ar sir, only imagine how very awkward it would be when the magistrate
put you on your oath, and asked you to make your charge. What would you
be obliged to declare? That you had married when young, and finding
that your wife had no fortune, had deserted her the second day after
your marriage. That you, an officer in the army, and the Honourable
Captain De Benyon, had hung up your child at the gates of the Foundling
Hospital--that you had again met your wife, married to another, and had
been an accomplice in concealing her capital offence of bigamy, and had
had meetings with her, although she belonged to another. I say
meetings, for you did meet her, to receive her directions about me. I
am charitable, and suspect nothing--others will not be so. Then, after
her death, you come home and inquire about your son. His identity is
established,--and what then? not only you do not take him by the hand,
in common civility, I might say, but you first try to turn him out of
the house, and to give him in charge of the police; and then you will
have to state for what. Perhaps you will answer me that question, for I
really do not know."

By this time, my honoured father's wrath had, to a certain degree,
subsided: he heard all I had to say, and he felt how very ridiculous
would have been his intended proceedings, and, as his wrath subsided, so
did his pain increase: he had seriously injured his leg, and it was
swelling rapidly--the bandages tightened in consequence, and he was
suffering under the acutest pain. "Oh, oh!" groaned he.

"My dear father, can I assist you?"

"Ring the bell, sir."

"There is no occasion to summon assistance while I am here, my dear
general. I can attend you professionally, and if you will allow me,
will soon relieve your pain. Your leg has swollen from exertion, and
the bandages must be loosened."

He made no reply, but his features were distorted with extreme pain. I
went to him, and proceeded to unloose the bandages, which gave him
considerable relief. I then replaced them, _secundum artem_, and with
great tenderness, and going to the sideboard, took the lotion which was
standing there with the other bottles, and wetted the bandages. In a
few minutes he was quite relieved. "Perhaps, sir," said I, "you had
better try to sleep a little. I will take a book, and shall have great
pleasure in watching by your side."

Exhausted with pain and violence, the general made no reply; he fell
back