290 The Merchant's Clerk; [MARCH," 



bred up with great kindness by Master Edwards. In detailing his story, 

 he hinted at an unlawful passion which his mistress had endeavoured 

 to excite in his mind towards her ; and to his resistance or carelessness 

 of her wiles he partly attributed her hatred and persecution of him : his 

 home made wretched thereby, he had sought relief in society ; unfortu- 

 nately for him, he had fallen in with some young men of bad character 

 among others with this very Lambert, who had been among his most 

 strenuous advisers that he should from time to time purloin some of his 

 master's superfluous wealth, for the purpose of supplying himself and 

 his companions with the means of more luxurious living ; he had, how- 

 ever, for a long while rejected this advice, until at length goaded 

 by the continual unjust accusations of his mistress, charging him with 

 the very crime he was thus tempted to commit, he had, in truth, done 

 so, and had absconded with several articles of value ; but his companions, 

 instead of receiving him with praise, as he had expected, had loaded 

 him with invectives for not bringing them a richer prize. Instigated by 

 their reproaches, and, by a mingled sense of shame and anger, he had 

 intended, by means of a secret key which he had kept, to rob Master 

 Edwards's house on the very night when the murder was committed. 

 Having gained access to the court-yard, he was just about to open the 

 house door, when he heard footsteps ; he retired, and concealed himself. 

 From his place of concealment he had seen and heard Mrs. Edwards 

 encouraging Lambert, by many fond and endearing professions of love 

 for him, and of hatred of his master, to the murder of her husband; arid 

 as Lambert, conquered by her threats and entreaties, was passing him 

 within arm's length, an irresistible impulse had urged him to save his 

 master's life by sacrificing Lambert's ; and having done the deed of 

 death, he had leaped the yard wall and fled. The poinard and watch 

 were part of the property he had stolen when he left the house. He 

 ended thus 



" After I had left the spot, Sir, I fled, I know not whither ; for days 

 and days I wandered about in the fields, sleeping in sheds, numbed 

 with cold and half starved, never daring to approach the dwellings of 

 men to relieve my wants, till dark, and then ever feeling as though every 

 eye scowled upon me; and when I left them again, and was again alone 

 in the fields, I would suddenly start and run, with the feeling that I had 

 been followed, and was about to be taken. In vain I strove to overcome 

 these feelings in vain I struggled to reconcile myself to the deed I had 

 done in vain I represented it to my heart as one of good, as one which 

 had saved a life infinitely more valuable than his whom I had slain : it 

 was all vain, a something within tortured me with unnatural and unde- 

 finable terror ; and even when I sometimes partially succeeded in allaying 

 this feeling, and half convinced myself that I had done for the best, it 

 seemed as if I heard a voice whisper in my own soul, ' What brought thee 

 to thy master's court-yard that night ?' and this set me raving again. 

 Unable longer to bear this torture, I made up my mind to self-slaughter, 

 for the thoughts of delivering myself into the hands of justice drove me 

 almost mad ; my heart was hardened against making this even late 

 atonement, and with a reckless daring I resolved on self-slaughter ; but 

 how, how to do this, I knew not ; drowning was fearful to me, I should 

 have time perhaps to repent; and so with starving, even if nature would 

 allow that trial. I returned to the suburbs it was this very evening 



