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What other inquiries were to be resolved by our young
friend, we were now, at this late hour, obliged to postpone
till the morrow. I shall pass over the reflections which a
story like this would naturally suggest, and hasten to our
next interview.

After breakfast next morning, the subject of last night's
conversation was renewed. I told him that something
had occurred in his absence, in relation to Mrs. Wentworth
and her nephew, that had perplexed us not a little.
My information is obtained, continued I, from Wortley; and
it is nothing less, than that young Clavering, Mrs. Wentworth's
nephew, is, at this time, actually alive.

Surprise, but none of the embarrassment of guilt, appeared
in his countenance at these tidings. He looked at me
as if desirous that I should proceed.

It seems, added I, that a letter was lately received by
this lady from the father of Clavering, who is now in Europe.
This letter reports that this son was lately met with in
Charleston and relates the means which old Mr. Clavering
had used to prevail upon his son to return home; means, of
the success of which he entertained well grounded hopes.
What think you?

I can only reject it, said he, after some pause, as untrue.
The father's correspondent may have been deceived. The
father may have been deceived, or the father may conceive
it necessary to deceive the aunt, or some other supposition as
to the source of the error, may be true; but an error it surely
is. Clavering is not alive. I know the chamber where he
died, and the withered pine under which he lies buried.

If she be deceived, said I, it will be impossible to rectify
her error.

I hope not. An honest front and a straight story will be
sufficient.

How do you mean to act?

Visit her without doubt, and tell her the truth. My
tale will be too circumstantial and consistent to permit her
to disbelieve.

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She will not hearken to you. She is too strongly prepossessed
against you to admit you even to a hearing.

She cannot help it. Unless she lock her door against
me, or stuff her ears with wool, she must hear me. Her
prepossessions are reasonable, but are easily removed by
telling the truth. Why does she suspect me of artifice?
Because I seemed to be allied to Welbeck, and because I
disguised the truth. That she thinks ill of me is not her
fault, but my misfortune; and, happily for me, a misfortune
easily removed.

Then you will try to see her.

I will see her, and the sooner the better. I will see her
to day; this morning; as soon as I have seen Welbeck,
whom I shall immediately visit in his prison.

There are other embarrassments and dangers of which you
not aware. Welbeck is pursued by many persons whom
he has defrauded of large sums. By these persons you
are deemed an accomplice in his guilt, and a warrant is
already in the hands of officers for arresting you wherever
you are found.

In what way, said Mervyn, sedately, do they imagine me
a partaker of his crime?

I know not. You lived with him. You fled with him.
You aided and connived at his escape.

Are these crimes?

I believe not, but they subject you to suspicion.

To arrest and to punishment?

To detention for a while, perhaps. But these alone cannot
expose you to punishment.

I thought so. Then I have nothing to fear.

You have imprisonment and obloquy, at least, to dread.

True; but they cannot be avoided but by my exile and
skulking out of sight—evils infinitely more formidable. I
shall, therefore, not avoid them. The sooner my conduct
is subjected to scrutiny, the better. Will you go with me to
Welbeck?

I will go with you.

Inquiring for Welbeck of the keeper of the prison, we
were informed that he was in his own apartment very sick.
The physician, attending the prison, had been called, but
the prisoner had preserved an obstinate and scornful silence;

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and had neither explained his condition, nor consented to
accept any aid.

We now went alone into his apartment. His sensibility
seemed fast ebbing, yet an emotion of joy was visible in his
eyes at the appearance of Mervyn. He seemed likewise
to recognise in me his late visitant, and made no objection
to my entrance.

How are you this morning? said Arthur, seating himself
on the bed-side, and taking his hand. The sick man
was scarcely able to articulate his reply—I shall soon be
well. I have longed to see you. I want to leave with you
a few words. He now cast his languid eyes on me.
You are his friend, he continued. You know all. You
may stay.—

There now succeeded a long pause, during which he
closed his eyes, and resigned himself as if to an oblivion
of all thought. His pulse under my hand was scarcely perceptible.
From this in some minutes he recovered, and
fixing his eyes on Mervyn, resumed, in a broken and feeble
accent:

Clemenza! You have seen her. Weeks ago, I left her
in an accursed house; yet she has not been mistreated.
Neglected and abandoned indeed, but not mistreated. Save
her Mervyn. Comfort her. Awaken charity for her sake.

I cannot tell you what has happened. The tale would be
too long—too mournful. Yet, in justice to the living, I
must tell you something. My woes and my crimes will be
buried with me. Some of them, but not all.

