1859]	WORK  IN   SOUTHERN  COUNTIES	571
when* he is. We are nearly wild. God, help uh. I hardly know what I am writing. What is to become of Francis and William? We hardly know what we have lost. I fear B. has seized on Mama's mortgages. Pray for us."
We received this letter when we were staying at Fotheringham. We wore very much shocked, but we said that when my sinter talked of absolute^1 ruin, it was only a figure of speech. She and her mother might be very much poorer than they bad boon, but there was a considerable marriage settlement; that, wo imagined, B. could not have possessed himself of.
But it was too true; he had taken everything. The marriage settlement was in favour of younger children, I being one of the throe who would have benefited. Some years before, Mr. B. had boon to Italima and persuaded her to give up ,£2000 of my brother William's portion, during her lifts in order to pay his debts. On her assenting to this, Mr. B. bad subtly entered the whole sum mentioned in the settlement, instead of .£2000, in the deed of release, and the two trustees had signed without a question, so implicit was their faith in Mr. B,, who passed not only for a very honourable, but for a very religious man, Mr. B. had used tho ,£2000 to pay William's debts, and had taken all tho rest of the money for himself. About I tali ma's own fortune^1 ho had boon i*voa loss scrupulous. Mr. IlowclTs estate in Cornwall had never existed at nil. Mr. 15. had taken tho ,£4(5,000 for himself; there had boon no mortgages, but hu had paid the interest as usual, and the robbery had passed undotoetod. lie had kept Italima from