came again just before he was dead, for I had sent
for him. "It is better as it is," said he to me. "Had he not bled to
death, he would have suffered forty-eight hours of extreme agony from
the mortification which must have ensued." He closed the Major's eyes
and took his leave, and I hastened into the drawing-room and sent for
Timothy, with whom I sate in a long conversation on this unfortunate
occurrence, and my future prospects.

My grief for the death of the Major was sincere; much may indeed be
ascribed to habit, from our long residence and companionship; but more
to the knowledge that the Major, with all his faults, had redeeming
qualities, and that the world had driven him to become what he had been.
I had the further conviction, that he was attached to me, and, in my
situation, anything like affection was most precious. His funeral was
handsome, without being ostentatious, and I paid every demand upon him
which I knew to be just--many, indeed, that were not sent in, from a
supposition that any claim made would be useless. His debts were not
much above L200, and these debts had never been expected to be
liquidated by those who had given him credit. The paper he had written,
and had been witnessed by Timothy and another, was a short will, in
which he left me his sole heir and executor. The whole of his property
consisted of his house in St James's Street, the contents of his
pocket-book entrusted to my care, and his personal effects, which,
especially in bijouterie, were valuable. The house was worth about
L4000, as he had told me. In his pocket-book were notes to the amount of
L3500, and his other effects might be valued at L400. With all his debts
and funeral expenses liquidated, and with my own money, I found myself
in possession of about L8000,--a sum which never could have been
credited, for it was generally supposed that he died worth less than
nothing, having lived for a long while upon a capital of a similar
value.

"I cannot but say," observed Timothy, "but that this is very fortunate.
Had the Major not persuaded you to borrow money, he never would have won
so large a sum. Had he lived he would have squandered it away; but just
in the nick of time he is killed, and makes you his heir."

"There is truth in your observation, Timothy; but now you must go to Mr
Emmanuel, that I may pay him off. I will repay the L1000 lent me by Lord
Windermear into his banker's, and then I must execute one part of the
poor