“BELOVED MIRIAM” (insolent cur!)—­“for by this tender title I am permitted to address you at last” (by whom?)—­“I cannot flatter myself that, in concurring with the wishes of your friends, you return my fervent passion” (you are mistaken there; I do return it with the seal unbroken); “but will you not suffer me to hope that the deep, disinterested devotion of months may undo the past, and dissolve those bitter prejudices which I feel well aware were instilled into your heart by one of the coldest and most time-serving of men” (of course, hope is free to all; it is no longer kept in a box, as in the days of Pandora)?  “When I assure you that Wentworth, with a perfect knowledge of your present situation, has repudiated the past, you will more perfectly understand my reference” (I will believe this when he tells me so, not before; your assertion simply reassures me).  “It is not, however, to place my own devotion in contrast with his perfidy, that I now address you” (Nature drew the contrast, fortunately for him, without your assistance), “but to beseech you, for your own sake, to let nothing turn you from your recently-formed resolution” (I don’t intend to let any thing turn me, if I can help it, this time!).  “It remains with you to live a free and happy life, adored and indulged by one who would give his heart’s blood to serve you” (a poor gift, I take it), “or pass your whole existence in the cell of a lunatic, cut off from every being who could care for or protect you.” (Great Heavens! what can the wretch mean?) “Should you refuse to become my wife, and affix your signature to the papers in your possession, I have reason to know that Bainrothe designs to make, or rather continue, you dead, and imprison you in a lonely house on the sea-coast, which he owns, where others of his victims have before now lived and died unknown!” (Very melodramatic, truly; but I don’t believe Cagliostro would dare to do it.) “To convince you of the truth of my allegations.  Dr. Engelehart is instructed to place in your hands a note recently intercepted by me from that arch-conspirator to his son, which please return to him, my truest friend” (direst enemy, you mean), “along with this letter, as I send you both documents at my own peril, and dare not leave them in your hands” (how magnanimous!); and here I dropped the letter on the table, and extended my hand mutely to Dr. Englehart for the note, which was ready for me, in the hollow of his pudgy palm.

It did, indeed, most clearly confirm the statement, true or false, of the ubiquitous Gregory.  Returning it to the physician pro tem., I then continued the perusal of this singular love-letter to the end, in which the lawyer and knave predominated in spite of Eros!  Yet there was food for consideration here, and extremest terror.

“How long before this ultimatum is proposed to me, which Mr. Gregory seemed to anticipate, and with which you, no doubt, are acquainted?” I asked, coldly, after consideration.