"York, 5th April, 18--.

"MY DEAR SIR,--The very first leisure moment I have, I devote to informing you, as one of the most intimate friends of our highly respected client, Mr. t.i.tmouse, of the brilliant event which has just occurred. After a most severe and protracted struggle of two days, (the Attorney-General having come down special on the other side,) the jury, many of them the chief gentlemen of the county, have within this last hour returned a verdict in favor of our friend, Mr. t.i.tmouse--thereby declaring him ent.i.tled to the whole of the estates at Yatton, (ten thousand a-year rent-roll, at least,) and, by consequence, to an immense acc.u.mulation of bygone rents, which must be made up to him by his predecessor, who, with all his powerful party, and in spite of the unscrupulous means resorted to to defeat the ends of justice, is dismayed beyond expression at the result of this grand struggle--unprecedented in the annals of modern litigation. The result has given lively satisfaction in these parts--it is plain that our friend Mr. t.i.tmouse will very soon become a great _lion_ in society.

"To you, my dear sir, as an early and valued friend of our interesting client, I sit down to communicate the earliest intelligence of this most important event; and I trust that you will, with our respectful compliments, communicate the happy news to your amiable family--who, I am persuaded, must ever feel a warm interest in our client's welfare. He is now, naturally enough, much excited with his extraordinary good fortune, to which we are only too proud and happy to have contributed by our humble, but strenuous and long-continued exertions. He begs me to express his cordial feelings towards you, and to say that, on his return to town, Satin Lodge will be one of the very first places at which he will call. In the mean time, I beg you will believe me, my dear sir, with the best compliments of myself and partners, yours most sincerely,

"OILY GAMMON.

"THOMAS TAG-RAG, ESQ.

&c. &c. &c."

"That, I think, will about do"--quoth Gammon to himself, with a thoughtful air, as, having made an exact copy of the above letter, he sealed it up and directed it. He then came down-stairs to supper, having first sent the letter off to the post-office. What a merry meal was that same supper! Mr. t.i.tmouse, Mr. Quirk, and Mr. Snap, ate almost to bursting; Gammon was more abstinent--but, overpowered by the importunities of his companions, he took a far greater quant.i.ty than usual of the bouncing bottled porter, the hard port, and fiery sherry, which his companions drank as if they had been but water. Then came in the spirits--with hot water and cold; and to these all present did ample justice; in fact, it was very hard for any one to resist the other's entreaties. Mr. Gammon in due time felt himself _going_--but seemed as if, on such an occasion, he had no help for it. Every one of the partners, at different stages of the evening, made--_more suo_--a speech to t.i.tmouse, and proposed his health; who, of course, replied to each, and drank the health of each. Presently old Quirk sang a comic song, in a very dismal key; and then he and Snap joined in a duet called, "_Handcuff_ v. _Halter_;" at which Gammon laughed heartily, and listened with that degree of pleased attention, which showed that he had resolved, for once at least, to abandon himself to the low enjoyment of the pa.s.sing hour. Then t.i.tmouse began to speak of what he should do, as soon as he had "touched the shiners"--his companions entering into all his little schemes with a sort of affectionate enthusiasm. At length old Mr. Quirk, after by turns laughing, crying, singing, and talking, leaned back in his chair, with his half-emptied tumbler of brandy and water in his hand, and fell fast asleep. Gammon also, in spite of all he could do, began--the deuce take it!--to feel and exhibit the effects of a hasty and hearty meal, and his very unusual potations, especially after such long abstinence and intense anxiety as he had experienced during the previous two days. He had intended to have seen all his companions under the table; but he began gradually to feel a want of control over himself, his thoughts, and feelings, which a little disquieted him, as he now and then caught glimpses of the extent to which it was proceeding. "_In vino veritas_," properly translated, means--that when a man is fairly under the influence of liquor, you see a strong manifestation of his real character. The vain man is vainer; the voluble, more voluble; the morose, more morose; the pa.s.sionate, more pa.s.sionate; the detractor, more detracting; the sycophant, more sycophantic, and so forth. Now Mr. Gammon was a cold, cautious, long-headed schemer, and as the fumes of liquor mounted up into his head, they did but increase the action and intensity of those qualities for which, when sober, he was so pre-eminently distinguished; only that there was a half-conscious want of coherency and subordination. The impulse and the habit were present; but there seemed also a strange disturbing force: in short--what is the use of disguising matters?--Mr.

