely found in persons similarly situated. Sensible of this, and moved by the reproach conveyed in her remonstrance, Manton threw aside his reserve, and frankly explained to her how he was situ- ated in regard to the expected vacancy. " Then the case, if I understand you rightly,'' said Clara, " is simply this, that if you cannot recover this money, you wdll be unable to pur- chase this vacancy, and the opportunity of securing the promotion will be lost." " And not alone that,'' replied Manton ; " but with it the only hope I have of ever calling you mine. You recollect your uncle's declaration that he would never hear of my proposals till I could present them as a field-officer. " " If that, Charles, were the only difficulty, it would be easily removed. Poor aunt Lsetitia's liberality has enabled me to pay down ten times the sum required for this purchase. My uncle Belford, whose partiality for you is unchanged, will, I know, advance the money or procure it THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 187 for me immediately on my security. Now then, Charies, say at once you will accept it, eitlier as a loan, or a present, or in any way you will." "Dearest Clara, the proposition is worthy of your own noble spirit ; but think for a moment what would be said of me were I to take advan- tage of such generosity ! " " And what could be said," returned Clara, "against your adopting an expedient calculated to promote my happiness as well as your own ? Believe me, the affection which cannot receive as well as give, is in reality selfish in its nature. Had I, through any dispensation of Providence, been deprived of friends and fortune, would you, on that account, have deserted me ? That look is a sufiicient answer. I want no other. And yet, proud and unjust as you are, you will not suffer me to act as you would yourself have done ! " " But, dearest,'' said Manton, " the case is not the same. And did you not, just now, hint at other difficulties ? — Your silence alarms me, — answer me, I beseech you, has anything occurred? " To be candid, Charles,'' replied the lady, " something has lately happened, which may, perhaps, afford you an opportunity of exercising 188 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. a little patience, and placing a proper confidence in me/' " Good heavens ! Clara, what can jou mean V exclaimed the alarmed lover. "This is torture, — for pity's sake finish this suspense." "You know my uncle's capricious temper," returned Clara, " and that he is not veiy likely to retain his predilections veiy long for one who is absent so much as you have been." "You mean," said Manton, "there is a rival in the case. I should have expected this. But how, Clara, could you think of keeping me in the dark for one moment on such a subject?" " Because," replied she, mshing to make as light as possible of the matter, " I suspected what I now find to be true, that you would attach too much importance to the communication, and place too little reliance on my gracious partiality for yourself" " Think not, dearest Clara," said Manton, " that I doubt your constancy, however unworthy may be the object of it. But, knowing my present critical position, you will allow I have too much reason to dread a rival, supported, as your words would lead me to infer, by Sir Lionel's influence. In heaven's name, who and what is he ?" THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 189 " Nay, if you take it so seriously/' returned Clara, " I am afraid you Avill indeed be alarmed when you learn wlio tlie gentleman is, lie being no less than the brother of a peer, — the Honora- ble Robert Netherley." " The Honorable Robert Netherley ! What ! the brother of Lord Corrisdale V exclaimed Manton. "The same," said Clara, "and now the hum- ble, and I may add, rejected suitor of Miss Clara Hardcastle." "I should have expected this,'' exclaimed Manton. " Heaven knows there was attraction enough to have brought half the scions of the peerage to Lickenmoss ! But tell me, Clara, how came this sprig of nobility to be intro- duced at the Hall? And how did he manage to secure Sir Lionel's favor so. completely?" "^Vhy in truth," replied Clara, "the whole thing fell out veiy naturally. You had not long been gone to Gibraltar, when my uncle began to be dissatisfied with the treaty existing between us, and to repent the encouragement you had received. Lickenmoss Hall is not very lively at any time ; but when the long winter evenings commence, the dulness is somewhat 190 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. awful. Even with my spirits the monotony is sufficiently tiying to ensure a welcome to Mr. Drynody, the curate, whenever he ventures up to the Hall ; though all I gain by it is the pleasure of playing dumby at whist, and list- ening to long intenninable stories about tythe suits, and college life as it was half a centur}^ back. My uncle feels the effects of this solitar}^ mode of living as well as myself, but nothing could induce him to spend the Avinter away from Lickenmoss. "After the death of poor dear Aunt Letty, this existence became of course more monoton- ous : still, to have suggested a removal would have been nothino^ short of hio-h treason. I was however occasionally suffered to spend a week or a fortnight with my cousin Isabella, in Curzon-Street. I need not tell you what seasons of enjoyment these ^^sits were to me ; but I had better have forborne them. During these occasional absences, Sir Lionel felt his loneliness increase ; and then the thought oc- curred to him what it would have been if, instead of being within call in Curzon-Street, I had gone with you to Gibraltar. Urged, I sup- pose, by this reflection, he resolved to embrace THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 191 tlie first opportunity of putting an end to our engagement, and of marrying me to some one whom lie could induce to live at Lickenmoss, or at all events, in the county. " While Sir Lionel was occupied with this idea, the honorable Robert Netherley came on a visit to a gentleman in the neighbourhood. Having ascertained that I was the probable heiress to Sir Lionel's fortune, he thought it worth his while to render himself agreeable to us both. With my uncle, who, though too proud of his ancient descent to think much of the peerage, yet regarded a connection with that body as a recommendation, he was perfectlj' successful. In his efforts, however, to please me, Mr. Netherley was less happy ; and yet I assure you both his person and his manners were so far from being disagreeable, that I could hardly wonder at Sir Lionel's indignation at wdiat he termed my obstinacy in seeing no merit in his new favorite. But, indeed, not to speak of our engagement, I thought I more than once perceived, under Mr. Netherley's speciousness of manner, when engaged in conversation with others, a disregard of principle, which, under any circumstances, would have prevented me from listening for a 192 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. moment to his addresses. With Sir Lionel, however, he grew daily a greater favorite ; and my position at last became intolerable. With some difficulty I obtained permission to pay a visit to Curzon-Street, where I soon succeeded in enlisting my uncle Belford in my favor. He even went down to Lickenmoss to endeavour to bring Sir Lionel to reason ; but he found that a more difficult task than he had imagined. Mr. Netherley was not there at the time of his arrival, having, immediately after my departure, gone to his brother's in Wiltshire, where, accord- ing to his letters to Sir Lionel, he still remains, though I am much mistaken if I have not since seen him in London.'' "And I presume,'' intei'posed Manton, "that my ' honorable ' rival did not fail to use his advantages in proposing to you in form !" " Certainly not ; and in terms, I assure you, that would have captivated many a fair damsel's favor." " And did he venture to renew them after your positive rejection of his suit ?" " Not directly ; he was too politic, and T may add, too gentlemanly, for that. He thought it better to do so through Sir Lionel, while he THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 193 himself endeavoured to propitiate me by a course of tliose quiet, unobtrusive attentions wliicli in the end hardly ever fail to '' " Confound his assurance !" exclaimed Manton, " And Sir Lionel still countenances his preten- sions ? " As warmly as ever ; and has gone so far as to quarrel with my uncle Belford, who, he says, supports me in my undutiful opposition to his reasonable wishes ! Had poor dear Aunt Letty been li\dng, Mr. Netherley would never have retained his position so long in Lickenmoss Hall. You know not, Charles, how true an ally she was of yours.'' " Heaven rest her soul for it ! And you, dearest Clara, how shall I thank you for your unparalleled goodness ? What words can express my gratitude for such matchless constancy ?" •'Why, truly,'' replied Clara, laughing, "none that I know of; so you must be content to express it by deeds, which will be far better evidence of your sincerity.'' " I will not affect to misunderstand you, Clara," returned Manton. " You mean by accepting the generous offer you so lately pressed upon me." '' Precisely so. Your frank, unhesitating ac- VOL. I. K 194 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. ceptance of a part of what I ever intended to share witli you, would go further with me, as a proof of a tiTily sincere affection, than all the protestations you could utter. If you really mean all you have hitherto professed, why should you object to avail yourself of my assistance in securing an object of so much importance to us both?" "But dear, generous Clara,'' urged Manton, " consider for a moment the situation in which I might possibly be placed. Of the firmness of your character I have no more doubt than of the unsullied tiiith and purity of your affection ; but in some measure we are all the slaves of circumstances, and you yourself can hardly say to what sacrifices a sense of duty to your uncle might not induce you to submit. Sup- pose the worst, and then imagine my position; indebted, for a larger sum than I could ever hope to repay, to a lady ! and that lady the mfe of another!'' "No, Charles, never! — I might not become your mfe, against the consent of my uncle, till every endeavour and every reasonable sa- crifice of time which his kindness to me might claim, had proved fruitless, — but never the THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 195 wife of anotlier. Threatened, as you are, with loss of foi-timc, and bent, as you seem to be, upon sacrificing our mutual happiness to a false feeling of pride and independence, I may make this avowal." "Adorable Clara ! how can I resign so great a treasure? How, when the frowns of fortune are about to make me learn the inestimable value of a friend, shall I be able to renounce the dearest, the tniest, and the best which heaven itself could send me?'' " Then why renounce her ? Why make a sacrifice, claimed by no real principle, to the unfounded and inconsistent opinions of the world ? However, to respect your scruples, though I regard them as wholly unreasonable, I vdW admit an arbitrator between us. My uncle Belford is what you and all the world ^vill call a man of honor. I will consent that he shall be our arbitrator on this point. You cannot reftise to abide by his decision V " Agreed. As a near relation of yours, he will, of course, be properly alive to your interests in a matter of so much delicacy and importance ; and whatever be his decision, his knowledge of the transaction and of the precise state of my Vol. I. K 2 196 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. affairs, which I shall take care to place fully before him, will, I think, exonerate me from the imputation of anything dishonorable. And, now, having agreed to your terms, let me ex- press my surprise, if I may do so without impertinence, at the spirit and decision you have displayed in this matter.'' " Indeed ! Mr, Impertinence, you do well to qualify your admiration. Wliat ! You thought the wild half-spoiled girl at Lickenmoss Hall, who saw little else than the eccentricities of her kind, passionate old uncle, and the old fashioned ways of her too indulgent aunt, could have no real opinions of her own, or at least no reasons to give for them. Come, is not that it V "And if I did think so," asked Manton, " would not your preference of so light a per- sonage as myself go far to justify it V "Perhaps it might, if I did not see in you more than you are yourself aware of But, seiiously, the early loss of my mother, and with her, of that care and vigilance which are thought so necessary for the training of girls, was pre- cisely the occasion of my forming a habit of thinking for myself My good aunt had neither the ability nor the wish to think for me. Her THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 197 antiquated maxims, beyond which she never went, had lost their authority, even before childhood was passed. My uncle's libraiy, into which he seldom entered, was abandoned to me as a play-room. Unknown to every one, I con- tracted a love of reading ; and while they imagined I was occupied with what they thought more suited to my years, I was in fact de- vouring every readable book I could find. It may be that my selection was not always the best, and that this ill-directed sort of reading- was, in many respects, more hurtful than bene- ficial. Still, it accustomed me to think for myself. True, when, after a time, I was ad- mitted to occasional glimpses of the world, I found my notions were not precisely those most in vogue with others ; and, of course, I was re- garded as a strange, eccentric girl, who had been spoiled by the indulgence and neglect of her old uncle. •' Finding the opinions and habits of most of my sex so different from my own, I endeavoured to discover wherein their superiority consisted. I found that the women who had followed most closely the maxims of the world, and had succeeded in securing a splendid matrimonial 198 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. establisliment, could hardly point to tlieir owii happiness in support of the wisdom of their plan, even in cases where they were considered unusually successful. There was seldom any real union between them and their husbands; nothing of that similarity of taste or feeling, that community of pleasures, that confidence founded on mutual affection and esteem, that consciousness of being every thing to each other, without which marriage is indeed a tie, but nothing else. If the state of the married was not very enviable, that of the single was less so. To me, accustomed to unusual freedom, their lives appeared passed under a system of petty restraints and annoyances imposed for no conceivable purpose. The use of all their faculties, both mental and bodily, seemed ab- solutely forbidden them, and this odious op- pression continued long after the age at which some excuse might be found for it. The con- clusion I drew was, that if the self-control and instruction to which I had been abandoned were to be lamented, I had at least no reason to envy those who had enjoyed the advantages of the usual routine to which our sex is sub- jected. But you, perhaps, may be of another THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 199 opinion, and think I sliould be all tlie better as a \yife, if I had been sobered by a little more wholesome discipline/' " Not for the world, Clary,'' responded Manton, " would I have you changed in one iota from what you now are. Every word you have uttered has only served to increase the admiration and devotion I feel for you. A soldier, and little enamoured of the common forms and usages of civil life, it is precisely such a companion as your- self I stand in need of, — one who will make common cause with me in every thing, — who will share in whatever of good and evil may betide me ; and place the same implicit, unreserved confi- dence in me which I will repose in her." " Such, Charles, and such only, are the terms upon which I would become your wife. But could I tiTist your loyalty? Would you not hereafter, like the rest of your encroaching sex, infringe the terms of so fair a partnership?" " Never. But could you endure the privations of a soldier's life? — exchange the comforts and luxuries you are used to, for the unavoidable inconveniences of an unsettled and wandering existence? These things can never be fairly estimated but by experience. Did you know 200 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. what it is to shift in scanty, ill - furnished lodgings ; — to change your residence, and even climate, at the will of others, — often without warning ; and to cross the ocean in crowded, ill-provided transports, it might sorely try your faith. You know I have always told you that I cannot abandon my profession.'' "Nor would I have you. The things you mention are not to be lightly treated. To those who have never considered them, they would prove sore trials ; — but I never supposed that, as the wife of a soldier, I could carry with me the comforts and luxuries of Lickenmoss Hall. Besides, even these things have their compensation in the variety and excitement attending them ; and, to tell you a secret, they do not sound quite so foniiidable as you may imagine in the ears of one condemned, in the restlessness of youth, to the dulness and insi- pidity of a country life. But mind you do not serve me as our neighbour. Captain Elliott, of the Bays, did his rustic wife.'' "How was that?" "Why, sold out immediately after his mar- riage, to the grievous disappointment of the lady ; and, what was worse, purchased a place THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 201 in the neighbourliood she liad lived in all her life ; when her only reason for marrying him was the delightful prospect of moving from town to town, and never staying again for three months in the same place. But, talking of selling out, remember you have promised, if necessary, to comply with my suggestion, rather than suffer the present opportunity of purchase to escape you." " Only on one condition, you recollect, that your uncle, Mr. Belford, approves the measure, to which, I confess, I have still very great re- luctance.'