now made him, and not leave him a penny beyond the title
and estate, from which he could not cut him off. Henry did not believe
that his uncle would, or indeed could, act as he threatened. He would
possibly have, at all events, deferred his marriage; but going one day
to see Miss Hayward, he found her in great distress. She then told him
that her father was on the point of failing, and wished her to marry a
man of large means, who would help him out of his difficulties. On
this, Henry Stafford, fearing that he should lose her altogether,
persuaded her to run off with him, promising to raise money, as he
thought he could, to assist her father. They married, and Henry, who
was the idol of his mother, took his young wife to live with her and his
sister. He soon discovered that he was utterly unable to help Mr
Hayward as he intended; and though the merchant was at first much
annoyed at his daughter's clandestine marriage, he was quickly
reconciled to her, especially when she told him of Harry's intentions.
He soon afterwards failed, when, without making any attempt to retrieve
his fortunes, he went to live at the retired house where he still
resides. When Sir Mostyn Stafford heard that his nephew had actually
married, he was highly incensed, and carried out his threats, depriving
even Mrs Stafford of a portion of her income over which he had power.
As he was not a badly-disposed man, I believe that he would not have
acted thus severely towards his nephew and sister-in-law had he not been
greatly influenced by a cousin of his, Biddulph Stafford, who was heir
to the estate after Henry. Biddulph Stafford's whole soul was set on
making money, and he had been heard to express his satisfaction when war
broke out, as Harry was in the navy, that the enemy's shot might give
him possession of the estate and title. His vexation and disappointment
was therefore very great when young Mrs Stafford gave birth to a son,
and from that moment he had redoubled his efforts to induce the baronet
to take harsher measures towards his nephew. Harry was compelled to go
to sea as the only means of finding support for his young wife and
child. He had been afloat about a year or more, when Mr Hayward fell
ill, and his daughter hurried off to see him, leaving her child in
charge of Mrs Stafford and Emily. What Biddulph Stafford's object was
I don't know, but, being well informed of all that occurred, he
persuaded Sir Mostyn to offer not only