, 1843-07-08

other, forced the melancholy event
upon their memory.
A decorous sign or two, n few be-
coming calculations, and an instruc-
tive observation upon the uncertainty
of life made up the sum Of tender
poStlumous "offerings to the names OF
poor George Fortcscue,'' as they pro
ceeded TO discharge the more impor-
,ant duties for which they had met.
By the time the third glass of cham
paigne had gone round in addition TO
sundrv rotations offne old hook, and
'capilal Madeira,' they had ceased
to discover any thing SO very pathet-
ic in the inequality of the two sides
of the table, or so melancholy in their
crippled number Of eleven.
The rest Of the evening passed off
very pleasantly in conversation. good
%humorcd enjoyment and conviviality.
and il was not ill towards twelve o.
clock that poor George Fortescue'
WIS again remembered.
They all agreed at parting. howev-
er. that they had never passed such a
happy dav, CONGRATULATED each other
upon having instituted so delightful a
meeting, promised 10 be %punctual 10
their appointment the ensuing even,
inc. when they were to celebrate the
new wear. whose entrance they had
welcomed in bumpers of %claret. as the
Waterman hawled. ''raSt 10 o'ciockn'
beneath the window.
They met accordingly. and their
ny was without any alloy or draw
back. 1t r9s only the first time OF
their assembling, ai,,- The death o'
poor George Fortescue," It'd, MADE
the recollection of it painful; for,
though but Z few hours had inter
vencd. they now took their Sc ais nj
| the table as if eleven had been their
original number. and as if all were
there that had been erer expected to
be there.
1t is thus in everything. The first
tine a man enters a prison-the first
book an author writcs-thc first pain
ting III artist exccutes-thc first bat
lie General wIns-nay. the first
Tine 4 rogue is hangcd-Qor 4 rotten
rope may provide a second perform
auce even Of that ceremony, with all
its Sinrlcness of characte)--di'ferin in
conccivabIv from the fir Streperition.
There is charm 4 spell. Il novelty. n
freshness. a delight, inscparatle iro"l
the first experience, hanging always
excepted he il remembered. which
no art or circumstance can impart Ia
the second. And it is the same in al
the darker traits of life. There Is n
degree of ~poignancy anc anguish in
the first assaults OF sorrow. which is
never found afterwards. In every
case ii is simply that the first fine
edge of our feelings has been taken
off. and that it can never be restored.
Several years had elapsed. and ouT
eleven friends kept up their double
anniversaries. us they might aptly e.
nough be called. with scarcely any
perceplible change. But. alas! there
came one dinner AT last, which was
darkened by a calamity they never
expected to witness. for on that very
dav. their friend, companion. broth
er. almost. was hanged! Yes! Ste
phen Rowland, the wit, the oracle.
! the lie of their little circle had on
the morning of that day, forfeited his
life upon a public scafiold, for having
made one little stroke Of his pen in Il
wrong place. In other words, a bill
Of exchange which passed into his
hands for f7oO, passed out Of it for
fl7OO, he having drawn the impor-
lant little prefix to the hundreds, and
the bill having been paid at the bank
er's without examining the words of
il. The forgery was discovered
brought home to Rowland-and
though the greatest interest was used
20 obtain q remission Of the fatal pen
atty, poor Stephen Rowland was
hanged. Everybody pilied him, and
nobody could tell why he did it. He
was not poor, he was not gambler,
lie was not a Spectator, but phrenolo.
gv settled it. The organ of acquisi'
tiveness was discovered in his head,
after bis execution as large rs Il zig
cons egg. He could not help it.
1t would be injustice to the len 10
say. that even wine, friendship, and a
merry season, could Glspel the gloom
which pervaded this dinner. 1t was
agreed beforehand, that they should
not allude to the distressing and mel
anchoIy theme; and, having thus in
lerdlcted the only thing which really
occupied all their thoughts. the natu-
raj consequence was, that silent con-
temptation took the place of dismal