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circumstance for a length of time, he felt that he should be reduced to have recourse to stratagem for the accomplishment of his purpose; and accordingly determined to put in practice the following expedient, viz. that Layton should write to Miss Beresford, requesting to know the exact number of the lottery ticket which she had purchased, since, through the negligence of one of the clerks, a mistake that might prove of much importance in the drawing, had arisen, in transcribing the figures into their own books. Previously to this Howard waited himself on the proprietor of the of fice where the ticket had been purchased, and made him, in part, privy to the plot he was carrying on; at the same time taking out a whole ticket, which he did in the name of Emma Jerningham, Meliora's mother, thereby inducing his consent to and connivance in the scheme.

When Miss Beresford should have answered the first letter satisfactorily, a second was to be sent, as if from the lottery contractor, stating, that two gentlemen had taken up the whole ticket of the number she had chosen prior to her purchase, consequently to the exclusion of Miss Beresford's share in it; and finally, it was planned that Layton, in the character of one of Bish's clerks, should take a journey into Hampshire, to desire the actual presence of the young lady in London, as being requisite to settle the difficulty; that he should escort her to town, defraying all the expences on the road, which, he was to make it appear, was partly the purpose of his coming down The lady, on her arrival in London, after having visited the dottery office, in order to dispel any suspicion that could have arisen in her mind on the subject, was to be referred and conveyed to the house of Mr. Twiss, in Abingdon street, which he had lent to be the place of general rendezvous. Leaving the execution of this arrangement in the hands of Twiss and Layton, Howard prepared to set out on his journey of pursuit to the Continent, having obtained from Phillips an insight into Levison's intended route.

Just before his departure for France, however, a note was deli

vered to Howard from Lord Annesley :--

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"Sir,Three days have elapsed without my having either seen or heard from you on the subject of our last meeting: if you have proved the fallacy of your conjectures and suspicions, and wish on your part to decline any further interference, do not hesitate to acknowledge it. I am sorry to say that my opinion has been greatly strengthened since I saw you; I could almost declare that it was confirmed. Miss Jers ningham, by her own confession, was absent from our house bat the identical period, during which the circumstances appearing in evidence were said to have taken place: I was anxious that she should esta blish an alibi, but she asserted that the object of her walk had been to visit her mother, whom she very op portunely met in the street, and accompanied some way on the road to Kensington. 50 il

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first person whom he encountered at the English hotel there, was the Colonel himself: Howard instantly recognized him with much real glee, though the greeting was by no means returned with the same degree of cordiality by the other. Howard in answer to Levison's enquiries, invented some plausible pretence for being seen on that side of the Channel; and by the time they had entered more into conversation, and Howard had invited Levison to dine with him in the true John Bull style, the air of apprehension, of disturst and reserve which had characterized the behaviour of the latter on their first meeting, gradually and entirely disappeared. In the discourse that took place during dinner, Levison unhesitatingly remarked that he had quitted London almost a week previously to the present period; but that owing to a trunk belonging to him having been left behind at the inn at Dover, he had been detained most reluctantly, he said, on the French coast, to await its arrival.

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Howard exerted himself in being unusually communicative, and free, and facetious and in order to put Levison in complete good humour with his companion, observed that he had had a very pleasant game of whist on board of the packet: Levison instantly asked with much eagerness, if he was fond of cards--Howard replied in the affirmative,a pack of cards were procured, and they played several rubbers of cassino, at which Howard, who hardly knew any thing of the game, lost every thing he played for. During all this time, Howard continued to supply Levison with potent libations of champagne; till having rendered him completely insensible of all that was passing around, he had him carried on board a vessel, and they sailed back for England. The effect of the motion of the vessel on Levison's intemperance, prevented him from sleeping on the passage; but being landed on the British shore, he sunk exhausted into a profound slumber; and in this state Howard had him put into a carriage with six horses, that in little more than seven hours, brought them to town.

The expression of Levison's sensations when he opened his eyes, as

the coach stopped in Abingdon-street, was ludicrous in the extreme: his sentiments of wonder were mixed with terror; he fancied himself in a dream; he appeared to entertain no recollection of the past; he was utterly bewildered; and before he had collected his ideas, or taken time to reflect on what he was doing, Howard had induced him to alight, and enter Twiss's house: all he seemed conscious of was that he was in England; how he came to be there was a question, which was to him involved in the most imprenetable my'stery: he only knew that he was in London, and that he would rather have been in any other city in the world. A multitude of swindled creditors, of baffled bailifs, of friends betrayed and plundered by his avarice, and of ruthless desperadoes, copartners in his villanies, presented themselves to his dismayed imagination; and he indignantly demanded of Howard an explanation of his situation.

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Howard, at first, somewhat evaded the question, merely by replying, that the most noble Colonel should have an explanation in full, in the course of an hour, if he could restrain his impatience so long; whereon Levison became absolutely furious; aecused Howard of harbouring some design against his life and property; ran through the whole vocabulary of Billingsgate; protested that he would set fire to the premises, if not permitted instantly to depart unmolested; and, in short, raved and stamped, and swore, like a maniac.