Gammon was getting very drunk; and he felt very sorry for it--but it was too late. In due time the dismal effort _not to appear drunk_, ceased--a vast relief! Silent and more silent he became; more and more observant of the motions of Snap and t.i.tmouse; more and more complicated and profound in his schemes and purposes; and at length he felt as if, by some incomprehensible means, he were attempting to take _himself_ in--inveigling himself: at which point, after a vain attempt to understand his exact position, with reference to himself, he slowly, but _rather_ unsteadily, rose from his chair; looked with an unsettled eye at t.i.tmouse for nearly a minute; a queer smile now and then flitted across his features; and he presently rang the bell. Boots having obeyed the summons, Gammon with a turbid brain and cloudy eye followed him to the door, with a most desperate but unavailing effort to walk thither steadily. Having reached his room, he sat down with a sort of suspicion that he had said or done something to commit himself. Vain was the attempt to wind up his watch; and at length he gave it up, with a faint curse. With only one stocking off, conceiving himself to be undressed, after trying four or five times ineffectually to blow out his candle, he succeeded, and got into bed; his head, however, occupying the place a.s.signed to his feet. He lay asleep for about half an hour--and then experienced certain insupportable sensations. He was indeed miserable beyond description; and lost all thoughts of what would become of t.i.tmouse--of Quirk and Snap--in his own most desperate indisposition.

"I say, Snap," quoth t.i.tmouse, with a grin, and putting his finger to his nose, as soon as Gammon had quitted the room in the manner above described--"Mr. Quirk a'n't much company for us just now, eh? Shall we go out and have some fun?"

"Walk will do us good--yes. Go where you like, t.i.tmouse," replied Snap, who, though young, was a thoroughly seasoned vessel, and could hold a great deal of drink without seeming, or really being, much the worse for it. As for t.i.tmouse, happily for him! (seeing that he was so soon to have the command of unlimited means, unless indeed the envious fates should in the mean time interpose to dash the brimful cup from his eager lips,) he was becoming more and more accustomed to the effects of drink; which had, up to the moment I am speaking of, had no other effect than to elevate his spirits up to the pitch of indefinite daring and enterprise. "'Pon my life, Snap, couldn't we stand another tumbler--eh?

Warm us for the night air?" "What shall it be?" quoth Snap, ringing the bell--"whiskey?"

"Devil knows, and devil cares!" replied Mr. t.i.tmouse, recklessly; and presently there stood before the friends two steaming tumblers of what they had ordered. Immediately after disposing of them, the two gentlemen, quite _up to the mark_, as they expressed it--each with a cigar in his mouth--sallied forth in quest of adventures. t.i.tmouse felt that he had now become a gentleman; and his tastes and feelings prompted him to pursue, as early as possible, a gentlemanly line of conduct--particularly in his amus.e.m.e.nts. It was now past twelve; and the narrow old-fashioned streets of York, silent and deserted, formed a strong contrast to the streets of London at the same hour, and seemed scarcely to admit of much sport. But sport our friends were determined to have; and the night air aiding the effect of their miscellaneous potations, they soon became somewhat excited and violent. Yet it seemed difficult to get up a _row_--for no one was visible in any direction.

Snap, however, by way of making a beginning, suddenly shouted "Fire!" at the top of his voice, and t.i.tmouse joined him; when having heard half a dozen windows hastily thrown up by the dismayed inhabitants whom the alarming sounds had aroused from sleep, they scampered off at their top speed. In another part of the town they yelled, and whistled, and crowed like c.o.c.ks, and mewed like cats--the last two being accomplishments in which t.i.tmouse was very eminent--and again took to their heels. Then they contrived to twist a few knockers off doors, pull bells, and break a few windows; and while exercising their skill in this last branch of the night's amus.e.m.e.nt, t.i.tmouse, in the very act of aiming a stone which took effect in the middle of a bedroom window, was surprised by an old watchman waddling round the corner. He was a feeble asthmatic old man; so Snap knocked him down at once, and t.i.tmouse blew out the candle in his lantern, which he then jumped upon and smashed to pieces, and knocked its prostrate owner's hat over his eyes. Snap, on some strange unaccountable impulse, wrested the rattle out of the poor creature's hand, and sprang it loudly. This brought several other old watchmen from different quarters; and aged numbers prevailing against youthful spirit--the two gentlemen, after a considerable scuffle, were overpowered and conveyed to the cage. Snap having muttered something about demanding to look at the _warrant_, and then about an action for malicious arrest and false imprisonment, sank on a form, and then down upon the floor, and fell fast asleep. t.i.tmouse for a while showed a very resolute front, and swore a great many oaths, that he would fight the Boots at the inn for five shillings, if he dared show himself; but all of a sudden, his spirit collapsed, as it were, and he sank on the floor, and was grievously indisposed for some hours. About nine o'clock, the contents of the cage--viz. Snap, t.i.tmouse, two farmers' boys who had been caught stealing cakes, an old beggar, and a young pickpocket--were conveyed before the Lord Mayor to answer for their several misdeeds.

