MONTHLY BELLE ASSEMBLÉE, 66 INCORPORATED WITH THE LADIES' COMPANION. JANUARY, 1854. THE RACE FOR CHAP. XV. BY MISS PARDO E. THE MORAL of Life. (Continued.) Bravo, Charles!" said Octavius Lyle, as, at the close of the evening's study, young Trevor laid aside his Euclid; "I am beginning to feel really proud of my pupil. Stick to your books, my boy; and let no caprice induce you to abandon the profession which your father has chosen for you. With your own talents properly exerted, and the promised patronage of Mr. Brunton, there is no telling to what height you may attain; and who knows but that I may one day be called upon to doff my beaver to Charles Trevor, Baron something or other, Lord Chancellor of England!" "What spirits you are in to-night, Mr. Lyle!" said the astonished lad. "Of course I am, Master Graveairs; do you not understand that I must sow all my wild oats before I become a sedate man of business, with a pen stuck behind my ear, and my feet resting upon the bar of an office-desk? But never fear, Charles, we will have some happy hours yet over our classics; the bank closes at four, and we shall have ample time to work afterwards." "Then you really have abandoned all idea of Australia, sir? How very glad I am!" "Certainly I have; and I am quite as much rejoiced as you are, although I must emigrate before long, nevertheless." "You don't say so!" "I do indeed. I trust that ere I am many months older, I shall emigrate to Hampstead." Oh, now you are joking." 66 Well, it is pleasant;" said Octavius, rubbing his hands with boyish delight; "for I confess that I would much rather calculate gold in London than dig for it at Melbourne. I mean to have a nice little bouse, Charley, and a nice little wife; and to be a pattern to all fathers of families, past, present, and to come.' "And I'll nurse the babies," laughed his companion. وو "So you shall; and we'll call one of the boys Trevor, in memory of the old times." "Famous! How pleased my father will be!" “And so shall I. Why we shall have nothing GOLD. to do but to be pleased; pleased with ourselves, pleased with each other, and pleased with the whole world. And, after all, it is not such a very bad world, is it, Charley? though we are apt to grumble at it sometimes; but that is only when the wheel of fortune wants greasing, and won't revolve in the right direction. When it does turn as it ought, the world is well enough." "I should think so, sir." "Think so! You will know it some day, my boy, when you have done with Euclid, and are making out bills of costs, and coining sovereigns out of parchments. Depend upon it that it is a capital world in its way, when once it has got the right twist, and that we have wrung its stiffneckedness out of it. There are miry paths, it is true, and certain gibbets planted in the crossroads as a warning to the passers-by; but, after all, we can shake off the mud when we get to a smoother road; and we are not bound to play the scarecrow in our own persons to the next generation. The laughing philosopher is the true one, I begin to think, in spite of all that the big-wigs may say to the contrary; and, for my own part, I am determined from this time forth to try the experiment. It will be a comfortable method of risking a failure, at all events. But who comes here? What, Ann, a letter?" "Two, if you please, sir." "Two! why the plot thickens. I am beginning already to be immersed in correspondence. Ha! from Mr. Brunton so soon. That looks well." were And the exulting young man eagerly tore open the envelope. One glance sufficed: three simple words "I sincerely regret" enough, and more than enough, to drive the warm blood of youth and joy back to the heart of the paralyzed Octavius, and to leave his brow and lips as white as marble. This time he was beggared indeed. The last, unlooked-for promise of love and hope was gone for ever. He staggered to a chair, quivering with emotion. "Mr. Lyle! Oh, tell me, Mr. Lyle, what is the matter?" almost shrieked his terrified com panion. "Nothing, Charles; nothing, my dear boy;" said the victim of misfortune with a ghastly B smile; "all is as it should be. What were we talking of just now?" "Of the house at Hampstead, sir; and the little wife, and the-" But before the bewildered lad could finish his sentence, Octavius fell heavily to the floor, in a state of insensibility. The cries of the youth instantly summoned his mother to the room, and by her anxious and judicious care, the unfortunate young man was soon restored to consciousness; but the shock had been a severe one; and with the letter still crushed in his hand, he gazed about him with a stare of languid helplessness. It was very sad to see the strong man thus stricken down, in the fulness of his foretaste of happiness; and the tears of the gentle Mrs. Trevor fell thick and fast as she hung over him with all the tenderness of a parent, suppressing alike her curiosity and her sobs, lest she should aggravate his sufferings; but the large drops which fell upon his face awoke Octavius from his deathlike trance, and suddenly flinging himself into her arms, he wept silently upon her bosom. "All is over, my kind friend;" he at length whispered hysterically; "I am once more a beggar! He has refused." 