1831. J The Speculator. 355 



you have a wife, who will shortly become a mother, dependant upon 

 you, you ought at least to settle some portion of your property so that 

 no speculation could affect it." 



" My dear fellow," said he, laying his hand on my shoulder, and half 

 shutting one restless eye— a habit he had ever since I knew him, when 

 he meditated astonishing you by some sudden display of his talent and 

 forethought — 



" ]\Iy dear fellow, I have made up my mind, that, be it boy oi- 

 be it girl, it shall never wear caps ! Caps are the destruction of 

 infancy— the bane of childhood— they compress the brain, and prevent 

 the growth of the intellectual faculties ! — I have some doubt as to the 

 propriety of clothing a child at all, but my mind is fully made up on 

 the subject of caps." 



I turned from him, with a mingled feeling of pity and indignation, 

 and the next morning returned to town. 



During the next three months I neither saw nor heard from Ryland- 

 hall, except once, when a brace of pheasants, bearing my friend's card, 

 told me of his continued good feeling. I was lounging, as usual, at the 

 Atheneeum, when looking over some country papers, my eye was riveted 

 by the following paragraph : — 



" We are sorry to announce that an accident, attended with the loss of 

 many Hves, occurred ye&tarday at Ryland-Hall. The worthy proprietor 

 had discovered what he supposed a vein of copper ore on his estate, 

 and it is conjectured, pursued it too eagerly to the centre of a beautiful 

 piece of water, in front of his dwelling : at the very moment when it 

 was believed the miners had arrived at the richest part, which the 

 owner hoped would repay his trouble and expense, the water rushed in 

 from above, and deluged the labour of months with ruin. It is con- 

 jectured that not less than twenty persons have been overwhelmed in 

 the dismal shaft ; and many of the surrounding families are plunged in 

 the deepest distress by the loss of some valued relative or friend." 



This was no time for idle ceremony ; so I mounted the first coach and 

 found myself ere night at the scene of destruction. The account I had 

 seen was of course exaggerated ; fortunately only five persons had been 

 deprived of Hfe, as the greater number of people were at dinner when 

 the accident occurred. I never beheld Ryland so completely depressed ; 

 no, not even when he had not a dinner, nor a farthing to purchase one 

 with. There was no possibility of draining off the water, for a consi- 

 derable portion of the bed of the lake had fallen in, and every vestige 

 of the works was destroyed. He wandered round and round the spread 

 of waters, like a perturbed spirit, and the only happiness he appeared 

 to experience was in bestowing relief and support on the families of 

 those who had perished in his service. I knew, however, that this in- 

 activity would not last. 



Good heavens ! how changed was that beautiful place in a few short 

 months. The walks and alleys were blocked up with the huge bodies of 

 noble trees his ancestors had planted, and stripped of half, or perhaps 

 tlie entire of their bark. A portion of the kitclien-garden liad been con- 

 verted to an enormous tan-pit, into which I was near tumbling on my 

 way to the hot-house, where 1 found the grey-iieaded gardener with his 

 ])runing-knife in his hand busy amongst the vines, which had failed " to 

 bring forth their fruit in due season." 