Snap was wofully crestfallen. He had sent for the landlord of the inn where they had put up, to come, on their behalf, to the Mansion-house; but he told Quirk of the message he had received. Mr. Quirk, finding that Gammon could not leave his room through severe indisposition--the very first time that Mr. Quirk had ever seen or heard of his being so overtaken--set off, in a very mortified and angry mood, in quest of his hopeful client and junior partner. They were in a truly dismal pickle.

t.i.tmouse pale as death, his clothes disordered, and a part of his shirt-collar torn off; Snap sat beside him with a sheepish air, seeming scarce able to keep his eyes open. At him Mr. Quirk looked with keen indignation, but spoke neither to him, nor on his behalf. For t.i.tmouse, however, he expressed great commiseration, and entreated his Lordship to overlook the little misconduct of which he (t.i.tmouse) in a moment of extreme excitement, had been guilty, on condition of his making amends for the injury, both to person and property, of which he had been guilty. By this time his Lordship had become aware of the names and circ.u.mstances of the two delinquents; and after lecturing them very severely, he fined them five shillings a-piece for being drunk, and permitted them to be discharged, on their promising never to offend in the like way again, and paying three pounds by way of compensation to the watchman, and one or two persons whose knockers they were proved to have wrenched off, and windows to have broken. His Lordship had delayed the case of Messrs. Snap and t.i.tmouse to the last; chiefly because, as soon as he had found out who Mr. t.i.tmouse was, it occurred to him that he would make a sort of a little star, at the great ball to be given by the Lady Mayoress that evening. As soon, therefore, as the charge had been disposed of, his Lordship desired Mr. t.i.tmouse to follow him, for a moment, to his private room. There having shut the door, he gently chided Mr. t.i.tmouse for the indiscretion of which he had been guilty, and which was not to have been expected from a gentleman of his consequence in the county. His Lordship begged him to consider the station which he was now called to occupy; and in alluding to the signal event of the preceding day, warmly congratulated him upon it; and, trusted by the way, that Mr. t.i.tmouse would, in the evening, favor the Lady Mayoress and himself with his company at the ball, where they would be very proud of the opportunity of introducing him to some of the gentry of the county, among whom his future lot in life was likely to be cast. Mr. t.i.tmouse listened to all this as if he were in a dream. His brain (the little of it that he had) was yet in a most unsettled state; as also was his stomach. When he heard the words "Lady Mayoress,"

"ball," "Mansion-house," "gentry of the county," and so forth, a dim vision of splendor flashed before his eyes; and, with a desperate effort, he a.s.sured the Lord Mayor that he should be "very uncommon proud to accept the invitation, if he were well enough--but, just then, he was uncommon ill."

His Lordship pressed him to take a gla.s.s of water, to revive him and settle his stomach; but Mr. t.i.tmouse declined it, and soon afterwards quitted the room; and leaning on the arm of Mr. Quirk, set off homeward--Snap walking beside him in silence, with a very quaint disconcerted air--not being taken the least notice of by Mr. Quirk. As they pa.s.sed along, they encountered several of the barristers on their way to court, and others, who recognized t.i.tmouse; and with a smile, evidently formed a pretty accurate guess as to the manner in which the triumph of the preceding day had been celebrated. Mr. Quirk, finding that Mr. Gammon was far too much indisposed to think of quitting York, at all events till a late hour in the evening, and, indeed, that t.i.tmouse was similarly situated--with a very bad grace consented to their stopping behind; and himself, with Snap--the former inside, the latter outside--having paid most of the witnesses, leaving the remainder, together with their own expenses at the inn, to be settled by Mr. Gammon--set off for town by the two o'clock coach. It was, indeed, high time for them to return; for the oppressed inmates of Newgate were getting wild on account of the protracted absence of their kind and confidential advisers. When they left, both Gammon and t.i.tmouse were in bed. The former, however, began to revive, shortly after the wheels of the coach which conveyed away his respected copartners, and the sound of the guard's horn, had ceased to be heard; and about an hour afterwards he descended from his room, a great deal the better for the duties of the toilet, and a bottle of soda-water with a little brandy in it. A cup of strong tea, and a slice or two of dry toast, set him entirely to rights--and then Gammon--the calm, serene, astute Gammon--was "himself again." Had he said anything indiscreet, or in any way committed himself, over-night?--thought he, as he sat alone, with folded arms, trying to recollect what had taken place. He hoped not--but had no means of ascertaining. Then he entered upon a long and anxious consideration of the position of affairs, since the great event of the preceding evening. The only definite object which he had ever had in view, personally, in entering into the affair, was the obtaining that ascendency over t.i.tmouse, in the event of his becoming possessed of the magnificent fortune they were in quest of for him, which might enable him, in one way or another, to elevate his own position in society, and secure for himself permanent and solid advantages. In the progress of the affair, however, new views presented themselves to his mind.

