The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-10-14 00:00:00

FORTUNE-HUNTING.

Some days since a lady of property, the aunt of a Mr. 1
S., a most respectable tradesman, residing on Holborn-
bridgo, advertised for a companion, as she was desirous of
taking a house a few miles from town, and wished to avail
herself of the society of an agreeable individual of her own
sex, and in her own rank of life ; the advertisement di-
j meted application to be made to Mr. S. on Holborn-
' bridge, and on the day following its insertion a gentleman
called, and stated that he had come for the purpose of
making application to an advertisement which appeared in
the Timex, with the signature of A. B. Mr. S. replied
.

that he was surprisca that he should apply : be mist he
mistaken, for it was for a respectable female ; to which the
aspirer to wealth replied, it was for a young female rela-
tive en whose behalf he came; in consequence of this Mr.
S. very readily gave the applicant al.! lady's address, and
on this he departed, observing, that an answer would soon
be forwarded to the principal.
A few days afterwards tate lady received a letter,
on opening, the contents astonished and perplexed her, as
it began in the imparsionate language of a lover, and tan
throughout with everlasting asseverations of love and con-
' stancy ; immediately on its receipt she forwarded a letter,
in which was enclosed the before-named epistle, to Mr. S.,
who immediately conceived that the gentleman who had
called upon him, and elicited the lady s address, was the
same individual who had written the letter.
_ .

Mr. S. proposed a plan, of a most ludicrous description,
to punish the unwarrantable impudence of this fortune
hunter, which on being approved of, a letter was de-
spatched to him, appointing an interview with the gay
Lathed's, at Mr. Bulls, the King's Arms Inn, Holborn-
bridge, who wire made acquainted with the bendness, and
gladly joined in the scheme which hail been planned and
concocted in his house, and the scene that ensued may be
Ira rgineri by the following statement:—
An old woman, seventy years of age, was obtained from
St. Andrew's workhouse, the wife of a tailor, who was
&used up in the style of a beautiful and fashionable young
weman, with proper instructions how to act; for the pur-
pose of carrying on the farce, she was thickly veiled, which,
by-the-by, was highly requisite, inasmuch as her counte-
nance was bcspotted with numerous carbuncles, meander-
ing wrinkles, and nostrils copiously supplied with an inter-
mixture of " Poulet's Rapee" and " Lundy Foot."
At the appointed time the enraptured awl diainterestecl
lover arrived, and was in due form ushered into the apart-
ment which contained (as he imagined) his enamorats. She
was carelessly seated on a coech, and on his entering situ
very courteously row and received him wilit many expres-
sions of pleasure. In conseqnence of the instructions
which the old lady had received, she acted her part so
well that a conversation ensued of a very amatory descrip-
tion ; in the course of which the " gay Lothario" took
various freedoms with the " beloved of his -:oul." She in
her turn was not backward in showing that he alone pos.
seised her heart, and that she was both ready and willing
to lay at his feet all her worldly wealth, would he only
consent to be the " partner of her bed." On the lover re-
marking that the present moment wu the happiest he had
ever before experienced, the lady rejoined that site thought,
before she gave her final consent, that it would be neces-
sary that the state of both their affairs should be clearly
known to each other, lest any thing unpleasant might
blight their loves after marriage. " Oh, most certainly,
my charming creature," said the " Sub ;" " the fact is,
that I have an income of 2001. a year; but, in order that'
you may not he deceived, I have two little ones, but of
course they will not be a bar to our happiness." The lady
made no reply to the latter part of her admirer's disclosure,
and assured bun that she enjoyed an income of SOF. a
year! and she thought that they might, upon the whole,
live happy and comfortable.
The gallant officer, on hearing that his fair one possessed
such a scanty annuity, began to he sorry that he bail made'
her any overtures, and how to get out of the dilemma he
knew not ; at length, (after apologizing for having a
very hail memory) lie said, " Madam, I am afraid that in
stating how I was situated I have made a mistake, which I
can assure you was entirely on account of my memory be-
ing very bad; but, instead of having two children depend-
ing on me for support, I have actually fuer ! " and he now
seemed to wish to leave the room, when all of a sudden Mr.
Bull and two other friends, one in the character of the lady's
grandson, and the other as a solicitor, entered the room, and
insisted that, as things had taken such a turn, an inereement
should be immediately signeil,with a penalty, should either
party decline the union. '!he gentleman who acted the
part of the lady's grandson was particularly anxious that
such a document should be executed, to protect the fair
fame of' his dear graniltnamina ; the lover protested against
such precipitation ; and Mr. S. and his friend, conceiving
that they had sufficiently pitnished the contemptible crea-
ture, who was by this time much agitated, ordered him to
quit the house, which he did with the utmost expedition,
but not without being heartily laughed at by chamber-
maids, waiter!, coachmen, &c., as he walked, with a hur-
ried step, from the scene of his disgraceful exposure.
is but justice to state that the poor woman engaged
on this occasion went through the interview with great spi-
rit and ability, arid was liberally rewarded by her em-
ployers.