* " Oh ! as to his approval, I am pretty sure of that, if it were only for his partiality towards you. You seem to forget that you have to-day saved Isabella's life !" " Her life ! At the worst it would have been but an awkward tumble.'' "It is very well in you to make light of your own good deeds ; — but my uncle Belford wnll value his daughter's preservation after another fashion. Why, he would scarce think his whole fortune a sufficient recompence !" " And if," returned Manton, " such be his estimation of a service rendered with so little Vol. I. K 3 202 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. exertion, liow shall / ever sufficiently evince my admiration for your generous behaviour towards one so utterly incapable of making you any adequate return I" "I am the best judge of that/' said Clara. "I do not say you are not improvable ; and truly I think nothing would do you more good than " " The embrocation, if you please. Ma'am, from Mr. Wellbank's,'' said the servant, who just then entered with a bottle carefully labelled, from the surgeon's. " Oh ! yes, very well," said Clara, rising and smiling at this apropos. " I suj)pose it is not far from five o'clock. Greaves ?" " Nearer six, if you please. Ma'am." " Then my uncle will be in immediately. You will barely have time," continued she, turning to Manton, ''to use the embrocation before dinner. Greaves will show you the room, and render any assistance you may require." ''But my dress," said Manton, looking at his morning frock : " you know I did not calculate on dining here to-day." "Oh ! but a traveller, and especially one wounded in the service of the fair lady of the THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 203 mansion, needs no apology. But I must myself hasten to get rid of my riding-habit. You will find Greaves well versed in bniises and strains, ha\dng had tolerable practice in attending Sir Lionel after his hunting accidents, when he lived at Lickenmoss Hall/' And, so saying, the lady gathered up the train of her habit and swept out of the room, lea^dng Manton to the care of the trustworthy Greaves, who ushered him up stairs into a dressing-room, where he assisted in applying the embrocation in a manner which confirmed his reputation for skill and experience in surgery. On descending to the dramng-room, Manton encountered Mr. Belford, from whom he met with a most cordial reception. That gentleman, on his way home, had fallen in, at a friend's house, with his daughter Isabella, from whom he had learnt Manton's unexpected arrival, and the signal service he had that morning rendered to herself. Nothing could exceed the harmony and joyousness of this little party, the members of which had all so much reason to be pleased with each other. The only drawback was the injury sustained by Manton ; but that, he assured his friends, was of little consequence. 204 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. and was rapidly subsiding, whicli favorable ac- count was confirmed by Greaves, who took it upon himself to say that in two days there would be no remains of the strain whatever. The curiosity of the ladies to learn the par- ticulars of Manton's adventures during his absence from England, induced them to assail him with a host of questions, which prolonged the dinner to a very unusual length. Manton's description of his voyage, the sorry accommo- dation of the officers, and the distresses of Mrs. Nemo excited considerable meniment in all his hearers, excepting the serious Greaves, who internally wondered how any gentleman, who could live quietly at home, would put up with such treatment. " If," said he, when discussing the matter afterwards, in the housekeeper's room, " if the king was to propose for to send me out as governor, or general, to one of them outlandish places, why to be sure I shouldn't object to go, — always supposing Fm to be treated ac- cordingly, and to have a cabin of my own ; because, though I have a very good place here, — not a better, as you know, Mrs. Manby, in all London, — yet it's only a place, and that is THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 205 no inlieritance. Very good pay, I grant, to say notliing of perquisites ; but it isn't a wested interest: you understand me, Mrs. Manby?" "Can't say I do, Mr. Greaves/' " Wby, you see, it isn't perpetual. Master can take it away just when lie likes. There's no law against it.'' " I should tliink not," said Mrs. Manby. " Yes, but there is when it's a wested inter- est. When a rich man has a place, it's most commonly what they call a wested interest, — that is, nobody can take it from him, not even the king himself, without giving him compen- sation." "And what's that, Mr. Greaves?" " Why, a good round sum of money, or else a pension for life, — that's compensation : and a very sensible thing too for them as gets it." "I wish you may get it, Mr. Greaves." " I'd wish so too, Mrs. Manby, if wishing would do it ; but, as I was saying, as my place is not a wested interest, I should have no ob- jection to go out as governor, or general, or any thing of that sort ; because them interests are all wested ones, and they gets a large pen- sion when they are old and done up; — but 206 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. then as to going out like Captain Manton, shut up in such a hole as he speaks of, with nothing to eat but salt pork and hard biscuit, which ain't fit for a christian, I wouldn't do it no how, and I wonder he ain't ashamed of it. They do say too, them officers pays money down for their sitivations ; actilly, I've heard say more than a thousand pounds, and some- times two or three ; — all for the sake of being allowed to go and live among niggers and al- ligators. It's a disgrace to any man to do such a thing, — it does n't sound to sense." " Then, of course, Mr. Greaves, they gets no compensation." " Of course not, Mrs. Manby ; it would be a shame if they did. Them as won't look after their ow^i interests, can't expect to get wested ones. They don't deserve it. There's scripture w^arrant for it, — the Bible says they are worse than infidels ; and think what a hawful sitivation that is, Mrs. Manby." But to return to our friends up- stairs. In the conversation which ensued after the ladies had withdrawn, Manton explained to Belford the reason of his sudden return to England. The latter listened with great interest to his THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 207 naiTative, and at its conclusion, inquired if he was fully satisfied witli liis legal adviser. Manton replied tliat he had no reason to be otherwise, and that he believed Mr. Coverley was fully competent to the management of the afiair. " But, in the mean time," said Belford, " some- thing must be done to secure this purchase. It wdll never do for you to lose such an opportunity. Clara has already informed me, while you were dressing, of the quaiTel between you on the subject, and your agreement to refer the question to my decision. I took at once, upon her own statement, your view of the matter, a decision in which, you may be sure, she would not very readily have acquiesced, if I had not found a less objectionable solution of the difficulty. In other words, my dear fellow, you must j)ermit me to lend you this money. It is true I do not keep so large a sum lying by me idle ; but my banker will make no difficulty in accommodating me, so pray call at the Horse Guards in the morning, and say you are prepared to make the purchase." " But suppose, my dear Sir, my money should prove, as is not unlikely, to be irrecoverably lost, how should I ever repay so large a debt ?" '' How can you ask such a question, Manton ? 208 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. Am I not already your debtor for far more ? Think of the service you rendered me this morning. Do you suppose I would put a paltry thousand pounds in comparison with the safety of my child, the only thing I value left to me in this world ? You should know me better than that. As to Sir Lionel, trust me he will come round in time, and to say the truth, I am very glad you have come over at this juncture." " Yet, by Clara's account, he seems very much bent upon this match ; and I cannot but feel that the brother of my Lord Corisdale must prove a very formidable rival to a poor captain of foot." " In most cases, I grant you ; but not with a girl of Clary's mettle.'' " Heaven bless her for it ! But what do you know of the Honorable Robert Netherley." " Very little, personally. He is what is called a man on town ; and, like most younger brothers of noble families, finds it somewhat difficult to live on his revenues. I have no doubt Sir Lionel's acres are the chief attraction ; and if he could obtain them by themselves, he would willingly resign all claims upon the lady." " Good heavens ! and is such a noble creature THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 209 as Clara to be sacrificed to so base a wretch ; who, when once master of her fortune, might treat her w^th indifference or neglect ! " " It is precisely because I think your presence just now is the most likely means of averting this calamity that I repeat I am overjoyed at your arrival. But we must take active measures at once. This majority must be secured at all events. I vnl\ go to my banker*s the first thing in the morning, and will arrange so that the money shall be forthcoming at a moment's notice. When once gazetted, you must take the field immediately, and demand Sir Lienors perform- ance of the engagement. He will, no doubt, be furious at first, but he will never be able to hold out aofainst Clara's firmness, and all will come off right in the end." Manton expressed, in the strongest terms, his sense of the warm interest Mr. Belford took in his welfare ; and the latter, after assuring him in return of the sincere regard he felt for him, and his wish to consider him henceforth as a connexion, proposed joining the ladies. The evening was passed in discussing the plan of future operations, and the best mode of receiving the baronet's visit, he having announced his 210 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. intention of being in Curzon-Street on the fol- lowing morning. At a late hour Manton took his leave, and returned home to his lodgings, pondering on the events of the day, and hardly able to deter- mine on which side the balance preponderated. If he was gratified with the flattering assurances of the constancy of Clara's affection, and the steady support of Belford, he was no less alarmed at the new projects and threatened hostilities of Sir Lionel. And though his promotion to the majority seemed, at all events, secured to him, he was by no means satisfied with the prospect of the heavy pecuniary obligation he was incur- ring, should his property prove to be irretrievably lost, and his anticipated marriage eventually go off. CHAPTER XIII. The next morning Manton proceeded towards the Horse Guards, Avitli the intention of waiting on Lord Francis Summerfield, the military secretary to the commander-in-chief, in-order to secure the purchase of the vacant majority. He was- so far fortunate that his lordship held a U'cee that morning; and as three names only were yet inscribed on the list, he would be able to see him at an early hour. After whiling away the interval in the Park in much the same fashion, and nearly in the same spot, as on the occasion of his first introduction to the reader, he returned to the waiting-room, where, after a few minutes' suspense, his name was called out by the attendant on duty, and he was ushered into the presence of the great man. Lord Francis Summerfield, who was no less distinguished for his urbanity to the numerous 212 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. officers whose visits, as the official organ of com- munication with the commander-in-chief, it was his duty to receive, than for his gallant services in the late war, received him with his accustomed kindness, and inquired in what way he could be of service to him. In as few words as possible, Manton explained the situation in which he had been placed by the misconduct of the regimental agent ; and that having succeeded in procuring the money from another source, he had waited upon his lordship at the earliest opportunity to prevent the promotion from passing from him. " I am sorry, very sorry, Captain Manton, that I did not know of this before," said Lord Francis. ''It is a very unpleasant affair, certainly. I suppose you have not yet seen last night's Gazette,'' handing the paper to him. Manton took the paper, and casting his eye to the spot indicated, read, " Regiment of Foot. — Captain the Honorable Augustus Lorimer to be Major by purchase, mce Trotter, retired.'' " You see," continued his lordship, " the va- cancy is already filled up ; and I really do not see how it can now be set aside. Had your money been forthcoming at the time, the pro- motion, according to the usual routine of the THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 213 semce, would have gone to you, as it has now to Major Lorimer/' '' But, surely, my lord,'' said Manton, " some consideration is due to the peculiar circumstances of the case. My money would have been forth- coming as early as Major Lorimer's, but for the misconduct of an agent appointed by authority, whom I was obliged almost necessarily to trust.'' " Not necessaiily. Captain Manton, to the ex- tent you appear to have done. The government cannot be answerable for the confidence reposed by officers in agents further than their pay is concerned. Besides, Major Lorimer was placed in the same circumstances as yourself. You should have 'sviitten to your friends, as he did, to proA^ent any delay, occasioned by the agent's failure, in proA^ding the money." Manton explained to his lordship that he had in fact taken that precaution ; but, that Moreton, by selling the property upon the security of which his bankers had agreed to advance the money, had rendered it unavailing. ''Very unfortunate, Captain Manton, — very much so. I am, I assure you, extremely con- cerned for your disappointment ; but I do not see how it can be remedied. However, you are 214 THE POWEE, OF ATTORNEY. very young for a field-officer yet, you know ; and it is possible tliat tlie commander-in-cliief miglit have scrupled on that ground to let you have the majority : so that after all '' " Your lordship apparently forgets/' interposed Manton, " that however short may be my stand- ing in the serwce, Major Lorimer's is of a still more recent date/' " Ah ! indeed ! veiy tnie, I forgot that ; but then you know much is due to the imj)ortant services of his father, Lord Variform/' " Indeed, my lord ! I was not aware his lord- ship had ever served !" " Not in the army, true ; but in his capacity as , in short, my Lord Variform has very- great claims to the consideration of government, and it is quite out of the question to think for a moment of cancelling Major Lorimer's promotion. Very sorry, I repeat, for your dis- appointment. Captain Manton, — very, — trust you will be more fortunate another time ;" and moving, as he spoke, towards the door, the courtly secretary bowed the unpractised Manton, in the politest manner possible, out of the room. From the Horse Guards, Manton proceeded in THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 215 a cab to Coverley's chambers. To a man un- accustomed to the buffetings of fortune, the first nide shock he meets with deprives him of the power of seeing* things as they really are. He fancies that it is but the precursor of a host of woes about to fall on him, and that all the world is leao'ued for his destruction. While being whirled through the crowded streets, Manton's imagination was busy in presenting ^o him a train of e^dls which gloomed in perspective. First, it was veiy certain that his five thousand pounds would be irrecoverably lost : the chance of promotion was already gone ; and with it all hope of possessing the incomparable Clara. But that was not all; — she herself stood upon the brink of an abyss, — fate would compel her to accept of his detestable rival as a husband, — and, as to himself, forced to exchange into one of the native West Indian regiments, he should find a speedy end to his misery through the fiiendly aid of yellow-fever, or dysentry. A heavy rain, which had extinguished the morn- ing's promise of a fine day, and thrown damp and gloom over the spirits of eveiy one but the cabmen, added to the effect of these agreeable reveries, and Manton sat scowling through the 216 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. storm ^yitli a sort of dogged defiance of his destiny. By the time the cab reached the entrance of Gray's Inn in Holborn, he had worked himself up into a thorough conviction of his impending poverty, and the necessity of adopting a rigid oeconomy suited to his altered circumstances. '^What's your fare, my man," said he, stepping out of the cab Avith an air which meant to say, " I won't be imposed upon.'' "You won't think of giving me less than half-a-crown, your honour?" " Half-a-crown, you scoundrel ! why, it's double your fare ! " " Not for a gen'elman, sir : that is, if a gen'elman be a gen'elman." "There is eighteen-pence for you; and that's twopence more than you are entitled to." "Eighteen-pence!" said Jarvy, tossing the money contemptuously in his palm, — "eighteen- pence for coming all the wmr from Whitehall ! Blest if you ain't a proper snab ! I ain't sarc}", and I don't intend to be so ; but cuss me if I think you've got another eighteen-pence in your pocket." " I'll take your number, you scoundrel ! " THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 217 "Will you? So you may, — and take my name too, — its a better one than your'n. — There, don't stand chaffing out in the wet, — the rain will spoil your castor, and you can't afford to buy another, you know. Good bye, my tight un, — you're a fine fellow, I dont think," and so saying, he of the cab re-mounted his seat, and as he drove slowly away, directed a volley of abuse over his shoulder to our as- tonished ceconomist as long as he remained within hearing. On entering Coverley's chambers, Manton diAaned at once from his look and manner, that his forebodings had not deceived him. The good-natured la^vyer, as he took him by the hand and reached a chair for him, evinced all that painful disquietude which a kind-hearted man feels when about to communicate any dis- tressing intelligence. Manton, whose mind was made up to the worst, saved him the trouble of introducing th^ subject. "Come, Coverl^," said he, "out with it at once, — no use delaying what must be told sooner or later, — all is lost, I see it is, — say so at once.'' "It is even so, my dear sir," said Coverley; Vol. I. L 218 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. "and though, as a lawyer, I am little likely to get credit for concern for the misfortunes of others, I do assure you I am most sincerely grieved for yours; and the more so as I feel convinced it is both total and irremediable." " Thank you, thank you ; I have as little doubt of the sincerity of your concern for my loss as of the earnestness of your efforts to avert it. But now that the worst is known, I should like to know how the matter was effected, and whether I must attribute my loss to my own carelessness or to the rascality of others." " To both,'' said Coverley. " But I will give you a regular account of my proceedings since I saw you : — if, indeed, you think you are now in a fit state to hear it.'' " Oh ! never fear. I do not pretend to the fortitude and strong sense of your cousin Watson ; but at least I am man enough not to shrink from the consequences of my o^vn folly." " My first step," said the lawyer, " after you quitted me was to call on my o-wn broker, Mr. Strickland, who sometimes transacts business for the bank, and would, I thought, therefore, be of great assistance in directing my inquiries. I THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 219 was not mistaken. He had, on several occasions, been employed to make similar inquiries for other parties, and he undertook to accompany me at once to the proper office. On mentioning to the person who was at the head of this de- partment, and to w^hom he was perfectly well known, the object of our visit, that gentleman directed an immediate reference to be made to the books for our satisfaction. By them it ap- peared that in the beginning of June last, five thousand pounds stock in the three per cent, consolidated bank annuities were standino^ in in the name of Charles Greville Manton.'' " Precisely so,'' said Manton ; " that was the exact amount of the stock when I left England." " And on the 80th of the same month, June," continued Coverley, recurring to his notes, "it appears that the whole of the said stock was sold out, in separate amounts, to two different purchasers, viz., one sum of three thousand pounds to Sir Simon Chapman, and another of two thousand to Mr. Thomas Jones, by Mr. James Moreton, under a power of attorney, duly executed by the said Charles Greville Manton, and attested by one Patrick Dennis, described as an ensign in the regiment." Vol. I. L 2 220 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. "But which power/' interposed Manton, ''as I told you before, was only intended by me to enable Moreton to receive the dividends in my absence." " Just so/' rejoined Coverley ; " and that fact I did not fail to mention to the head of the office." " And what was his answer ?" demanded Manton. " Why, that whatever might have been the intention of the party executing the power, there was no doubt whatever that the instrument itself Avas perfectly sufficient to authoiize a legal sale of the stock, — that the power itself, like all others for the transfer of stock, was deposited at the bank the day before the sale for examina- tion, and that as the instrument was prepared by the parties themselves (as I had infomied him), and was not contained in one of the printed forms of the bank, it would on that very- account have been subjected to the shai'pest scrutiny. He added, that if after this explana- tion, the party in question was still dissatisfied, the law was open to him, but the bank would give no further information. He recommended the party, however, to think well of the conse- THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 221 quences, for he was perfectly certain that with the precautions adopted by the bank, no such mistake, as that supposed, was possible, and he had not the slightest doubt that they would be able to justify their part in the transaction. "And in this opinion," said Manton, "you agreed V " I did," returned the lawyer ; " but of course without saying so. Determined, however, to leave no stone unturned, I left the bank and proceeded straight to Mr. Moreton's office, which I found shut up. After some little trouble, I procured the address of the late head clerk of the establishment. Being now entirely uncon- nected with Mr. Moreton, by whom he had in fact been a sufferer, he had no reason for con- cealment. He confirmed the statement made at the bank, that the stock was sold by Moreton under the power of attorney, which he repre- sented as full and complete, and remembered its ha^^ng been sent down to the Isle of Wight, and returned by you by the next post properly executed and attested. The proceeds of the sale, he said, had no doubt been dissipated along with the property of many others, his own included, in a series of losing speculations, into 222 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. which Moreton was induced to enter, in order to support the career of infatuated extravagance into which he had plunged. ''In answer to mj question whether there were any funds from which the creditors might hope for a dividend, he replied, none whatever. Moreton had succeeded in escaping to America with what ready cash he could collect, and the iurniture, plate, pictures, carriages and horses belonging to his expensive establishment, had been claimed by his wife under her marriage settlement. The money arising from the sale of this property would constitute the only means of subsistence left to herself and family." " It seems then,'' said Manton, " that I have been stripped of every penny I possessed, by my own carelessness in intinisting to another a larger j)ower than I intended." "I am too much afraid that mil turn out to be the case'' answered the lawyer. " There is but one chance left to us yet, — but so poor a one that we can hope for nothing from it. "What is that?" asked Manton. " Why, as a last resource, I enquired of the clerk if he knew the name of the solicitor who prepared the power. He said he did, and gave THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 223 me his address, Mr. Worriman, Adam- Street, Adelphi." "And you went there?" said Manton. " I did," answered Coverley ; " but he was unfortunately out. However, I left my card yviih his clerk, and wrote a note in his office requesting him to send me a copy of the power he had prepared for you by Mr. Moreton's directions." "And do you think he will do so?" inquired Manton. "Why, I can hardly say," replied Coverley. "He seems a needy man, judging by the ap- pearance of his office ; and as he will have an opportunity of charging a few shillings for it, it is very likely he will." " And if he does," said Manton, despondingly, "it will I fear be of little use. From what you stated of your interview with the gentleman at the Bank, I don't think there is the shadow of a chance." " I fear not," answered Coverley. " Still it is something to arrive at a certainty, and to know that every thing that could have been done, has been done. Ah ! if you had only known just enough of law to be aware of 224? THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. what a power of attorney is susceptible, all this might have been saved. It's a pretty thing, — a veiy pretty thing is a Power, — capa- ble of being moulded so as to meet every cir- cumstance, and to confer just as much autho- rity as is absolutely necessary to effect the object in ^iew, and no more. In your case now, " The lawyer s intended explanation w^as here cut short by a knock at the door, and the entrance of a clerk, who deposited a small packet on the table. ''From Mr. Worriman's, sir,'' said he, addressing Coverley, and imme- diately retiring. " Ah ! " said the lawyer, opening the packet, " here is the thing itself Let me see. 'Whereas I, Charles Gre^ille Manton,' — ah ! commences with a recital I see, — rather unusual that, — gives it an air of greater deliberation and solemnity, — done with that ^iew no doubt. But come, let us go regularly through it." ''SSaiD^rra^, I, Charles Gre^dlle Manton, of the parish of Little Cheverel, in the county of Wilts, a captain in his Majesty's regiment of foot, being about to quit England on foreign service with my said regiment, and being desirous of THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 22o appointing and ordaining James Moreton, of the parish of Saint Martin, in the county of Middlesex, army agent, my tme and lawful attorney, to act for me in my name, and in my behalf, in the matters hereinafter mentioned ; ** NoU), itnoU) all mtn tv tJ)C0e \^vMtnt^, That I, the said Charles Greville Manton, for divers good causes and considerations me here- unto mo\^ng, have made, ordained, constituted, and appointed, and by these presents, do, make, ordain, constitute, and appoint the said James Moreton my tnie and la^^'ful attorney, for me, and in my name, and in my behalf, to ask, demand, and receive all and eveiy sum and sums of money, now due, or which shall here- after grow due to me, in the way of interest or dividends on all stock now standing and which may hereafter stand in my name, in the books of the Governor and Company of the Bank of England ; and for me and in my name, or in his own name, to make and give sufficient receipts, discharges, and acquittances for the same" '' So far," said the lawyer, " all is right, and if the matter had stopped there, you would have been perfectly safe." Vol. I. L 3 226 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. *'So I tliouglit, my dear sir, at the time," obseiTed Mantoii ; " and seeing my directions had been minutely complied with, I read no farther ; taking it for granted, that all the rest was a sheer mass of legal jargon, added merely to lengthen the document, and swell out the lawyer's charges." " Good heavens ! " exclaimed Coverley, " and five minutes' patience would have saved all ! But let us go on. Ah ! here it is. The veiy next line would have let you into all the mis- chief, — see." ** ^Utl also in my name, and on my behalf, to sell, assign, transfer, and dispose of, the whole or any part of the said capital stock, so standing in my name as aforesaid, at any time or times, as in his discretion he shall see fit, and to receive the consideration money for the same ; and to make and give all proper receipts, discharges, and acquittances for the same, and to make, do, and execute all acts, deeds, matters, and things w^hich may be requisite for effecting all or any of the premises : I, the said Charles Greville Manton, hereby ratifying and confiraiing all that my said attorney, James Moreton, shall do therein by virtue hereof; And in case of my THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 227 death, tliis letter of attorney shall, so far as the Governor and Company of the said Bank of England are or may be concerned, be as binding upon my executors and administrators, as the same would have been upon me if living, unless notice in writing of my death shall have been previously given to the said Governor and Company ; and unless such notice be given, I hereby promise and engage and bind myself, my executors, and administrators, to and with the said Governor and Company of the Bank of England, that they, my said executors or administrators, shall and do allow, ratify, and confirm, as good, valid, and effectual, against them and against my estate, whatsoever shall or may be done by my said attorney, James Moreton, after my decease, so far as the said Governor and Company of the Bank of England shall be in any way interested or concerned therein. In -witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this thirteenth day of June,'' &c. &;c. '' Humph !" said the lawyer when he had finished the document. "Just as I expected, — a dead thing, — not a cranny to creep out of. That fellow Moreton knew very well what he 228 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. was about. The instrument you see autliorizes him to do everything he has done. First, there is the authority to receive the di\ddends ; next the power to sell ; and lastly, the bank is expressly exonerated from every shadow of responsibility for any part they may have taken in the sale. Ay, ay, Moreton understood what he was about, and took care the power should be express upon that point ; knowing very well that unless that was perfectly clear, the bank would never have permitted the sale.'' '^ Then, against the bank, I have no remedy," said Manton. '' Certainly not ; — none whatever." " And