'Impossible!" exclaimed the indignant woman, startled for an instant out of her habitual self-control. "Read." She took the letter from his trembling hand, but the lines danced before her eyes, and she could not decipher a sentence. There must be some mistake," she faltered out, anxious to offer consolation, and yet ignorant of the extent of the evil. A wild laugh rang through the narrow roomsuch a laugh as had never hitherto awakened its echoes-and as it burst from the livid lips of the ill-fated sufferer, her heart quailed within her, and involuntarily she began to soothe him with gentle words and soft endearments, as a mother seeks to soothe her unquiet nursling. "Come, come, Mr. Lyle, this is not your first disappointment, and you must struggle against it as bravely as you have always done on other occasions. You are young, and youth should not spend its strength in useless repinings against fate. You must be up and doing; and although you may not quite see your way clearly at this moment, depend upon it that there is already a path marked out for you by Him who will not see the seed of the righteous begging their bread.' You are sorely tried, I know; but by your very trials you may, through His mercy, be led to comfort and happiness. It is easy for the prosperous to accept their lot with cheerfulness, and there is little merit in their doing so; but it is far more praiseworthy in those who bear up manfully and trustfully in their reverses. Who knows whether you would, as a rich man, have been what you now are pure in heart, and blameless in conduct? We are all weak creatures, and can never tell what may turn out best for us at last." "What can now turn out well for me?" groaned Octavius; "my last hope is gone.' "Do not say so, Mr. Lyle. We are shortsighted mortals, and cannot penetrate into the future. If I understood you, Mr. Ravensdale has withdrawn his word; and very ungenerous it does indeed appear that he should have done so; but still you would not despair. Only try to forget that he ever made the proRemise, and you are just where you were. member what struggles poor Richard and I have had, and yet you see that we have not been forsaken." "But this last blow has come so unexpectedly;" said the young man; "just when my heart was, for the first time in my life, overflowing with gratitude and happiness." "I know it-I feel it" was the gentle rejoinder; "the trial is a bitter one, no doubt; but keep up your spirits, and on Trevor's return home, you will perhaps arrange something between you which may help to console you for your disappointments. Although it would be idle to say that he was reconciled by the simple arguments of his hostess, still Octavius was comforted by her affectionate solicitude, and once more she had the satisfaction of seeing him subside into calm; but had he been surrounded by noise and tumult, it is probable that the violence of the shock which the invalid had sustained, might have produced more dangerous results. As it was, however, he gradually regained his self-possession; and was eventually able to pour out all his sorrows into her sympathising ear. "It is sad, it is cruel;" she said softly; "and very hard to bear; but be of good cheer, Mr. Lyle: I never did, and I never will, believe that these misfortunes can last for ever. A fresh hope will soon spring up." "To end, like all the rest, I fear, in disappointment.' "Who shall say? You are young, and the young have no right to despair." "I have not a friend left on earth to whom I can look for help." Nay, nay; that is wrong, and almost wicked. Have you forgotten your excellent aunt, Miss Penelope ?" "I will be a burthen on her no longer." "We will talk of that presently, when you are more composed." "Mrs. Trevor," said Octavius, struggling to retain an appearance of calm; do you remember sometimes to have read of men who left their country, their families, their friends, and others even dearer to them than friends, and who were never heard of again ?" "I have done so certainly; but I have heard of many more who returned to their homes, honoured, prosperous, and happy." "Perhaps so; but that will not be my fate." "Clever as you are, my dear Mr. Lyle, you cannot, as I have already told you, look into the future; the present is enough for us all." "More than enough! more than enough!' murmured the young man sadly, as he suffered his head to fall back upon the sofa-cushion in utter weariness of spirit. be in his eyes a deliberate affront which he might find it impossible to forgive." "It must have come from him;" was the excited reply: "however, I will follow your advice, and await the return of Trevor before I send it back. In the meantime its very touch is odious to me." And as he spoke he crushed the obnoxious note in his hand, and flung it from him. Few things are more painful in this life than to be called upon to wrestle with an inward grief that you cannot reveal, because you feel that it would not be understood by those about you. The small bird, that during a storm nestles itself for safety among the leaves, cannot comprehend the reckless daring of the eagle, which, embued with a higher power, battles