Transcriber's Notes:
1. Page scans provided by the Internet Archive,
https://archive.org/details/delawareorruined03jame
(University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
I do most sincerely believe, that the very best way to get allthecharacters of this book out of their manifold difficulties, would be,to end the work at the close of the second volume, and leave the worldto settle it, as it liked. However, as the great object is, to makeknown the truth, and as the chances are infinite, that no singleindividual of the millions who intend to read this book, would, by theutmost exertion of their imagination, discover what the truth is, itmay be necessary to go on, and explain what has become of some atleast of the characters which have slipped off the stage Heaven knowswhere--especially as they have each much to do, and to suffer, beforethey "sleep the sleep that knows no waking."
The great advantage of autobiography is, that a man never troubles hishead about other people's affairs, but goes on with his own tale tillhe has done with it; whereas the unfortunate wretch who undertakes totell the history of a number of other people, has no better a life ofit than a whipper-in, and is obliged to be continually trotting up anddown, flogging up his straggling characters to a pace with the rest.The reader, too, may get his brains most tremendously puzzled in themean time. But what can be done? If people will not write their ownstories, other people must write them for them, and the work must goon as best it may. Under these circumstances, we must request thegentle reader to bring back his mind, or his eyes, to the end of thefourth chapter of the last volume, since which precise point we haveneglected entirely the history of Henry Beauchamp. However, amendsshall immediately be made to that gentleman, and he shall have thewhole of this volume to himself.
Let it be remembered, then, that he set out from the dwelling of themiser at Ryebury, promising that punctilious person to return, andsign at once the more formal and regular documents, for which thenecessary stamps were still to be procured from Emberton--that hepassed William Delaware on his road, concealing himself from him as hedid so; and the reader, if he be so pleased, may dip his hand into thewallet of imagination, and take out his own particular little scheme,for leaving the money with which Beauchamp was burdened, in thechamber of--Blanche Delaware's brother.
Those three last words may seem periphrastic; but if the reader thinksthey are so, he makes a mistake; for at that moment, it was not in theleast as Captain William Delaware, a Master and Commander in hisMajesty's Navy, nor as the son