The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1869-10-26
THE AGA SELIM.
(CoNCLUsIoN.|
CHAPTER III.

Portable dover, although belonging to
prominent mercantile family Of The
preceding, she had been city belle a
the commencement of the present one
To the establishment of the youthful! cit,
magnates who had been paying her as
siduous court since the time Of her par
ents' deaths-thesc occurred within two
weeks of each other-she had conferred
her hand and her fortune upon the hand
some five foot ten inches Of stupidity
which called itself Captain Arthur Med
licott, of the Guards.
He was. the heir of landless baronet
whose father and self had run through
the whole of their landed possessions.
His commission, ,and sundry debt, con,
stituted the whole of his property.
Paying his debts, and making him sci
out his commission, all right and title
in his name, person and expectations
were merged in the gracious and strong
minded identity .of Mistress Ann Med
licott.
Three years after, she became, in tht
natural course of events, by the deatl
Of his father, Lady Medlicott, of no
where, with some seven hundred pounds
per year-a very fair income in those
days.
In the meantime, her brothers mar
riage, his purchase of Lanercort Priory
lis reconciliation with herself, and death
of Mistress William Ingram, had fol
lowed.
Then, at William Ingram's request
suggested by herself-she had come
down with Sir Arthur Medlicott to the
Priory. to superintend his household
and look after the education OF his son
a boy of some two years Of age, both
lusty and strong for his years.
Aga Selim, the halfInsran, has al
ready given her the benefit Of a doubt.
We will do so, TOO.
William In gram had die Land nv Lady
Medlicott, knowing that the estates had
been settled upon his son, ,deter!ained up
on possessing them The VIII was not
forthcoming Had it been 50, she would
certainly have destroyed it Yet, after
some few days,a VIII was found. 1t
devised the estate of Lanercort to his
! dearly beloved sister Ann, as a recon-
pense for her kind care of him during
, his widnwership, with life-charge upon
| it of some three hundred pounds per
year, to support his only son, Robert In
gram
This Will may have been considered
extraordinary, considering the love he
had always shown and testified toward
his child.
1t was, however, period in which
many even more extraordinary Wills
were made, either by the living or fol
them when dead. Besides, thele were
no living relatives, if we except the half
brother, wao were sufficiently near to
him, in love or blood, to look after the
matter All that sne had to do was to
prevent the temperance OF Richard,
the halfIngram
This she managed to do. through the
intervention of philanthropical jew,
who dealt largely with the naval interests
of England .
It 50 happened that the captain of hi
MUesty's steamship Families, the YES
sci in winch Lie&tenant Richard was
serving, was somewhat largely indebted
tC him What could chance more op-
portunely than that the aforesaid lieu
tenant, with boats cgew-Captain Pen
tecost threw in the boats crew to keep
matters apparently straieht-shouid be
left on the coast of Africa, some seven
miles from Algiers A smart application
Of the cat '-nine-tails to the backs OF
some half dozen or more sailors who
grumbled soto voce, but loud enough
to reach the ears of their captain, at the
loss of mcssmate OF their young officer,
imposed silence.
Perhaps, on his return, Captain Pente
cost did not report their loss to the Adj
miralty, or he possibly may have done
So Certain is it that the Admiralty made
no inquiries touching the sailors. Nei-
ther did his half f-Sister, Lady Medlicott
- although she draped herself and her
household in the deepest mourning
make any inquiries touching the lienten-
ant. Naval as well as family matters
were managed very differently in the
epoch of George IL. from that in which
they are dealt with at the present day.
Eighteen years have passed.
During this time, Lady Medlicott had
dsencumbered herself and her family Of
their solemn sable.
Young Robert ingram has passed the
age of twenty-one. He is now in his
twenty-fourth year.
Richard, the half Ingram, has become
the Aga Selim.
How could she divine that he might
have done so? Had she not paid twel-
We hundred pounds sterling for Captain
Pentecost's debts to the jew, hir. Ben
Israel, aad, therefore, received Il written
guarantee from that eminent philanthro-
pis; that she should no more be annoy
ell by the ha!f-Ingram's presence.
She is now alone in the library of Ian
ercort Priory, with Sir Arthur
"You know, Arthur! that the deed Of
entail which my brother William men-
toned to you, has never yet turned up"
Never" helplessly calculated the
worse hali-if not morally, mentally
the Meiicutt marriage.
"As YOU say-'never" But, it may
"Besides, Lieutenant Richard may
come back
She was about to have said-"PShaw! F.!
Sir Arthut-you are fool" However
she did not do so Her husband knew
nothing Of her business transactions some
eighteen years since, with the Jewish
phiianthropst
Arthur Medlicott was weak man
whom she had loved for his face and fig
ure: he was still handsome, although
more than fifty years of age But, she
had never trusted him, save in the APP
preparation Of the entail In that, she
hal been obi ged to do so. She did not
choose to overburden his conscience -
So, at least, she though to herself Per
haps, she may have feared that he may
have loved her less for the abductior he
had taken no share in, although the ap-