Page:Duty and Inclination 1.pdf/298

290 the two creditors lost no time in seeking their victim—such was their impatience, aided by an apprehension lest some change in the humour of Sir Aubrey, whom they feared to put to any further proof, should arise, and blast their hopes. Especially were they apprehensive lest in the meantime the other creditors might take the alarm, and, by a similar expedient, anticipate any advantage they hoped would accrue to themselves, both from the son's inexperience, and the supercilious oversight of the father in disdaining a personal inspection of their charges. Determined to avail themselves of every incident which might occur in the course of the debate favourable to themselves, they had intruded upon their sick prisoner under every disadvantage which hope or fear, weakness or surprise, could occasion. With this purpose in view, instinctively guided by their selfish interests, they began to intimate, for they could hardly be said to explain, the object of their visit; and in doing so were guilty of the greatest deceit, disguising the truth under the veil of ambiguous language. They were willing to mislead their unfortunate debtor, by insinuating that their claims had been allowed on the part of Sir Aubrey, which was false, and by concealing at first, what would have revived his heart to know, the