200 CHAPTER XXI. Things as they were thirty years ago. "A paramour is, God bless us, a thing of naught."-Shakspeare. "O, what a tangled web we weave, When first we practise to deceive."-Scott. "Smile in men's faces, smooth, deceive, and cog; Duck with French nods, and apish courtesy." "Methought a serpent eat my heart away," "Cupid is a knavish lad, Thus to make poor females mad." "One man holdeth troth, a million false." "Which is the villain? Let me see his eyes; "O what authority, and show of truth, Can cunning sin cover itself withal."-Shakspeare. "Meine Ruh' ist hin, Meine Herz ist schwer; Ich finde sie nimmer Und nimmermehr."-Goethe. 66 Wrong has but wrong, and blame the due of blame.”—Shakspeare. I HAVE pledged myself to give some account of the handsome and courteous General Williams, and to explain his connection with the fate and story of Zebediah Spiffard. William Williams, (who had contrived to assume, with some plausibility, the title of general, in consequence of a short period of enrolment in the French republican army, at the commencement of their struggles for liberty,) was one of those unprincipled speculators, who have, in the minds of the superficial, left a stain on the American character in Europe. He was a Pennsylvanian by birth, and descended from one of the com panions of William Penn; but had very early in life, thrown off both the principles and garb of the primitively apostolic society, of which his ancestor had been a member and leader. a By the death of his parents, he was left in possession of some property, which he dissipated even before he "was read out of meeting." After sponging upon such of his countrymen as his exterior and professions could deceive, (and he had " tongue could wheedle with the devil,”) he sought a wider field for the display of his abilities in Europe. He did not go emptyhanded to Paris; and arriving at a time when his professions of zeal in the cause of liberty, as well as his being an American, were recommendations, he entered the army under the auspices of the good LaFayette; but found means to retire, before seeing any active service, with the rank of major, which was easily advanced to that of general, after going to London. The vicissitudes occasioned by the many revolutions of France, enabled him to gamble, or speculate, to advantage in Paris: he, however, found it convenient to cross the channel, and he arrived at the metropolis of Great Britain with a full purse, splendid appointments, and an honourable military title. All this was not sufficient to gain him an introduction to the higher classes of that great city. He imitated their vices and extravagance; but his schemes upon their gold and bank notes, though backed by skill, failed, at the outposts of nobility, the gaming tables, to which he had gained admittance. Many other schemes failed, although some succeeded, and he was nearly at the bottom, where ebbing fortune threatened to leave him, when, at a public place, he met the attractive Sophia Atherton. The outward marks of wealth had not been stripped from the general, and he succeeded in gaining an introduction to, and attracting the attention of this fallen, and now neglected, victim of seduction. Though much her senior, he was younger, handsomer, and more attentive than her noble seducer; and found no difficulty in commencing a suit which ended in a very different manner from his first intentions. Williams, who was in all things as great a libertine as the hereditary lawgiver of Great Britain, with whom Miss Atherton lived, met her at one of those ball-rooms, where persons who had fallen, like her, but were yet of the first class of the degraded, (and who resorted to this place by permission, and under certain restrictions, appearing in splendor, attended by the carriages and servants of their illegitimate lords,) were accustomed to assemble; and where a show of decorum was pre served. He gained the information he wished from the proprietors of this dancing assembly; and with the cunning of the unwise, conceived a plan for restoring his shattered fortunes, and escaping that royal seat, called the King's Bench. He was informed that my lord was about to marry, and would willingly make pecuniary sacrifices to get rid of the beautiful frail-one in question. My lord was extremely rich— a legitimate heir to his estates and titles was his object-and the general's informant hinted that his lordship would probably pay well to be relieved from the presence of the lady who had been exhibited in triumph, but was now tolerated as a burthen, which he wished to remove without resorting to harsh, or what might be considered, dishonourable measures. The unhappy Sophia, disappointed in her hopes of continued attachment from the man who had gained her heart, (we do not say her love; heart may mean wishes, desires, hopes, whether of admiration, or riches, or splendor ;) disappointed in all her vain expectations, tormented by conscience, cut off from such society as she could esteem, and made daily more sensible of her deplorable fall, was pleased by the particular attentions of the handsome general; who appeared as a man of fashion, distinction, and wealth. They met frequently at the before-mentioned dancing assembly, and after, by appointment, at other places; she guardedly preserving with fidelity, that treaty with my lord, by the terms of which she enjoyed the liberty she exercised; and always accompanied by his lordship's servants, in attendance, or by some person appointed by him. Of course, he was apprised of Williams's attentions to his protegee, and she knew that he had such information. After a time, my lord told her that if the gentleman would marry her, he would yield his consent, however unwillingly, and would settle a handsome annuity