The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1843-04-14

possession of one chamber ana us
contents is expresscdly reserved
$50 il must-so it shall be-" said the iri,aed
and disappointed proaigate. will, iron pu, pose
The successful gambler saw the state to when
his dupc was reused; and not content with proper
" greater than he had ever imagined Tor hln'se''
he still grasped, and with Unsuitable purpose nj
more. The reccollecton Of that my s,erous cham
her had made deep and lnen'ceahle impression
on diseased and dishonest mind; and, now that
it was in his power, he eagerly g'nsped at an OPP
por,urily of .eizins its contents, and he demanded
that i, should be opened aud half its probable COLI
tents should he included in The s'ake-on when
condition alone he would agree to play on.
II was n dreadful moment for the wre,ched
prodigal. Were then his fathers worst anliclpa-
tious to be not only realised, but was he aler
having attained that very height of inlamy which
had been laid down as Indispensable in order 10 OBJ
tain Wedge Of that secrel-whlch in any as
pect should be called calamtous, was he then TO
divide his very interest in its possession. Even IN
the feelings to which he was reused, the thought
|
his so u must be satisfied, and that recurring and
ever destructive though, to the gambler-"l may
pin"-scrved to decide his wavering determine
ton, An, all was granted; and with energies now
screwed up TO their highest poin, Of tension, he sat
down to witness the result Of the last throw he
could ever make
Even while his hope was pending, there was
something luminous md appalling in tho appear
ance of the place and circumstances "r'ha deed
which made the heart Of the unfortunate young
man feel sick loathns. The red, dnsky light Of
the unr lined lamps conlIasled horribly with few
pencils Of golden daylight that found their way
ungracious and unguarded, to the unholy scene
There was expectalion-e eager. concentrated, burn
ing expectation in the eye of the successful gam
bier, tina, made his utterly bloodless visuge seen
completely fendish; while the intensity Of hoP'
hafturned to sickness-for knowledge was fear
even in that hour of ecipse-and strong revulslo
. n, his own degeneracy, made De Veze feel care
less us to the result Of the throw which he hat
procured by tho deliberate consignment Of himsel
j, to his fathers curse. The other spectators, too
= seemed scarcely less interested, and surrounds
q the two principals in haggard group, There wa
4 wrelchedness IN the very splendor o. the apart
men,, and the wild disorder with which the cost
!, furniture was srewed about, showing that a
!, ordinary concern was infinitely beneath The motto
: of those aronnd. All made upa picture which
:, had il been utterly Invested of all its fearful real
i ily Of life, would have formed, Of itself nos
:, dread remembrance. AT last the throw was made
:. aad with a crash like thunder, George boltet
!, from his molionless position. lie had lost +!
More he waited no, to see Other thoughts h
l. delayed not TO foim. Foul he dashed nsd
:. tho ""ssos'o"' h" "nlv cared 10 know that he hd
-, arrived ut the tremendous degeneracy he hin
self hid believed impossible, and that he now soo
-, out TO the world pointed at by the finger of III
=, dead-lhe most depraved and abandoned wrelc
!, i, had ever seen. Blu, the fever was not yet owe
:, Crime, and the consciousness Of crime were hi
:. but that impuri,y of remembrance in which III
n possibilities that he might have won were only deu
upon. There still existed in his mind The san
IN dark renewal Of the chances which had ntere
% his fae und, while he felt the deep depth Of DE-
* pravity to which he had sunk, tina, purity Of fee
n ing was not yet horn with him which had brougl
II him down. Could no have commanded the
II The wealth Of Il world it wou Id only have been
/. furnish him with the means of prolongirg his inf
~, tua,ed career. The first relapse therefore, froI
" the agony Of his disappointment, was uccasione
r. ny The hopes of finding an enormous sum in I'll
:. mysterious chamber Of his fathers will; and ru
N of the idca-wi'h nothing To damp his anticipation
but the thought that must share what no discoye
cred he set out upon hi return.
!. His journey back was far different from III
splendor with which, short time before, Georg
had entered the British metropolis. An outca
from society and from virtue, he felt that he WI
degraded in his own estimation not less than
!, that Of tie world; for he well knew that hi. W.
one of,he few cases ofreyersed fortune for whic
:, the sympathy Of mankind is never felt. In desi
r tuition, therefore, and IL misery, he travelled O
his way; but, f he wrllhed beneath the grasp
poverty. it was only 10 curse The bad fortune, an
:. not the practices which brought him into it,
=, 1t took Two months Of pr,a,ion and wenrine,
-. ere the oulcast had arrived at the noble properi
:. which was cncc bis own. The sun was Just SCI
>. ting, but setting, shcrn Of beams, upon u winter
landscape-and that dreaIiness and chill inscnera
~ c-.~ 49, .ijoc,s "r ""tsro then, sent BACK
10 current Of ngonizng feeling. with more than sym
i pathetic risor 10 his heart. The blindness vii
~ which perverted and hardened sentiment ne,e
- fails to obscure the moral sense, began to roll
way; and for The first time he was struck with III
N terrible depravty Of his conduct. sorrowful an
a'hnmed.h he made his way 10 that ancient avenue
n oak in which. happy and conteneJ, the last tim
he was a, that place, he had stood in compan