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Howard listened to this ebullition of vengeance, lounging in a listless position in an arm chair, occasionally taking a calm survey of the impassioned speaker, who having made a pause in his harrangue from absolute exhaustion of words, as well as of physical energy, Howard seized the moment of silence, thus cooly and impressively to address his prisoner, for such in fact he was: "Colonel Levison, or, I should rather say, no Colonel at all-I beg your par don, Sir, were you about to speak?

I entreat, that you will make yourself perfectly easy, with respect to any apprehensions that you may feel, concerning the security of your life, and property. For the first, I am not aware that it is of any con

sequence to any one, excepting your daughter, the amiable and all-accomplished Miss Beresford, as she is vulgarly called by the bye, I think it was a pity that you did not give her mother a title to your own name; it is so much prettier-nay, do not interrupt me, Sir: it would disconcert me to hear your arguments just now; I doubt not that you had wise reasons for the precaution; I only meant to offer the hint, in a friendly waybut you're not going to be angry again?Suppose we shake hands. No!well, as you will. But to proceed with my defence against the charge of meditating an attack on your fortune.I am really so overstocked with the dross myself, that if now you were to take a liking to me, and make me a present of all your property, I should hardly know what to do with it,—unless, indeed," continued he, “unless I were to deposit it with the rightful owners; for instance, we'll say the Countess Annesley-the young Lord Stanton, or a silly, beardless rustic, on board a vessel where I happened to be about thirty years ago, I noticed the lad, because his name chanced to be the same as my own. You look astounded, my good Sir!—Ha, ha, ha!

that's natural. I believe I did not acquaint you that I am something of an astrologer; I have looked into the past, and dived into the future; I can tell fortunes by the hand, or the face; nay, I have been making calculations since we have been here, which seem to prove, that some one, now present, is destined for the gallows! Mr. Twiss, are you aware of any repugnance that you experience at the sight of a rope? I hope, Layton, you have not got a mole behind the ear.

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In this manner did Howard contrive to banter, and play, with Levison, until such time as he might expect the return of the messenger, who had been despatched to all the various parties concerned in the developement of the still unexplained circumstance of the forgery; and, in little more than an hour from the time of his arrival, he had the satisfaction of learning, that the Earl and Countess of Annesley, Mr. Singleton, brother to the Countess, and Meliora, were waiting in the parlour for his promised communication. Eur. Mag. Vol. 82.

He ordered, that the two ladies might be conducted into the conservatory, while the Earl and Singleton were ushered into court, as Howard termed a spacious apartment, into which several others opened; indeed, it was the peculiar fitness of the arrangement of the rooms for this occasion, that had caused Howard to adopt Twiss's dwelling for the scene of the eclaircissement,

When the Earl, and Singleton, who was a magistrate, and Howard and Twiss, had taken their station in the hall of audience, the proceedings commenced, in due form, and Twiss was ordered to read over the evidence, as it had been taken down, about a week before, to which notes had since been added by his Lordship; wherein he accused Miss Meliora Jerningham as a party concerned, from the circumstance of her being unable to afford, what the Earl considered to be, a satisfactory account of the employment of the identical period of time consumed in the execution of the forgery.

Singleton listened attentively to the recital of the various depositions, and declared, at its conclusion, that appearances went strongly to criminate Miss Jerningham. Howard smiled to himself, as he remembered how fallacious the magistrate's judgment would soon be proved to have been, and then, with an air of deference and respect, proffered his defence.

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"The explanation that I have in my power to afford, Gentlemen,’ said he, "consists rather of a singular combination of facts, than in making a verbose and fluent appeal; but facts are stubborn things. My mode of proceedure, too, will be very summary. I shall not detain your attention long, Gentlemen;" then advancing to one of the side doors, he called aloud on Thomas Cater, whom, when he came forward, Howard presented to the court, saying, "This man is the coach-driver, mentioned in evidence." Singleton asked Cater a few questions; but finding that his answers tallied precisely with his former testimony, he was quickly dismissed.

Layton was the next witness produced, who, having repeated his former asseverations, now added, "That if a dozen ladies were shewn

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to him, and among them the one who had presented the draft, he had no doubt of being able to identify, and even swear to her person." He was then ordered to withdraw; and Howard brought Colonel Levison into court. Here, my Lord, is a gentleman, who did reside at No. 160, in the Strand, the house where Cater drove to, on the Wednesday morning."