upon her for life. Williams found the charms of the beautiful Sophia, (who communicated the munificent intentions of my lord,) increase as his funds and credit diminished-and became more pressing, in proportion to the pressing calls of his creditors. The dread of that resting place, before named-a place not unknown to several of our republicans who have made their visits too long to the land of their fathers-increased. This uneasy bench began to appear in his dreams; the fear of it made him more fervent in protestations, and more assiduous in attentions. The lady, on her part, became, in some measure, attached to her professed admirer. Her hopes rested on him. To become a wife, was, of itself, a circumstance ardently to be desired. She hoped that she might again be received as a child at the paternal hearth. She saw, or imagined, a way opened by which she might escape the tortures of an upbraiding conscience; for conscience, though lulled by the opiates of dissipation, would awake, and the voice was louder at every awakening. She hoped yet for the blessing of her father, and to have the stains of sin washed from her by the tears of repentance and forgiveness, shed and mingled on the bosom of her mother; for yet she knew not that she was the murderer of that too fond and indulgent parent. She encouraged the adventurer's addresses, in the delusive hope of retrieving character, and finding happiness; for "hope is swift, and flies with swallows' wings." Williams pursued her to avoid a prison, satisfy his creditors, and secure the means of living, if not in splendour, at least in sensual indulgence. Her beauty, for yet her brilliant complexion, (aided by the arts of the milliner, mantua-maker, and other coadjutors of the toilet,) lent to Sophia Atherton no small portion of attraction for such a man as William Williams. The other party to this bargain, the noble peer, who could trace his blood to one of the robbers attending upon the Norman conqueror; (and who had, as we have seen, watched the progress of the intrigue,) chose his opportunity to bring it to a close. One morning, (that is, a little before sun-set in June,) when he, by appointment, met Sophia, he, assuming an air of badinage, and exercising a degree of frankness, not often put in requisition, told his victim that he thought "the Yankee gentleman" would "serve her turn," and advised her to secure him. His frankness, however, did not extend so far as to make known to her that the general was no general; and that the splendid equipage, furniture, and other indications of wealth, were unpaid for. "I will do my endeavour to arrange matters in such a manner that you shall have no just cause to complain of my want of liberality. The general will make you what is called 'an honest woman;' and if he takes you to Yankee-land, you will shine as a brilliant star among the pine-knots of New-England, or a sun, illuminating with your splendour, the fashion-aping coteries of Boston or Washington.' We will not record the answer of the humbled and penitent Sophia. The interview ended in an understanding that Williams should be invited by her to see my lord's collection of pictures, statues, medals, and other evidences of his virtu; and a concerted-accidental meeting should take place between the noble peer and the ignoble general. This happened as was arranged. Let it be observed that the female partner in the transaction was the only one who did not attempt to deceive. The general imposed upon her, and wished to impose himself upon the noble, as a man of honour and wealth. The noble had obtained a knowledge of the worthlessness of the impostor upon whom he intended to place the ostensible responsibility for the future welfare of the woman he had ruined; but was satisfied that he acted as a man of honour, in providing her with a husband, and securing her from a want of the luxuries she had been accustomed to.. Sophia imparted to the man on whom her hopes now rested, all her former aberrations and future aspirations. She was again deceived! The two gentlemen-alas! that the term should be so prostituted the nobleman and general-(these words must pass for designations of the individuals who met to complete the bargain and sale,) concurred in deceiving the object of the traffic. The general, accompanied by his intended wife, admired the works of art he ostensibly came to see. My lord dropped in by chance, was introduced; and the negotiators, at a signal given by the master of the mansion, were left tete-atete, by the withdrawing of the lady-the property to be bought and sold. My lord told Williams that he was aware of his pursuit of Miss Atherton, and added: "She is a lovely woman, sir, a treasure, of which, I am conscious that I am unworthy. My age is unsuited to her youth and beauty. She has confessed that you have engaged her affections. Family reasons render it proper that I should marry, and my union with a lady of rank is arranged—the time fixed. Now, sir, you are a man of honour-a general in the American service- 99 66 No, my lord--I have been in the French army." "True, I recollect-for to be frank, I have not been so inattentive to Miss Atherton's future prospects, as not to make certain inquiries. You live in style, keep your carriage, and all that-but, to be plain, I understand that your circumstances are not such as appearances indicate, or, as Miss Atherton thinks them." The peer paused. The general determined to throw off a mask which he found was no longer a disguise. He confessed, that he was a bankrupt; but he was too much under the influence of habit not to begin some smooth sentences respecting remittances and expectations, which the hereditary lawmaker interrupted by proceeding thus. "Sir, I believe we understand each other, and may as well |