The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-07-19
CHAPTER ~.

gathered from what / have already
narrated, it may be supposed that l
was rich. / was not. | paid no rent
for the house in which we resided,
neither was it mine; and the money
which supported it came not from my
own resources. | will briefly describe
the peculiar nature of my private at
fairs.
My father, for sUne years of his life
an opulent man, lost his fortune Wien
| was very young, partly through the
treachery of a friend, partly through
unwise speculation, and from the day
of his ruin was dependent upon his
wife's brother, a gentleman OF great
wealth.
Mr.. Wilmot was at once generous
and eccentric. He never had any great
ideas of my fathers business capGci-
Ties; and it is doiag h:nI no Injustice
to say that be was seif-willed and OBJ
stinate, and that he entertained the
idea that he should not only be a Jaw
unto himself. but 10 other people as
we'll. 1t was through his assistance
that my father cxtricated himself hon.
orably from his business difficulties,
and when they were settled my uncle
refused to re-establish him.
You shall have 4 life Of ease and
happiness" said Mr.. Wilmot, and
shall run no more risks
10 this end he promised my father
an income sufficiently large to main
tain the social standing to which lie
had beer accustomed. The promise
was faithfully kept. At the end OF
every six months q sum was placed
in the bank to my fathers credit, in
fultillment of the arrangement; aud MI.
Wilmot, who was and who remained a
bachelor, gave us to understand that
at his death we should inherit the
whole OF his wealth. Neither Of my
parents lived long to enjoy the life or
luxurious ease for which MIR. Wi'fnot's
generosity provided, and l., thelr OIL
child, remained the sole recipient OF
his kindness. He paid literally for my
support and education; and it was with
his concurrence that | became Ell.
gagged to the lady l married. On that
occasion he purchased the little estate
in Setenoaks, to which / took my Wife,
and devised it to ne, in his will, which
made me his sole heir. Therefore, AS
will be seen, ! was entirely dependent
upon him during his lifetime.
At the time of my daughters engage
ment Mr.. Wifmot was absent from
England, and l had no means Of plac.
ing myself in communication with him.
His habits OF life were q sufficient in
dication of the eccentricity of his char
acter. He lived a life Of absolute sc.
cluSion, as far as we were concerned,
who would have gladly welcomed us IN
our house, and rejoiced to receive long
and frequent visits from him. we
owed all we possessed to him; and the
unseltishness OF his generosity insured
for him the highest need Of respect
and esteem. But we saw him very
seldom, and, indeed, for the last three
years had not seen him at all. Tie
was ~passionately fond of travel. and
was in the habit OF making long dis.
appearances. During these periods it
was his whim to be troubled by no
correspondence whatever, either from
his friends or business agents. He
wrote to them from time to time, but
never gave an address, nor would he
consent to receive replies from them
except upon matters of the highest
private importance. All letters for him
were addressed, by request, to a firm
Of lawyers in London, who conducted
his affairs, and there they accumu-
lated until his return home.
ITO be Continued.)