during the thickest fury of the tempest with the clouds and wind-gusts that threaten to overwhelm it; and thus it is with the mental struggles of those whose peculiar organisation would "Here he is, father;" said the boy eagerly, render a verbal analysis of their anguish mere as he threw open the door of the little parlour; insanity in the eyes of the more timid and self-" but come in softy, for he is very ill." governed. "And your other letter, Mr. Lyle;" said Charles timidly; "perhaps it may bring you good news." Octavius mechanically extended his hand. He had already ascertained that the superscription was not in the writing of Alice, and he felt no interest in its contents. Singular enough they were, for thus ran the missive : "No one can be better aware than myself, Mr. Lyle, that no honourable man ever enjoys a perfect sense of self-respect while he is under pecuniary obligations even to a friend. Pay your debts." While, by way of postscript to this concise epistle, was inclosed a bank-bill for a hundred pounds. It had scarcely fallen fluttering to the floor when the cheerful voice of Trevor was heard in the passage, exclaiming: "Where is Mr. Lyle? I have pleasant tidings for him." "Ill!" echoed Trevor in dismay; "since when?" "Since he received a letter." Trevor cast off his great coat, and rushed into the room. Octavius still lay upon the sofa; and on the carpet, where they had fallen from his indignant grasp, were the mysterious note and its enclosure. "Tell me, Lyle;" said the host, almost inarticulate from emotion; "tell me at once-for I think that I already understand the reason of your indisposition, was it caused by a communication from Mr. Brunton ?" "Read, and judge," said Octavius languidly. "I apprehended as much;" observed Trevor, as his rapid eye ran over the contents of the note: "I could have sworn that it was so. And now, listen to me, my good fellow, and mark what I say. You know that I have never declare that, although I am utterly unable to wilfully misled you; and I most solemnly explain why or how this conviction has grown upon me, I firmly believe that these repeated culated and organised, not by an enemy, but by and harassing disappointments have been cala friend; and that instead of suffering them to "You see, Mr. Lyle, that you are by no means prostrate your energies, and to undermine your so friendless as you feared," said Mrs. Trevor, confidence in yourself, you have rather cause to while the warm tears fell upon her cheeks; rejoice that they succeed each other so rapidly. "some one evidently watches over your wel-They are forced and unnatural; and conse "What jugglery is this?" exclaimed the young man, as his eye rapidly mastered the contents of the letter; who can take a sufficient interest in my wretched fortunes to send me so large a sum without exacting its due interest? Am I to be for ever the sport of circumstances over which I have no control?" fare." "And throws his alms to me as though I were a pauper," was the rejoinder of Octavius, as the hot blood mounted to his brow and burned there; "but this is not the existence which it behoves a Lyle to drag on-I cannot subsist on charity, be it bestowed by whom it may. This money must have been sent by my proud uncle, who, amid all his sternness, cannot brook that one of his own name should starve, or become the inmate of a gaol. I can receive no gifts, forced upon me rather than offered frankly and generously by one relative to another. Favours so conferred are but insults in disguise: I spurn them as I would spurn dishonour." "You may be wrong however;" urged Mrs. Trevor; "at all events do nothing rash until you have consulted with my husband. Only imagine the displeasure of Mr. Lyle if you should send this note to him, and that he should know nothing whatever of the matter! It would quently quite out of the common order of things. There is a mystery somewhere. You must rouse yourself, and I do not despair that we may solve it." "You shall give me the solution when I return from exile-if I ever return;" said Octavius; "or perhaps I ought rather to say if I ever live to go. I know you mean kindly, Trevor, but your friendship makes you too sanguine; and I am now shaken to the very depths of my spirit. I am weary alike of the world and of myself." "Shame upon you, Lyle! I repeat what I just now said. Strange and inexplicable as are the circumstances of which you are apparently the victim, I cannot divest myself of the belief that, if we only possessed the word of the enigma, we should be rejoicing at your good fortune instead of moaning over your mischances. Remember, the action of the probe is painful, but it heals the wound; the draught is nauseous, but it arrests the disease, and effects a cure and I am as thoroughly convinced that you are now undergoing the regimen of some moral physician as I am of my own existence." "Trevor, what can you mean?" was the earnest inquiry of the young man. "It is now my turn to demand your meaning," was the calm rejoinder. "Do you really intend to affirm your conviction that the note which you now hold in your hand was not an alms doled out to me by Mr. Lyle?" "Most undoubtedly I do." name and