Mrs Witherington was, in conferring her maternal
bounty, naturally led to employ the agency
of Hartley, the companion of her son, and to whom,
since the recovery of her younger children, she
almost looked up as to a tutelar deity. She placed
in his hands a sum of L.2000, which she had at
her own unchallenged disposal, with a request,
uttered in the fondest and most affectionate terms,
that it might be applied to the service of Richard
Middlemas in the way Hartley should think most
useful to him. She assured him of further support,
as it should be needed; and a note to the following
purport was also intrusted to him, to be delivered
when and where the prudence of Hartley
should judge it proper to confide to him the secret
of his birth.
``Oh, Benoni! Oh, child of my sorrow!'' said
this interesting document, ``why should the eyes of
thy unhappy mother be about to obtain permission
to look on thee, since her arms were denied the
right to fold thee to her bosom? May the God of
Jews and of Gentiles watch over thee, and guard
thee! May he remove, in his good time, the darkness
which rolls between me and the beloved of my
heart---the first fruit of my unhappy, nay, unhallowed
affection.
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