Towards the close of the afternoon t.i.tmouse recovered sufficiently to make his appearance down-stairs. Soon afterwards, Gammon proposed a walk, as the day was fine, and the brisk fresh country air would be efficacious in restoring t.i.tmouse to his wonted health and spirits. His suggestion was adopted; and soon afterwards might have been seen, Gammon, supporting on his arm his languid and interesting client Mr.

t.i.tmouse, making their way towards the river; along whose quiet and pleasing banks they walked for nearly a couple of hours in close conversation; during which, Gammon, by repeated and various efforts, succeeded in producing an impression on t.i.tmouse's mind, that the good fortune which seemed now within his reach, had been secured for him by the enterprise, skill, and caution of him, Mr. Gammon, only; who would, moreover, continue to devote himself to Mr. t.i.tmouse's interests, and protect him from the designs of those who would endeavor to take advantage of him. Mr. Gammon also dropped one or two vague hints that his--t.i.tmouse's--continuance in the enjoyment of the Yatton property, would always depend upon the will and power of him, the aforesaid Mr.

Gammon; in whose hands were most unsuspected, but potent weapons. And indeed it is not at all impossible that such may prove to be really the case.

What a difference is there between man and man, in temper, and disposition, and intellect! Compare together the two individuals now walking slowly, arm-in-arm, beside the sweet Ouse; and supposing one to have designs upon the other--disposed to ensnare and overreach him--what chance has the shorter gentleman? Compare even their countenances--ah me!--what a difference!

Gammon heard with uneasiness of t.i.tmouse's intention to go to the Lady Mayoress's ball that evening; and, for many reasons, resolved that he should not. In vain, however, did Gammon try to persuade him that he was asked only to be turned into ridicule, for that almost everybody there would be in the interest of the Aubreys, and bitterly opposed to him, Mr. t.i.tmouse; in spite of these and all other representations, t.i.tmouse expressed his determination to go to the ball; on which Gammon, with a good-natured smile, exclaimed, "Well, well!"--and withdrew his opposition. Shortly after their return from their walk, they sat down to dinner; and Gammon, with a cheerful air, ordered a bottle of champagne, of which he drank about a gla.s.s and a half, and t.i.tmouse the remainder.

That put him into a humor to take more wine, without much pressing; and he swallowed, in rapid succession, a gla.s.s of ale, and seven or eight gla.s.ses of red-hot port and fiery sherry. By this time, he had forgotten all about the ball, and clamored for brandy and water. Gammon, however, saw that his end was answered. Poor t.i.tmouse was soon reduced to a state of helplessness and insensibility; and within half an hour's time was a.s.sisted to his bedroom in a truly deplorable condition! Thus Gammon had the satisfaction of seeing his benevolent design accomplished, although it pained him to think of the temporary inconvenience occasioned to the unconscious sufferer; who had, however, escaped the devices of those who wished publicly to expose his inexperience; and as for the means which Gammon had resorted to in order to effect his purpose,--why, he may be supposed to have had a remoter object in view, viz. early to disgust him with intemperance.

Alas! how disappointed were the mayor and mayoress, that their queer little lion did not make his appearance in the gay and brilliant scene!

How many had they told that he was coming! Their three daughters were almost bursting with vexation and astonishment. They had been disposed to entertain a warmer feeling than that of mere curiosity towards the new owner of an estate worth ten thousand a-year--had drawn lots which of them was first to dance with him; and had told all their friends on which of them the lot had fallen. Then, again, many of the county people inquired from time to time of the chagrined little mayor and mayoress when "Mr. Ticklemouse," "Mr. Tipmouse," "Mr. Tipplebattle," or "whatever his name might be," was coming; full of real curiosity, much tinctured, however, with disgust and contempt, to see the stranger, who had suddenly acquired so commanding a station in the county--so strong a claim to their sympathy and respect! Then, again, there was a very great lion there, exhibiting for a short time only, who also had wished to see the _little_ lion, and expressed keen regrets that it was not there according to appointment. The great lion was Mr. Quicksilver, who had stepped in for about half an hour, merely to show himself; and when he heard of the expected arrival of his little client, it occurred to Mr.

