Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1861-02-19
THE TEMFTRESs.

Richard Penson was native Of Westmore-
land, England, his place Of birth being the
small village Of Bedstone on the borders of
Gilgraith forest, some miles north of Appleby
His father had been what is called 'states-
man. in those parts-that is, he farmed his
own land; but lOng-continued ill-health, the
death of his wife, and other crosses and losses,
so reduced him in the world that he died
when Richard, his only child, was in his
twentieth year-in little better than iusolvent
circumstances. The son, who, from his desul-
tory and rather bookish habits, had never been
of much use upon the farm, found himself,
after everything had been disposed of and all
debts paid, the master of about f2OO only and
destitute, withal, Of skill in either head or
hand to turn his modest capital to account.
Being, however, so young, Of stout frame and
sanguine temperament, he might not for some
time have fully realized the undesirableness of
his position and prospects, but for the light
Unexpectedly shed over them by the dark
scornful eyes of Judith Morton, a damsel of
about seventeen, and the daughter of John
Morton, statesman of comfortable means
with whom, whilst his father yet lived in re-
putedly fair circumstances, he had been on
terms OF sweetheart intimacy, or at least as
mucn so as some half dozen other bovine
youths whom Judith Morton's handsome per-
son and comparatively cultivated airs and
sraees attracted round her. The first time
Richard Penson met her, after the final wind
ing up of his fathers affairs he was so thor
udu0 uuueIsCdQQ tldt an IDLE, know
nothing young fellow, with f200 for all his
fortune, was no match for Judith Morton, that
the next half hour was passed in mental debate
as to which of the three expedients for ridding
himself of hateful life-hanging, drowning or
pOisoning-he should adopt; and he at length
decided upon almost as desperate leap in the
dark as either of them, by forthwith writing
TO London attorney, whose advertisement,
setting forth a willingness to accept an active
clever young man as articled clerk at mod
crate premium, had strongly arrested his at
tention the day previously at Appleby-that
ne should De in London for the purpose of
having personal interview with the adver-
tiser as quickly as the coach, leaving Appleby
on the following morning, would carry him
thither. Three days afterwards, accordingly,
Richard Pensen presented himself at the at
t0rney's Office. That worthy's business lay
chiefly at the Old Bailey, and he was rightly
reputed one of the sharpest, least scrupul-
Gus practitioners that classic institution could
boast Of He quickly discerned with those
keen, yulpine eyes Of his, that there was the
stuff for clever fellow in Richard Penson
and bargain was finally struck by which, in
consideration of the greatest part of his cash,
and his services for five years, the young coun-
tryman assured himself of board, lodging, and
small salary during that period and his ar
ticles at the end thereof. Penson took readily
to his new vocation, and ultimately became
noted as keen adept in the tortuOus, shifty
clients with whom he had chiefly to deal;
though do not believe he would have lent
himself to any decidedly unprofessional expe-
dient, dangerously near as in the fervor of his
temperament he might at times have ventured
near the faintly-traced boundary line which
marks the limit which an attorney may not
Overstep in defense of the most liberal and in
teresting Of clients. For the rest, Richard
Penson was q fairly y-conducted, pleasant COM
panlonable young fellow, except when, more
freshly primed than usual, he got maudlin
about Judith Morton-her charms caprices.
cruelties. "A detestable infiction, 1 we'll re-
member, were those obliging condolences; but
rested so slightly upon my memery that the
sole and hazy impression derived from them
was that be had been Tilted by handsome
young shrew, who, most likely, on account of
her birthstone temper, had not yet obtained
husband; when Richard Penson finished his
time, and inscribed his name on the roll as an
attorney of the Court of Kings Bench. Soon
: after that event he left town for Westmore-
land in renewed quest, I had no doubt, or his
Old flame neither saw nor heard anything
of him again till about three years afterwards
when met him just by the Great Turnstile,
-Holborn; but so changed was he that for
some moments yainly cast about in my mem
ory as to whom the pallid. care worn, poverty
f1cken man, whose profered hand mechan-
tc1lly y held in mine, could be-
) zsH You do not remember me ?" he said, with
= dull, wintry smile. The voice, and a pecu-
liar north-country accent, enabled me to do SO
instantly; and blurted out, - Richard Pen
aon! But, good God what has come to you
Why, you look like an old man. 20
- "I am one" he answered. 'EAge is not al
ways truly reckoned by years"
Surely" said, after slight pause, "that
old craze of yours about the Westmoreland
spitfre you used to talk of cannot have made
such a wreck Of a sensible man. ?"
Certainly not; or, at least, not in the way
Won Pstt~ hax- Lo,,-
. to spare, and will stand treat for few glasses,
u will tell you all about it,
''Stand treat for a few glasses,' The hot
blood burned in my cheeks and temples as
echoed this sad confession of meanness and
D. degradation from my former acquaintance; but
he did not appear to heed, er was callous to,
the implied meaning Of the exclamation, and
.npon my stsmmering out that he was welcome
ooto as many glasses as he chose to have, he
Frightened up into a kind Of sickly gaiety
saying 81 was always trump" and led the
way to a tavern in Chancery Lane There,
:, and at subsequent interviews, I was made ac-
sauainted with the following strange and warn
ing story. Much Of the dialogue, which he had
q morbid tenderness for repeating, he had
written out.
70 70 hen Richard Penson, after an absence of
-Dofe than FIVE years, revisited his birthplace,
he found Judith Morton still single; and though
In her twenty-third year, beautiful, to bis
"A mind, as when he had last seen her. he soon
Isfound, however. that 1t was quite out of the
aQuestion that she should become his wife-al-
! belt the refusal was this time more gently in
fEtimated than on a former occasion. According
TO the gossip Of the neighborhood, one Robert
Masters, athrivIng Statesman, but about ten
years her senior, had been counting her off and
g on for q long time; but somehow the affair
seemed as far of or farther of than ever from
matrimonial termination. 1t was also re-
ported that q former beau Of hers, Charles
Harpur, who had emigrated to America, and
greatly prospered there, with whom she had
constantly corresponded, was shortly expected
to pay visit to England, and OF course to
Westmoreland. Thus admonished of the folly
! of further indulgence in his dream-fancies,
Penson turned his lingering steps, first towards
Appleby, where, however. no opening for an
additional attorney presented ITSELF and final
ly he came as far southwark as Liverpool,
opened an Office in Scotland Road and dill
gently stroye to edge himself into the legal
= business of that fourishing city. The result
was 50 disheartening, that at the end Of about