Ere this, I should have been many leagues upon the
ocean, had not a newspaper fallen into my hands while on
the eve of embarkation. By that I learned that a treasure
was buried with the remains of the ill-fated Watson. I was
destitute. I was unjust enough to wish to make this treasure
my own. Prone to think I was forgotten, or numbered
with the victims of pestilence, I ventured to return under a
careless disguise. I penetrated to the vaults of that deserted
dwelling by night. I dug up the bones of my friend, and
found the girdle and its valuable contents, according to the
accurate description that I had read.

I hastened back with my prize to Baltimore, but my evil
destiny overtook me at last. I was recognised by

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emissaries of Jameison, arrested and brought hither, and here shall
I consummate my fate and defeat the rage of my creditors
by death. But first—

Here Welbeck stretched out his left hand to Mervyn, and,
after some reluctance, shewed a roll of lead.

Receive this, said he. In the use of it, be guided by
your honesty and by the same advertisement that furnished
me the clue by which to recover it. That being secured,
the world and I will part forever. Withdraw, for your presence
can help me nothing.

We were unwilling to comply with his injunction, and
continued some longer time in his chamber, but our kind intent
availed nothing. He quickly relapsed into insensibility,
from which he recovered not again, but next day expired.
Such, in the flower of his age, was the fate of Thomas
Welbeck.

Whatever interest I might feel in accompanying the progress
of my young friend, a sudden and unforeseen emergency
compelled me again to leave the city. A kinsman,
to whom I was bound by many obligations, was suffering a
lingering disease, and imagining, with some reason, his dissolution
to be not far distant, he besought my company and
my assistance, to sooth, at least, the agonies of his last hour.
I was anxious to clear up the mysteries which Arthur's conduct
had produced, and to shield him, if possible, from the
evils which I feared awaited him. It was impossible, however,
to decline the invitation of my kinsman, as his residence
was not a day's journey from the city. I was obliged
to content myself with occasional information, imparted
by Mervyn's letters, or those of my wife.

Meanwhile, on leaving the prison, I hasted to inform Mervyn
of the true nature of the scene which had just passed.
By this extraordinary occurrence, the property of the Maurices
was now in honest hands. Welbeck, stimulated by
selfish motives, had done that which any other person would
have found encompassed with formidable dangers and difficulties.
How this attempt was suggested or executed, he
had not informed us, nor was it desirable to know. It was
sufficient that the means of restoring their own to a destitute
and meritorious family, were now in our possession.

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Having returned home, I unfolded to Mervyn all the particulars
respecting Williams and the Maurices, which I had
lately learned from Wortley. He listened with deep attention,
and my story being finished, he said; in this small
compass, then, is the patrimony and subsistence of a numerous
family. To restore it to them is the obvious proceeding—
but how? Where do they abide?

Williams and Watson's wife live in Baltimore, and the
Maurices live near that town. The advertisements alluded
to by Wortley, and which are to be found in any newspaper,
will inform us; but first, are we sure that any or all of
these bills are contained in this covering?

The lead was now unrolled, and the bills which Williams
had described, were found enclosed. Nothing appeared to
be deficient. Of this, however, we were scarcely qualified
to judge. Those that were the property of Williams might
not be entire, and what would be the consequence of presenting
them to him, if any had been embezzled by Welbeck?

This difficulty was obviated by Mervyn, who observed
that the advertisement, describing these bills, would afford
us ample information on this head. Having found out
where the Maurices and Mrs. Watson live, nothing remains
but to visit them, and put an end, as far as lies in my power,
to their inquietudes.

What! Would you go to Baltimore?

Certainly. Can any other expedient be proper? How
shall I otherwise insure the safe conveyance of these papers?

You may send them by post.

But why not go myself?

I can hardly tell, unless your appearance on such an errand,
may be suspected likely to involve you in embarrassments.

What embarrassments? If they receive their own, ought
they not to be satisfied?

The inquiry will naturally be made as to the manner of
gaining possession of these papers. They were lately in
the hands of Watson, but Watson has disappeared. Suspicions
are awake respecting the cause of his disappearance.
These suspicions are connected with Welbeck, and Welbeck's
connexion with you is not unknown.

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These are evils, but I see not how an ingenuous and open
conduct is adapted to increase these evils. If they come, I
must endure them.

I believe your decision is right. No one is so skilful an
advocate in a cause, as he whose cause it is. I rely upon
your skill and address, and shall leave you to pursue your
own way. I must leave you for a time, but shall expect to
be punctually informed of all that passes. With this agreement
we parted, and I hastened to perform my intended
journey.