THE USURER.*

"Is Mr Lomond at home?" "Yes." A secret satisfaction accelerated my steps-I ascended the second staircase.-It was dusk already in the street-our house was completely dark-I groped my way, and my hand touched the door.

"Who is there?" asked he, scarcely audible.I gave my name.

"Come in."

I found my little grey landlord in his arm chair before his smoking grate, motionless as a statue; his eyes fixed on the mantelpiece, on which stood an old lamp, once bronzed, that threw a pale light over an empty frame garnished with a variety of bills, cheques, accounts, and the like papers. As I looked into his sallow unearthly face, he glanced up, and the rays of the lamp shed a reddish glare upon his features, over which flickered something like a smile.

"Have you heard, Mr Lomond ?” said I—

"I have, and know what you are going to say."

"And what do you say? ?"

He shrugged his shoulders." I knew it these four weeks." "These four weeks?"-The tone of my voice was rather doubtful. "Look here;" said he, pointing to a paper.-It was a transfer of stock-property to a great amount.-Again he relapsed into his former silence.

Does this creature think like other people? said I to myself. Does he know that there is a God? Has he a heart in his bosom? Has he ever felt the influence of love? Does he know any such thing as woman, or happiness? Or is his soul shut up with his bonds and bags in the coffers of the bank, where his better self is assuredly deposited?—

"Well, you have made a good business of it?"

"About a thousand pounds," he drily remarked.

"And yet you are mute and thoughtful."

"I amuse myself."

"Amuse yourself?" said I.

He again shrugged his shoulders, and darted a look of pity on me. "Do you suppose there is no amusement, save that purchased by pounds and guineas in your ball-rooms and party saloons? Do you presume there is no poetry, save that which comes from Murray's or Longman's wholesale shops?—"

From an article in "The Englishman's Magazine," entitled "My Little Grey Landlord."

Poetry!This head, thought I, and poetry! but I kept my thoughts to myself.

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'Poetry-brilliant poetry-my young friend," the first time he had honoured me with this appellation." Yes, my friend, Byron was never more in his trances than I was just now."

His eyes glittered from behind the green spectacles as he drew up his lips.

"I am sorry, then, for having interrupted you."

"Never mind, I am glad you are come.-You shall hear, and from the recital of the events of this morning, you may, in some measure, be enabled to form an idea-but let us see-."

So saying, he arose and rang the bell. We sat for a while without speaking a word, for the woman's heavy steps were heard upon the stairs.

"One of the bottles with the ducal coronet, and two tumblers," he said.—Again a pause. After some minutes the attendant came up; he went towards the door through which she held the bottle, and he handed it to me with a cork-screw.

"Fill the glasses. The King has no equal to this Madeira in his cellars."

"I never have tasted the King's wine, but this I am sure is the best that ever reached my lips."

"This morning," he began, after having sipped at his tumbler, "I had only three bills to present. Of the rest I had disposed yesterday. The first of these three bills had been handed to me by a hanger-on of the exquisites or exclusives of our capital-a frequenter of Crockford's, whose transition will be Newgate, and finally the halter. I have set him down for January, 1832. He came in a cabriolet; the bill was signed by his Grace of - a trifle of three thousand pounds lost and won, as is the fashion. The second of my bills came through a fine young dasher, who sported a tilbury, a most elegant fashionable. His scrap again was signed by one of our most charming women, the wife of a Baronet, of good property, but somewhat embarrassed: this bill was for two hundred pounds. How the signature came upon it, I guessed, but that's not to the purpose. The third, for one hundred pounds, was to be honoured likewise by a lady-for the signature showed a Maria It reached me through a linen-draper. "The first object of my visit lives-you know where. The second occupies a fashionable mansion in square; the third I

was to find in one of the fag-ends of our bloated city-Chelsea.

"If you knew the conjectures which crossed my brain on leaving What overtures, what anxiety, what How condescendingly they would

home. These two women. tremors, what palpitations.

press my hands-nay, offer gifts-gifts."-The grey man darted a glance at me, which chilled my veins.

"Two hundred pounds are a trifle, comparatively speaking; but what might a woman not do for them, if pressed hard. While 1, cold-ice-cold, stern, disdainful, would stand before her like the avenger of blood, seize her with the gripe of justice-but let us on -I respect rank, and my first visit, therefore, was paid to his Grace of

"I entered the gorgeous mansion, freshed up with some assistance of my purse too-repaid-however-repaid. Times were once a little more prosperous in that quarter-the range wider. Things have changed-you comprehend-.

I nodded.

"On I passed through the court-yard, the colonnade, when I was arrested by a grinning, yawning, gold-laced varlet, who handed me over to a fellow-idler, who again sent me forward to another; all of them grinning and jibing at me.

"His

has not risen yet,' said a powdered man. "When can I see him?'

"That is uncertain.'

"My name is Lomond, I shall be here at three o'clock.' "Stop a moment;' said the minion, quailing a little under my determined look, I shall see.'

"I looked through the colonnade of the entrance. came down with a courtly, almost humble smirk. His leisure-please to walk up.'

