Many years had passed since the above facts occurred, when the secretary of an insurance office at the west end of the town, asked the actuary who had elicited the above facts, whether his office was disposed to take a fourth part of 10,000_l._ on the life of a gentleman just proposed by a lady in connection with some marriage settlements. An affirmative answer was given, an appointment was made, and on the following day the lady and her lover met the officials at the office. The former was a person of great personal attraction, elegantly dressed, and elaborately ornamented; the latter had nothing against him as a life, excepting perhaps that he appeared a most inordinate fool. But the face of the lady, though changed by the lapse of time, was strangely like that of her who years before had quitted England so abruptly; and the resemblance, at first deemed ideal, grew so positive that suspicion ripened almost into certainty. Nothing occurred, however, on the part of the actuary to indicate it, and when the cause of the insurance was demanded, a marriage settlement was mentioned by the lady, who, with a smile and a simper, pointed to the gentleman by her side as the happy man. To the health of the applicant there was no objection; and as he was by no means overburdened with brains, a private interview was sought with him, that he might, to use an expressive phrase, be well pumped. This was easily done. When he was asked whether he had any property of his own, he said No; and it soon appeared that he had acted as agent or traveller for some wholesale house in the City, and that his knowledge of the lady had arisen from the introduction of a military gentleman, who thought it would be a good match for him; and that on this they had proceeded to some Zadkiel of the day, who had predicted their union. All this gave no clue to an insurable interest, and when he was asked what reason there was to believe in her great possessions, he pointed to her gay dress, and expatiated on her rich jewellery. Such a fool was scarcely worth a thought, so the place where the lady lodged was applied to; but no information could be procured, excepting that she was supposed to be “very respectable,” as she had an abigail and footman. It is strange that, notwithstanding the difficulties of the case, the woman succeeded in obtaining the insurance. Before the policies were duly made out, she wedded the gentleman who wished to better his condition, and “all went merry as a marriage bell!” One fine morning, however, the woman where they and their servants lodged, came down in a hurry to the office to say that on the previous night they had all got tipsy together; that there had been a violent quarrel among them; and that the servant had been overheard to accuse her mistress of prompting her to marry a man to whom she was engaged, to induce him then to insure his life, and afterwards to go to France, where they could easily make away with him, and receive the insurance money.