University of Virginia Library

15. CHAPTER XV.
THE NEPHEW.

The condition of young master Frederick
as an orphan was all at once very
much improved. The opulent uncle
took him into his house, and as the lad
was naturally artful, sycophantic and
selfish, he succeeded in ingratiating himself
into the good graces of the only man
on earth by whom he hoped one day to
see his pecuniary circumstances benefitted.

Mr. Channing took a great fancy to
him, and as Frederick took care never to
anger him and to pay particular attention
to him when he told any of his long
stories and waited upon him like a servant,
he began soon to think he should
supplant even his more modest, manly
and admirable cousin, the true heir apparent.
The merchant, in the largeness
of his heart, flattered by the attentions of
his nephew, which he referred to a greater

degree of affection than Edgar had for
him, resolved to send him to the University
at Cambridge and give him a liberal
education. This he resolved upon the
more obstinately in as much as he fancied
that his son did not like his cousin and
was jealous of him.

But Edgar never was jealous. He
had no room for such a feeling in his
generous bosom; but he knew well the
meanness of the mind and heart of his
cousin, and seeing through the motives
of his conduct, he despised him. But he
did not hold him in estimation enough to
be jealous of him. Master Frederick,
however, conscious of the baseness of his
notoriety and aware that Edgar thoroughly
understood them and him, hated him,
and would not have hesitated to have
done him an injury.

Mr. Channing at length sent his nephew
to college, and supplied him liberally
with money. Edgar was also at the
University, but two years his senior.—
There was no congeniality of feeling or
of tastes between the two cousins; and
they seldom met and never voluntarily
associated. Edger's companions were
the young men of the highest order of
talent and character, while those of his
couzin were the most dissolute.

Edger graduated with the highest honor
in his class; and his cousin left college
about the same time in disgrace.
He had been detected in purloining a
purse of gold from the desk of one of his
class-mates.

To the rich merchant, his uncle, he
denied his guilt and was believed; and
he even went so far as to say, that there
was no money lost, and that the story
was a fabrication of his cousin Edgar's
to degrade him. `For you know, uncle,
said the hypocrite, `that I had no motive
to steal when your generosity so
largely supplied me with money!'

`It would be very odd if you did,'
ejaculated the merchant.

`You know that my cousin Edgar is
jealous of me—because he thinks you
love me more than you do him; though
I should be most happy to be loved a
tenth part as much as he is by you, sir.
You know he would be glad to see me
disgraced. Indeed, I have not the least
doubt, whatever, that this whole matter
was planned by him and his friends, fellows
I wouldn't speak to, on purpose to
destroy me in your good opinion, which
I value above all the gold purses in the
world! Indeed, sir, I am as innocent as
the child of the charge for which the
faculty, doubtless influenced by Edger,
who was a great favorite with them, dismissed
me.'

`Well, neffee, never mind 'em,' answered
the merchant. `I dare say that
it was some such thing; but don't let my
son know I said so. There! I have got
another twinge of this confounded gout!
Just move the stool a little this way.
Lift the foot gently—that's it! Now
hand me my snuff-box. This snuff is rather
strong, neffee; I must have it aired;
don't forget to pour it all out on a plate
and put in the sun for an hour, and stir it
with a stick all the time!'

`Yes, uncle, I will do exactly as you
want. Is there any other thing I can do
for my dear uncle?'

`Hand me the spittoon; hold it higher:
I can't spit so far—that's it! Now take
this sponge and wipe this off my chin.
That is a good boy; if Edgar was half
as attentive as you are, I should feel
happy!'

The `neffee' thus meanly made his
way and kept it in favor with his opulent
uncle, while Edgar was wholly indifferent
to any such efforts for conciliating
his father, content with fulfilling his relalations
as a son as became an affectionate
and dutiful one, and devoted to study al
his time. While he was industriously
pursuing the knowledge of his profession

Frederick was playing the fashionable
idler on an allowance of five hundred a
year, allowed him by his uncle for his
services as his lacquey. But he managed
to spend very easily twice this sum; and
the bills were paid by the rich merchant,
though always with a threat, which terminated
in a request to have his snuff-box
handed to him. In a word, the
young man held his uncle completely under
his finger, as the phrase is. He
knew his weaknesses and foibles, and catered
to them with all the skill of a successfully
educated sycophant. And all
this was done with a definite aim, not for
the present benefit alone. The young
man from the first had an eye to supplanting
his cousin in the inheritance;
and towards this every act of his life was
performed. He gradually insinuated
suspicions of Edgar's love for his father,
into his thoughts, and by and by caused
him to look upon him rather as if he were
an enemy than the affectionate son he
really was.

Edgar was not blind to this change in
his father's manner towards him, and was
perfectly aware of the cause of it. He
despised his cousin too heartily to say any
thing to him upon the subject, but he resolved
to take an oppoetunity when Frederick,
who was his shadow, was absent,
to lay the matter before him, and uphold
to him the true character of his cousin.

But his father refused to listen, after he
began to display the treachery of his
nephew's character in its true light; and
angrily charging his son with jealousy,
and reproaching him with neglecting
him, he bade him leave his presence,
saying—

`If you were the half so attentive to
me as your cousin, he could not have opportunity
to do what he does. Why do
you not do it for me?'

`I cannot, sir, always be with you.—
You have a faithful attendant in your
footman Robert Jeffrey, whose proper
duty my cousin takes upon hfmself. He
has nothing to do, and can be here. I
have my profession to pursue, and can
only be with you occasionally. And, besides,
sir, you ask my cousin to do things
you would not ask your son to do.'

Such was the termination of the first
and only interview Edgar had with his
father touching his cousin. After this
he let him go on as he pleased, perfectly
indifferent to the result.

In the meanwhile he had attained his
profession, and Frederick, also, had attained
the reputation of being the most
dissolute young gentleman in the metropolis
of the Commonwealth.

At length, as we have seen, Edgar
met with the lovely Flora, our heroine,
and love took possession of his heart. A
little while before this, Margaret, his sister
had returned from a boarding-school,
and was now at home. Mr. Frederick
had no sooner put eyes on his handsome
cousni ihan he conceived in his mind the
ambitious project to secure the whole fortune
of his uncle by falling in love with
his fair coustn, and marrying her; for
he had made up his mind to supplant his
cousin Edgar in his fortune at all events.

We have seen the character of the female
cousin as exhibited in reference to
Flora; and we have seen that it was by
no means of the most amiable kind. She
had watched her brother's intimacy with
Flora, with deep and angry solicitude,
and more than one confidential conversation
had she with her cousin Frederick
as to the best plan to get him to abandon
his visits to the gardner's.

These conversations led to an intimacy
and sort of co-partnership of feelings
between him and his cousin, which materially
paved the way to that more tender
confidence which he was adroitly
playing his cards to establish in her bosom
with reference to himself. But they

could bring no scheme to maturity, for
this very reason that it was far from Master
Frederick's intention or desire to
any bar in the way of his couzin Edgar's
marriage with the gardener's daughter;
inasmuch as he very well knew, such an
event would materially contribute to the
accomplishment of his ambitious projects,
viz: the possession in his own proper
person of the inheritance which would be
perfected by Edgar in such a marriage.