to her tenants,
and assisted her in collecting her rents. He told her, that when the war
came on, he had turned his effects into money, which he had with him,
and was now in pursuit of some country place where he might purchase a
residence to remain during the war. To cut the story as short as
possible, he finally initiated himself so far in my aunt's favour that
she accepted his hand, and, contrary to my father's opinion, she married
him, and he soon after persuaded her to sell her property, under
pretence of removing to some populous town, and living in style. Her
property, however, was no sooner sold (which my father bought for ready
cash, at a low price) than he found means to realize the money, and
absconded.

"It was afterwards found that his real name was Brenton; that he had
left a wife and family in Virginia in indigent circumstances, where he
had spent an ample fortune, left him by his father, in debauchery, and
involved himself deeply in debt. He had scarcely time to get off with
the booty he swindled from my aunt, when his creditors from Virginia
were at his heels. He fled to the British at New York, where he rioted
for a few months, was finally stabbed by a soldier in a fracas, and died
the next day. He was about thirty-five years old.

"All these troubles bore so heavily upon my aunt, that she went into a
decline, and died about six months ago.

"After Alfred returned from Connecticut, he wrote frequently to Vincent
and Mr. Simpson, but could obtain no intelligence concerning you. It
would be needless, Alonzo, to describe my conjectures, my anxieties, my
feelings! The death of my cousin and aunt had kept me in crape until, at
the instance of Alfred, I put it off yesterday morning at my uncle's
house, which Alfred had proposed for the scene of action, after he had
discovered the cause of my fainting at the theatre. I did not readily
come into Alfred's plan to deceive you: "Suffer me, he said, to try the
constancy of your _Leander_;----I doubt whether he would swim the
Hellespont for you." This aroused my pride and confidence, and I
permitted him to proceed."

Alonzo then gave Melissa a minute account of all that happened to him
from the time of their parting at the old mansion until he met with her
the day before. At the mention of Beauman's fate Melissa sighed. "With
how many vain fears, said she, was I perplexed, lest, by some means he
should discover my existence and place of residence, after he, ala