atmosphere of virtue once again! How I long for the time! Mother, will you watch over your prodigal son?" How little he thought of the affecting recollections he had called forth in my mind by mentioning the prodigal son! I left him about nine o'clock, recommending him to retire to rest, and not expose himself to the cool of the evening. I felt excited, myself, by the tone of our conversation, which, I suspected, however, had on his part verged far into occasional flightiness. I had not such sanguine hopes for him, as he entertained for himself. I suspected that his constitution, however it might rally for a time, from its present prostration, had received a shock before which it must erewhile fall! About five o'clock the next morning, I and all my family were alarmed by one of the most violent and continued ringings and thunderings at the door I ever heard. On looking out of my bedroom window, I saw Mr. Beauchamp's valet below, wringing his hands, and stamping about the steps like one distracted. Full of fearful apprehension, I dressed myself in an instant, and came down stairs. "In the name of God, what is the matter?" I inquired, seeing the man pale as ashes. come - come". "Oh, my master! he gasped, and could get out no more. We both ran at top speed to Mr. Beauchamp's lodgings. Even at that early hour, there was an agitated group before the door. I rushed up stairs, and soon learnt all. About a quarter of an hour before, the family were disturbed by hearing Mr. Beauchamp's Newfoundland dog, which always slept at his master's bed-room door, howling, whining, and scratching against it. The valet and some one else came to see what was the matter. They found the dog trembling violently, his eyes fixed on the floor; and, on looking down, they saw blood flowing from under the door. The valet threw himself half-frantic against the door, and burst it open; he rushed in, and saw all! Poor Beauchamp, with a razor grasped in his right hand, was lying on the floor lifeless! I never now hear of a young man - especially of fortune - frequenting the Gaming-table, but I think with a sigh of Henry Beauchamp. I cannot resist the opportunity of appending to this narrative the following mournful testimony to its fidelity, which appeared in the Morning Herald newspaper of the 19th October, 1831: SIR, There is an awful narrative in the current number of Blackwood's Magazine of the fate of a gamester, which, in addition to the writer's assurances, bears intrinsic evidence of truth. Independent even of this, I can believe it all, highly coloured as some may consider it, - for I am a ruined gamester! Yes, Sir, I am here lying as it were rotting in gaol, because I have, like a fool, spent over the gaming-table all my patrimony! Twenty-five thousand pounds are all gone at Rouge et Noir and Hazard! All gone! I could not help thinking that the writer of that terrible account had me in his eye, or has been told something of my history! When I shall be released from my horrid prison I know not; but even when I am, life will have lost all its relish, for I shall be a beggar! If I had a hundred pounds to spare, I would spend it all in re printing the "Gambler" from Blackwood's Magazine and distributing it among the frequenters of C-'s and F-'s, and other hells! I am sure its overwhelming truth and power would shock some into pausing on the brink of ruin! I address you, because your paper has been one of the most determined and successful enemies to gaming. - I am, Sir, yours obediently, - Prison, Oct. 17. A RUINED Gamester. CHAPTER V. THE MERCHANT'S CLERK. "Yet once more, O ye laurels, and once more I come to pluck your berries harsh and crude; Shatter your leaves before the mellowing year. Look, reader, once more with the eye and heart of sympathy, at a melancholy page in the book of human life a sad one, indeed, and almost the last that will be opened by one who has laid several before you, and is about to take his departure! It was pouring with rain one Wednesday, in the month of March, 18-, about twelve o'clock, and had been raining violently the whole morning. Only one patient had called upon me up to the hour just mentioned for how could invalids stir out in such weather! The wind was cold and bitter the aspect of things without, in short most melancholy and cheerless. "There are one or two poor souls," thought I, with a sigh, as I stepped from the desk at which I had been occupied for more than an hour writing, and stood looking over the blinds into the deserted and almost deluged streets "there are one or two poor souls that would certainly have been here this morning, according to appointment, but for this unfriendly weather. Their cases are somewhat critical one of them especially — and yet they are not such as to warrant my apprehending the worst. I wish, by the way, I had thought of asking their addresses! Ah for the future I will make a point of taking down the residence of such as I may suspect * Milton-Lycidas, to be in very humble or embarrassed circumstances. One can then, if necessary, call upon such persons on such a day as this at their own houses. There's that poor man, for instance, the bricklayer he cannot leave his work except at breakfasttime I wonder how his sick child comes on! Poor fellow, how anxious he looked vesterday, when he asked me what I thought of his child! And his wife bed-ridden! Really I'd make a point of calling, if I knew where he lived! He can't afford a coach that's out of the question. Well, it can't be helped, however!" With this exclamation, half uttered, I looked at my watch, rang the bell, and ordered the carriage to be at the door in a quarter of an hour. I was sealing one of the letters I had been writing, when I heard a knock at the street door, and in a few moments my servant showed a lady into the room. She was apparently about four or five-and-twenty; neatly but very plainly dressed: her features, despite an air of languor, as if from recent indisposition, without being strictly handsome, had a pleasing expression of frankness and spirit, and her address was easy and elegant. She was, however, evidently flurried. She "hoped she should not keep me at home she could easily call again" I begged her to be seated; and, in a quiet tone at the same time proceeding with what I was engaged upon, that she might have a moment's interval in which to recover her self-possession made some observations about the weather. - "It is still raining hard, I perceive," said I; "did you come on foot? Bless me, Madam, why you seem wet through! Pray come nearer the fire”—stirring it up into a cheerful blaze—“can any of the servants offer you any assistance? You look very chilly" "No, thank you, Sir; I am rather wet, certainly, but I am accustomed to be out in the rain I will, however, sit closer to the fire, if you please, and tell you in a few words my errand. I shall not detain you long, Sir," she continued, in a tone considerably more assured; "the fact is, I have received a letter this morning from a friend of mine in the country, a young lady, who is an invalid, and has written to request I would call immediately upon some experienced physician, and obtain, as far as can be, his real opinion upon her case for she fancies, poor girl! that they are concealing what is really the matter with her!" "Well! she must have stated her case remarkably well, Ma'am," said I with a smile, "to enable me to give any thing like a reasonable guess at her state without seeing her "Oh but I may be able to answer many of your questions, Sir, for I am very well acquainted with her situation, and was a good deal with her, not long ago." "Ah that's well. Then will you be so kind," giving a monitory glance at my watch, "as to say what you know of her case? The fact is, I've ordered the carriage to be here in about a quarter of an hour's time, and have a long day's work before me!” "She is - let me see, Sir I should say about six years older than myself; that is, she is near thirty, or thereabouts. I should not think she was ever particularly strong. She's seen a good deal of trouble lately." She sighed. thing! "Oh poor I see, I understand! A little disappointment—there's the seat of the mischief, I suppose?" I interrupted, smiling, and placing my hand over my heart." 'Isn't this really, now, the whole secret?" "Why the fact is certainly, I believe yes, I may say that love has had a good deal to do with her present illness for it is really illness! She has been" - she paused, hesitated, and as I fancied coloured slightly was to have been · - I mean "crossed in love - yes! She that is, she ought to have been married last autumn, but for this sad affair" I bowed, looking again at my watch, and she went on more quickly to describe her friend as being naturally rather delicate that this "disappointment" had occasioned her a great deal of annoyance and agitation that it had left her now in a very low nervous way and, in short, her friend suspected herself to be falling into a decline. That about two months ago she had had the misfortune to be run over by a chaise, the pole of which struck her on the right chest, and the horses' hoofs also trampled upon her, but no ribs were broken "Ah, this is the most serious part of the story, Ma'am, this looks like real illness! Pray, proceed, Ma'am. I suppose your |