The Yale expositor., 1897-12-17
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EHE QSORERS DAUGHTER.
BY CHARLOTTE NJ. BRAEF1E.
INTERNATIONAL PRESS ASSOCIATION.
BY CHARLOTTE NJ. BRAENE.
TERNATIoNAL PRESS ASSOCIATION.


lender the calm, inscrutable man of
business, looked at the young earl
perhaps he wondered at his perfect
calmness, then he. glanced at a sheet
of paper lying On the desk.
1T will not be pleasant to hear, Lord
Caraven," he said, slowly; "but you
ask for it. To begin. At the age Of
p you succeeded to the Ravensmere
estates and title; the estates were clear
of all debts and membranes; the
rent roll was thirty thousand per an
mum; there was, besides, sum of fifty
thousand pounds in the Funds, the saw
ings of the late earl-that is correct,
believer"
quite So" was the curt reply.
"You are now % years of age, my
lord. and in seven years you have run
through fortune"
keep to facts; no comments-plain
facts" said the earl.
THE plain facts are these" con-
tinued the lawyer. "the fifty thousand
went, l believe, to pay the first years
losses on the Derby"
"Yet my horse won," interrupted
Lord Caraven.
"The winning of that Derby was
your ruin, my lord. After that you
continually forestalled your income by
borrowing money; then your losses on
the turf and the gaming table were so
great that you were compelled to raise
a heavy mortgage on the estate; then
you borrowed money on the pictures,
the plate and the furniture at Ravens
mere. In fact, my lord, briefly told,
your situation is this-you are hone
lessly, helplessly ruined. You owe six
ty thousand pounds mortgage money,
and owe forty thousand pounds Dor
rowed money-and you have nothing
to pay it with. You received notice
from me six months since that the
mortgage money was called in. Unless
it is paid in six weeks from now the
estate-Ravensmere Castle, with all it's
belongings-passes from YOU it will be
seized with all its contents"
"Are you quite sure that can Dor
row no more?" asked the earl.
quite sure, my lord, you have sold
all the timber that you could sell, as I
told you-the only thing left is your
self"
Then. unless repay the sixty thou
sand pounds in six weeks, Ravensmere
becomes the property of the man who
lent the money!"
Precisely so,' replied Arley Ran
some.
Then | hope he may live to enjoy
it, for l have not sixty shillings.
Hush" he continued, seeing that the
lawyer was about to speak-"no COM
ments! am a ruined man, as you say;
but l will not submit to criticism.
say frankly that l have been a wicked
spendthrift-a prodigal; / say frankly
that if could begin life again, would
live differently. l have been worse
than fool have been dupe. 1t is
all over now, and l have the price Of
my folly to pay"
ut is a bitter price, too, my lord.
May l ask what you think of doing?
1Ou may huOW no answer.
In six weeks l lose Ravensmere, and
with it all sources of income, and. be-
sides that, am forty thousand pounds
in debt, and l have not forty shillings
to pay it with. 1t seems to me there is
but one thing to be done"
Arley Ransome looked up anxiously.
what is that?" he asked.
81 had better invest the trifle l have
remaining in the purchase of a revolver
you can imagine for what purpose; il
will be but fitting end to such a ca
reer as mine. l really do not think.
Ransome, that l have had a hundred
thousand pounds worth of pleasure.
What comments the newspapers will
make upon me! They will head their
paragraphs, Suicide of a Spendthrift
Earl'-they will draw excellent morals
and warnings from my fate. Men of
my age will read 1t and think what a
dupe must have been: it will not be
noble ending for the last of the Cara
vens"