be there before me. He may personate me long enough to
kill my father and rifle his hoards. I must away--but, ere I go, know
that, with these abstracted papers, he sought me in the West Indies,
cheated me out of my name on my return to England, and, finally, waylaid
and attempted, with a low accomplice, to assassinate me on my return
from Stickenham."

"God of Heaven, let me die!--he could never have been son of mine--let
me know the horrid particulars."

"No--no--no--I must away--or more murders will be perpetrated."

"Stop, Ralph, a little moment--do not go unprovided. Take these and
these--he stole not all the documents--let me also give my testimony
under my own hand of your identity. It may be of infinite service to
you."

She then wrote a short letter to Sir Reginald, describing accurately my
present appearance, and vouching that I, and none other, was the
identical Ralph Rattlin, who was nursed by the Brandons, and born at
Reading.

"Take this, Ralph, and show it to Sir Reginald. I only ask one thing:
spare the life--only the life--of that unfortunate boy!--and in his,
spare mine--for I am unprepared to die!"

"The mercy that he showed my mother--"

I had proceeded no further in my cruel speech, when a great noise was
heard at the door, and two rough-looking Bow Street officers, attended
by the whole household, rushed into the room. They advanced towards the
upper end of this elegant sanctum. Mrs Causand sprang up from her
sofa, and, standing in all the majesty of her beauty, sternly demanded,
"What means this indignity?"

"Beg your ladyship's pardon, sorry to intrude--duty--never shy, that you
know, ma'am--only a search-warrant for one Joshua Daunton, alias
Sneaking Willie, alias Whitefaced--"

"Stop, no more of this ribaldry--you see he is not here--I know nothing
concerning him--of what is he accused?"

"Of forgery, housebreaking, and, with an accomplice, of an attempt to
murder a young gentleman, a naval officer of the name of Ralph Rattlin."

Mrs Causand turned to me sorrowfully, and exclaimed, "Oh, Ralph! was
this well done of you?" Her fortitude, her sudden accession of physical
strength, seemed to desert her at once; and she, who just before stood
forth the undaunted heroine, now sank upon her couch, the crushed
invalid. At length, she murmured forth, feebly, "Ralph, rid me of these
fellows."

I soon effected this. I told them that I was the culprit's principal
accuser; that I wa