The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-11-16

serves, locking the wing door the Inside. A
minute or two afterwards, Sir Charles, and Mr.
and Mrs. Williams, entered, and paper, pens and
INK having been brought business commenced in
right earnest. Their conversation it is needless to
detail. 1t will suffice to observe that it was mani
lest Sir Charles, by heavy bribe, had induced the
accouche IT and his wife to conceal the birth of the
male chtld, which, as l suspected, was that which
Williams and his spouse were bringing up as
their own. | must do the fictitious baronet the
justice to say that he had, from the first, the ut
most anxiety that no harm should befall the infant
MIR. Malverns nervous dread lest his confederate
should be questioned, had induced their hurried de-
parture from Chester, and it now appeared that he
had become aware Of the suspicious entertained by
Mr. Repton, and could not rest till the Williamses
and the child were safe out Of the country, 1t was
insisted, by the woman especially, the agree
ment for the large annual payment to be made by
Sir Charles should be fairly written and signed in
plain black and white" to use Mrs. Williams
expression, in order that no future misunderstand-
ings might arise. This Mr.. Malvern strongly
objected to; but finding the woman would accept
OF no other terms he sullenly complied, and at the
same time reiterated, that if any harm should befall
the boy-to whom he intended, he said to leave
handsome fortune-he would cease, regardless of
consequences to himself, to pay the WllliamSes
single shilling.
A silence of several minutes followed, broken
only by the scratching of the pen on the paper.
The time TO me seemed an age, squeezed, crooked,
stiffsned as | was in that narrow box, and so ef-
erwards learned it did 10 my fellow-suffsrer. At
length, Mr.. Malvern said, in the cautious
| whisper in which they had all hitherto spoken,
''This will do, | think )" and read what he had
| written.
| Mr. and Mrs. Williams signiffsd their approval:
| and as matters were now fully ripe, gently turned
| the key, and very softly pushed open The door. The
backs of the amiable trio were towards me- and as
my boots off, and the apartment was thicky
carpeted, approached unperceived, and to the in
expresslbe horror and astonishment OF the parties
| concerned, whose heads were bent over the i'm
| portant document, a hand, which belonged to
neither of them thrust silently but swiftly for.
| ward, and grasped the precious instrument A
fierce exclamation from Mr.. Malvern, as he started
| from his seat, and a cOnvulsive scream from Mrs
| Williams as she fell back in hers, followed and to
add to The animation of the tableau, my friend at
| the opposite wing emerged at the same moment
| from his hiding place.
MIR. Malvern comprehended at a glance the situ-
alton OF affairs, and made furious dash at the pa
| per. | was quicker well US stronger than he,
and he failed in his object. Resistance was Of
course out of the question; and in less than two
| hours we were speeding on the railroad towards
| London, accompanied by the child, whom We en-
| trusted to Williams servant maid.
Mr.. Repton was still in town. and Mrs Ashton
| Lady Redwood, and her unmarried sister in their
| impatience OF intelligence, had arrived several
days before. l had the pleasure Of accompanying
| Mr. Repton, with the child and his temporary
| nurse, to Osborne's Hotel in the Adelphi, and I
|
or that she would do the infant mischief so tumul-
luous, frenzied was her rapturous JOY at the
recovery OF her lost treasure. When placed in the
cot beside the female infant the resemblance oil
the one to the other certainly almost perfect
| never saw before since so complete like
ness. This was enough for the mother; but for.
tunately, we had much more satisfactory evidence
legally viewed to establish the indemnity of the
child in a court of law, should the necessity arise
fol doing
Here, as far as | concerned, all positive
knowledge of this curious piece of family history
ends. OF subsequent transactions between the
parties had no personal cognizance | only know
there was failure of justice and | can pretty wei
guess from what motives The parties | arrested
in Birmingham were kept in street custody fo
several days; but no iuducement, threats, coulC
induce the institutors of the inquiry to appea
| against the detected criminals.
Mr.. and Miss Ashton, Lady Redwood and he
children left town the next day but one for Red
wood Manor, and Mr.. Repton coolly told the angr!
superintendent that " he had instructions t
prosecute" He too, was speedily off and tn
prisoners were necessarily discharged out of Gus
| tody.
| saw, but three weeks afterwards, in a morning
paper, that Mr.. Malvern, " whom the birth of
posthumous heir in a direct line had necessarily de
prived of all chance of succession to the Redwoo
estates and the baronetcy, which the newspaper
, had SO absurdly conferred on him, was, with hi
amiabe lady and family, about TO leave EnglanC
for Italy. where they intended to remain some time ,
The expressed but uncompleed will of the de
ceased baronet Sir Thomas Redwood, had been.
was further stated carried into effect and the egac1
: intended for Mr. Malvern paid over to him Th
WiIIiames never, to my knowledge, attained t.
the dignity of a notice in the newspapers: but
believe they pursued their original intention of pas
sing over to America.
Thus, not only "Ofence's gilded hand" bu
of the best feelings of nature, not unques
tionably Shove by Justice, and place conceal
ing gloss over deeds which, in other circumstances
would have nfalhbly consigned the perpetrators t.
prison, or perhaps the hulks. Whether however
any enactment could etfectually grapple with abus
which springs frnm motives natural and amablt
is a question which | must leave to wiser head
than mine to discuss and determine.