as to Moreton, could he not be indicted if found V " Clearly not ; — there is no forgery, — no con- spiracy, — not even a breach of trust : he has done no more than what you have authoiized. Your only remedy against him, supposing he were forthcoming, would be by an action of assumpsit for money had and received for your use. But, good heavens ! — to think of executing a document of that kind ^^ithout reading it through I" " But consider the circumstances, my dear sir," THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 229 urged Manton. " It was done in the midst of huriy and confusion. We were to embark that mornino;. I had to run about for a witness to attest the execution, which took place in a crowded baiTack room.'' " And it was, no doubt, not ^^ithout design, that Moreton postponed sending the papers to the last moment," observ^ed Coverlej. " Had you discovered the real scope and meaning of the instrument, and sent it back in consequence unexecuted, he would have throwm the blame upon the lawyer who prepared it, and said he had exceeded his instructions." " Perhaps so," cried Manton, who now felt acutely the consequences of his inconsideration. " Still, his machinations would not have succeeded but for my own inconceivable folly. To think that by the stupidest inattention to my own affairs, I should have allowed, nay, enabled a contemptible spendthrift to deprive me of the l)ropei*ty on which all my hopes of success and happiness in life depended, and squander it away in senseless extravagance ! There is mad- ness in the thought ; but it must be so, and should be so ! Wliat right has a fool like me with property ? — let it go, — and let the fool go 280 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. too ;" and the unhappy Manton struck his temples with his clenched fist, with a violence which made Coverley tremble for his intellects. "But, my dear sir/' cried the kind-hearted lawyer, rising and taking the hand of his un- fortunate client, whose whole frame shook con- vulsively, " you have only acted as most persons would have done in your situation ; — indeed you have nothing to reproach yourself mth/' "How ! nothing to reproach myself with ! Oh ! to be sure not ! I did only as I was told, — signed away my substance at the bid- ding of a profligate! — Idiot! dolt! driveller! Ah ! ah ! nothing to reproach myself with ! Come, — speak out fairly for once, man, — do you not in your heaii; regard me as the veriest fool that ever owed his niin to his own in- fatuation ? '* "You will not listen to me, my dear sir," replied Coverley, — "or I could tell you of many persons who, to my own knowledge, with far greater opportunities of knowing the world, have committed infinitely greater imprudences, attended not merely with serious loss, as in your case, but mth utter destruction to them- selves and families. This very day a case came THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 231 before me, to wliicli yours, grievous as it is, is comparatively light : tlie papers lie now upon that table before you.'* " Ah ! what ! more fools in the world ! '' exclaimed Manton. " To be sure ! how else should knaves thrive ? Why, man ! were it not for our numbers, they would get as thin and weazened as ourselves.'' ''Speak not so mldly, my dear sir;" said Coverley, "and pardon me for saying I should have looked on such an occasion for more for- titude fi'om one of your spirit and profession. We may sometimes learn to bear our own mis- fortunes better from seeing the lot of others. I have no title, I own, to play the moralist with you ; but I repeat, the stoiy contained in those papers is fraught \vith trials to some, compared to which your own are light as down. You are yet young, — with no one to support but yourself; and for that, you still retain your commission as a captain, — no contemptible provision for a single man after all; — but here is one ■\\'ith a devoted wife and a young family dependent upon him, who, I fear, is destined to be plunged at once from competence into utter and hopeless poverty ! And what, I ask, is the 232 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. loss of superfluous wealtli compared witli the bitterness of seeing tliose wlio owe existence to us, or Avho have been partners with us in the joys and sorrows of life, struggling vainly with difficulties they were never prepared to encoun- ter, and sinking gradually under the pressure of poverty and despair?'' "Right, Coverley, right; — to such trials mine are light indeed ; yet my feelings were not wholly selfish; — I thought of one, — but no matter, — I am, as you say, single and alone. But tell me your story ; — to me it should prove a wholesome lesson ; but perhaps you are not at liberty to mention particulars ?" "Why, as to that, they mil soon be before the public through the medium of Westminster Hall ; so that there is no occasion for scrapie on that head. The facts are simple enough, and soon told. My client, who is a stock-broker in the city, and therefore infinitely more versed in money afiairs than you could possibly be, had occasion, rather more than two years ago, to go to Paris, to settle some transactions relative to the French funds. While there, he had the misfortune to make the acquaintance of the brother of an English peer, who was staying at THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 233 the same hotel. My client, who is of a quiet, un- assuming disposition, would never have thought of thiTisting himself on the society of a man so superior in rank to himself ; but the ' honorable,' who possessed that careless thoughtlessness of manner which does more than anything else to eftace the differences of rank, showed so much inclination for his society, that he could not, ^\'ithout positive bearishness, avoid him. Being nearly of the same age, engaging in the same pleasures, and thrown very much together, their acquaintance ripened into intimacy much sooner than it would have done under other circum- stances. My friend, besides, though, as I have said, of a veiy unobstrusive character, was not a little flattered with the acquaintance of a man entitled to move in the highest circles, and who had unequivocally made the first advances towards him. There was, moreover, nothing about his new friend to alarm, or suggest the possibility of danger from so unequal a connection. He was neither a libertine, nor a gamester ; and in the sentiments he expressed, there was a tone of feeling and generous consideration for others, seldom evinced by those who mix much in fashionable life. 234 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. "As the two friends became intimate, they conversed freely of the state of their affairs, and my client learned that his companion was pos- sessed of a considerable West Indian property, bequeathed to him by an uncle, and from which he derived the greater part of his income. The produce of the estates, however, which were very valuable, was far below what it ought to have been, owing to the want of sufficient funds for their proper cultivation. My client, though not what would be called a speculator, was always willing to turn an opportunity to account, where he thought it might safely be done. He had generally a few thousands floating in exchequer bills and other negociable securities ; and the thought occurred to him that he might possibly benefit both himself and his new friend, by pro- viding the necessary means for cultivating the estates to advantage. Accordingly, Avhen the subject was next mentioned, he hinted at the possibility of such an aiTangement. His honor- able friend eagerly caught at the plan, and it was resolved to carry it into execution imme- diately after their amval in England, to which both parties were about to return. " The arrangement concluded was, that my THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 235 client should immediately lend two thousand pounds, and that he should further guarantee the re-pajment of any sums advanced by a certain banking establishment connected with the West Indies, to meet the expenses of manag- ing the estate in Barbadoes, provided such sums did not exceed the amount of 6^2500 in any one year. For the money actually lent, as well as for that for the payment of which he had made himself responsible, my client was to receive a per centage, usual in such circum- stances, and which, being calculated with regard to the risk incurred, is of course larger than the ordinai*v rate of interest in common cases. "Under this arrangement, a sum of between four and five thousand pounds was advanced by the bankers; and some six months ago, they became very pressing for the re-payment upon my client, who thereupon had recourse to his aristocratic friend. The latter assured him that all would eventually be right, — that the accounts from Barbadoes were highly en- courao-ino- — that the sums advanced had suf- ficed to put the estate in excellent condition, — and that it would commence the very next year to yield ample returns. These represen- 236 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. tations were repeated to the bankers, and they consented to let things remain as they were for some months longer. From this time, how- ever, the ^T.sits of the 'honorable' gentleman to his acquaintance of the stock exchange began to slacken, and at length ceased alto- gether. Alarmed at this indication, as well as by certain rumours lately circulated about the character of his friend, my client commis- sioned a relation of his o\vn, who was about to proceed to Barbadoes, to inquire into the real circumstances of the estate. About a month ago the account was received. It stated that the property in question was a very val- uable one ; but, at the time of its de^ise to its present owner, was burdened with a heavy mortgage, which ate up all the proceeds, — that the mortgagee was the present manager, who lived on the property, and was in fact proprietor in every thing but the name, — that he allowed the owner a small annual income, and was induced to do this, as well as to ab- stain from procuring a foreclosure, by some family arrangements existing between them, it being understood that the owner, still a young man, was to marry the manager's half-cast THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 237 daughter, when she attained a marriageable age, which was fast approaching. The account conchided with stating that, as far as the writer could collect, no part of the various sums ad- vanced had been transmitted to the manager, w^ho was in no need of such assistance. "The bankers are now again pressing for payment, and have threatened my poor client with legal proceedings unless he immediately satisfies their demand. The amount due to them, added to the sum advanced at first, ■will make a total loss to my friend of upwards of seven thousand pounds ; and when I tell you that this will exhaust every shilling he possesses, and that he has a mfe and three young children dependent upon him, you will at least allow that his case is infinitely more pitiable than yours. You see, too, his misfor- tunes are partly attributable, like your own, to his own inattention, with the aggravation, which you have not, that, as a man of busi- ness, he ought to have seen the folly of ex- posing himself to such results, w^hich a very little caution might have avoided." " Poor fellow ! '' exclaimed Manton. " His case is indeed harder than mine, — and his re- 238 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. flections must be more bitter ; — but still he has his remedy against his ' honorable ' friend/' " True ; but of what avail is that ? You may as well attempt to extract blood from a stone as seven thousand pounds out of the pocket of a spendthrift, whose expenses exceed five times his income, and who is in debt to every tradesman in London who would trust him." " At all events, he will have wherewithal to pay, after he has married his little half-caste Venus in Barbadoes." " That is not quite so certain. If he should disclose his circumstances to his intended father- in-law, the latter will take care to settle the property in such a way that it will not be liable to his debts and engagements. But, indeed, I am far from believing that the maniage will take place at all. He would of course enter into any engagements to secure an income, when the performance was put off to so long a day ; but when it comes to the point, I much doubt if he will perform his part of the bargain. He knows perfectly well that marriage is the best card in his hand ; and a mere life-interest in what is, after all, a very moderate property to a man of his rank, would scarcely be sufficient THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 239 to gild the little bLack Venus, as you call her, to the taste of the Honorable Robert Netherley." " The Honorable Robert Netherley ! What ! the brother of Lord Corrisdale I You can't surely mean him ? " " Why not ? Whom else should I mean ? Didn't I mention his name before V* " To be sure not, or I should not have listened so calmly to the end of your story." " Why, how should it concern you ?" " Concern me ! s'death ! man, everything in it concerns me. That dear little black Venus ! I I am sure I shall love her as long as I live, — and your prince of brokers too ! Why, this is the most glorious news ! Give us your hand, man. Was ever anything so fortunate ? Zounds ! I believe I shall go out of my senses." " Faith ! I believe you are in a fair way, if you have not done so already. What, the deuce, can the little black Venus be to you ?" "Everything, — my guardian angel, preserver, benefactress. S'death ! man, Til worship her as a divinity, and so shall you too. Why, this will restore Sir Lionel to his senses, — bring back Clara, happiness, and prosperity ; and the Honor- able Robert Netherley, the bank directors, and Moreton may all go to the devil together." 240 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. "And may I make one of the party," cried the astonished lawyer, " if I can understand the meaning of all this rhapsody." " Rhapsody ! I tell you it is all plain, clear, sober sense ; and if you can give me a few minutes longer, I will explain to you how it is that your story concerns me so nearly, and, mth your assistance, may be made to render me the the most signal service, — so signal as almost to neutralise the effects of Moreton's rascality." To secure such a result, Coverley assured him that his time and exertions were entirely at his disposal ; and Manton then explained the posi- tion in which he stood with regard to Miss Hardcastle, Sir Lionel's conduct towards him, and the support the baronet had given to the pretensions of his rival, the Honorable Robert Netherley. When these matters had been duly stated to the lawyer, he decided that no time whatever should be lost in exposing the real character and circumstances of Mr. Netherley ; and that while Manton was so employed in Curzon-Street, he would himself procure such proofs of all he had stated as would carry conviction to the most incredulous. This he said he could easily THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 241 accomplish tliroiigli the means of his friend the stock-broker, who, besides being able to prove the infamous conduct of Mr. Netherley towards himself, was in possession of letters and papers which would show that the estate in Barbadoes was mortgaged to the last farthing, and that the nominal title to it was only suffered to remain in the mortgager in consideration of his intended marriage with the daughter of the mortgagee. After testifying his sense of the warm interest Coverley evinced in his welfare, Manton took leave of his friendly adviser. On emerging from the arch-way leading from Gray's Inn into Holborn, he called a cab, and proceeded directh^ to Curzon-Street. The sky, which for some time had been overcast, had cleared, and was again beaming with the brightness which had ushered in the morning. As the vehicle glided through the crowded thoroughfare, Manton thought that the countenances of the pedestrians who passed him wore a happier look than they had done in his previous ride ; and when he descended from the cab, he threw the driver half-a-crown without inquiring his fare. " That's what I call handsome now," said Jarvy, Vol. I. M 242 THE POWER or ATTORNEY. as lie consigned the coin to a greasy leather pouch, after ringing it in the air to ascertain its quality. " He is a right down gen elman, and no mistake ; — and any one may see that vnth. half an eye." CHAPTER XIV. From the servant wlio opened tlie door in Curzon- Street, Manton learned that Sir Lionel Hardcastle had arrived in town, and was at that moment in the drawing-room with Clara and Mr. Belford. He desired that he might be announced immediately ; and, not choosing to run the hazard of not being admitted, followed the footman closely up-stairs. The parties in the dra^^ing-room were evidently in high debate ; and the baronet was in the act of declarinsr that he would be d d if he would ever see that puppy Manton again, when, to his astonishment, that individual stood before him. " I trust my presence ^\ill not be accompanied mth so heavy a penalty. Sir Lionel,'' said Man- ton, A\dth a confidence in his tone and manner, which enraged the astonished baronet even more than his unexpected appearance. " I hope you Vol. I. M 2 244 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. will allow me," he added, "to express my gratification. Sir Lionel, at seeing you look so remarkably well. It is tlie first time I have had the pleasure of seeing you since my return to England.'' " It is, sir ; and 111 take good care it shall be the last. This is not my house, sir, or — but I say nothing. I suppose, brother [to Belford], Captain Manton is here with your sanction ?" "Certainly, Lionel; — it w^as only yesterday I told him to consider it as his home.'' " Indeed ! His home, forsooth ! Then this is no place for me. His home, indeed ! So then, I am the intruder after all ! I suppose I must apologize then, for being in the gentleman's home ! However, Lickenmoss Hall is mi/ home yet I hope." " And long, I trust, it will remain so. Sir Lionel," said Manton ; " for be assured, sir, whatever may be your feelings towards me, I shall never entertain others than those of res- pect to him who has been always the kind and faithful guardian of one, who, under every cir- cumstance, will ever be dearer to me than existence itself." This reproach, uttered with a good deal of THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 245 empliasis, considerably staggered the baronet ; perceiving wbich, Belford obseiTed that Captain Manton was at least entitled to tlie courtesy of a gentleman, should they even think proper to break their enprao-ements towards him. "Engagements!" cried Sir Lionel, eager to lay hold of any pretence for being in a fury. " What do you talk of engagements for ? If there were any, I tell you he broke them him- self. When I agreed to his having Clary when he became a field-officer, I supposed, of course, he had the money to purchase ; — if he had not, it was a concealment on his part, and no fair bargain.'' " But, to my knowledge,'' replied Belford, " he had the money then, and is prepared to purchase stiU." " Then, why didn't he, when he had the op- portunity ? Why did he let the majority go over his head ? I tell you I saw it myself in last night's Gazette. Ask him if it is not so ; — he can't deny it." " What Sir Lionel says," said Manton, turning to Belford, ''is too true. The promotion, through no fault of mine, was inadvertently given to Captain Lorimer ; and, in an interview I had 246 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. tliis morning witli the military secretary to the commander-in-chief, I found that the interest of his father, Lord Variform, was too powerful to allow any hope of the mistake being rectified. Still, I submit that this circumstance cannot put an end to our engagement. I am, as you know, prepared to purchase ; so that things remain only as they were.'' "But, s'death !" interposed Sir Lionel, "you don't suppose that Clary is to wither away till she is the colour of parchment, while you are waiting for your promotion ! Besides, I have changed my mind, as I have a right to do ; and, what I suppose is no news to you, I have provided another husband for her." " And what if he should prove unworthy of her. Sir Lionel?" asked Manton. "Why, then I will trouble myself no more about the matter, and leave Clary to decide for herself. But no fear of that, I fancy. I believe I know the world, — eh ? brother Belford? I think you'll do me that justice ; and as to the Honor- able Robert Netherley, I think I may pronounce him to be " "As accomplished a swindler as any in Lon- don,*' said Manton, finishing the sentence, and looking the baronet steadfastly in the face. THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 247 " A swindler ! " exclaimed Sir Lionel, — '' the Honorable Robert Netlierley a swindler ! Do you hear that, brother Belford? Do you hear your precious, modest, unassuming favorite there, libelling the whole nobility in the per- son of the Honorable Robert Netherley? Do you know it is scandalum magnatum, sir, and liable to be punished with fine and imprison- ment, and transportation for life, sir? And do you know that Mr. Netherley is engaged to be married to my niece, sir?" "Yes, Sir Lionel, and that he is also en- gaged to be manied to a little Creole Venus in the West Indies, and has been so these four years." " Brother Belford, do you hear that ? Will you suffer me to be insulted in this scandalous manner in your own house?'' " You would not, I am sure, Captain Manton," said Belford turning to him, "speak lightly on such a subject. But allow me to observe, that accusations of this kind should be free from even the possibility of error. Swindler is not a term to be applied to the brother of a nobleman, except upon the most unimpeachable evidence.'' 248 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. "Nor to any man/' replied Manton, "what- ever be his rank. For my own part, tendering as I do the value of an unsullied reputation above that of all earthly possessions, I would not breathe a syllable against the character of the humblest indi^ddual, unless I were morally certain of the truth of what I uttered. But no rank shall prevent my denouncing knavery and villany wherever I may meet them ; — and so far from thinking that the possession of high rank and connection entitles an offen- der to greater consideration, it only serves, in my opinion, to enhance ten-fold the baseness of his conduct. Sir Lionel Hardcastle, with a full conviction of the serious responsibility I am taking upon myself, I affirm that the Honorable Robert Netherley is a despicable smndler; and if you and Mr. Belford will ac- company me to the chambers of my legal ad- viser in Gray's Inn, I will undertake to lay such evidence before you, as shall leave no doubt in your mind of the truth of my assertions.''' "This,'' said Belford, "is indeed a serious business. I do not see Sir Lionel how you can resist such an appeal. Common prudence on your part, demands that this matter should THE POWER' OF ATTORNEY. 249 be tliorouglily sifted. After wliat you have said, Captain Maiiton, I presume you are pre- 2)ared to answer all consequences?'' "With my life/' replied Manton. "S'death!" cried the baronet, who had been a good deal staggered by the impressive man- ner assumed by the soldier, " if I am to be worried out of my life in this manner till Clary gets a husband, why the sooner she is married the better. Here comes a young sprig of one of the first families of the peerage, — almost as old as our own, — and just when I have accepted him, up starts this Hector, who I thought, was safe in Gibraltar, and swears he is ready to prove him a swindler!" "And pray, uncle,'' interposed Clara, who had hitherto sat a silent spectator of a scene which so much concerned her, but was too much piqued at this last observation to let it pass unnoticed, "who but yourself imposed this trouble upon you?" "Ay, true enough. Clary," responded the baronet, "who, but myself? Who, but your old fool of an uncle, who must needs go and ]Dlague himself about the welfare of his thank- less, undutiful niece ! " Vol. I. M 3 250 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. "Nay, dearest uncle, do me not this injus- tice; — call not her thankless and undutiful who feels too sensibly the obligation your unparalleled kindness has laid upon her, not to be ready to make every sacrifice but '' "The only one I should ever think of re- quiring. You know very well, girl, that my estate must go with your hand " "And would you give either, dearest uncle, to a villain? Have we indeed sunk so low that we should court the alliance of one who is branded with dishonor? I wonder how old Sir Bevil, who held out Lickenmoss so stoutly against the rebel roundheads, w^ould have looked at such a proposal ! " "Ay, but girl, assertion is not proof; — and recollect the accusation comes from one " "Whose word," interposed Clara, "I would most devoutly take for any matter to wdiich it was pledged. My life upon it, the charge will be made out to the minutest particular." " But should it not. Clary," cried the baronet, "will you promise me then, you will no longer oppose my wishes?" " If you mean, Sir Lionel, that I will consent to accept of Mr. Netherley for a husband, I THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 251 answer decidedly, no. I possess too much of Sir Be\irs spirit to deceive you, and I may add at once, and I liope I may say it maidenly, as well as honestly, no earthly consideration shall ever induce me to break the faith I have once plighted to another." " By my faith ! Clary, it is well said. S'death ! Belford, she comes, you see, of the right stock. Hark'ee Manton, — if the old fellow agrees to make some sacrifice, s'death ! man, you must do the same. You see there are no stems, after I am gone, to keep up the honor of an ancient name ; — two were given ; — but He who gave, thought fit to remove them, and the old scarred trunk has been left to stand and fall alone. — Say you will take our name, and I will intrust at once its honor to your keeping, and with it the happiness of the truest and most generous spirit that ever bore it." "And most gladly and thankfully, Sir Lionel, do I accept the terms. But, before moving further, even in such a matter so vitally afi'ect- ing the happiness of my existence, my honor requires I should fully substantiate the charges I have brought against the character of another. You, Clara, I am sure, " But Clara had van- 252 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. ished, and retired to her apartment to recover from the agitation into which, she had been thrown. " I am of opinion with Captain Manton," said Belford, "that a regard to his o^\ti honor, as well as justice to Mr. Nctherley, requires that w^e should at once endeavour to ascertain the truth of the serious accusations brought against the latter, before proceeding further in other matters. My horses are ready; and if you are both prepared, I will order them round, and we mil drive at once to Gray's Inn." This proposal being acquiesced in by Sir Lionel and Manton, the party drove immediately to Coverley's chambers. That gentleman, who meanwhile had not been idle, had fortunately just returned from the city, where he had been to obtain some further particulars from his un- fortunate client. The latter had intrusted to his care bills to a large amount, accepted by Netherley, with other documents and papers sufficient to remove any doubt as to the real character of that " honorable" personage. In reply to the questions of Belford, Coverley repeated the history of Netherley's transactions with the stock-broker in nearly the same terms THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 253 in whicli it lias already been given to tlie reader, and wliicli was entirely confirmed by the bills and papers above mentioned. At the sight of the former, • the baronet uttered a long drawn "wheugh!" and producing an old fashioned pocket-book, extracted from among sundry valu- able receipts for the glanders, spavins, «Sz;c., a note of hand for £600, payable to himself six months after date, which had been given to him by Mr. Netherley only the week before, in acknowledo-ment of certain advances made to him by Sir Lionel. Having carefully smoothed the crumpled surface of this valuable document, the baronet placed it before the lawyer, and asked what he thought it was worth. "Something less than the paper it is wiitten on," returned the latter; "for I see it is regu- larly stamped." " Then the rascal never intended to pay me except out of my own money," cried the enraged Sir Lionel. " I must do Mr. Netherley the justice to believe he never intended you such an insult," said Coverley. " From all I have heard of his pro- ceedings, it was a point with him never to pay any one at all." 254 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. " S'death ! then, am I to be fooled out of my money ? Is there no way of punishing such a fellow V " No doubt there is/' said Belford, " and Mr. Coverley would speedily put you in the way of doing it, if it w^ere advisable ; but there would be little msdom in making our family affairs the talk of the town, for the gratification of a merely revengeful feeling. We may l^e happy the case is no worse. Think what would have been your feelings, Lionel, if you had forced Clary to ally herself to such an unprincipled scoundrel, and settled Lickenmoss Hall upon him for life, to boot !" "Don't talk of it, Belford, — the bare idea of it makes me shiver ! S'death ! we will not run the risk of such mishaps any longer. Mr. Coverley, you are a friend of Caj)tain Manton's, I take it r " If he will allow me the title,'' returned the lawyer, "it is one of which I shall always be proud." " Then you mil not mind a little inconvenience to serve him. You must dine with us to-day at six, — and in the evening you shall take in- structions for the marriage settlement By the THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 255 Lord ! we must all keep sober for tlie nonce ; — but we will make amends when I get you all down to Lickenmoss Hall, — eli ! Belford ? And recollect your bargain, Captain. I am to have a race of HardcaStles, — recollect that. Faith ! you mil suit the name well, — the Hard- castles were all cast for grenadiers.'' . " I tnist, at least. Sir Lionel, I shall do your ancient name no discredit," said Manton ; " and wdth respect to settlements, I am willing to leave eveiything, as I before told Mr. Belford, to your o^\^l discretion." " Well, well, you shall not fare the worse for that; — but, come along, — we must be at Tattersall's before dinner, — wouldn't miss the sale for a hun- dred. Little Wonder and Blucher are both going. You'll not forget six, Mr. Coverley ; but, stay, we have room in the carriage for you now ; so, if you like to look at a bit of horse-flesh, and can part with yoiir parchments a little sooner than usual, come away at once, and then we shan't have to wait for each other. Pshaw ! never mind your dress, man ; but, by the Lord ! Belford, I beg your pardon, — here am I filling your house and carriage, as if they were my own ! 