Washington sentinel., 1853-10-19

ject entirely depended upon my ability to secure
a very considerable sum of money.
Your matrimonial project?'
Yes; it was at last arranged, not without
much reluctance on the part of Ellen, but 7
have good reason for believing, with the covert
appreciation of Captain Bramston, that we
should effect stolen marriage, immediately
set off for the continent, and remain there till
the parental storm, which, on my fathers part,
would knew be tremendous, had blown over.
| did not feel much disguieted as to the final
result l was an only son; my sisters would
be indetatigable intercessors; a general recon
citation, such as usually accompanies the ring
ing down of the green curtain at the wind-up
Of stage-comedy, would, after no great inter
val of time, take place. Money, however, was
dispensable-money for the wedding ex-
penses, the flight to France, and living there
for a considerable time, perhaps and no likeler
mode of obtaining it occurred to me than that
Of caioling my father into good d-humor, by affect
ing to acquiesce in his wishes. And here
may remark, in passing, that had ! been capa-
BILE of the infamous deed / am accused of abun-
dant opportunities of plundering Mr. Hutton
presented themselves from the first hour | en-
tered his counting-house. Over and over again
has he left me alone in his private room, with
the keys in the lock of his iron safe where large
sums were frequently deposited, not in bank
/
That looks like a singular want Of caution
in so precise and wary a man as Mr.. Hutton,"
/ remarked, half under my breath
"Nothing of the sort" rejoned Mr.. Edmund
Webster, with some heat, and his pald face
brightly flushing. 1t only shows that with
all my faults and follies, it was impossible for
any one that knew me to imagine l could be
capable fperpetrating felony"
~ beg your pardon, Mr.. Webster; | meant
nothing offensive to you: the remark was merely
the partly involuntary expression of thought
which suddenly glanced across my mind.
81 have little more of preliminary detail to
relate" he went on to say. "Contrary to our
hope and expectation, my father became not q
whit more liberal with his purse than before
the reverse rather; and | soon found that he
intended to keep the screw on till the accom-.
plishment of the hated partnership placed an
insuperable bar between me and Ellen Bran
ston. i used to converse frequently upon these
matters with Mr.. Hutton, as unrescrvedly as |
do now with you; and lmust say that although
extremely anxious to avoid any appearance of
opposition to my father, he always expressed
the warmest sympathy with my aims and
wishes so much 50, in fact, that | ut last ven.
tured to ask him for the loan of about five hun
dred pounds, that being the least sum which
would enable me to pay OFF the most pressing
of the claims by which I was harassed, and
carry out my wedding project. That favor,
however, he iiatly refused, under the plea that
his having done so would sooner or later come
to my fathers knowledge.
"And did Mr.. Hutton, after that refusal, con-
tinue to afford you opportunities Of helping
yourself, had you been SO minded ?'
Eyes; unqucstionably he did, but what of
that?" sharpy replied the young man, his pale
face again suifused with an angry flush.
"Nothing, sir; nothing. Go on: | am all
attention"
"Well, made application to several money
lenders with the like i'll success, till last Mon
day fortnight, when | was accosted at Mr.. Hut
tons place of business in the corn-market, where
happened TO be Tor few minutes alone, by a
respectable-lo ooking middle-agcd man, who asked
me if was the Mr.. Edmund Webster who had
left a note at Mr.. Curtis, of Bishopsgate Street,
on the previous Saturday, requesting the loan
Of five hundred pounds, upon my own accept
ance at six months date. ! eagerly replied in
the affirmative; upon which Mr.. Brown, as the
man called himself, asked if ! had the promis-
sorry note for five hundred and fifty pounds, as
| had proposed, ready drawn; as if SO, he would
give me the cash at once. l answered, in q
furry Of Joyous excitement, that had not the
note drawn, nor stamp with me, but if he
would wait few minutes till Mr.. Hutton
clerk came in, would get one and write the
acceptance Immediately. He hesitated for
moment, and then said: Il am in II hurry this
morning, but will wait for You in the coffee
room of The Bay-tree tavern have the kindness
to be as quick as you can, and draw the note in
favor of Mr.. Brown He had not been gone
above three or four minutes, when clerk came
in. | instantly hurried to a stationer's, wrote
the note in his shop, and speeded on with it to
the Bay.tree tavern. The cofee-room was full,
except the box where sat Mr. Brown, who, after
glancing at the acceptance, and putting it
quickly up, placed a roll of notes in my hand.
DO not display your money! he said, before
all these people. You can count the notes
under the table | did so: they were quite
correct-ten fflies; and forthwith ordered
bottle Of wine Mr.. Brown, however. alleging
business as an excuse, did not wait till 1t was
brought-bade me good day, and disappeared
taking, in his hurry, my hat instead Of his own
Il was, YOU will readily believe, exceedingly
iubilant at this lucky turn OF affairs: and,
strange as it must appear to vou and does now
to mvself it did not strike me at the time rs at
all extraordinary or unbusnessilke, that |
should have five hundred pounds suddenly
placed in my hands by man to whom was
personally unknown, and who could not, there
fore, be certain that | was the Edmund Web
ster he prolessed to be i'll search Of What with
thc effect ofthc wine ! drank, and natural ex
! M,
orcat excitement when | left the tavern, and
hardly seemed to feel my feet as hurried away
to Mark Lane, to Inform Mr. Hutton Of my good
luck. and bid his countinghouse and the corn
trade final farewell He was not ut home,
and went in and seated myself in his private
room to await his return. have no doubtthat,
as the clerk has since deposed, did look hus
tered, agitated; and it is quite true, also, that
after vainly waiting for upwards OF an hour
suddenly left the place, and, as it happened.
unnotced by anybody. Immediately upon
leaving Mark Lane, hastened to Hampstead,
saw Miss Bramston; and as everything, with
the exception of the money, had been for some
time in readiness, it was soon decided that We
should take wing at dawn on the following
morning for Scotland, and thence pass over to
France. | next betook myself to Regents
Park, where dined, and conhded everything
to nv sisters, except as to hon | had obtained
tho necessary funds At about eight III the