The Morning herald., 1877-08-07

nocent. This. end reached, he and she
were to part, never to meet again in this
world,
And yet, day after day, week after
week progressed, and nothing was done,
NO discovery made, no oiunoceuce cfoyed. !
D This want of despatcli, thfs weary
'watchfulness, this daily torture, was duo
to Webber himself. He was not wanted
at the interviews between Austin and
Margaret-he impeded the climax by his
presence; and yete though he knew this
evident fact, he was never absent. Final
ly, be who had Afostered and manipulated
the attack upon Austin was preventing il
from arriving at victory or defeat. +
Was Austin's heart imprisoned' Did 81.
worry love Margaret Mayteri
And as Austin Sivory is. perhaps, the
hero Of this narrative, it is we'll. that the
reader should know somethingsabout him.
His father, who was rich, was, ,paat forty
when he married. Therefore, when it is said
that he married young and very pretty
woman. it may be inferred that she mar,
ried for position. It is; to be feared she
never truly loved him; and when, about
five years being past. he died. leaving her
with one child ,. Austin, and mistress Of q
large fortune, probably, after tho first
shock, Of his death was passed, she expert
enced sense of relief. Certain it was that
she abandoned.her mourning at as early q
period as possible. and once more appeared
in society.
Cha rn0n nifhor n0nror osH -
woman, and at once she began living be-
yond her income, most absurdly excusng
herself upon the plea that her Austin was
the son of a gentleman, and therefore his
mother must live as lady. Austin's edu.
cation, as far as mere scholastics were con.
cerned, was well attended to; but, apart
from these, the example and encourage.
ment set the boy were frightful. The
mother loved him, after her preposterous
style, and spoilt him. He was brought up
as though, once man, he would be mill
lionaire. Nothing that he wanted was de-
MED him; and when he asked for money,
the request was never refused. sss
Is it any wonder he was ruined as .
man before he ceased to be boyf As he
grew up, the unfortunate mother never
dreamt of putting him to any profession;
and, finally, when he became legally man;
he was capable of doing nothing for liv-
ing, while he had acquired all the habits and
necessities of man Of rank. By this time,
the mother, now nearly forty, had almost
exhausted the fortune left her unguard-
edly in trust for her SOD. She had, there
fore, nothing to do but to die; and at least,
rid the unhappy young man of the burden
Of supporting mother who had willfully
neglected his every true interest. When
Austin was twenty-four she died. very
suddenly, Of appoplexy. leaving him et tho
head of q house magnifcently furnished.
well stocked with wines and ser vants-and
with not five Thousand pounds beyond thiS
property. q ii \ Ill \
That he might have been useful mem
ber of society, is very evident from the
mode in which he met his new position.
At once he put down the establishment,
sent the servants about their business, sold
off the furniture and the wines, disposed
of the carriages and horses in the best
market; and, within month Of Mrs. Siv.
ory's death, the house in which she died
was empty, and to be let.
There were q number of creditors to
pay; and when all was settled, Austin
found himself the possessor of about four
thousand pounds, and, so far, respectable
character.
What was be to dot He had been so in
durated to luxury and society, that he was
utterly untitled to go through the hard
work, which the requirement of any pro-
fession would have demanded. But the
native energy of the man-inherited,prob
ably, from the father-told him that he
must take to some means of replenishing
his means; so he adopted as profession
the three ways of making money in 80
ciety'-betting upon races. billiards, and
cards. These practices bad been his
amusements, to which he had served very
long and handsome apprenticeship; and
they became his handicraft-One to which
be added little stOck-jobbing when he
had large funds in hand, and he had no
call for them.
Thus commenced, and was continued
through four or five years, strange, an
exciting life. Beginning with those few
thousand pounds, and with all the appear.
ance of being rich man-few knew to the
contrary--he lived like wealthy person;
and was, indeed, sometimes comparatively
wealthy, Sometimes he was worth thou
sands, at others worth nothing 1t has
been seen how, at the commencement of
this story, Austin had reached one of bis
had seasons, and had been unable to meet
Graham Forbes upon certain settling
day; how he had accented bills Tor the
amount; and how, his good fortune
waiting for him at the German gam
ing tables, he had won sufficient money to
nav the acceptances held against him by
the dead man; and how, finally, he had
cleared his character before the mag1s-
trate. though he had not cleared 1t before