Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1851-06-26
S ELEC 7 TALE.
The Usurer's Gift.

A few months ago in London, an old mau
sat in a large paneled room in one of the streets
near Soho Square. Everything in the apart
ment was brown with age and neglect. Moth
ing mere snperlaiively dingy cuuld well be
lmagiued The leaihern covers of the chairs
were white and glossy at the edges; the car
pet was almost of a uniform tint. notwithstand-
lng its original gaudy contrasts; there were
absurd old engravings upon the walls-relics
of the infancy of the art; and curtains to the
windows, which the smoke of wears had dark
ened from delicate fawn 20 a rusty chocolate
color. In the centre of the room, and as it
were the sun of this dusty system, stood an Of
hce-table of more modern manufacture at
which was seated The old man alluded to, sole
lord and master of the dismal domicile He
was by profession a money-lender. His age
might be from sixty to sixtv-hve years. His
face was long, and his features seemed carved
out Of lockwood or yellow sandstone, so desti-
tnte were they of mobility; his eyes were of a
cold, pale, steel color, but his brows were
black and tufted like grim old owls; a long
aquiline nose, thin and compressed mouth,
and vast double chin, buried in a voluminous
white neckcloth of more than one DAYS wear,
completed the portrait. Nor did the expires
sion of his counlenance undergo any percepti-
bic change. as after umid KNOCK, the door
opened, and yonng man entered, of singular
Iy Interesting appearance.
The newcomer was well-dressed, though
his clothes we're none Of the newest, and had
the air of a man accustomed 10 society His
pale brow was marked with those long hori-
zontai lines of which lime is rarely The artist
His dark, deep-set gray eyes flashed with a
painful brightness; his long chesnut hair.
damp with perspiration, clung in narrow strips
TO his forehead his whole manner implied
the man who had made up his mind 10 some
extraordinary course. from which no wavering
or weakness "n his part was likely to turn him
aside, Whatever the opposition of others might
compel him 10 abandon or determine Bend
ung his tall figure slightly, he addressed the
snoney-ieader in tone of constrained cslmness,
You lend money, beleve,'
Sometimes-on good security replied the
usurer indiferently, forming critical summa-
ry OF his visitor S costume at 4 glance.
The stranger hesiated; there was a dis
cnuraging sort of coldness in the mode Of de-
iivering this answer that seemed to PREJUDICE
his proposition. Nevertheless, he resumed
with an effort-I saw your advertisement ia
the paper. The usurer did not even nod ia
answer 10 this prelude. He sat bolt upright
In his chair, awaiting further information. Il
am, as you will see BY these papers, entitled
to some property IN reversion.'
The usurer stretched out his hand for the
papers, which he looked over carefully with
the same mplacabe tranquility, whilst his vis-
ltor entered INTO explanations as TO their sub
stance.
Once only, the moley-lender peered over
the top of a document he was scanning, aad
said grnffiy your name, sir, is Bernard West =
Ii Is, replied the stranger, mechanically
taking up newspaper, in which the first thing
which caught his eye was the advertisement
alluded 10, which ran thus:
Money To any amount advanced immediate
ly on every description Of security, real or per-
sonal. Apply between the hours of ten and
five, TO MIR. John Brace, street, Soho
square
After brief interval of silence, the usurer
methodlcally rearranged the papers, and re-
turned them 10 the stranger. They are of no
use, he sald-'no use whatever, The reversion
is merely contingent You have no available
security 10 offer
Could you not advance something upon
these exPectatlons-not even a small sum-
Not farthing,' said the money-lender
Is there no way of raising ftty-thiuy-
even twenty poundsr said the stranger anx-
lously, and with the tenaciiy of drowning
man graspmg at straw.
There is way. said The usurer, careless
ly. West in his turn. was silent. awaiting
the explanation of his Companion On per-
sonai security, continued the latter, with a
sinister lnpatience, beginning TO arrange his
writing materials for letter
: | will give any discount said the young
man eagerly. MY prospects are good
can
Get friend TO be security for the payment
Of the INTEREST,"
W the interest and principal, you meant
vi The interest oni y-and The life insu-
rance, added The usurer. with slight pecu-
Earlty of inionaiion, that might have escaped
the notice of une whose nerves were less exalt-
cd IN Their sensitive power than those of his
visitor.
And what can borrow oil these terms .
said West gloomily
A hundred pounds-more if you require it.
!" iac., any amount, u your security be good
lhe interest will doubtless be high
Not at ali-four or five per cent As much
Is oi;ea gwen ior money on mortgage of lard
And The life insurance.
'Yoa will insure yG2r life for five hundred
pounds, and you will pay the premiums with
the interest
For fUe hundred . said West, hesita,ing.
THAT Is, If borrow
= One hundred, replied the usurer, sharply
Men who lend money do not run risks You
may die, and four out Of FIVE insurance offices
may fail; but the chances are that the fifth
would pay.'
but 1t is not likely, began Bernard West,
amazed at this outrageous display of caution
DO not say it is likely, snarled the usur-
OF, wnh con'emptuous sort of pity for his
Sdsi'or dulness of apprehension i say il is
Possioie, and like TO be on the safe side
wen, and how Is the affair to be arranged
Your security, who Of course must be a
Person kne~n to have property, will give
bond gsaranty1ng the regular paymen, of inter-
est and preIniUms-that is ALL
West reflected for some minutes in silence
The faint expression of hope that had for an
instant lighted up his counienance vanished -
He understood the money-lender and his prop
osition. A sufficiently clear remembrance Of
the tables of life assurance which he had seen,
enabled him to perceive that the interest and
premiums together, would amount to nearly
twenty per cent, and that the bond engaged
his security to pay au annuity for his (Wests)
life of that amount. IL is true, that full of en-
ergy and hope, he felt no doubt of his capacity
TO meet the payments regularly; II Is true,
that monsirous as were the terms, he would
have accepted eagerly still harder ones, had 1t
simply depended un his own decision. But
where find, or how ask, friend to become his
bondsman! He ran over in despair the scanty
list of acquaintances whom his poverty had not
already caused to forget him. He felt that the