July 1892 - The Emma Hardinge Britten Archive

154 The Destroyer and Saviour of lIfanki1ld.
quite sufficient to ensure forgiveness, and not uncommonly
to draw forth from the parental exchequer" the feast of
the fatted calf, the ring, and the fine raiment" of the
scripture narrative, in the shape of a large addition to the
amount required for the liquidation of the youth's ever
accumulating debts. At length a crisis of a totally unforeseen
nature arose. An un wedded mother bore an
infant whose sudden decease called for legal inquiry.
The young man, who had but followed his father's
example in respect to the parentage of this dead babe,
was now in desperate alarm for the girl whom he had
betrayed. She must be defended, and as the prodigal
had seen instances enough in which the law could be
bought and sold, all he needed was a large sum by which
to command such legal assistance as he deemed would
ensure favourable results. Being on the Continent at the
time of these occurrences, he wrote to his father, stating
the predicament in which he was placed, and calling for
an unlimited sUPI Iy of funds to meet the emergency. A
long time having elapsed without any reply, our prodigal
wrote again, for though in the interim the mother of his
child had been acquitted, her support, added to his other
extravagant expenses, rendered an immediate supply
indispensable.
This time the answer came, but it was in the handwriting
of his father's man of business, and briefly
informed him that the said father wa,s weary of ministering
to his son's shameful extravagances; hence that he
utterly disowned him, and having given him such an
education as would enable him to earn his own bread, he
now left him to do so. The letter concluded with the
assurance that the applicant never more should receive
one farthing from his offended parent Following upon
the receipt of this missive, the young man, presenting
himself to a stage driver, tendered his services as an