Their habitation was
clandestinely frequented by men who were unfaithful to their secret; one
of these was allied to me by ties which authorized me in watching his
steps and detecting his errors, with a view to his reformation. From him
I obtained a knowledge of the genuine character of these women. A man like Welbeck, who was the slave of depraved appetites, could not
fail of being quickly satiated with innocence and beauty. Some accident
introduced him to the knowledge of this family, and the youngest
daughter found him a proper subject on which to exercise her artifices. It was to the frequent demands made upon his purse, by this woman, that
part of the embarrassments in which Mervyn found him involved are to be
ascribed. To this circumstance must likewise be imputed his anxiety to transfer to
some other the possession of the unhappy stranger. Why he concealed from
Mervyn his connection with Lucy Villars may be easily imagined. His
silence with regard to Clemenza's asylum will not create surprise, when
it was told that she was placed with Mrs. Villars. On what conditions
she was received under this roof, cannot be so readily conjectured. It
is obvious, however, to suppose that advantage was to be taken of her
ignorance and weakness, and that they hoped, in time, to make her an
associate in their profligate schemes. The appearance of pestilence, meanwhile, threw them into panic, and they
hastened to remove from danger. Mrs. Villars appears to have been a
woman of no ordinary views. She stooped to the vilest means of amassing
money; but this money was employed to secure to herself and her
daughters the benefits of independence. She purchased the house which
she occupied in the city, and a mansion in the environs, well built and
splendidly furnished. To the latter, she and her family, of which the
Italian girl was now a member, retired at the close of July. I have mentioned that the source of my intelligence was a kinsman, who
had been drawn from the paths of sobriety and rectitude by the
impetuosity of youthful passions. He had power to confess and deplore,
but none to repair, his errors. One of these women held him by a spell
which he struggled in vain to dissolve, and by which, in spite of
resolutions and remorses, he was drawn to her feet, and made to
sacrifice to her pleasure his reputation and his fortune. My house was his customary abode during those intervals in which he was
persuaded to pursue his profession. Some time before the infection began
its progress, he had disappeared. No tidings were received of him, till
a messenger arrived, entreating my assistance. I was conducted to the
house of Mrs. Villars, in which I found no one but my kinsman. Here, it
seems, he had immured himself from my inquiries, and, on being seized by
the reigning malady, had been deserted by the family, who, ere they
departed, informed me by a messenger of his condition. Despondency combined with his disease to destroy him. Before he died, he
informed me fully of the character of his betrayers. The late arrival,
name, and personal condition of Clemenza Lodi were related. Welbeck was
not named, but was described in terms which, combined with the narrative
of Mervyn, enabled me to recognise the paramour of Lucy Villars in the
man whose crimes had been the principal theme of our discourse. Mervyn's curiosity was greatly roused when I intimated my acquaintance
with the fate of Clemenza. In answer to his eager interrogations, I
related what I knew. The tale plunged him into reverie. Recovering, at
length, from his thoughtfulness, he spoke:--

"Her condition is perilous. The poverty of Welbeck will drive him far
from her abode. Her profligate protectors will entice her or abandon her
to ruin. Cannot she be saved?" "I know not," answered I, "by what means." "The means are obvious. Let her remove to some other dwelling. Let her
be apprized of the vices of those who surround her. Let her be entreated
to fly. The will need only be inspired, the danger need only be shown,
and she is safe, for she will remove beyond its reach." "Thou art an adventurous youth. Who wilt thou find to undertake the
office? Who will be persuaded to enter the house of a stranger, seek
without an introduction the presence of this girl, tell her that the
house she inhabits is a house of prostitution, prevail on her to believe
the tale, and persuade her to accompany him? Who will open his house to
the fugitive? Whom will you convince that her illicit intercourse with
Welbeck, of which the opprobrious tokens cannot be concealed, has not
fitted her for the company of prostitutes, and made her unworthy of
protection? Who will adopt into their family a stranger whose conduct
has incurred infamy, and whose present associates have, no doubt, made
her worthy of the curse?" "True. These are difficulties which I did not foresee. Must she then
perish? Shall not something be done to rescue her from infamy and
guilt?" "It is neither in your power nor in mine to do any thing." The lateness of the hour put an end to our conversation and summoned us
to repose. I seized the first opportunity of imparting to my wife the
scheme which had occurred, relative to our guest; with which, as I
expected, she readily concurred. In the morning, I mentioned it to
Mervyn. I dwelt upon the benefits that adhered to the medical
profession, the power which it confers of lightening the distresses of
our neighbours, the dignity which popular opinion annexes to it, the
avenue which it opens to the acquisition of competence, the freedom from
servile cares which attends it, and the means of intellectual
gratification with which it supplies us. As I spoke, his eyes sparkled with joy. "Yes," said he, with vehemence,
"I willingly embrace your offer. I accept this benefit, because I know
that, if my pride should refuse it, I should prove myself less worthy
than you think, and give you pain, instead of that pleasure which I am
bound to confer. I would enter on the duties and studies of my new
profession immediately; but somewhat is due to Mr. Hadwin and his
daughters. I cannot vanquish my inquietudes respecting them, but by
returning to Malverton and ascertaining their state with my own eyes. You know in what circumstances I parted with Wallace and Mr. Hadwin. I
am not sure that either of them ever reached home, or that they did not
carry the infection along with them. I now find myself sufficiently
strong to perform the journey, and purposed to have acquainted you, at
this interview, with my intentions. An hour's delay is superfluous, and
I hope you will consent to my setting out immediately. Rural exercise
and air, for a week or fortnight, will greatly contribute to my health." No objection could be made to this scheme. His narrative had excited no
common affection in our bosoms for the Hadwins. His visit could not only
inform us of their true state, but would dispel that anxiety which they
could not but entertain respecting our guest.