Quicksilver, who could see several inches beyond by no means a short nose, that Mr. t.i.tmouse had gained a verdict which would very soon make him _patron of the_ _borough of Yatton_--that he probably would not think of sitting for the borough himself, and that a little public civility bestowed upon Mr. t.i.tmouse, by the great Mr. Quicksilver, one of the counsel to whose splendid exertions he was indebted for his all, might be, as it were, _bread thrown upon the waters, to be found after many days_. It was true that Mr. Quicksilver, in a bitter stream of eloquent invective, had repeatedly denounced the system of close and "rotten" boroughs; but his heart, all the while, secretly rebelled; and he knew that a snug little borough was a thing on every account not to be sneezed at. He sat for one himself, though he had also contested several counties; but that was expensive and hara.s.sing work; and the seat which he at present occupied, he had paid far too high a price for.

He had no objection to the existence of close boroughs in the abstract; but only to so many of them being in the hands of the opposite party; and the legislature hath since recognized the distinction, and acted upon it. Here, however, was the case of a borough which was going to change hands, and pa.s.s from Tory to Whig; and could Mr. Quicksilver fail to watch it with interest? Was he, therefore, to neglect this opportunity of slipping in for Yatton--and the _straw moving_, too, in town--a general election looked for? So Mr. Quicksilver really regretted the absence of the little lion--his little friend and client, Mr.

t.i.tmouse.

Thus, and by such persons, and on such grounds, was lamented the absence of Mr. t.i.tmouse from the ball of the Lady Mayoress of York; none, however, knowing the cause which kept him from so select and distinguished an a.s.sembly. Mr. Gammon, as soon as he had seen Mr.

t.i.tmouse properly attended to, and had expressed an anxious sympathy for him, set out for a walk--a quiet solitary walk round the ancient walls of York. If on a fine night you look up into the sky, and see it gleaming with innumerable stars, and then fix your eye intently, _without wavering_, upon some one star; however vivid and brilliant may be those in its immediate vicinity, they will disappear utterly, and that on which your eye is fixed will seem alone in its glory--sole star in the firmament. Something of this kind happened to Mr. Gammon when on the walls of York--now slowly, then rapidly walking, now standing, then sitting; all the objects which generally occupied his thoughts faded away, before one on which his mind's eye was then fixed with unwavering intensity--the image of Miss Aubrey. The golden fruit that was on the eve of dropping into the hands of the firm--ten thousand pounds--the indefinite and varied advantages to himself, personally, to which their recent successes might be turned, all vanished. What would he not undergo, what would he not sacrifice, to secure the favor of Miss Aubrey? Beautiful being--all innocence, elegance, refinement:--to possess her would elevate him in the scale of being; it would purify his feelings, it would enn.o.ble his nature. What was too arduous or desperate to be undertaken in order to secure a prize so glorious as this? He fell into a long revery, till, roused by a chill gust of night air, he rose from his seat upon one of the niches in the walls;--how lonely, how solitary he felt! He walked on rapidly, at a pace that suited the heated and rapid current of thoughts that pa.s.sed through his mind.

"No, I have not a chance--not a chance!" at length he thought to himself--"That girl will be prouder in her poverty, than ever she would have been in her wealth and splendor. Who am I?--a partner in the firm of Quirk, Gammon, and Snap; a firm in bad odor with the profession; looking for practice from polluted sources, with a host of miscreants for clients--faugh! faugh! I feel contaminated and degraded! My name even is against me; it is growing into a by-word!--We must push our advantage--they must be driven from Yatton--he, she--all of them; yes, all." He paused for a long time, and a sort of pang pa.s.sed through his mind. "They are to make way for--t.i.tmouse!--for t.i.tmouse!! And he, too, loves her--_bah!_" He involuntarily uttered this sound fiercely, and aloud. "But stay--he really is in love with Miss Aubrey--that I know;--ah! I can turn it to good purpose; it will give me, by the way, a hold upon the little fool; I will make him believe that through my means he may obtain Miss Aubrey! Misery may make her accessible; I can easily bring myself into contact with them, in their distress; for there are the mesne profits--_the mesne profits!_ Heavens! how glorious, but how dreadful an engine are _they_! They will help to batter down the high wall of pride that surrounds _them_ and _her_; but it will require infinite care and tact in the use of such an engine! I will be all delicacy--gentleness--generosity; I will appear friendly to her, and to her brother; and, if needs must be, why he must be _crushed_. There is no help for it. He looks decidedly, by the way--a man of intellect. I wonder how he bears it--how they all bear it--how _she_ bears it!

