Litchfield enquirer., 1860-06-14

a transfer of some part of Sir Harry's prop erty to person from whom he had long been in the habit of raising the supplies Maxwell presently perceived, what his solic itor intended he should be informed of, that in that transaction, an obvious fraud hat been practised upon his inconsiderate friend This discovery led him to examine into othel transactions of similar kind; and the result of his various investigations was conviction that vast portion of the property might fairly be recovered, since it had been obtain ed from Sir Harry by mal-practices off much graver complexion than the mere in
 fraction of the Usury Laws.
 Having, after several consultations with his solicitor, decided as to the course to be adopted. he resolved, in spite of their late arrangement, to pay visit to his quondau friend, and communicate the pleasing inte
 gence to him. On his way thither he met MT. Leslie, who sold him of the dinner par ty for that day. I'm glad of it," saiG Maxwell, "for have something to tell hin which will give zest to his wiue." But scarcely had he entered the Baroneps dress ing room-(Sir Harry's astonshment at>his visit, and his manner of receiving him, have already been described )-when he was at. tackled by one of those vague-undsfnabl -unaccountable apprehensons of approach. ing evil, which every one, perhaps, has, at some time, or other, experienced. WAy he scarcely knew: but he at once determined to delay the communication he had to make till the following day; and still less could he tell why, at the same instant he resolved up- on not quitting Sir Harry for the rest of that afternoon. It was upon taking this latter resolution that he requested permis- sion to send for his things to dress there.
 The rest is soon told.
 We know very we'll that in cases of emer- geDcy, where we suddenly find ourselves thrown unasssted upon our own resources, snd feel that something must be done, our thoughts succeed each other with such amaz- ing rapidity that we seem to jump at coucIu- sions without any intermediate train of req soning. But it is not so; the process does take place; the difference is, our thoughts express themselves, if 1 may so say, iu pie lures instead of words Ii any one who has found himself so situated will take the trouble to recollect his sensations at the 1 time, he will find that he did not think in words, but that a variety of pictures,-- scenes of various modes of action. presented themselves almost simultaneously to his minds eye, and that by u sort of instinct he pounccc upon the right oue This is some- thing of what is usually understood by that rare quality called presence of mind "a com- modity which certain worthy gentleman once declared never failed him, provided he were not taken by surprise but had time to turn the matter over in his head
 Maxwell did not throw the poison out ut the window; nor did he rush into the draw ing-room, with his face paie and his hair standing on end; nor did he call upon the company to bind Sir Harry hand and foot; nor did he remonstrate with him upon the folly as we'll as the wickedness of terminating his own existence; nor did he even betray the slightest hint that he was aware of his entertaining such an intention. He tneao has man; and he was conscious, therefore, that his interference in any manner, though it might delay, would not prevent the act; he perceived, too, that he was not then, nor likely to be, for the rest of that day, in state of mind to listen to his edfying expos tulations, and he felt convinced, that by taking one means of self-destruction out of the hands of Q man desperate and resolved
 like him. he should only be forcing him to the adoption of some other. But he took q much wiser course than any of those. He drove to the chemists, whose address he found on the label of the vial, and procured a composing draught, which was put into small bottle ofprecisely the same appearance as the more mis chievous one he had remov- ed He then returned to - street, walked leisurely up stairs into the dressing room, placed the mixture where he knew it would be sought for, descended and took his seat at the dinner-table as quietly as if noth- ing in the world had happened.
 By eight o'clock the next morning Max we'll was in Sir Harry's room, which he en- tered by a side door the baronet had ncglec- ted to fasten. He found his friend in pro- found sleep, from which he did not awake till three o'clock of the same afternoon. It were needless to relate all that passed upon this occasion. Suffice it, that having ex- plained to Sir Harry the hopes he enter tained of recovering for him large portion of his property, Maxwell found no difficulty whatever in persuading him to withdraw immediately from London, and to retire to a small place of his near the town of - in Wales, till by the exercise of rigid economy, he might be able to relieve him. self from his endorsements. That he, a gay man of the town, should so readily have adopted suggestion which seemed to i'm ply the entire abandonment of the habits of his whole former life, will appear the less ex- traordinary when it is mentioned that he has been heard to declare, that he would endure starvation, beggary, misery in any shape, rather than again encounter the Horrors of that last carouse.
 1 BEEcHER ON INTEREST No blister draws sharper than interest does. Of all indus tries none is comparable to that of interest; It works day and night, in fair weather anu foul. It has no sound in it's footsteps, put travels fast. It gnaws mans substance with invisible teeth. It binds industry With it's film, as fly is bound upon, a spiders web. Debt rolls man over ana over, blnd- inc him hand and foot, letting him hang up- on . the fatal mesh until the long-legged inter-