Hello Carol
September 1880
Here it is:
Mr. William Esher will remember his wedding day. Married in the morning, arrested in the act of rejoicing in the afternoon, and sent to prison in the evening! Was ever fate so unkind? Mr. Esher is – or rather was – a pork butcher at Attercliffe. There he retired from business, or the business retired from him, and a Mr. Heigold became his successor. Mr. Esher contemplated an unostentatious journey to Germany, and would no doubt have carried out his intention had not a creditor barred the way with an unromantic thing called a writ. Mr. Esher promised to pay this creditor, if he could raise the cash on Monday morning. The hour came, but the cash didn’t; neither did Mr. Esher The creditor issued his writ, and the debtor was declared a bankrupt. Mr. Esher, though he could not fulfil his promise with his creditor, was gallant enough to keep his engagement with his lady-love, to whom he was duly married on Tuesday morning. Shortly after the wedding, the party were at a public house in Granville street making merry over the marriage when Banquo’s ghost appeared in the form of Mr. Bedford, jun, who presented a warrant for Mr. Esher’s arrest. He pleaded to be free, and so did the bride, but the messenger was inexorable, and Mr. Esher went to Wakefield the same evening. Was ever honeymoon so cruelly killed? Bridegroom and bankrupt in a day? Married in the morning; in Wakefield at night! Mr. Esher, I repeat will remember his wedding day.