_Beggared beauty_--there's something touching in the very sound! How little they think of the power that is at this moment in my hands!" Here a long interval elapsed, during which his thoughts had wandered towards more practical matters. "If they don't get a rule _nisi_, next term, we shall be in a position to ask them what course they intend to pursue: Gad, they may, if so disposed, hold out for--how very cold it is!"--he b.u.t.toned his coat--"and, what have I been thinking of? Really I have been dreaming; or am I as great a fool as t.i.ttlebat?" Within a few minutes' time he had quitted the walls, and descended through one of the turreted gateways, into the town.

CHAPTER II.

When, about seven o'clock on the morning after the delivery of the verdict, which, if sustained, consigned the Aubreys to beggary, they met to partake of a slight and hasty breakfast before setting off for Yatton, the countenances of each bore the traces of great suffering, and also of the efforts made to conceal it. They saluted each other with fervent affection, each attempting a smile--but a smile, how wan and forced! "The moment has arrived, dear Agnes and Kate," said Mr. Aubrey, with a fond air but a firm voice, as his sister was preparing tea, in silence, fearful of looking at either her brother or sister-in-law; "the moment has arrived that is to try what stuff we are made of. If we have any strength, this is the time to show it!"

"I'm sure I thought of you both almost all night long!" replied Miss Aubrey, tremulously. "You have a lion's heart, dear Charles; and yet you are so gentle with us"----

"I should be a poor creature indeed, Kate, to give way just when I ought to play the man. Come, dear Kate, I will remind you of a n.o.ble pa.s.sage from our glorious Shakespeare. It braces one's nerves to hear it!" Then, with a fine impressive delivery, and kindling with excitement as he went on, Aubrey began--

"In the reproof of chance Lies the true proof of men. The sea being smooth How many shallow bauble boats dare sail Upon her patient breast, making their way With those of n.o.bler bulk?

But let the ruffian Boreas once enrage The gentle Thetis, and, anon, behold The strong-ribb'd bark through liquid mountains cut, Bounding between the two moist elements Like Perseus' horse; where's then the saucy boat, Whose weak untimber'd sides but even now Co-rivall'd greatness? Either to harbor fled, Or made a toast for Neptune!--Even so, Doth valor's show, and valor's worth divide, In storms of fortune."[3]

'Twas kindly meant of Aubrey; he thought to divert the excited feelings of his wife and sister, and occupy their imagination with the vivid imagery and n.o.ble sentiment of the poet. While he repeated the above lines, his sister's eye had been fixed upon him with a radiant expression of resolution, her heart responding to what she heard. She could not, however, speak when he had ceased. For herself she cared not; but when she looked at her brother, and thought of him, his wife, his children, her fort.i.tude yielded before the moving array, and she burst into tears.

"Come, Kate--my own sweet, good Kate!" said he, cheerfully, laying his hand upon hers, "we must keep constant guard against our _feelings_.

They will be ever arraying before our eyes the past--the dear, delightful past--happy and beautiful, in mournful contrast with the present, and stirring up, every moment, a thousand secret and tender a.s.sociations, calculated to shake our constancy. Whenever our eyes _do_ turn to the past, let it be with humble grat.i.tude to G.o.d for having allowed us all, in this changing world, so long an interval of happiness; such, indeed, as falls to the lot of few. _What! shall we receive good at the hand of G.o.d, and shall we not receive evil?_"

"My own Charles!" exclaimed Mrs. Aubrey, rising and throwing her arms round her husband, whose countenance was calm and serene, as was the tone of the sentiments he expressed solemn and elevated. Miss Aubrey was overcome with her stronger feelings, and buried her face in her handkerchief. Shortly afterwards the carriage drew up, and Dr. Tatham also made his appearance on horseback.

