Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-06-06

sary to apologize to her guests, informing them
that Mary Benson, an old servant OF hers, who
WAS very dear to her, was seriously iii, and pain
fully circumstanced, and that she feared che
had not done her duty to her.
! ITO tell the truth, Captain Freeland," she
said, speaking to him In low voice, " blame
myself for not sending my confidential servant
who was not very far off, and despatched him
With the money instead Of trusting it to the
post"
at would have been better to have done 30,
certainly" replied Freeland, deeply blushingl
| eyes; for the poor woman to whom l sent II
Is not only herself In delicate state of health,
but she has q sick husband, unable to be moved,
the point OF bankruptcy, his cruel landlord bas
declared that If they do not pay their rent by
Tomorrow, he will turn them out into the street
and seize the very bed they lie on. However,
as you put the letter into the post yesterday,
they must get the fifty pound note to-day, else
they could not-for there is no delivery Of let
ters in London of q Sunday, you know"
| "Tfue, very tue" replied Freelend, In q
tone which he vainly tried to render steady.
Therefore" continued Lady Leslie, 'if you
had told me when We met that the letter had
not gone, should have recalled Baynes, and
sent him off by the mail to London, and then
he should have reached Somerstown, where the
Bensons live, In good time; but now, though
own it would be q comfort to me 10 send him,
for fear of accident, could not get him hack
soon enough; therefore must let things take
their chance, as letters seldom miscarry; the
only danger is that the note will be taken out"
She might have talked an hour without in
terruption; for Freeland Was too much shocked,
too much conscience stricken to reply, as be
found that he had not only told falsehood, but
that If he had had moral courage enough TO tell
the truth, the mischievous negligence OF which
he had been guilty, could have been repaired;
but now, as Lady Leslie said, Il was too late.
But while Lady Leslie became talkative, and
able to perform her duties to her friends after
che had thus unburthened her mind to Freeland,
he grew every minute more, absent and more
taclturn; and though he could not eat with ap-
petite, he threw down rather than drank several
glasses Of hook and champagne to enable him
to rally his spirits, but In vain. naturally In.
genlous and generous nature cannot shake of
the frat compunctious viaitings OF conscience
for having committed an unworthy action, and
having also been the means OF injury TO another.
All on sudden, however, his c0untenance
frightened, and as soon as the ladies lett the
table he started up, left his compliments and
excuses with Lady Leslie's nephew, who pre-
sided at dinner, and he threw himself into q
postchaise and set of for Somerstown, which
Lady Leslie had named as the residence of
Mary Benson.
cat last" said Freeland to himself, with
lightened heart, 81 shall now have the satisfsc-
tion OF doing all can to repair my fault"
But owing to the delay occasioned by want Of
horses, and by finding the ostlers at the inns In
bed, he did not reach London and the place OF
his destination till the Wretohed family had
been dislodged, while the unhappy wife was
weeping not only over the disgrace of being 81
removed, and for her eWn and her husbands 10.
creased illness In consequence of it, but from
the sgonizlng suspicion that the mistress and
friend whom she had 30 loved and relied upon,
had disregarded the tals OF her sorrows, and
had refused to relieve her necessities Ffssland
soon found a conductor 30 the mean iodgingsin
which the Bsnsons had obtained shelter. for
they we're we'll known and their hard fate was
generally pitied; but it was some tine before
! he could speak as he stood by their bedside-
He was choked with painful emotions first
With pleasing emotions afterwsrd; for his CON-
science smote him for the pain he had occasion
ed, and applauded him tor the pleasure he had
come 10 be3tOW