256 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. " They could never be put to better use, Lionel/' replied Belford ; " and if we are to go to Tattersall's, we have no time to lose." Coverley had Manton's interest too much at heart to run any risk of delaying matters by not accepting the invitation on the spot. He consequently declared himself entirely at the baronet's service ; and without stopping to make any alteration in his dress, drove oiF with the party to TattersalFs. That evening, after dinner, the gentlemen of the party assembled in full divan ; and there being no discordant interests, the basis of the settlement to be made on the marriage of Charles Greville Manton, Esq., Captain in his Majesty's regiment of foot, with Clara Hardcastle, of Lickenmoss, in the county of Suffolk, spinster, was speedily agreed upon ; and Coverley received instructions to have the deed prepared in con- formity therewith, with as little delay as possible. The substance of the arrangement was, — that the young lady's fortune, derived from her aunt, Mrs. Lsetitia Hardcastle, should, with the excep- tion of c£'4000, which was placed at Manton's disposal, to be employed in the purchase of promotion, or otherwise, as he thought proper, THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 257 he settled on herself for her o\vii separate use. That on the baronet's decease, Lickenmoss Hall should pass to Clara and her husband for their joint lives, with remainder for life to the sumvor, and remainders in tail in strict settlement to the childi'en of the marriage, and in default of issue, to Clara and her heirs in fee. To enable his successors to enjoy life w^hile life was most sus- ceptible of enjoyment, and to prevent them, as Sir Lionel said, from speculating too frequently upon the health of the old boy at the Hall, the baronet agreed to allow them an income of ^800 a-year during his life, on condition, that when in England, they should have no other permanent home than Lickenmoss Hall. But the old gentleman's kindness did not end here. The day before the marriage, a letter from the Horse Guards announced to Manton, that in consideration of his disappointment in regard to the late vacancy in his regiment, which had been given to a junior officer, the commander-in-chief had nominated him to a half-pay majority, by purchase, on the unat- tached list. It is needless to say that this favor was bestowed at the instance of Sir Lionel, who had employed the interest of his parliamentary 258 ' THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. friends to extort it from the minister, at a moment when it was necessary to secure their support on an important question. By this pro- motion, Manton was relieved from the necessity of rejoining his regiment at Gibraltar ; while the time that must necessarily elapse before he could procure an appointment to another, promised to afford him ample opportunity for enjoying his unexpected happiness. The Honorable Robert Netherley, when in- formed of these events which so nearly concerned him, was passing some days in Berkshire, at the seat of a newly-acquired friend, from whom he designed borrowing the ways and means to enable him to accomplish his marriage with the Suffolk heiress, with becoming eclat. The in- formation was conveyed to him by the baronet himself in a very unceremonious letter, in which the ^vriter assured him, that he should be veiw happy to see him at Lickenmoss Hall, whenever he should feel himself equal to the task of clearing his character, and of redeeming a certain piece of paper, which, if his word was worth anything, was as good as a bank-note for i^600. To this communication the Honorable Mr. Ne- therley, of course, deigned no reply ; and THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 259 notliing furtlier was heard of him till some months after, when the London Gazette informed the public, that he had been appointed to the government of one of our infant colonies in Australia. Among the first to whom Manton communi- cated the happj alteration which had taken place in his fortunes, was his valued friend Watson, whom he had left in Gibraltar. Hoping that the reader may not be uninterested in the fate of this ill-requited soldier, we subjoin the letter which he addressed, in reply, to his more fortunate comrade. " Gibraltar, October 6tk, 18 — . " My DEAR Manton, " The agreeable surprise caused by your letter, received by yesterday's packet, was much heightened by the gloom and despondency of your previous dispatches. You seem destined to be one of the petted favorites of the fickle goddess, while I, who have always been regarded by her hitherto as a sort of step-son, must, I suppose, lay my account for a continuance of the same scurvy treatment. I do, however, most 260 THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. sincerely rejoice 'in your better fortune, and mil do the blind di^dnity tbe justice to confess, that she has, on this occasion, bestowed her favors with unimpeachable discernment. "As to regimental news, things are much the same as when you left us, except that Meredith has taken one of the Rock-scorpions* to wife ; a pretty little biTinette, with a mint of money, made by smuggling cigars and cotton goods into Spain ; and poor Dennis has been shot through the arm by a young Highlander of the 42nd ; the cause of quarrel being a difference about the antiquity and early civilization of their respective nations. " Your old shipmate. Nemo, is as constant as ever in his attendance on the card-parties at the generaFs ; and Mrs. Nemo, on the strength of their intimacy at head-quarters, has contrived to disgust and quarrel with all the other ladies of the garrison. Her vagaries, indeed, have more than once involved the major in an aw^kward predicament, from which, however, he managed to escape more fortunately than poor Dennis, being, unlike the young Hibernian, gifted vnih * A cant designation given to the natives of Gibraltar. THE POWER OP ATTORNEY. 261 a large propoi-tion of wliat Falstaff declares to be the better part of valour. " The losses sustained by the regiment in conse- quence of Moreton's rascality, have not, with the exception of your own, been very serious ; but I understand some officers of the th light dragoons, to which regiment he was also agent, have sufiered veiy considerably. Your own loss has been so well made up to you, that you will not feel it : at the same time you have received a lesson, which, as a man of large property, will be invaluable to you. " I rejoice to see by your letter, that you do not intend to relinquish the service, after the fashion of most of our brethren who have the good for- tune to achieve a comfortable settlement by marriage. In this you do "^dsely. You have too much spirit to act the part of a drone, although you may have ' land and beeves ;' and, ^^ithout disparagement to your many good qua- lities, I should say you are not fitted to contend on the arena of political life. Besides, you have already gained high vantage ground in the ser- Adce, considering your age. A major at six and twenty may indulge the hope of attaining high 262 THE POWER or ATTORNEY. rank, while he is yet of an age to render good service to the country. "With regard to myself, my military career is rapidly approaching its end. That it termi- nates in disappointment is more owing to the injustice to Avhich I, in common with many others, have been made a victim, than to any want of zeal or exertion on my part ; and so far the misfortune is the more supportable. After twenty-two years of active service, I find myself still a lieutenant. To remain longer in the service, under such circumstances, would be a mere waste of time, besides subjecting me to fresh mortifications w^hich I find my philo- sophy less capable of supporting than formerly. I have, therefore, signified to the authorities at the Horse Guards, my readiness to accept of one of the half-pay companies, which are now offered to those subalterns whose long standing is felt to be a scandal to the ser- vice. As they will no doubt eagerly avail them- selves of this opportunity of getting rid of one whose long services give him a claim to be troublesome, I may regard it as certain, that on the arrival of the return packet, I shall THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. 263 liiid myself at liberty to proceed to England ; — so tliat I hope soon to have the satisfaction of congTatulating you and your fair bride, in person, on your present happiness, and the bright prospects before you, — which latter, ^\^ll ever be matters of interest to your "Faithful, and affectionate friend, ''Richard Watson." THE RECEIPT. THE RECEIPT. It was nearly six o'clock, one fine summer's evening, when the London coacli was entering the little market-toA\Ti of C . The sharp blast from the guard's horn, which always an- nounced this arrival, had already summoned the group of idlers and persons returning from their work, who usually attended to see the coach change horses, and to gaze upon the passengers. In all country places, this is the most interesting event of the day, especially to the young, who look mth a feeding of curiosity, not unmixed with awe, upon the persons of the travellers enveloped in their coats and cloaks, and usually wearing an air of silent gravity and importance. Vol. I. N 2 268 THE RECEIPT. On tlie evening of whicL. we are speaking, a more than ordinary sensation was created by the fact that the number of the passengers was to be increased by two of the principal trades- men of the town, who were going to London ; — and several of the shopkeepers were standing outside their doors to witness their departure. Among these were a man and his wife, whose ages might be rather more than thirty. Judging by their appearance, and that of their shop, which was newly fitted up and painted, they seemed to have been but a short time in business. Large japanned canisters, labelled with Bohea and Souchong, stood at the entrance, and announced, as eJSectually as the new, bright, gold letters over the shop-windows, that James Selwood was a tea-dealer and grocer. Mr. Selwood and his wife were disputing as to who was the indi\idual about to mount the coach, when the person in question, jumping off the ladder, and bidding the coachman Avait a moment, broke hastily through the crowd, and ran towards the Selwoods. " I said it was 3^ou, Mr. Bell ; but James is so opiniated," said the wife. "Can't stay to talk," said Mr. Bell, hastily rushing in. "Here, James, make haste, — not a THE RECEIPT. 2G9 moment to lose, — have you got twenty pounds ? Quick ! quick I" " Yes, just the money," said Selwood, opening a desk, "a ten pound note, eight sovereigns, and four halves." "VeiT well, just the thing, — give it me, — just recollected I should want another twenty pounds in London. You'll owe me now thirty pounds instead of fifty, — ^just make a ' '' Here three or four blasts from the horn prevented Mr. Bell from finishing the sentence. 'Well, w^ell," said he, "we shall recollect, — no time to, — good bye, good bye," and but- toning up the money in his pocket, Mr. Bell ran back to the coach, which was presently whirled away at a gallop. James Selwood and his wife had been ser- vants in an opulent family in the neighbour- hood. Whilst in this situation they had pru- dently considered, that though their condition was then very comfortable, it was yet precarious. They felt that if by accident or sickness they became incapable of performing their duties, Mr. Arden, kind as he was, could not be ex- pected to retain them in his household. 270 THE RECEIPT. Instead, therefore, of spending their money in dress and things which they did not really want, they saved every penny they could, and j^laced it in the bank. Economy teaches jus- tice. Those who are careful of their own property, are not often guilty of defrauding others. Extravagant and dishonest servants, who waste and plunder that which belongs to their employers, are never good managers for themselves. Selwood and Sarah were not less careful of their master's interest than their own. Not only did they abstain from taking what was not permitted ; but they scrupulously avoided the least degree of wastefulness. Such conduct rendered them of course very obnoxious to the ser^^ants in other families, who all agreed that they were mean, pitiful creatures. On one occasion indeed, Selwood incurred the resentment of the whole fi'atemity. He had been sent by his master to pay the grocer's bill. The amount was exactly forty pounds, which he paid to the tradesman, who imme- diately returned him two sovereigns, which he said was his per cent age. " Now, Mr. Bell/' said James, "does this money come out of your pocket or the squire's?" THE RECEIPT. 271 " Why, the squire's, to be sure," replied Bell : " I count it in my charges/' " Then, I can't take it/' said James. " If you chose to make me a present yourself, I don't say that I should refuse it ; but I can't take from my master what he never intended to give me." "Very well," rejoined the grocer, "as you like. In that case, I shall of course take it off the bill," which he did. This conscientiousness was pronounced by all the domestics, similarly situated, to be down- right meanness, and was resented by the whole body as an injury and an insult. Their opinion, however, signified but little to James, who, by perseverance in such conduct, established a character for honesty and worth, not only with his master, who was informed of the circum- stance, but mth all the tradesmen in the town. James and Sarah had been several years in service together, during which they had con- tracted a strong mutual attachment. They had noted, however, the miseries which other ser- vants had brought upon themselves by marrying without having secured any certain means of living. 272 THE RECEIPT. "Here/' Janres was accustomed to say to Sarah, "we live in the midst of comfort and abundance. We have good rooms, plenty of firing, good clothes, excellent bedding, and as to living, we have the best that can be had, — the whitest bread, excellent beef and mut- ton, to say nothing of tea, pastry, good ale, and other things ; and all this we get every day without care or anxiety, or ever once thinking where the money is to come from. Why, if we were living at our own cost, we couldn't have all this comfort, — no, not if we could afford to spend thirty shillings a week; supposing we had to pay our rent and taxes out of it. And how could I bear to see you, Sarah, obliged to go without all the little com- forts you have been accustomed to ? No, no, we must wait our time yet.'' These conversations stimulated them both to persevere in their system of saving. Far from being discontented with their situation, they derived happiness from knowing they were daily advancing towards the accomplishment of their object, and felt all that satisfaction which arises from an active, regular, and con- scientious discharge of duty. THE RECEIPT. 273 Matters went on in tliis way for a considerable time. Year after year rolled on, and tlie ter- mination of each found our prudent lovers liclier than the last. One evening, Selwood, who had been sent with a message into the town, returned with a countenance which convinced Sarah, who was accustomed to study his looks, that something more than ordinary had occurred. He could not, however, impart the secret, what- ever it was, till he had first rendered an account of his errand to his master. While he was gone to the drawing-room for this purpose, Sarah had time to put out the tea-things, brighten up the fire, and make every preparation for James's favorite meal. It happened, fortunately, that the rest of the seiTants had received permission to go to a party at one of the squire's tenants in the neighbourhood, so that our lovers were left to pass the evening by themselves. James had finished his first cup of tea, and was regarding the fire with a knowing smile, but still maintaining a most provoking silence, when Sarah, impatient for his news, exclaimed, " Come, James, do out with it, for I know you've something particular to say." "Why,'' replied he, "you know I was sent to Vol. I. N 3 274 THE RECEIPT. inquire very particularly after old Mrs. Manby, who, we heard, had scalded her leg : Mrs. Manby, you know, is the squire's aunt." " Yes, yes, well V intei^osed Sarah, desirous to come to the point. "When I got to the house,'' pursued James, " I asked for Mr. Thomas, the butler. ' It's a sad thing, Mr. Thomas,' said I. 'It is,' said he, 'a very sad thing.' ' And how is she now, Mr. Thomas ?' inquired I. ' Oh ! as well as can be expected,' replied he. ' We sent for Jim Spry.' 'Jim Spry!' exclaimed I. 'Yes,' said he, 'the under-gamekeeper ; Jim's a clever fellow, and understands all about scalds.' 'The deuce !' said said I, ' and what did Jim do V ' Why,' said he, ' he anointed her with some special composition of his own, and bandaged her up, so that she has not been able to move since. She's lying now on the rug at the foot of the stairs : you may hear her moaning yourself.' And true enough, I did hear a low, whining moan, which I instantly knew came from Mrs. Manby's lap-do^, and burst into a fit of laughter, at which Mr. Thomas was greatly shocked, till I explained to him that it was the old lady herself I came to inquire after, believing the accident had hap- pened to her." THE RECEIPT. 275 " Come, come," said Sarah, after laughing at the mistake, " youVe something else to tell. I know very well you have. I can see it in your face ; so don't think to keep it from me any longer." " Well, Sarah," resumed her lover, " it's very true I have something else to tell you ; so fill me up another cup. But how in the name of wonder could vou find it out V " There's no occasion to explain that now," replied Sarah ; " only remember there's no use trying to hide anything from me when once I'm your A\ife. But now for your news." "Well then," proceeded James, "after leaving Mrs. Manby's, I went into Mr. Bell's, the grocer's, to order some candles, as cook asked me. They were just closing the shop, and Mr. Bell very civilly asked me if I would step into his back parlour, and taste a glass of gin and water." " Which you of course did not refuse," inter- posed Sarah. " I did though," answered James, "observing it was getting late ; but Mr. Bell would have me stop, as he had something particular to say to me : so in I went. After Mr. Bell had mixed a glass, he told me something had happened which would 276 THE RECEIPT. make a change in his mode of life. I replied, I hoped it was for the better. ' You shall hear/ said he. 