Page:The Adventures of David Simple (1904).djvu/268

 who it was that he had bribed to speak in his voice in order to impose upon me. The villain had not the courrage to draw his sword, but, falling down on his knees, confessed the whole, and showed the baseness of his nature no less in begging pardon than he had done in committing the crime. But Dumont refused to forgive him, unless on condition of his going with him to me, and repeating the same confession; to which the mean creature submitted. "'Think, my Isabelle,' continued my brother, 'what I must feel when I wronged I had wronged the man who was capable of acting in the generous and uncommon manner the Chevalier had done; he saw my confusion, and kindly flew to my relief. "Now," said he, "I hope my dear friend is convinced of my innocence!" and at the same time embracing me, assured me he would impute the violence of my passion to the vehemence of my love, and never mention this accident more. "'Le Neuf begged we would keep this affair a secret; but that we could not consent to, for the sake of others. We asked him how it was possible that at his age he could think of such villainy for the sake of a little money? to which he replied that he had been from his infancy bred up with a father who had amassed great wealth by never sticking at anything from which he could gain any advantage; and although, indeed, contrary to his father, he loved to spend it, yet he had always laid it down as a maxim that all considerations were to be sacrificed to the getting it. "'We made him produce the boy he had employed, and he really spoke so like the ChevaUer, we could not distinguish one voice from the other; on which the good-natured Dumont told me I ought not to be angry with myself for not avoiding an imposition which must have deceived all the world. This was generosity, this was being a true friend! for the