ARTHUR
33

"My affection for this stranger is very strong. I have a suitable apartment, for which I have no power to pay the rent; but my inability in this matter is unknown, and I may enjoy my lodging without interruption." a few weeks The fate of this young man will be decided soon, and I should be left free to carry out my first intention before my shame increases noticeably.

“After a short pause, I took the stranger to my house, put him in my own bed, and became his nurse. His illness as it was known on tropical islands by the name of yellow fever or malignant, and the so-called healer quickly declared his case desperate.

"It is my duty to warn him of his ongoing death, and to promise the fulfillment of his every wish that does not contradict my current situation. He received my intelligence with fortitude, and seemed to want to pass on some information regarding his own circumstances. His pain and weakness barely allowed him to be understood. From his weak efforts and broken narrative, I gathered so much about his family and his wealth.

"His name is Vincentio Lodi. From a merchant in Leghorn, he transformed himself into a planter on the island of Guadaloupe . His son had been sent, at an early age, for educational purposes, to Europe. The young Vincentio is finally told by his father, that, tired of his current way of life, he has decided to sell his property and transport himself to the United States.

"The call was gladly obeyed. The young man, upon arrival on the island, finds preparations for his father's funeral. It seemed that the older Lodi had flattered one of his slaves with the prospect of his freedom, but, nevertheless, , included this slave in the sale he made of his estate. Encouraged by revenge, the slave kills Lodi on the open road, and resigns, without a fight, with the punishment the law has provided for such a deed.

"The property had just been moved, and the price was now handed over to the young Vincentio by the buyer. He did not want to adopt his father's project at all, and could not wait to return with his legacy to France. Before this could be done, his father's behavior had made a trip to the Continent indispensable.

"Lodi had a daughter, who, a few weeks before her death, she entrusted to an American captain whom she had a friendship contract with. The ship was bound to Philadelphia; but the behavior he had to follow, and the place he lived in. was to choose, upon his arrival, known only to the father, and to him, whose untimely death involves his son in considerable uncertainty with respect to the fate of his sister. His concerns about this prompted him to seize the first conveyance offered. In a short time he landed in Baltimore.

"As soon as he recovered from his travel fatigue, he prepared to go to Philadelphia. There his luggage was immediately sent under the protection of a passenger and a countryman. His money consisted of Portuguese gold, which according to his advice, he had turned into paper money. He asked me, in pitiful words, to seek his sister, whose youth and poverty, and her ignorance of the language and manners of the country, could make him face innumerable difficulties. At the same time, he placed a pocket book and a small volume into my hand, showing, with his facial features and gestures, his desire for me to hand it over to his sister.

"His funeral was conducted politely, I had the free time to reflect on the changes in my condition that this event had caused. Inside the pocketbook was found a banknote of twenty thousand dollars. The volume turned out to be a manuscript, written by the old Lodi in Italian, and contained a memoir from the noble house of Visconti, from whom the author believed himself to have been descended by line.

" Such I arrived, through a path far beyond my foresight, at the possession of wealth. The crimes that pushed me to the brink of suicide, and which were the source, though not all, but the greater part, of my suffering, have now been removed. What is claimed to be honor or ease caused by wealth, by extraordinary wealth, is now bestowed upon me.

"This conclusion is too contrary to my desire not to be fought hard. I asked what gave man the strength to ensure the successor of his treasure. During his life, he may transfer actual possession; but, if it is vacant in his house of death, he whose accident in his hands should throw it is the original owner It is true, that the law has sometimes been established, that the law has sometimes been established, but in law there is no further validity than can afford, by investigation and punishment, to enforce its decision: but will the law extort this money from me?

"It was not by gesture than by the words that Lodi's will was delivered. It was a topic of remote conclusions and vague conjectures rather than explicit and precise declarations. Moreover, if the woman is found, will not prudence dictate the reservation of her wealth managed by me, to her advantage? This age and his education had disqualified himself. That's enough for both maintenance. He will regard me as his benefactor and patron. By fulfilling all her wishes and watching her salvation without telling her about the way that allowed me to do this, I will claim her unbearable love and gratitude.

“That is the ruse by which reason is tempted and my integrity destroyed. I hurried to leave my current residence. I easily traced the baggage of the deceased to an inn, and obtained it. It contained nothing but clothes and books. I then instituted the most diligent search after the young woman.For a while, my efforts bore no fruit.

"In the meantime, the owner of this house thought it appropriate to leave with his family to Europe. The amount he requested for his furniture, though very large, was paid quickly by me. His servant continued at the station earlier, and on the day on which he had released from the mansion, I entered with possession.

"There is no difficulty in convincing the world that Welbeck is a luxurious and dignified figure. My birth and previous adventures deserve to be hidden. The facilities which make mankind misled in their estimation of character, their tendency to multiply conclusions and conjectures. My sudden appearance on stage, my magnificent reserves, my beautiful abode, and my cautious conduct, were enough to give me the right to honor. The intelligence used to uncover the truth, and the guesses that currently honor me, were adapted to satisfy my powerful desires.

"I didn't waste my diligence on finding Mademoiselle Lodi's retreat. I found him, in the end, in the family of a relative of the captain under whose care he came to America. The situation is annoying and dangerous. He had already experienced the crime of being unprotected and poor, and my seasonal interference deprived him of an impending and less supportive illness.

“I can safely uncover everything I know about his brother's history, except the legacy he left behind. I consider the diligence I have exercised to seek him was his deathbed command, and persuaded him to accept from me the treatment he would have received from his brother if he continued to live, he said, and if his power to obtain benefits is equal to mine.

"Although less can be said to praise understanding than the sensibility of this woman, she is a person who no one can resist loving, not loving, despite being placed in a much less favorable situation for that sentiment generation than I was. In the habits of the household and unrelenting intercourse, in constant contemplation of the characteristics imbued with infinite gratitude and indescribable sympathy, the, it cannot be expected that she or I will escape the charm.

"The poison is too sweet not to be swallowed vigorously by me. It was too late that I remembered that I had been enslaved by an indivisible obligation. It is easy to hide this obstacle from the eyes of my colleagues, but here my integrity refuses to give up. I can indeed claim a little benefit because of this patience. If there was no alternative between deception and disappointment from my expectations, I would definitely hide the truth with little doubt in this regard as on different occasions. ; but I cannot be blind to his weaknesses that I have to fight.