'A cousin of mine, who carried on a good business as a paper manufacturer at Dartford, is just dead, and, having no children, has left me all his property.' ' And pray,' said I, ' how much does it amount to V ' Six thousand pounds clear,' replied he. ' I am heartily glad of your good fortune, Mr. Bell,' said I. 'I trust,' he observed,' * you will have reason to be so.' I answered I did not see how I could be affected by it any further than by the sincere pleasure I felt at the prospect of his happiness. 'We shall see,' he observed. 'Hear first what I have to say. I have not been keeping shop here all my life for nothing ; and though the business makes no great show, let me tell you it's a pretty fair one. You'll think so too, when I tell you I can match my cousin's six thousand pounds with as many of my own ; aye, and more too. Now, I've no idea of going on dealing out candles till I'm burnt down to the socket myself. Twelve thousand pounds are quite enough for an old fellow who began life without a shilling, and who has only two daughters, both of whom are married and well to do in the world.' I replied, I thought THE RECEIPT. 277 SO too, but still I did not see how the matter could affect me. ' Why, then,' cried the old gentleman, ' this is it. I value my present stock and fixtures on the premises, the lease and the good-will of the business, at seven hundred pounds, and I Avill let you have them at five hundred.' ' Really, Mr. Bell,' said I, ' that is very kind and handsome of you ; but even that sum is ' ' I know what you are going to say,' interrupted he, ' not in your power to command ; but you can pay down half of it, and I'll take your security for the remainder. I know I can trust you. I recollect you refused your per centage, because it came out of your master's pocket. If you would not take what you thought you had no right to, when others would have called it your due, you will not defraud me who am willing to do you a kindness ; so say at once you accept my offer, — or no, — stop, — take a day to consider, — there's some one at home you ought to consult ; besides, I think you should do nothing without the advice of the squire, who has always been a good friend to you.' Upon this, the kind old gentleman offered me his hand; but whether it was ovving to his kindness, or to the gin and water, drat me if I could get out a 278 THE RECEIPT. word ; so I squeezed his hand till his eyes were as moist as my own, and then hastened home as fast as I could, thinking all the way of nothing but chests of tea, hogsheads of sugar, tubs of butter, figs, soap, and candles " "Of nothing else?'' said Sarah. "Oh! yes," replied Selwood; "of one who I hoped would share the new prospects of hap- piness held out to me/' So saying, he replaced his cup upon the board, and imprinting a kiss upon Sarah's lips, declared she would make the sweetest wife that ever fell to the lot of a grocer. Very little time was lost in debating upon the advantages of Mr. Bell's offer. Both of them declared at once, it was the very thing to suit them. Sarah protested, and with some truth, that she was as good a judge of groceries as any tradesman in the tovm. ; and James could keep accounts, call upon customers, and get in the debts. Then, besides the good will of the business, and Mr. BelFs assistance and advice, they would be sure of the squire's cus- tom, and that of most of the families in the neighbourhood. Their success was certain: of that there could be no doubt. But then there THE RECEIPT. 279 was the money to be paid down, — one half of the five hundi'ed pounds, which would be two hundred and fifty. This required that they should ascertain the exact sum which each could command. Wlicn they first began to invest their savings in the bank, they had furnished themselves with a little book each, in which the various sums paid in were entered on one side, called the credit side, and the sums they drew out on the other, called the debit side. Both books were now produced, and after a careful sum- ming up of the different items in each, it ap- peared that there was altogether a sufiicient sum to pay Mr. Bell, and a little over. The credit balance due to James, was, £159, and Sarah's was, ^^93, which made d^252, giving a surplus of £2. It may be as well to state in what proportions, and out of what sources this large sum of money had been accumulated by this prudent couple. James had been twelve years in service. For the first two years his wages were eighteen pounds a year, and they were afterwards raised to five and twenty. Out of the first sum he had put by ten pounds each year ; and after his wages had been raised. 280 THE RECEIPT. he increased his annual ^vings to twelve. The remainder of the £159 was made up by the accumulation of interest. The amount indeed would have been larger, had he not regularly allowed twenty shillings a quarter towards the maintenance of his infirm mother, during the latter years of her life. Sarah had been ten years in servdce, and her wages were twelve pounds, except for the first three years, during which she received only nine. Out of this last sum she saved six ; and when she received twelve, contrived to put by eight every year. This was doing more, in proportion, than James ; but Sarah had several advantages. First, she had no mother in need of her assist- ance ; and she could not only mend but make the greater part of her own clothes, and fre- quently received some from the ladies of the family, besides an occasional half-sovereign from visitors in the house. Though, as we have seen, they had enough to pay the ^250, they wished they had another fifty pounds to purchase a few things they might want, and have a little ready money likewise. Both of them felt this so much, that they would almost have preferred waiting until another year ; THE RECEIPT. 281 but it would not do to miss such an opportunity ; and tliey relied on their own prudence and ma- nagement to get through with their present means. Besides, as all Mr. Bell's furniture was included in the purchase, and he, though a mdower, kept every thing very comfortable about him, they thought, after all, there would not be any thing wanting which they could not dispense mth; and as to ready money, as the shop was well stocked, and had a good custom, they would not be very long without cash. However, James not having finally agreed with Mr. Bell, they resolved before doing so, to ask the squire's advice in the morning; though, it must be confessed, that this resolution was adopted rather for the purpose of evincing their respect for so kind a master, than with any intention of being ruled by the answer, should it prove unfavorable to their project; — their minds, though they did not choose to say so, being, in reality, made up. The next morning, Mr. Bell's offer, with a minute statement of James and Sarah's financial affairs, was laid before the squire. After a little consideration, Mr. Arden decided that it should be accepted. " I shall lose," said he, " two 282 THE RECEIPT. excellent servants whom I cannot easily replace ; but I shall be repaid by the satisfaction of seeing your good conduct so well rewarded." Besides promising them his custom, the good squire himself suggested, and at the same time obviated, the very difficulty which had occurred to them the preceding evening. '' The payment of this £250," said he, " will exhaust all your present means within a few shillings. You will want a little ready cash to get on with. Now, I don't consider you as objects of charity, as you will soon be in easy circumstances ; therefore I shall ^ive you nothing ; but I will lend you fifty pounds, which you shall repay me when you are able : the time when I leave to yourselves." This was all that was wanted. The same day Mr. BelFs offer was accepted ; and James, having paid down the ^250, and given his note of hand to Mr. Bell for the £250 more, payable by instal- ments, at certain mentioned periods, with interest at the rate of five per cent., was put in posses- sion of the property. Meanwhile Sarah remained at the Hall until their marriage, which took place soon afterwards. Everything went on prosperously with our prudent pair. On all matters of importance, such THE RECEIPT. 283 as the purchasing of stock, they consulted their friend, Mr. Bell. After his retirement from busi- ness, the old gentleman had purchased a neat, comfortable residence, conveniently situated at the entrance of the town ; and much of his time being unoccupied, he was pleased at being con- sulted by the Selwoods, as it furnished him with an opportunity of talking upon subjects he very well understood. In his long experience he had become perfectly acquainted Avith the different markets, and knew the best wholesale houses in London. He was consequently very serviceable in pointing out the proper times for buying the kind of stock which should be laid in at particular seasons, and the parties with whom it was desira- ble to deal. By attending to his advice in these matters, the reputation of the shop was kept up, and people, finding themselves as well served as in Mr. Bell's time, continued their custom. In short, the Selwoods soon found themselves in the possession of a comfortable living, with the cer- tainty, by good management and steady oeconomy, of securing a decent independence for their de- clining age. At the end of the second year, they had not only repaid the ^£^50 advanced to them by the squire, but had reduced the debt to Mr. 2S4i THE RECEIPT. Bell from ^^2501:0 £50. This last sum was the amount due to him at the time he entered the shop, and received the <£^20 in the manner before related ; so that in fact the debt was by that payment reduced to i^.30. It was about seven weeks after this event, that intelligence reached the toA^^l of C of the sudden death of Mr. Bell. He had taken cold by venturing out too much at night among his old correspondents in London, and an inflammation of the chest supervening, carried him off in a few days. This loss was sincerely lamented by his fellow-townsmen, and by none more than the Selwoods, who felt they had been deprived of a friend to whose valuable ad\ice, not less than his liberal kindness, they were indebted for their present prosperity. They had, however, benefited so much by his counsels, that they knew they could now rely on themselves for the future man- agement of their business ; and their character for punctuality was so well established with more than one respectable wholesale house in London, that they anticipated no difficulties from a want of capital. The Selwoods regularly made up their ac- counts at the end of every quarter, so that THE RECEIPT. 285 thev knew nearly at all times the exact situ- ation of their affairs. On balancing the account for the first time after the death of Mr. Bell, thev found that, after allowing for the payment of all their debts, including the whole of what was due for their stock in hand, they had a clear surplus of ^80. In this calculation they had estimated the debt due to Mr. Bell at .^.30, to which it was reduced by the last payment made at the moment Mr. Bell was setting ofi* for London. They had every reason to be satisfied with this result ; for the stock in hand, which was sufiicient for three months' consumption, might be fairly valued at iJ^300. One evening shortly after this account had been taken, Selwood and his wife were seated by the fire in their back parlour, enjoying themselves after the labours of the day. The children (for Mrs. Selwood had added one each year since their marriage, an increase which gave them as much pleasure as that of the rest of their stock,) had been put to bed, the supper had been cleared away, and Selwood, while sipping his gin and water, was congratu- lating his wife on the state of their affairs, and indulging his imagination with the pros- pect which lay before them. 286 THE EECEIPT. "I think, my dear," said he, "we may now venture to buy out Johnny La\me. He asks only .£200 ; and our stock in hand, which is our own, is worth three hundred, and almost as good as ready money/' Johnny La^vvrie's house was next door to the Selwoods, and was the corner house of the street. Both the houses were small, but, joined together, would make very convenient pre- mises, with a large shop frontage into each street. Selwood had long had this object in view ; but, besides the want of the money necessary to effect it, which, perhaps, might have been got over, there had always been till lately a very serious obstacle in the way. This was the repugnance of Mr. Bell to any thing of the sort, and Selwood was unwdlling to act in opposition even to the unreasonable prejudices of so true a friend. The house, the old gentleman said, when Selwood once cau- tiously threw out a hint to try him, had been large enough for him. He had reared and pro- vided for his family, and had made a decent independence in it ; — what more could any man wish ? "If you venture on such schemes," added he, " in spite of your good beginning, you'll come to a smash." As he finished this THE RECEIPT. 287 speecli, Mr. Bell replaced his glass of gin and water on the table with so much vehemence, that it was shivered to pieces. Being a little eccentric in his humours, he looked upon this accident as an omen, and gravely said it was a warning not to be despised. Mrs. Selwood, in whose parlour this conversation occurred, thought it was a warning to be less violent with glasses ; but being, like her husband, unwilling to dis- please the old gentleman, they dropped the subject, and it had never since been mentioned. " We shall offend no one now,'' said Selwood ; " though, for that matter, I would willingly forego the advantage to have our old friend back ao^ain ; but as it is, there is no reason whv we shouldn't embrace the opportunity now that our neighbour is willing." The proposition was quite as acceptable to Mrs. Selwood as to her husband ; as, besides the advantage of having a larger shop, she had an eye to the better accommodation of her increasing family. In addition to this, though a pattern of a prudent wife, she was not without the vanity of liking a little display among her neighbours, and contemplated Avith some complacency the possibility of giving sundry 288 THE RECEIPT. tea-parties in Jolin Lawrie's handsome blue room, wliicli commanded a view of both streets. It was accordingly agreed upon that a negotiation should be opened upon the subject with their neighbour, on the first opportunity that pre- sented itself. " I must lead him to talk of it/' said Selwood, "just by accident, as it were ; for whenever you want a thing reasonable, you must appear not to want it at all." The subject was renewed the next morning at breakfast, and Selwood had just determined to step in to see his neighbour, and sound him on the point, when the servant girl brought in a letter from Mr. Clayton, the lawyer. The Selwoods had no matters to settle with any one which they thought could possibly require the interference of a lawyer; yet, somehow or other, the sight of this letter made them un- easy. To put an end to the suspense, Selwood broke it open, while his wife watched his coun- tenance with an anxiety which was in no degree lessened by the behaviour of her hus- band. As he read, his eyebrows were elevated, and his face became more serious, tiU, at the end, he threw down the letter with a long THE RECEIPT. 