"Colonel Levison!" cried the Earl in astonishment; but the gallant officer was so confounded with the fear of detection in his misdeeds, that he remained silent, and Howard went on to say, "And now comes an important witness, this honest fellow, Gentlemen,"-and to Levison's horror Phillips came forward,---" ---" this young man is ready to depose, that on Wednesday the 22d instant, about twelve o'clock in the forenoon, a lady, habited in black, came in a hackney coach to his master's door, his master being the redoubtable Col. Levison, now before you; that the lady alighted from the coach, and herself knocked at the house-door, viz. No. 160, Strand; that she continued in private conference with the Colonel, believed to be her father, for the space of ten minutes, and was occupied, during that time, in paying a large sum of money; this same Richard Phillips, having been despatched to procure a stamp, of the value of seven shillings and sixpence." "Where is the lady?" asked Singleton; "Just at hand," replied Howard; and straitway led forth Miss Bridget Beresford, at the sight of whom, Lord Annesley uttered an exclamation of mingled aversion and astonishment; while the lady herself, on beholding her father, whom she believed to be many hundred miles distant, was overcome, almost to fainting. When she was recovered, however, she underwent a minute examination by Singleton; but when he demanded to know from whom she received the money paid to Colonel Levison, and for what purpose it was paid, she maintained à resolute silence; nor even when Singleton menaced her with being taken into custody, could he elicit any reply. Just at this juncture, Howard, noticing the collusion that was being carried on, by means of

signs and gestures, between the father and daughter, cried out,"Come and stand on this side, young lady, where, perhaps, you will be able to answer in plain English. Frowns, and winks, and, nods, are a language not generally understood. I never observed what an expressive countenance my 'friend the Colonel had got, till within the last quarter of an hour."

Howard then advanced to Singleton, and whispered, that he had reason to think that the money had been paid on the account of the Countess Annesley. Singleton started, but gave him leave to put the question secretly to Miss Beresford. He did so, and the whole truth was, in a moment, visible; the lady's countenance turned to a livid paleness, as she faltered out, "Good God! how did you know that ?"

"A confession, Mr. Singleton,' exclaimed Howard, "we have no need of any farther witnesses."

Singleton then went out, and after an interview of great length with his sister, in which she acknowledged the whole extent of her delinquency, returned again to his judgment-seat, and caused the Earl to read over a recantation, which Singleton himself had drawn up, of the charge he had preferred against Meliora Jerningham, and to repeat it aloud, in presence of all the witnesses there sembled.

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Levison and his daughter were then permitted to proceed on their respective journies, while Singleton undertook to act as mediator between his unhappy sister and her injured husband, offering to discharge, on his part, one half of the Countess' enormous debt. Lord Annesley was glad to avail himself of the liberal tender, but would not consent to run a similar hazard, by receiving the Countess into his house, and she was compelled to retire, on a somewhat limited allowance, from her husband, to live with her parents in Yorkshire.

Meliora and her mother had resided for a short time at a small cottage on the banks of the Thames, in contented poverty, when they received information that Howard was fled no one knew whither, having first, with the exception of a handsome provision for his wife and sister-in-law, made over the whole of

his vast wealth to Mrs. Jerningham, addressing a letter to her to this effect, in which he said, he only gave back the money to "the affectionate little Emma," whose tender intercession had been the remote means of laying the foundation of his fortune, and begged it might be accepted and regarded as the debt of gratitude. It was discovered, but not till after his death, that he had retired to a kind of cell, deeply embosomed in a wood, somewhere in the west of England, where he literally lived as a hermit.

Meantime young Sir Alfred Arden (for his father was now dead) returned home, and constant to his vows, claimed the honour of Meliora's hand.

The nuptials were celebrated with great splendour and rejoicing; they lived l long and happy, and united to rear a numerous offspring, who were taught, in lisping accents, to bless the name of Godfrey Howard.

CONCLUSION.

ડા Well, my children," said the worthy rector, as Caroline closed her volume; 66 having now completed your prize-essays, it only remains for me to pronounce judgment on your respective claims. With regard to the manner in which

you have executed your illustrations I shall not at present say any thing: it is my office to decide the differences of opinion which formed the foundation of each story; and in this must declare, that I agree with Sophia in awarding the highest place to friendship, as tried by the several members of the proposed question; for although Love has been proved to be sufficiently powerful, and said to be intensely pleasurable, yet it fails in being the most pure of the affections: while Gratitude, in the highest degree a pure, and in some few instances, a powerful sentiment, still, to a thoroughly independent spirit, the weight of an obligation is irksome; and which must preclude Gratitude from being allowed to rank universally as the most pledsurable of our feelings. But the bond of Friendship between two exalted and congenial natures affords, perhaps, the nearest approximation on earth to perfect felicity: the affection which it feels for its object is pure as virtue--its power has been proved to extend even to the sacrifice of life; while the pleasure derived from a participation of its joys, must be tasted in order to be appreciated. To you, therefore, Sophia, do I declare the honour of victory; and having thus fairly won the prize, you are welcome to wear it as soon as you please." ARIETTA.

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TO MRS. L, ON HER BIRTH-DAY, JUNE 5, 1818.

ELLE se passe Iris! Cette belle jeunesse,
Qui vous fit de l'amour allumer tant de feux;
Mais Alexis fait voir par sa vive tendresse,
Que de ce temps encor, l'image est à ses yeux;
Il vous rend un fidele, un légitime homage,
Que son cœur à jàmais sera prompt à payer;
Quand on a l'art de plaire, et le don de charmer,
On est, malgré le temps, toujours du bel age.

AMELIA OPIE.

The Editor will be happy to receive an elegant translation of the above lines.

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