blood in a debtor's prison, and that his pride has induced him to defer such a mortification for the present." "Had that been the case," said Trevor calmly; "rest assured that the old gentleman would have accompanied his donation by a moral lesson; and, ignorant as I have no doubt he is of the energy with which you have struggled against your adverse fortunes, would have advised more prudence for the future. I am as certain as of my own existence, that this money never came from Mr. Lyle." "It is "Precisely what I have stated; although were you to insist, as I before remarked, upon my “And I am as firmly convinced to the conreasons for this conviction, I could not give trary. My aunt Pen could not, and Joseph them. Only, however, reflect upon these facts. Lancaster would not, have been the anonymous Mr. Ravensdale was pledged to you: he autho- donor of so large a sum. No, no; depend upon rised his daughter to intimate his perfect wil-it that Mr. Lyle had visions of one of his own lingness to assist your views; he instructed you to intimate the fact to Mr. Brunton; he came to the office to-day, to ratify, beyond doubt, his promise to the young lady; and what resulted from all this? Within an hour a letter was despatched to yourself, annulling the previous arrangements; refusing to assist you; and abandoning you once more to your own resources. So far, perhaps, all may appear consistent even in its inconsistency; but mark what follows. Mr. Brunton accompanies two friends to pay a visit to your uncle; and, as a matter of course, Fielding and myself considered that we should see him no more at the office until to-morrow morning, when to our astonishment he reappears just as we were on the point of locking up the chambers; and after sorting a few papers, and giving a few directions, abruptly informs me that a press of business for which he was unprepared, renders it necessary that we should have more help; and, pointing to a mass of "There is no danger of your being exposed dusty old documents that have not seen the day-to the trial; so you may rest satisfied on that light, to my certain knowledge, for the last point. Mr. Lyle has, it is true, behaved very twelve months, desires me to have them forth-liberally to his sister; but he has, to my certain with classed and copied by a competent hand; knowledge, evinced no disposition to extend at the same time suggesting with affected indif- his generosity to the other members of his ference that if I could rely on your discretion, I family." might as well induce you to undertake the task, should you consider twenty pounds to be a sufficient remuneration for your labour; adding that perhaps you would have no objection to such an employment until you entered upon your permanent duties; and the longer I ponder upon these circumstances, the more I feel satisfied that there is a mystification some where." 66 "A mystification of which I am unfortunately the victim;" said Octavius, unwilling by any more marked incredulity to damp the ardour of his anxious and excited friend; but if you already confess yourself perplexed, what will you say when Charles places in your hands the papers which are lying at your feet?" The affectionate boy needed no further bidding, and in a moment Trevor had possessed himself of the note and its enclosure. "The plot thickens," he remarked gravely; "this is neither the hand-writing of your uncle, nor that of Mr. Brunton." "Are you convinced of what you say?" inquired young Lyle, as he turned a searching look upon his friend; "I should be sorry to believe that you, Trevor, would ever suffer me to sacrifice my self-respect to my necessities." Octavius drew a long sigh of relief. a strange business;" he said thoughtfully; and I confess that I would sooner be indebted to any other individual on earth for such assistance It is humiliating than to my nabob-uncle. enough in any case, but I would rather have wanted bread than have accepted such an obligation, so conferred, at his hands.” "Whence then can it have come?" asked Octavius, thoroughly bewildered. "I cannot even guess ;" said Trevor; confess that I am beaten." I "And paid," said Octavius; "for you are my only creditor; and in my turn I suspect that this is the device of some friend of your own, who is aware that you have impoverished yourself to serve me. And yet-will you forgive me, Trevor, if I confess that did I possess even the slightest clue to discover the donor of that bank-bill, I would return it on the instant? you I can brook an obligation; but to have a gift in money flung to you by a stranger, as I would fling a bone to a famished dog, is difficult indeed to bear. This has truly been a day of humiliation." Towards "You are quite mistaken. I am more and more confirmed in my former opinion. Only look dispassionately at the change which it has wrought in your actual position. I will accept this sum-the whole of it-although I am aware that it far exceeds any demand which I could honestly make upon you. There, you are now penniless; but you are provided with the means of self-support, at all events for a time, by the offer of Mr. Brunton. What he can want with the papers which he wishes you to copy, is, I |