sportiveness of his children, served only to deepen the gloom which was around his spirit!--He had requested Lord De la Zouch to address his answer to him at the Temple; and sure enough, by return of post, Mr. Aubrey found lying on his desk, on reaching the Temple three or four mornings afterwards, a letter addressed, "Charles Aubrey, Esq., at ---- Weasel's, Esq., No. 3, Pomegranate Court, Temple, London;" and franked, "DE LA ZOUCH." "I shall return presently," said Mr. Aubrey to the clerk, with as much calmness as he could assume, having put the letter into his pocket, resolving to go into the Temple gardens and there read it, where any emotion which it might excite, would be unobserved. Having at length seated himself on a bench, under one of the old trees near the river, with a somewhat tremulous hand he took out, and opened the letter, and read as follows:-- "_Fotheringham Castle, 18th July 18--._ "MY VERY DEAR AUBREY, "If you really value my friendship, never pain my feelings again by expressions, such as are contained in your letter, of distrust as to the issue of _any_ application of yours to me. Has anything that has ever hitherto passed between us, justified them? For Heaven's sake, tell your solicitors not to lose a moment in procuring the necessary instruments, and forwarding them to me through Messrs. Framlingham, _my_ solicitors. I will execute immediately all that are sent, and return them by the next post, or mail. If you will but at once set about this in a business-like way, I will forgive and forget all the absurd and _unkind_ scruples with which your letter abounds. Since you would probably make a mighty stir about it, I shall not at present dwell upon the _inexpressible pleasure_ it would give me to be allowed to emancipate you at once from the vulgar and grasping wretches who are now harassing you, my very dear Aubrey, and to constitute myself your creditor instead of them. But on further consideration, I suppose you would distress yourself on the ground of _my restricted_ means rendering it so much more difficult for me, than for them, to give you time for the payment of your debt!! Or will you PLAY THE MAN, and act at once in the way in which, I assure you, upon my honor, I would act by you, on a similar solicitation, were our situations reversed? By the way, I intend to insist on being your _sole surety_; unless, indeed, your creditors doubt my solvency, in which case I hope we shall be able, among our common friends, to find a sufficient co-surety!--