Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1858-12-16

should be ashamed to trouble your house,
Sir, to open an account for such a trif1e as
| that"
"Stuff and nonsensep' says Mr.. Faunt-
leroy care you banker? What bust
ness have you to offer an opinion on the
matter? Do as tell you-leave it to me
bank with us-and draw for what you like.
Stop!I [ havn't done yet When you open
the account speak to the head cashier
Perhaps you may find he has something to
tell you. There! there go away-don't
interrupt me-good-by-God bless you!''
That was his way All, poor fellow {!
that was his way!
[ went to the head cashier the next morn
ing, when I opened my little modicum Of
an account. He had received orders to pay
my drafts without reference to my balance.
My checks, when I had overdrawn, were to
be privately shown to Mr.. Fauntleroy.-
Do many young men who start in business
find their prosperous superiors ready to help
them in that way?
Well, got on-got on very fairly and
steadily: being careful not to venture out Of
my depth, and not to forget that small be-
ginnngs may lead in time to great ends
A prospect of one of those great ends-great,
mean, to such small trader as [ was at
that period-showed itself to me, when I
had been some little time in busines. In
plain terms, I had chance of joining in a
frst-rate transaction, which would give me
profit and position and every thing [ want
ed, provided I could qualify myself for en-
gaging in it by getting good security be-
forehand for very large amount
In this emergency thought of my kind
friend Mr.. Fauntleroy and went to the
bank, and saw him once more in his private
ROOM
There he was at the same table, with The
same heaps of papers about him, and the
same hearty, easy way of speaking his mind
to you at once, in the fewest possible words.
[ explained the business [ came upon, with
some little hesitation and nervousness for
[ was afraid he might th:i k that was TAX
ing an unfair advantage of his former kind
ness to me. When [ had done, he just
nodded his head, snatched up blank sheet
of paper, scribbled few lines on it, in bis
rapid way, handed the writing to me, and
pushed me out of the room BY the two shou1-
ders before [ could say single word. [
looked at the paper in the outer Office. It
was my security from that banking house
for the whole amount, and for more, if more
was wanted.
could not express my gratitude then
and don't know that [ can describe it now.
[ can only say that it has outlived the crime,
the disgrace, and the awful death on the
scaffold [ am grieved to speak of that
death at all. But have no other alterna-
tive. The course Of my story must now
lead me straight on to the later time, aud
to the terrible discovery which exposed my
benefactor and my friend to all England as
the forger Fauntleroy.
l must ask you to suppose a lapse of some
time after the occurrence of the events that
I have just been relating. During this in
Iterval-thanks to the kind assistance [ had
received at the outset-nly position as
man of business had greatly improved
Imagine me now, if you please, on the high
road to prosperity, with good large offices
and a respectable staff of clerks and picture
me to yourselves sitting alone in my private
room, between four and five o'clock, on a
certain Saturday afternoon.
All my letters had been written, all the
people who had appointments with me had
been received II was looking carelessly over
the newspaper, and thinking about going
home, when one of my clerks came in, and
said that a stranger wished to see me i'm
mediately on very important business.
'.Did he mention his name % inquired.
''No, Sir"
''Did you not ask him for it?
sYes, Sir. And he said you would be
none the wiser if he told me what it was"
'sDoes he look like begging letter wri-
ter %
''He looks little shabby, Sir; but he
doesnttal at all like a begging letter writer.
He spoke sharp and decided, Sir-and said
and that you would deeply regret it after
wards if you refused to see him.
''He said that, did he? Show him in at
once, then"
He was shown in Immediately. A mid
ding sized man, with sharp, unwholesome-
looking face, and with a fppant, reckless
manner; dressed in style of shabby smart
ness; eying me with bold look; and not
so overburdened with politeness as to trouble
himself about taking off his hat when he
came in. [ had never seen him before in
my life; and | could not form the slightest
conjecture from his appearance to guide me
toward guessing his position in the world.
He was not a gentleman, evidently; but as
to fixing his whereabouts in the infinite
downward gradatons of vagabond existence
in London, that was mystery which was
totally incompetent to solve.
els your name Trowbridge % he began
eyes" [ answered, dryly enough.
''Do you bank with Marsh, Stracey
Fauntlcroy, & Graham %