"Good-morning! good-morning, my friends," cried he, cheerfully, as he entered, holding forth both his hands; "you can't think how fresh and pleasant the air is! The country for me, at all times of the year! I hate towns! Did you sleep well? I slept like a top all night long;--no, I didn't either, by the way. Come, come, ladies! On with your bonnets and shawls!" Thus rattled on worthy little Dr. Tatham, in order to prevent anything being said which might disturb those whom he came to see, or cause his own highly-charged feelings to give way. The sight of Mrs. and Miss Aubrey, however, who greeted him in silence as they hastily drew on their bonnets and shawls, overcame his ill-sustained gayety; and before he could bustle back, as he presently did, to the street door, his eyes were obstructed with tears, and he wrung the hand of Mr. Aubrey, who stood beside him, with convulsive energy. They soon set off, and at a rapid pace, Dr. Tatham riding along beside the carriage. Yatton was about twelve miles off. For the first few miles they preserved a tolerable show of cheerfulness; but as they perceived themselves nearing Yatton, it became plainly more and more of an effort for any of them to speak. Dr. Tatham, also, talked to them seldomer through the windows. At one time he dropped considerably behind; at another, he rode as much ahead.

"Oh, Charles, don't you dread to see Yatton?" said Miss Aubrey, suddenly, as they turned a familiar corner of the road. Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Aubrey answered her.

"When you come to the village," said Mr. Aubrey presently, to the postilion, "drive through it, right up to the Hall, as quickly as you can." He was obeyed. As they pa.s.sed rapidly along with their windows up, none of the wretched party seemed disposed to look through, but leaned back, in silence, in their seats.

"G.o.d bless you! G.o.d bless you! I shall call in the evening," exclaimed Dr. Tatham; as, having reached the vicarage, he hastily waved his hand, and turned off. Soon they had pa.s.sed the park gates; when had they entered it before with such heavy hearts--with eyes so dreading to encounter every familiar object that met them? Alas! the s.p.a.cious park was no longer theirs; not a tree, not a shrub, not a flower, not an inch of ground; the trees all putting forth their fresh green leaves--nothing was theirs; the fine old turreted gateway, too--an object always, hitherto, of peculiar pride and attachment, their hearts seemed to tremble as they rattled under it!

"Courage, my sweet loves! Courage! courage!" exclaimed Mr. Aubrey, grasping each of their hands, and then they burst into tears. Mr. Aubrey felt his own fort.i.tude grievously shaken as he entered the old Hall, no longer his _home_, and reflected, moreover--bitterest thought of all--that he had been declared by the law to have been hitherto the wrongful occupant of it; that he must forthwith proceed to "set his house in order," and prepare for a dreadful reckoning with him whom the law had declared to be the true owner of Yatton.

The formal result of the trial at York, was, as has been already intimated, to declare Mr. t.i.tmouse ent.i.tled to recover possession of only that insignificant portion of the estates which were occupied by Jacob Jolter; and that, too, only in the event of the first four days of the ensuing term elapsing, without any successful attempt being made to impeach, before the court, the propriety of the verdict of the jury. It is a principle of our English law, that the verdict of a jury is, in general, irreversible and conclusive; but, inasmuch as that verdict may have been improperly obtained--as, for instance, either through the misdirection of the judge, or his erroneous admission or rejection of evidence; or may have no force in point of law by reason of the pleadings of the party for whom it has been given, being insufficient to warrant the court to award its final judgment upon, and in conformity with, such verdict, or by reason of the discovery of fresh evidence subsequently to the trial: therefore the law hath given the party who failed at the trial, till the end of the first four days of the term next ensuing, to show the court why the verdict obtained by his opponent ought to go for nothing, and matters remain as they were before the trial, or a new trial be had. So anxious is our law to afford the utmost scope and opportunity for ascertaining what ought to be its decision, which, when obtained, is, as hath been said, solemnly and permanently conclusive upon the subject; such the effectual and practical corrective of any error or miscarriage in the working of that n.o.ble engine--trial by jury. Thus, then, it appears, that the hands of Mr. t.i.tmouse and his advisers were at all events stayed till the first four days of Easter term should have elapsed. During the interval thus afforded to the advisers of Mr. Aubrey, his case, as it appeared upon the notes of his counsel on their briefs, with the indirect a.s.sistance and corroboration derived from the short-hand writers' notes, underwent repeated and most anxious examination in all its parts and bearings, by all his legal advisers. It need hardly be said, that every point in the case favorable to their client had been distinctly and fully raised by the Attorney-General, a.s.sisted by his very able juniors, Mr. Sterling and Mr. Crystal; and so was it with the counsel of Mr. t.i.tmouse, as, indeed, the result showed. On subsequent examination, none of them could discover any false step, or any advantage which had been overlooked, or taken inefficiently. Independently of various astute objections taken by the Attorney-General to the reception of several important portions of the plaintiff's evidence, the leading points relied on in favor of Mr.

