Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1881-08-24
THE MELDINGS.


In relating what consider tho most
striking passage OF q mOnotonous and
uncvcnfnl life, ! am depressed at tho
outset by fear that my story IL almost
too common for detail. | think thus,
because II turns on my falling in love
with shop'girl, whom l first saw in q
shop.
was living at BarnSbury; 4; my lodg.
ingS were in quiet, cheap street, very
accessible from town, NS was necessary
! often walked home on iino evenings |;
30, IN varied my route q little now and
then, as being moro cheerful, once
went past certain shop--a miscella-
neous draper's-and happening TO look
round, met tho eyes Of girl who was
reaching something from the stock in the
window. Ofall the eyes had ever look.
cd into, with mono had ever exchanged
such q flash ; and yet these eyes were
quiet and mild enough, and the whole
face, even TO the smooth brown hair, was
Of quiet and mild type, too.
could not help wishing l had some
friend-if younger than myself tho bet
tcr-to toll OF my adventure but, as ii
was, had no friends in London, md
only ono tolembly intimate acquaint-
ancc, q Mr.. John Hyle, whom l knew
through living in tho same house with
! me.
This was q good-tcmpcrcd middle
aged fellow, quiet and retiring, but
altogether too apathetic for such con.
vcrsation as wished to hold yet, when
he tappcdat my door, soon after I had
finished my ten, felt inclined to make
him my confdant, for want Of n better.
Mr.. Hylc came in sometimes to smoke
n cigar with me, rs ho was very dull, and
to play cribbage. Ho was commercial
traveller, so that his going or coming was
by no means regular; but when he was
in town, he was always pleased to pass
an hour in my room.
81 hope, Mr.. Borgally," he said, as he
lighted his cigar, "your firm have made
it all right about that unfortunate bust
ness ?"
81 wish they had, Mr.. Hyle," I
answered. My name, by-the.way, is
Japhet Bergally ; my fathers name was
Thomas, and his fathers Robert, so
never could make out why 1 had such a
queer name. 'rhe notes are traced
back to tho Home circuit bank; but
there they treat it with contempt, and
show quite q different set of numbers.
Our partners were shut up with the
solicitors to-day for three or four hours ;
but what can they make of it?'
"And your traveller, Mr.. Diggins, or
Digglcs-what does he say?' asked
Hyle.
"You mean Mr.. Douglas" replied.
"Oh, he is quite certain these are the
notes he got from the bank, and feels
the unpleasantness so strongly, that we
are afraid lie will resign. He was about
to join the firm as partner, so there's
nothing wrong about him."
This conversation referred to an extra
ordinary affair which had just taken
place at our house in the city.
Mr.. Douglas, our manager and head
traveller, had himself gone over to the
bank with check not Mt all an unusual
thing-and had brought back the
amount, four hundred pounds, in notes
two tifties, twenty tens, and twenty
fivcs.
10 our horror, the fifties were refused
payment at the Bank of England, and
were Of course impounded; but, having
been traced to us, they were given up to
our solicitor, the responsibility of our
firm being SO we'll known, in order that
some inquiry might be made. The
number of these notes were taken when
we paid them away, and, as it happened,
| tho roooivor took them at once to the
Bank of England, so there was no mis-
take there; while Mr.. Douglas, rs just
said, had brought them over himself
from our bank, had given them to our
cashier, who had paid them away within
an hour after. The most pcrplexing
thing was that the clerk at the Home
circuit bank had numbers on his register
for these tifties entirely differing from
those which were afterward offered. All
the other notes agreed, but the tifties
differed, and the tifties were fCrgeries.
OF course the Home circuit people
were positive, and then it seemed to lay
between Mr.. Douglas, who had just
agreed to pay in f15,O00 to become o
junior partner, and the cashier, who had
been thirty seven years with the firm, and
was trusted implicitly.
1 had told Mr.. Hyle about this, so he,
being mercantile man and a traveller to
boot, naturally took great deal of
interest in it,
"Well, it is very strange thing, Mr..
Bergally," he said presently, as he
shufiied the cards. "There will be re-
ward out, of course? Will your people,
or the Home circuit people, or the
Bank of England take it up3"
"No; there will be no reward out at
present." 1 said. 1.-THE Bank of Eng
land lawyer advises us to be quiet
those that have tried it on so success
fully once will be sure to do it again, he
says" But have something else to say"
I resumed, "and you must not laugh at
me when I tell you"
Hyle turned his wondering face to-
ward me at this, and said
mo, OF course not"
II have seen tonight the most beauti-
fnl girl have ever seen in my life,
Hyle," / continued.
Having broken the ice, 1 found my
self able to give almost an eloquent
kbo l. .-l..lz I'LL