am bound to satisfy their natural and becoming curiosity. Not however
in this place; for though love has its bitters I never will mix it up
in the same chapter with physic. Daniel's passion for the
Burgemeester's Daughter must be treated of in a chapter by itself,
this being a mark of respect due to the subject, to her beauty, and to
the dignity of Mynheer, her Wel Edel, Groot, Hoogh-Achtbaer father.
[Footnote 1: SPENSER.]
First however I must dispose of an objection.
There may be readers who, though they can understand why a lady
instead of telling her love, should
——let concealment like a worm in the bud
Feed on her damask cheek,
will think it absurd to believe that any man should fix his affections
as Daniel did upon the Burgemeester's Daughter, on a person whom he
had no hopes of obtaining, and with whom, as will presently appear, he
never interchanged a word. I cannot help their incredulity. But if
they will not believe me they may perhaps believe the newspapers which
about the year 1810 related the following case in point.
“A short time since a curious circumstance happened. The Rector of St.
Martin's parish was sent for to pray by a gentleman of the name of
Wright, who lodged in St. James' street, Pimlico. A few days
afterwards Mr. Wright's solicitor called on the Rector, to inform him
that Mr. Wright was dead, and had made a codicil to his will wherein
he had left him £1000., and Mr. Abbott the Speaker of the House of
Commons £2000., and all his personal property and estates, deer-park
and fisheries &c. to Lady Frances Bruce Brudenell, daughter of the
Earl of Ailesbury. Upon the Rector's going to Lord Ailesbury's to
inform her Ladyship, the house steward said she was married to Sir
Henry Wilson of Chelsea Park, but he would go to her Ladyship and
inform her of the matter. Lady Frances said she did not know any such
person as Mr. Wright, but desired the Steward to go to the Rector to
get the whole particulars, and say she would wait on him the next day:
she did so, and found to her great astonishment that the whole was
true. She afterwards went to St. James' Street and saw Mr. Wright in
his coffin; and then she recollected him, as having been a great
annoyance to her many years ago at the Opera House, where he had a box
next to hers: he never spoke to her, but was continually watching her,
look wherever she would, till at length she was under the necessity of
requesting her friends to procure another box. The estates are from 20
to £30,000. a-year. Lady Frances intends putting all her family into
mourning out of respect.”
Whether such a bequest ought to have been held good in law, and if so,
whether it ought in conscience to have been accepted, are points upon
which I should probably differ both from the Lord Chancellor, and the
Lady Legatee.
CHAPTER LII.
SHEWING HOW THE YOUNG STUDENT FELL IN LOVE—AND HOW HE MADE THE BEST
USE OF HIS MISFORTUNE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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