14.07.2013 Views

212520_The_Adve ... _Way_Through_The_World.pdf - OUDL Home

212520_The_Adve ... _Way_Through_The_World.pdf - OUDL Home

212520_The_Adve ... _Way_Through_The_World.pdf - OUDL Home

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

ON HIS WAY THROUGH THE WORLD 231<br />

null her son was illegitimate, and her fortune went to her sister.<br />

Painful as such a duty might be to such tender-hearted people as<br />

our Twysden acquaintances to deprive a dear nephew of his fortune,<br />

yet, after all, duty is duty, and a parent must sacrifice everything<br />

for justice and his own children. " Had I been in such a case,"<br />

Talbot Twysden subsequently and repeatedly declared, " I should<br />

never have been easy a moment if I thought I possessed wrongfully<br />

a beloved nephew's property. I could not have slept in peace ; I<br />

could not have shown my face at my own club, or to my own conscience,<br />

had I the weight of such an injustice on my mind." In a<br />

word, when he found that there was a chance of annexing Philip's<br />

share of the property to his own, Twysden saw clearly that his<br />

duty was to stand by his own wife and children.<br />

<strong>The</strong> information upon which Talbot Twysden, Esquire, acted<br />

was brought to him at his office by a gentleman in dingy black, who,<br />

after a long interview with him, accompanied him to his lawyer,<br />

Mr. Bond, before mentioned. Here, in South Square, Gray's Inn,<br />

the three gentlemen held a consultation, of which the results began<br />

quickly to show themselves. Messrs. Bond and Selby had an exceedingly<br />

lively, cheerful, jovial, and intelligent confidential clerk,<br />

who combined business and pleasure with the utmost affability, and<br />

was acquainted with a thousand queer things, and queer histories<br />

about queer people in this town: who lent money; who wanted<br />

money ; who was in debt ; and who was outrunning the constable ;<br />

whose diamonds were in pawn ; whose estates were over-mortgaged ;<br />

who was over-building himself; who was casting eyes of longing at<br />

what pretty opera-dancer—about races, fights, bill-brokers, quicquid<br />

agunt homines. This Tom Walls had a deal of information, and<br />

imparted it so as to make you die of laughing.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Reverend Tufton Hunt brought this jolly fellow first to<br />

the " Admiral Byng," where his amiability won all hearts at the<br />

club. At the " Byng" it was not very difficult to gain Captain<br />

Gann's easy confidence. And this old man was, in the course of a<br />

very trifling consumption of rum-and-water, brought to see that his<br />

daughter had been the object of a wicked conspiracy, and was the<br />

rightful and most injured wife of a man who ought to declare her<br />

fair fame before the world, and put her in possession of a portion of<br />

his great fortune.<br />

A great fortune ? How great a fortune ? Was it three hundred<br />

thousand, say ? Those doctors, many of them, had fifteen<br />

thousand a year. Mr. Walls (who perhaps knew better) was not<br />

at liberty to say what the fortune was : but it was a shame that<br />

Mrs. Brandon was kept out of her rights, that was clear.<br />

Old Gann's excitement when this matter was first broached

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!