is ruin. He was a weak, kind, careless man; a worshipper of
conventionalities; and a great respecter of the wide gaps which lay
between social stations in his time. Thus, he determined to live like
a gentleman, by following a gentleman's pursuit--a profession, as
distinguished from a trade. Failing in this, he failed to follow out his
principle, and starve like a gentleman. He died the death of a felon;
leaving me no inheritance but the name of a felon's son.

"While still a young man, he contrived to be introduced to a gentleman
of great family, great position, and great wealth. He interested, or
fancied he interested, this gentleman; and always looked on him as the
patron who was to make his fortune, by getting him the first government
sinecure (they were plenty enough in those days!) which might fall
vacant. In firm and foolish expectation of this, he lived far beyond his
little professional income--lived among rich people without the courage
to make use of them as a poor man. It was the old story: debts and
liabilities of all kinds pressed heavy on him--creditors refused to
wait--exposure and utter ruin threatened him--and the prospect of the
sinecure was still as far off as ever.

"Nevertheless he believed in the advent of this office; and all the more
resolutely now, because he looked to it as his salvation. He was quite
confident of the interest of his patron, and of its speedy exertion
in his behalf. Perhaps, that gentleman had overrated his own
political influence; perhaps, my father had been too sanguine, and had
misinterpreted polite general promises into special engagements. However
it was, the bailiffs came into his house one morning, while help from
a government situation, or any situation, was as unattainable as
ever--came to take him to prison: to seize everything, in execution,
even to the very bed on which my mother (then seriously ill) was lying.
The whole fabric of false prosperity which he had been building up
to make the world respect him, was menaced with instant and shameful
overthrow. He had not the courage to let it go; so he took refuge from
misfortune in a crime.

"He forged a bond, to prop up his credit for a little time longer.
The name he made use of was the name of his patron. In doing this, he
believed--as all men who commit crime believe--that he had the best
possible chance of escaping consequences. In the first place, he might
get the long-expected situation in time to repay the amo