"On my return to my country, after a long absence, I made immediate
inquiries after him. I was informed of his untimely death. I had
questions, of infinite moment to my happiness, to decide with regard to
the state and disposition of his property. I sought out those of his
friends who had maintained with him the most frequent and confidential
intercourse, but they could not afford me any satisfaction. At length, I
was informed that a young man of your name, and living in this district,
had enjoyed more of his affection and society than any other, had
regulated the property which he left behind, and was best qualified to
afford the intelligence which I sought. You, it seems, are this person,
and of you I must make inquiries to which I conjure you to return
sincere and explicit answers." "That," said I, "I shall find no difficulty in doing. Whatever questions
you shall think proper to ask, I will answer with readiness and truth." "What kind of property, and to what amount, was your friend possessed of
at his death?" "It was money, and consisted of deposits at the Bank of North America. The amount was little short of eight thousand dollars." "On whom has this property devolved?" "His sister was his only kindred, and she is now in possession of it." "Did he leave any will by which he directed the disposition of his
property?" While thus speaking, Weymouth fixed his eyes upon my
countenance, and seemed anxious to pierce into my inmost soul. I was
somewhat surprised at his questions, but much more at the manner in
which they were put. I answered him, however, without delay:--"He left
no will, nor was any paper discovered by which we could guess at his
intentions. No doubt, indeed, had he made a will, his sister would have
been placed precisely in the same condition in which she now is. He was
not only bound to her by the strongest ties of kindred, but by affection
and gratitude." Weymouth now withdrew his eyes from my face, and sunk into a mournful
reverie. He sighed often and deeply. This deportment and the strain of
his inquiries excited much surprise. His interest in the fate of
Waldegrave ought to have made the information he had received a source
of satisfaction rather than of regret. The property which Waldegrave
left was much greater than his mode of life and his own professions had
given us reason to expect, but it was no more than sufficient to insure
to thee an adequate subsistence. It ascertained the happiness of those
who were dearest to Waldegrave, and placed them forever beyond the reach
of that poverty which had hitherto beset them. I made no attempt to
interrupt the silence, but prepared to answer any new interrogatory. At
length, Weymouth resumed:--

"Waldegrave was a fortunate man to amass so considerable a sum in so
short a time. I remember, when we parted, he was poor. He used to lament
that his scrupulous integrity precluded him from all the common roads to
wealth. He did not contemn riches, but he set the highest value upon
competence, and imagined that he was doomed forever to poverty. His
religious duty compelled him to seek his livelihood by teaching a school
of blacks. The labour was disproportioned to his feeble constitution,
and the profit was greatly disproportioned to the labour. It scarcely
supplied the necessities of nature, and was reduced sometimes even below
that standard by his frequent indisposition. I rejoice to find that his
scruples had somewhat relaxed their force, and that he had betaken
himself to some more profitable occupation. Pray, what was his new way
of business?" "Nay," said I, "his scruples continued as rigid, in this respect, as
ever. He was teacher of the negro freeschool when he died." "Indeed! How, then, came he to amass so much money? Could he blend any
more lucrative pursuit with his duty as a schoolmaster?" "So it seems." "What was his pursuit?" "That question, I believe, none of his friends are qualified to answer. I thought myself acquainted with the most secret transactions of his
life, but this had been carefully concealed from me. I was not only
unapprized of any other employment of his time, but had not the
slightest suspicion of his possessing any property besides his clothes
and books. Ransacking his papers, with a different view, I lighted on
his bank-book, in which was a regular receipt for seven thousand five
hundred dollars. By what means he acquired this money, and even the
acquisition of it, till his death put us in possession of his papers,
was wholly unknown to us." "Possibly he might have held it in trust for another. In this case some
memorandums or letters would be found explaining this affair." "True. This supposition could not fail to occur, in consequence of which
the most diligent search was made among his papers, but no shred or
scrap was to be found which countenanced our conjecture." "You may reasonably be surprised, and perhaps offended," said Weymouth,
"at these inquiries; but it is time to explain my motives for making
them. Three years ago I was, like Waldegrave, indigent, and earned my
bread by daily labour. During seven years' service in a public office, I
saved, from the expenses of subsistence, a few hundred dollars. I
determined to strike into a new path, and, with this sum, to lay the
foundation of better fortune. I turned it into a bulky commodity,
freighted and loaded a small vessel, and went with it to Barcelona in
Spain. I was not unsuccessful in my projects, and, changing my abode to
England, France, and Germany, according as my interest required, I
became finally possessed of sufficient for the supply of all my wants. I
then resolved to return to my native country, and, laying out my money
in land, to spend the rest of my days in the luxury and quiet of an
opulent farmer. For this end I invested the greatest part of my property
in a cargo of wine from Madeira. The remainder I turned into a bill of
exchange for seven thousand five hundred dollars. I had maintained a
friendly correspondence with Waldegrave during my absence. There was no
one with whom I had lived on terms of so much intimacy, and had
boundless confidence in his integrity. To him therefore I determined to
transmit this bill, requesting him to take the money into safe-keeping
until my return. In this manner I endeavoured to provide against the
accidents that might befall my person or my cargo in crossing the ocean. "It was my fate to encounter the worst of these disasters. We were
overtaken by a storm, my vessel was driven ashore on the coast of
Portugal, my cargo was utterly lost, and the greater part of the crew
and passengers were drowned. I was rescued from the same fate by some
fishermen. In consequence of the hardships to which I had been exposed,
having laboured for several days at the pumps, and spent the greater
part of a winter night hanging from the rigging of the ship and
perpetually beaten by the waves, I contracted a severe disease, which
bereaved me of the use of my limbs.