Before Dr. Locock, however, could have reached his own house, the pains returned with aggravated violence. A local practitioner was called in and did his utmost to alleviate the suffering; but Helen gradually sank, and breathed her last at four o'clock on the afternoon of that same day, without having the consolation of beholding once more the features of Mr. and Mrs. Wainewright.

Dr. Locock called at four, and found that she had just expired. As he went out he met Mr. Wainewright at the door, and told him what had happened. He appeared much shocked and astonished, as he had left her much better than she was the night before. He inquired what was the cause of death. "Mischief in the brain," Dr.

Locock said.

Mr. and Mrs. Wainewright returned to a house of desolation, and lavishly upbraided themselves with their want of thought in prolonging their walk. If they had been on the spot, Helen's precious life might have been spared to them all. Dr. Locock was asked to come round, and the Wainewrights were clamorous for an immediate inquest, that there might be no possible room for suspecting foul play.

The medical evidence (Dr. Locock again) and the coroner's jury ascribed no blame to anyone. There was a remarkable accumulation of water at the base of the brain, which accounted for the agony of the deceased and for the fatal result; and there were also certain curious specks on the coat of the stomach; but the physician and the jury

found no proof of other than natural causes.' A good deal of stress was laid on the shell-fish and the bottled beer.

It was found that the late Miss Abercromby had left a will, by which all her property and interest came to her sister, Mr. Wainewright being named executor. This document had, it seemed, been completed in great haste on the 13th of the month, when Helen perhaps found her health not so strong as it had been, and was anxious to secure what she could to Madeleine.

But what property could it be? Houses, lands, and hereditaments? Why, the poor child, I have not long ago narrated, was an orphan with an annuity from the Board of Ordnance of 107., originally granted in 1812 after her father's death, and continued after that of her mother's in 1830 to the two sisters, on the plea that they were totally unprovided for.

Something, therefore, had necessarily altered, in a material manner, Miss Abercromby's pecuniary position within the last few months. It was this: by the foresight of her good brother-in-law and his wife, Helen's life had been insured in the autumn in various offices for the sum of 18,000l.,2 an exceptionably large total, but not too much so to provide suitably for Madeleine. The first year's premiums amounting to 2207., which had been paid up by 1 See Appendix.

23,000l. in the Palladium, 3,000l. in the Eagle, in the Hope and Provident for 2,000l. each, in the Imperial for 3,000l., and in the Pelican for 5,000l.

the deceased with bank-notes given to her for the purpose by her brother-in-law, were a severe strain on the family finances just at present. But the object was so important, and now that this had happened, they had at all events one thing to be thankful for,-Madeleine's future was secure.

But the offices, on being apprised in due course of the melancholy and wholly unforeseen occurrence, shook their heads privately, and entertained doubts which were absolutely degrading to themselves. On being pressed by Mr. Wainewright in his capacity as executor, the boards expressed a common opinion, that there were circumstances connected with the business which made it imperative that time should be allowed by the young lady's friends for the institution of formal inquiries, more especially as death had ensued at so early a date after the completion of the policies. Miss Abercromby's executor threatened proceedings, and the offices thereupon unanimously refused to pay.

There was unquestionably solid ground for this unfortunate and disappointing result, for even if the family, which was so far a matter of course, went into litigation, the law was pregnant with all sorts of risks and delays, and months-a yearmight elapse before Madeleine Abercromby's money was forthcoming. The offices, in resisting the claim, asserted that they had been deceived. The insurances had been effected at successive periods between March and October, 1830, on the pretence that the young lady aimed thereby at securing certain property, which was expected to accrue under a decree in Chancery within two d

years, and if her own death occurred meanwhile, would pass away from the family. At one or two of the establishments, the secretary, struck by Helen's unsophisticated air and manifest ignorance of business, coupled with her strangely agitated manner, interrogated her as to the motive; but she always met these kindly-intended remonstrances, or silenced objections, by saying that she acted under the advice of friends, who knew more about such matters than she did, and could not possibly have any improper views. Two offices actually declined a proposal to effect further policies, which would have raised the amount recoverable to upward of 25,000.

The contention was, that the circumstances had been misrepresented from beginning to end; that the life was accepted for two and three years respectively, solely on the faith of a declaration, that the object was special and in accordance with statements made by the young lady and her friends, and that Miss Abercromby had been induced to utter falsehoods for the sake of promoting what appeared, by the light of recent events, a mere speculation on the part of the Wainewrights. The offices left the cause of Miss Abercromby's death outside the immediate question, and justified their action on the simple plea of wilful misstatement. The falsehood of the tale about Helen's interest in certain Chancery proceedings involved, of course, a complete absence of consideration, and the fatality which turned an investment of £220 for a few months into £18,000, was too extraordinary to escape suspicion, more

particularly as a case was said by the secretary of the Alliance to have occurred quite lately, in which a young lady had had her life insured by her friends, and had soon afterwards come to her death by unfair means-just such another young lady, the secretary informed Helen, as she was. Moreover, the actuary of the Provident pronounced Helen "a remarkably healthy, cheerful, beautiful young woman, whose life was one of a thousand," and elsewhere the officials had a little pleasantry about Helen still going year after year to pay her premium long after they were in their graves.

Mr.

Mr. and Mrs. Wainewright, in two years, had thus suffered three severe bereavements. Griffiths died quite suddenly in 1829. Mrs. Abercromby died quite suddenly in 1830, and now, in December of the very same year, it was poor Helen's turn!—the saddest blow of all! She died, by a singular coincidence, on the very day to which good Mr. Sharpus, of Cockspur Street, had agreed to let the bill of sale stand over.

The repudiation of the claim by the insurance offices was a cruel addition to their trouble. Mr. Wainewright had asked Helen, a little after their settlement in Conduit Street, in order to facilitate some arrangements he was making to clear up a momentary difficulty, to assign to him the policy effected in the Palladium, and a second, for a nominal consideration in each case of £19 19s., and this commonplace operation was accomplished with the professional assistance of a Mr. Kirk. This, with the effects at Turnham Green, formed a