289 wheugh ! which bespoke something more than astonishment. As her husband did not im- mediately offer any exphmation, Mrs. Selwood took up the letter, which was in the following teiTQS : — C , April Uth, 1837. "Sir, " Ha\dng been employed in the affairs of the late Mr. Bell, I am instructed by his executors, Messrs. Bailey and Jones, to re- quest you will immediately pay the sum of £2S2 9s. 4|d, owing by you to the testator's estate, the same being the amount due for principal and interest, up to the present time, on the remaining part of the sum of £250, left unpaid at the time of the assignment to you of the premises in High-Street, and for which they hold your promissory note. "I am, Sir, "Your obedient servant, "J. Clayton." " Two hundred and thirty-two pounds, nine and four-pence halfpenny !" cried Mrs. Selwood, gasping for breath. " Why, what can he mean ? Vol. I. 290 THE RECEIPT. He must be mad ! Why, weVe paid it all up to tliirty." "To be sure we have/' responded Selwood ; "it's all a mistake. Ill soon set it to rigbts ;'' and taking bis bat, be proceeded fortbwitb to tbe lawyer ; not, bowever, witbout some misgivings tbat tbe matter migbt not prove so simple as it appeared. Mr. Clayton was engaged at tbe moment of Selwood's arrival, and tbe latter was requested to wait for a few minutes in tbe office. Tbree clerks, percbed upon bigb stools, were busily employed in copying from buge piles of papers. Tbe desks and floor were plentifully bedewed mtb ink. Large dusty tomes, in manuscript, filled tbe sbelves, wbicb ranged round tbree sides of tbe room, tbose on tbe fourtb being occupied by tin boxes, secured witb padlocks, and bearing sundry inscriptions to designate tbeir purpose, sucb as " Tbe Hales Hall Estate," " Tbe Trustees of tbe late Peter Parker, Esq.," " Tbe Park-bill Estate," " Tbe Executors of Sir Tbomas Bull," &c. Everytbing wore an air of business and importance ; and tbe appearance of tbe place altogetber, occasioned in Selwood tbat feeling of depression and uneasiness wbicb sucb scenes THE RECEIPT. 291 frequently impart to tliose wlio are unused to them. After waiting for a sliort time, lie was startled by tlie sound of a bell, and the clerk directed him to pass through the green baize door into Mr. Clayton's room. The lawyer was seated in a sombre-looking apartment, behind a study- table, containing numerous drawers, and covered with various papers tied with red tape, and disposed in a certain degree of order. His diminutive figure was carefully arrayed in a suit of black, which had been very scrupulously brushed, and he appeared to derive a sort of consequence from the old-fashioned habit which he retained of wearing powder. An air of quiet coolness sat upon his pale features, which invited anything but confidence. Indeed, there was an expression of calculating shrewdness in his clear grey eye, which intimated to an acute observer that caution was an indispensable requisite in any communication with Mr. Clayton. "Mr. Selwood, I believe,'' said the lawyer, throwing back his spectacles, and casting a keen glance at his visitor. " Very happy to see you, Mr. Selwood. Had the pleasure, I believe, of Vol. I. 2 292 THE RECEIPT. meeting you at the mayor s dinner last week. Pray be seated, Mr. Selwood," pointing to a large arm-cliair so situated that the light from the opposite window fell full uj)on the coun- tenance of its occujDant, and thus enabled the lawyer to scrutinize the features of the person with whom he was talking. " I am come, sir," said Selwood, " in conse- quence of your letter, about the payment of my debt to the late Mr. Bell." " Ah ! I recollect," said Mr. Clayton. " The executors wish to get things settled; — anxious to get rid of their responsibilities ; — you wish perhaps for a little more time, Mr. Selwood V " Not exactly that, sir," replied Selwood. " I am quite ready to pay what I owe ; but I wish first to put things on a right footing : there is a great mistake in your estimate of the amount due." " Indeed ! Mr. Selwood," exclaimed the man of law ; " the papers were put into our hands, and we are not very often guilty of mistakes ; but, of course, if you can point one out, it shall be rectified." So saying, he rang a bell, the string of which THE RECEIPT. 293 was tied to one arm of liis chair. The summons was immediately answered by a clerk. *' Executors of Mr. John Bell/' said the prin- cipal ; — " bring the papers." The clerk disappeared, and presently returned with a set of papers secured with red tape, and separately labelled. The old lawyer hastily ran them over, muttering to himself, "Hill, James and Co., — Price and West, — Hales Hall Estate, — Mortgage Premises in, — Three per cents, — Great Western, — James Selwood, promissory note, oh ! here it is, — the note of hand, and the whole account of the transaction. Now, let us see. It appears, Mr. Selwood,'' continued the lawyer, after he had glanced through the papers, " that in 1834, you purchased the house, furniture, and stock in High-Street, of Mr. Bell for .£500." " Exactly, sir ; that was the sum," said Sel- wood. " But ^2-50 only of the money was paid down at the time," resumed the lawyer, " and you gave your note to Mr. Bell for the remaining c£^250, which was to bear interest at the rate of five per cent, till the day of payment. This is your note, I believe, Mr Selwood, dated the 6th of June, 1834." 294 THE RECEIPT. ''Very true, Mr. Clayton/' returned Selwood; "but you have charged the amount due, as ^^^232 9s. 4^d, whereas it is only " "I beg pardon, Mr. Selwood,'' interposed the lawyer ; "but I think you'll find the interest added to the principal, remaining due after one payment of .£^40, for which credit is given you, will make precisely £2^2 9s. 4id, the sum with which you are charged." "That is on the supposition that I have paid no more than £4^0 in all," exclaimed Selwood. " Precisely so, sir ; and that I understand to be the case," observed Mr. Clayton, coolly. " But that is not the case," said Selwood ; "for I have not only paid the interest regularly, but the whole of the principal, except thirty pounds." At these words, the lawyer quietly raised his spectacles, and fixing his searching grey eye upon Selwood, appeared to be considering what degree of credit was to be given to this assertion. The earnest countenance of the lat- ter, however, and the confidence of his tone and manner, bore so evidently the impress of truth, that the lawyer was staggered. THE RECEIPT. 295 "Tins is very strange," said he. "Mr. Bell was exceedingly regular in liis transactions, and tliere is no mention in his accounts of the payments you speak of, Mr. Selwood. To be sure, he died suddenly, and we may not have discovered all his papers ; — but, of course, Mr. Selwood, you are prepared to prove your as- sertion ; — you have Mr. Bell's receipts to show?" "Why, I cannot exactly say that I have for all the payments," replied James. "Well, but if not regular receipts, you have letters perhaps,'' said Mr. Clayton. "I am afraid not," returned Selwood. " But there are your banker's books," pur- sued his interrogator; — "you paid, of course, by a draft on your banker." "No, always in money," said James. "You paid sometimes in the presence of a witness, perhaps?" resumed Mr. Clayton. "Why, yes," said Selwood, brightening, "I think Mrs. Selwood was present most times." " Mrs. Selwood ! oh ! your mfe ! " said the laAvyer, smiling; "why, we cannot exactly take her word in this matter." "And why not?" said Selwood, sharply, — enraged at the supposed slight put upon his 296 THE RECEIPT. wife, — "whose word is better, I should like to know?" "Every body's," said the la^vyer, smiling again. " Every body's ' " exclaimed the indignant husband, "let me tell you, Mr. Clayton " "Excuse me, Mr. Selwood,'' said the latter, " I see you are not very conversant in law, or you would know that a man's wife cannot be a witness in his favor." "Then,'' rejoined Selwood, "what is to be done? I have certainly paid the money, as I said, though I fear I cannot prove all the payments ; but perhaps the executors will be satisfied with " "With nothing less than legal proofs, Mr. Selwood, I can assure you,'' replied the law- yer; "indeed, I could not advise them to be otherwise. It is their duty to get in every thing that is legally omng to the testator's estate ; and they are answerable to the legatees that they do so. You could not, of course, ex- pect them to run the risk of bearing any part of a loss which has been occasioned, — I beg pardon, — by your own inattention." Selwood felt there was nothing to be said THE RECEIPT. 297 to this ; and, seeing he could expect no assist- ance from the laAvjer, resolved to consult his old master, who had heen bred to the bar, and had long acted in the commission of the peace. As he re-passed through the clerks' room, he observed several persons waiting, whose blank visages showed they had not come on more agreeable errands than his own. A countryman who sat at the end of a form, with his chin resting on a stout cudgel, meditating on his own mishaps, and utterly unconscious of the presence of others, was ejaculating to himself, amidst the unrepressed titter of the clerks, " A fool's trick ! a fool's trick ! — to lend money without getting security ! " " Ay, aye," thought Selwood, as he hurried out of the place, " or to pay it without taking a receipt." From the law^^er's he hastened to the squire's, and, having told his tale, requested his old master's advice. " This is a bad business, Selwood," said the latter. " How could you be so foolish as not to get a receipt ? You must have known it was necessary to prevent your being called u2:)on to pay the money again." " Yes, sir," replied James, " I knew that ; but Vol. I. 3 298 THE RECEIPT. I intended to get a complete acquittance when all the money was paid. Besides, sir, it so hap- pened that Mr. Bell came on two occasions in such a hurry that I could not detain him to write a receipt, and as Sarah was present I thought all would be safe." " Then you were not aware,'' said Mr. Arden, " that husband and mfe cannot be witnesses either for or against each other. This, how- ever, is the law ; and it is reasonable it should be so. They cannot be mtnesses for each other, because their interests are supposed to be the same ; and they cannot be witnesses against each other, because that would be inconsistent with the duties they owe to each other, and in contradiction to their marriage vows. There are, however, two exceptions to this rule, which I hope will never affect you : first, a wife may be a witness against her husband, if he break the peace towards her ; and secondly, in a case of high treason. But, to confine ourselves to your present case, let us have all the particu- lars of the payments over again ; for it strikes me we may save something yet out of the wreck. First, the original debt was i^250, bearing interest at 5 per cent.'' THE RECEIPT. 299 " Exactly, sir,'" said James. " Well, now, how much of this has been paid ?" continued the squire. '' All of it, sir, but thirty,'* answered James. " In how many payments ?" said Mr. Arden. " In four, sir," replied Selwood. " And for how many have you got receipts ?" pursued, Mr. Arden. " Only for one, sir," answered James. " How and when were the payments made ?" resumed Mr. xA.rden. " First, sir," said James, " I paid ^^40 at the end of the first six months. Six pounds, five shillings were then due for interest, so that d^.33 15s. went to pay off so much of the principal." " Very well," said Mr. Arden, " did you get a receipt for that money V "Yes, sir," replied James, "here it is." " Ay, I see," said Mr. Arden, " all right and regular enough ; if you had done so always you would have been safe." " The second payment," continued Selwood, " was made at the end of another six months : it was ^71 1.3s. IJd., — £5 8s. l^d. being for interest, while £66 5s. Od. went to pay oif 300 THE RECEIPT. part of the principal, which reduced my debt to Mr. Bell to a clear ^150." " And for this you have no receipt ?" said Mr. Arden. " None at all, sir," replied James : '^ the money was paid in our back parlour on a Saturday night, and Sarah was present." " And the other payments were made in the same way ?" continued Mr. Arden. " Yes, sir," answered Selwood, " one of i?100, and the other of ^^20. The last £20, sir, was paid in such a huriy that there was no time to get a receipt, or hardly to speak a word. You see, sir, while the coach was waiting for him, Mr. Bell i-ushed into our shop, and asked for ^^20. It was all done in a moment, sir; the coach wouldn't wait an instant." " Well," said Mr. Arden, " another time youll make them wait ; or, if they won't, it's better your friend should lose his place, than that you should lose your money. But why didn't you afterwards write to Mr. Bell in London, and get an acknowledgment of the payment ?" "Why, sir," replied Selwood, "you see Mr. Bell had been a very kind friend to us, and I didn't Hke to show any distinist : besides, sir. THE RECEIPT. SOI we expected lie would be back from London almost immediately. Another thing, sir, is, to tell the tnith, I'm not a very good hand at wiiting letters. I ain't used to it, sir; — some- how, when I sit down to write all my thoughts leave me ; I don't know what to say ; though, if the person was present, I could talk fast enough. So, sir, you see, I always j)ut off writing a letter if I can" "Ah ! but you see it's a very foolish plan," said Mr. Arden : " if you had taken the trouble to write a single letter you might have saved all this money." " Very true, sir," said James ; " and it will be a lesson to me in future." " And have you really nothing to show for the money you have paid, except the receipt for the first fifty pounds ?" resumed Mr. Arden. "Nothing, sir,'' replied James. "Have you had no letters at all from Mr. Bell?" continued the squire. "Only one, sir," said James. "What was it about?" inquired Mr. Arden. "Only about the buying of some sugars, sir," answered James, "which he advised me to lay in, because he had heard there would* be a rise in the market." 302 THE RECEIPT. "And that was all?" demanded the squire. " Yes, sir," replied Selwood ; " except, by the bye, an order to send him do^vn from London, eight canisters of snuff for himself and his friends: he took a wonderful deal of snuff, sir, and was always making presents of it to others." "Then he had an account with you?" pur- sued Mr. Arden. "A very short one, sir," answered James; "for I recollect he told me I might pay for the snuff with the last half year's interest due to him, which he said would nearly cover it ; and so I did ; but then you know, sir, the letter is no proof that I did. " Very true," observed Mr. Arden, " but it may be proof of something else though. Have you got the letter ? " Selwood produced his pocket-book ; and, after some little search, handed over the letter to Mr. Arden. That gentleman opened it, and read as follows : — ''Hereford, Dec. \Wi, 1835. " Dear Sir, " I am advised by a London corresj3ondent that there is a deficiency in the sugar crops this year, and that prices must consequently rise. THE RECEIPT. 303 I would, therefore, advise you to go up to London and make your purchases for the year. Same time shall be much obliged, when you are in London, by your sending me down here eight canisters of the cephalic snuff, which, after taking care of number one, I intend as presents for my friends here. Be so good as to pay for the snuff, which, at 9s. 6d. per canister, will amount, ac- cording to my calculation, to just a shilling more than the next half-year's interest due to me this month, on the sum now owing me by you. With kind regards to Mrs. Selwood, " I remain, "Your sincere well-wisher, "James Bell." " Come," said Mr. Arden, when he had finished the letter, "here is something saved at any rate. This letter was written after the second payment, for which you have no receipt?" " Yes, sir," said Selwood. " And you can prove the price you paid for the snuff?" demanded Mr. Arden. " Yes, sir," replied James. " Here is the bill and receipt : the sum is ^3 1 6s." " Very well," said Mr. Arden. " Then we 304 THE RECEIPT. have only to see if tlie amount of a half-year's interest on the sum remaining due to Mr. Bell after the first two payments, tallies with the price of the snuff; and if it do, it is, in some sort, an acknowledgment of the second payment. Let us see. The first payment, which was dP40, was made at the end of the first six months ; and £6 15s. being interest, the debt was re- duced to £216 5s. The interest of this latter sum for six months is £5 8s. l^d., and as at the end of the second half-year you paid £71 13s. l^d., £66 5s. went to pay off part of the principal, and reduced your debt to Mr. Bell to £150. Now, as the half-year's interest upon ^150 is £S 15s., it comes, as Mr. Bell says in his letter, to mthin one shilling of the price of the snuff.'' "I see, sir," exclaimed James, "by acknow- ledging the half year's interest due to be £S 15s., he, in fact, admits that the principal sum then owing was only ^5^150; so that he gives me credit for my second payment of