My uncle's tribulation may be conjectured from the fact that

he called upon me, and seemed anxious enough to bury the hatchet.

He wished me to take part in the proceedings--insisted, somewhat

earnestly, and strove very hard to impress me with the conviction

that my father's memory demanded that I should devote myself to the

task of meeting and confounding the creditor who thus, as it were,

had set to work to rake up the ashes of the dead; but I answered

all this very briefly and very dryly:-"If my father has participated in this fraud, he has reaped none

of its pleasant fruits. He lived poor, and died poor. The public

know that; and it will be difficult to persuade them, with a due

knowledge of these facts, that he deliberately perpetrated such

unprofitable villany. Besides, sir, you do not seem to remember

that, if the claim of Banks, Tressell, & Sons, is good, it relieves

my father's memory of the only imputation that now lies against

it--that of being a bankrupt."

"Ay !" he cried hoarsely, "but it makes me one--me, your uncle."

"And what reason, sir, have I to remember or to heed this relationship?"

I demanded sternly, with a glance beneath which he quailed.

"True, true, Edward, your reproach is a just one. I have not been

the friend I should have been; but--let us be friends, now, and

hereafter--we must be friends. Mrs. Clifford is very anxious that

it should be so--and--and--Edward," solemnly, "you must help me

out of this business. You must, by Heaven, you must--if you would

not have me blow my brains out!"

The man was giving true utterance to his misery--the fruit of those

pregnant fears which filled his mind.

"I would do for you, sir, whatever is proper for me to do, but can

not meddle in this unless you are prepared to make restitution,

which I should judge to be your best course."

"How can you advise me to beggar my child? This claim, if recognised,

will sweep everything. The interest alone is a fortune. I can not

think of allowing it. I would rather die!"

"This is mere madness, Mr. Clifford; your death would not lessen the

difficulty. Hear me, sir, and face the matter manfully. You must do

justice. If what I understand be true, you have most unfortunately

suffered yourself to be blinded to the dishonor of the act which you

have committed; you have appropriated wealth which did not belong

to you, and, in thus doing, you have subjected the memory of my father

to the reproach of injustice which he did not deserve. I will not

add the reproach which I might with justice add, that, in thus

wronging the father's memory, and making it cover your own improper

gains, you have suffered his son to want those necessaries of

education and sustenance, which--"




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