Aubrey were--the impropriety of Lord Widdrington's rejection of the deed of confirmation on account of the erasure in it; the effect of that deed, a.s.suming the erasure not to have warranted its rejection; and several questions arising out of the doctrine of adverse possession, by which alone, it had been contended at the trial, that the claim of the descendants of Stephen Dreddlington had been peremptorily and finally barred. Two very long consultations had been held at the Attorney-General's chambers, attended by Mr. Sterling, Mr. Crystal, Mr.

Mansfield, the three partners in the firm of Runnington and Company, Mr.

Parkinson, and Mr. Aubrey--who had come up to town specially for the purpose. Greatly to the surprise of all of them, he stated most distinctly and emphatically, that he insisted on no ground of objection being taken against his opponent, except such as was strictly just, equitable, honorable, and conscientious. Rather than defeat him on mere technicalities--rather than avail himself of mere positive rules of law, while the RIGHT, as between the consciences of man and man, was substantially in favor of his opponent--Mr. Aubrey declared, however absurd or Quixotic he might be thought, that he would--if he had them--lose fifty Yattons. _Fiat just.i.tia, ruat clum._ "You mean to say, Aubrey," interrupted the Attorney-General, mildly, after listening for some time to his friend and client with evident interest, and admiration of his pure and high-minded character--"that it would be unconscientious of you to avail yourself of a fixed and beneficial rule of law, established upon considerations of general equity and utility--such, for instance, as that of adverse possession in order to retain possession, while"----

"Pray, Mr. Attorney-General, if I had lent you five hundred pounds seven or eight years ago, would you set up the _statute of limitations_ against me when I asked for re-payment?"

"Excuse me, Aubrey," replied the Attorney-General, with a faint flush upon his handsome and dignified features; "but how idle all this is! One would imagine that we were sitting in a school of casuistry! What are we met for, in the name of common sense? For what, but to prevent the rightful owner of property from being deprived of it by a trumpery accidental erasure in one of his t.i.tle-deeds, which time has deprived him of the means of accounting for?" He then, in a very kind way, but with a dash of peremptoriness, requested that the case might be left in their hands, and that they might be given credit for resorting to nothing that was inconsistent with the nicest and most fastidious sense of honor. This observation put an end to so unprecedented an interference; but if Mr. Aubrey supposed that it had had any effect upon the Attorney-General, he was mistaken; for of course that learned and eminent person secretly resolved to avail himself of every means that he could think of, for overturning the verdict, and securing the Aubreys in the possession of Yatton. He at the same time earnestly endeavored to moderate the expectations of his client, declaring that he was by no means sanguine as to the issue; that Lord Widdrington's rulings at _Nisi Prius_ were very formidable things--in fact, rarely a.s.sailable; and then, again, the senior puisne judge of the court--Mr. Justice Grayley--had been consulted by Lord Widdrington at the trial, and concurred with him in his princ.i.p.al ruling, now sought to be moved against. At the close of the second consultation, on the night of the first day in Easter term, (the Attorney-General intending to move on the ensuing morning,) after having finally gone over the case in all its bearings, and agreed upon the exact grounds of moving--the Attorney-General called back Mr. Runnington for a moment, as he was walking away with Mr. Aubrey, and whispered to him, that it would be very proper to a.s.sume at once that the motion failed; and consider the best mode of negotiating concerning the surrender of the bulk of the property, and the payment of the mesne profits.

"Oh! Mr. Aubrey has quite made up his mind to the worst, Mr.

Attorney-General."

"Ah, well!" replied the Attorney-General, with a sigh; and about five minutes after Mr. Runnington's departure, the Attorney-General stepped into his carriage, which had been standing for the last hour opposite his chambers. He drove down to the House of Commons, where he almost immediately after delivered a long and luminous speech on one of the most important and intricate questions that had been discussed during the session!

At length arrived the morning of the second day in term. Lord Widdrington was occupied for about a couple of hours in "going through the bar"--_i. e._ calling on counsel to "move" in their order matters of general business, before taking motions for new trials. About a quarter of an hour before his Lordship had completed the round of the bar, the Attorney-General came into court, and arranged all his books and papers before him; Mr. Subtle sitting next to him, intending to take a note of the grounds on which he moved.

"Does any other gentleman move?" inquired Lord Widdrington, looking over the court. He received no answer.

"Mr. Attorney-General," said he; and the Attorney-General rose----