THE GULLIBILITY OF MAN.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 6, 14 June 1864, Page 3

THE GULLIBILITY OF MAN.

(AESrom '■''London Society.") Some years since, while living in the city of Chester, I became acquainted with a Mr. Buller (this name will serve), an Oxonian, about three-and-twenty years of age, a. member of an excellent family, who was reading for holy orders. He was a man of excellent character, of some accomplishments, especially music, and _ was generally much esteemed as a man highly honorable and utterly incapableY of deceit by all who laiew him. After about a year he went to visit his father and mother, persons of middle age and of ordinary intelligence anu Svorldly experience, and dur-ino-his absence, a -report reached Chester that Mr. Buller was engaged to be married to aw ard in 'Chancery, a lady of noble family aiid< b£ immense estates in England, with' chateadi" and' wide -domains' in Ital^also. .- In .course ,of -time Mr. " Bulled vqy joined '.liis, Chester' ; relatives, but only for a visit of- a few days, and .brought his 'intended wife; "and intr6dnce^'.^he^ : tb^,^ly family as among the most intimate' of his friends in that city. 'Tlie morning after lIJ3 visited us alone, was very communicative

and" re_atect incidents' m fc tM"Ta'dy'^ history more like a romance than sober truth. However, the in ore strangdthis adventure, we felt, the more impossible that he could be deceived; f or^' as J to staring improbabilitiesy where^we^ bellevetthe^ narratdr, -vie naturally think no one would dare to mention: , them if -jnot 7 /truei y ;S^ill, r everything seemed t0 ... set ; at . defiance, the experience of our lives- as _,lso. the .:evid_h__ .of •all <3trr sensesY- ; lY'YTli^ h Md^-?hep«aid, wanted a few weeks ' C> 6T° bbiiigf J -of 'age, although f she VeeinM^to' lis five-ftiid-tKirty at least; but she' nad'Wrvi ved an illness so remarkableyaiid Yhad ]alsd?"anfoa_cident which ! resulted HttYdilnitiisldh%.the , bloom of her ybxrfcl^ul^ an accomplished m^ and playing, vyere.theg^en^ sors ; but — just -at- that time there was a reason-' tliat' she^could not give even her intended husband "a samplefof either^ ' 3. She : rwas^h^ei^cellenfilMguist, but — when some Jadies from the Continent addressed., hep,, in French as naturally as tliey "would." speak English, she drew back at once ; she did not deem ■it consistent' withTiKe\fetiquett*e Stltdgh life to ; parade, r her a^complish^nents by talking French in English society. ' In short, a : mystery > huiig over feverythitifg ; if Lord Eldon (he_was then Chancellor) luiew— for so she perauaded Mr. Bullei^— what he was : doing witlr 'id °wealthy fa ward, above all, if lie'dare'dto inarr^hfer before she was: of, age; he 'wouldnbe imprisoned for contempt of^court. IKi K It s,o happened that the Marchioness of Conyngham wris at that time '- -anftourtcea as spending a' few days* in Chester;* whereupon the lady exclaimed? fit -price, yAlX must avoid all the leading streets, for if the marelubness ,, orily catches 'a' glimpse of me, she will 'tfell ~Bord ; Eldon to a certainty, and we shall^be ''undone." The end of a3l SvasyMr. Buller-was tricked into marrying a woman whose- connection with the peerage and -extensive estates will best bO understood if we- say she had once been a servant: -in the family of Lord -. y .■.■.-'.■ This adventuress deceived; not only one young man but all hisfainilyy carrying on. the imposition over a ;period of many months. She was eyen working coronet* on a baby's robe when the imposture was discovered ! Mr. Buller -"and-' Hid- family were as select in their society as most country gentlemen, so it : has always been unintelligible how tliis woman ever attained a position even *to.<* attempt so audacious a deception. -=.-.* • *>■