_ Be composed.
_Sir Philip._ I will endeavour. Now listen to my story.
_Handy, jun._ You rivet my attention.
_Sir Philip._ While we were boys, my father died intestate. So I, as
elder born, became the sole possessor of his fortune; but the moment the
law gave me power, I divided, in equal portions, his large possessions,
one of which I with joy presented to my brother.
_Handy, jun._ It was noble.
_Sir Philip._ [_With suppressed agony._] You shall now hear, sir, how I
was rewarded. Chance placed in my view a young woman of superior
personal charms; my heart was captivated--Fortune she possessed not--but
mine was ample. She blessed me by consenting to our union, and my
brother approved my choice.
_Handy, jun._ How enviable your situation!
_Sir Philip._ Oh! [_Sighing deeply._] On the evening previous to my
intended marriage, with a mind serene as the departing sun, whose
morning beam was to light me to happiness, I sauntered to a favourite
tree, where, lover-like, I had marked the name of my destined bride,
and, with every nerve braced to the tone of ecstasy, I was wounding the
bark with a deeper impression of the name--when, oh, God!----
_Handy, jun.
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