The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1877-07-12
Our Mistaken Generosity.

OuI WlStdhGll uellol USlty.
One sleety November afternoon, Ire
lawny was moving about his cOmforta-
BILE chambers in the Middle Temple
making preparations for a journey. His
yacht was waiting for him at Trieste
from which place he and his friend
Hillcoat were to start on a cruise abont
the Mediterranean, shooting here, ex-
amining ruins there, just as the humOr
seized them. Hillcoat had had pleu-
risy in the summer, and nasty OPP
preston about the chest still remained
The doctor had said that he wanted ga
change"-that modern panacea--and
as he was to be married next year, and
desired to be all right before then, he
accepted his friends offer of the pres
ent trip, though he had a business
which he did not very much like leav-
ing.
Trelawny closed his portmanteau,
Overhauled the guns he meant to take
with him, and examined the machine
for making cartridges; and when all
this was done, he took up volume of
Dante, and settled himself in a low
rOCking-Chair, with dictionery on the
ground within reach of his hand.
Trelawny was nominal barrister,
and had chambers in the Temple,
simply because he had wished, on leav-
ing the university, to retain the COM
pany of some of his best friends; and,
in truth, the old college set was brought
out in sort of second edition, revised
and corrected. But he never procured
Il horsehair wig, or a Blackstone, or in
tended to enter court of law save on
compulsion. Though, as he had taken
high degree, and was learned in
modern languages, and practical sci
ences besides, he would probably have
succeeded had there been any occasion
for eXertion. But he was rich.
Soon after the lamp was lighted,
Hillcoat came in, not with the vivacity
of man about to start on pleasant
cruise, but silent, and pale as a turnip.
He put his hat down on the table, and
leaned against the mantelpiece.
"What is it, old fellow9" asked Ire
lawny, rising and coming to him.
Something like ruin, fear, if not
worse"
"Worse?"
"Yes - dishonOr. Demetrius has
bolted."
Hillcoat had been in the army, and
would still have remained in the SER
vice had he not fallen in love with a
young lady whose friends did not con-
slider him rich enough. Now there
was banking and foreign agency bus
iness in the family, managed by an
uncle and cousin, who had proposed
that the young man should come into the
firm long before he did so; but at that
time he was too fond of his profession
to quit it. When he wanted to marry,
however, his ideas altered and he
gladly availed himself of the PROPOSE
tion when it was renewed on the seri-
Gus illness of his uncle. The cousin
had been paralysed, and was little
more than sleeping partner for years,
and Hillcoat was rather alarmed by his
responsibilities at starting; but his
uncle had said that Demetrius would
teach him how to conduct the business
Demetrius knew all about it, and was
true as steel; he could trust Demetrius
implicitly; and in that faith the old
man died,
"Has he taken much?" asked Ire
lawny.
GAS far as can make out, enough tC
embarrass me considerably; and nc
doubt the deficit is greater than | have
discovered, for he has been misappro.
priating sums Of money for some time
But this is not the worst; he has ab.
stracted some title deeds deposited a,
security for loan, and also the Raial
Of-'s diamonds, valued at ESQ, 900
which we had to take care of, pending
negotiations for their sale. | am mo-
sure that / cannot be held accountable
criminally if am unable to meet al
claims. At any rate, suspicion will at
tach to my name, and my marriage witt
Edith is quite eout--out--out Of"
"Come, don't be down-hearted man
the game is not lost yet. 1t Is fortu
nate that you had not taken the mar
into partnership, as have heard yol
say was your intention. Havey you any
idea of the motive for his turning
rogue2"
"Well, IL seems that every one in The
office but myself was aware that he wa
the victim of an infatuation. 1t ha
been joke with the clerks for som,
time; they do not know the object o
II; however, worse luck, for that nigh
afford a clue"