The fellow is at

"I ascended the stairs, entered a magnificent drawing-room, and was ushered into a suite of apartments, each of them furnished with regal splendour. Just as I passed through, a figure was coming up from a back entrance of the mansion, who shrunk behind a door as soon as he caught a glimpse of me. However, he had not escaped me; it was the A- -n A-, that prince of coxcombs and profligates. Ah, thought I, does the wind blow from this quarter? but a door opened, and towards poor Mr Lomond advanced, who should it be-but his Grace of himself! Be brief, Mr Lomond,' said the mighty man, my time is orecious.' I drew my bill from my pocket-book, and held it towards him. His is said to be unyielding-hard as iron

put he flinched a little, I can assure you.

6

"Ah, dear Mr Lomond! three thousand pounds? The rascal was very quick, indeed; I hope, however, Mr Lomonddear Mr Lomond, (I was dear, do you understand,) I hope,' continued his -, you will wait a couple of days.'

"Till three o clock precisely;' and I put my bill again into

my pocket-book.

"Till three o'clock;' muttered his Why that's little more than three hours.'

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Exactly.'

"till three o'clock!

"You would not-you would not.' The iron frame, methought, shook.

"Were it an emperor I should not hesitate, if he refused acceptance.'

"At this moment the valet-de-chambre whispered something into the ear of his relating to the visitor I mentioned.

"Ah, well, very well; I am at his command. All is right, Mr Lomond; at three then I shall have the pleasure.' The patrician's imperturbable countenance brightened up as I retreated. My second visit was to the beautiful Lady N—. It just struck twelve, when I entered the hall. Her ladyship, I was told, was still in bed; she could not be seen.

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"When can I come then?'

"At two o'clock.'

"My name is Lomond. Tell her my name, I shall be here at two o'clock, and I went away. My course lay down Chelsea, through King's-road, into one of the lanes, where a carriage is seldom or never seen. The cottage which I had to discover, was retired in a nook, pleasantly sheltered from the whirlwind of fashion and dissipation. I was admitted into the cheerful dwelling by a cleanly-dressed woman, who showed me up stairs into a neat drawing room. Nothing can be more inviting than these abodes of our less wealthy fellow-citizens: this was a sample of the very best. No richness, no luxury, but every thing pretty, and sparkling, and convenient; I am a friend to order and cleanliness, and there I met it to my heart's content. Not the least trace of dust: there

in the room; On a sofa lay

was an air of modesty, of noble simplicity, of virtue, true English, home-bred virtue. I drew a deep sigh. a prayer-book and a bible, with some needle-work; on a working table some linen; every thing white as snow. The door opened, and a girl, about eighteen, came out of a bed-room, from which a distressful coughing was heard. It was a sweet, delightful creature." The man paused, and took his glass and emptied it.

"Fill, my young friend, to her health; I should like to see you carry off this prize."

"Stop, let us go on. She was dressed simply, but with extreme her fair hair was arched, in two beautiful clusters, above her temples. One is seldom permitted to enjoy such a sight."

taste;

་

I emptied the tumbler.

"The girl stood a second or two looking at me before she said, My mother is very sorry, but she is confined to bed.' I then presented her the bill; she stepped into the next room, and returned soon after with a cheque on the banking house of - and Co.

“If, Miss, should perhaps—you understand me?' I said.

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I do not;' replied the girl, with an inquiring glance. "If the payment should fall heavy upon you, I can and will wait.'

"It fell hard; but my mother is better-no, no,' she added, and retreated a few paces, as if afraid of me.

"I was touched-really touched. I felt almost as though I ought to leave the hundred pounds behind, but, on second thought, I deemed it better to put it into my pocket-book. She works hard to keep herself and her mother in something like respectability. A hundred pounds thrown in her way in such a manner, what mischief might it not create? One must consider every thing— why she might have a cousin, or some such connexion, who would fain drive his pony-or the hundred pounds might find their road into one of the thousand craters of French millinery. No-wiser to leave her as she was. She is the daughter of a mercantile gentleman who failed some years ago, and the remains of whose fortune are locked up in Chancery. Apropos, this Chancery business --it would be a pity if Brougham should succeed in curtailing so salutary an institution. It has brought many a thousand pounds into my coffers. Truly that girl would make a fine wife for you, young man-but let us proceed. When I regained the King's road, the clock struck one. I looked for some time at the caricature shops, and at two found myself in Square. I mounted the stairs of my lady's mansion, leaving, with every step, a foot imprinted into the Brussels carpet. That pleases me. I was desired by the servant to wait a moment, and seated myself in one of the gilded arm-chairs.

“Her ladyship has just rung the bell for the first time,' said the waiting maid, with an air of importance. 'I scarcely believe Mr-what is his name? will be admitted.'

"Tell her ladyship my name.'

"She came in a few moments, and in a hurry, as it seemed, beckoning and running before me. I was ushered into a splendid apartment-the door opened to a second, and out came a woman. No-I shall not easily forget her and how I saw her, and when, and where there, young man, where no mortal will behold her, save her husband-in a state-but hear. Over her bare shoulders she had flung, in the hurry of the moment, a precious cachemire,