PREFACE.
The following tale is founded on events which actually
occurred, and that too mostly within the present century; but
which, a proper reluctance to invade the sanctity of family
history, will forbid our further particularizing. Should, however,
any of the respectable descendants of one of the two
strangely contrasted brothers whom we have introduced, discover,
as we rather fear than hope they may, the originals of
the likenesses we have attempted to sketch, we trust they
will not deem the character of the one too severely drawn or
that of the other too highly flattered.
