Year: 1859

"No, SIR"


"Did you ask him for its"


eyes, sir. And he said you would be none
the wiser if he told me what it was"


"Does he look like begging letter riter2"
"He looks little shabby, sir; but he doesn't
talk at all like a begging letter writer. He spoke
sharp and decided, sir, and said that it was in
your interests that be came, and that you would
deeply regret it afterwards if you refused to see
him."


"He said that, did he2 Show him in at once,
then"


He was shown in Immediately. A middling-
sized man, with sharp, .unwholesome-looking
face, and with fiippant, reckless manner !;
dressed in a style Of shabby smartness; cycling
me with bold look and 80 overburdened with
politeness as to troGble himself about taking off
his hat when he came in. / had never seen
him before in my life; ; and I could not form the
slightest conjecture from his appearance to guide
me towards guessing his position in the world.
He was not gentleman, evidently; but as to
fixing his whereabouts, in the infinite downward
gradations of vagabond existence in London,
that was a mystery which was totally incom-
petent to solve.


"Is your name Towbridgea" he began.


EYES," answered, drily enough.


"Do you bank with Marsh, Stracey, Fauntle-
roy, and Graham2"


"Why do you aska"


"Answer my question, and you will know !"


every well, do bank with Marsh, St-acey,
Fauntleroy, and Graham-and what then 7"


"Draw out every farthing OF balance you have
got, before the bank closes at FIVE to-day"
I stared at him in speechless amazement.-
The words, for the instant, absolutely petrifed
me.


"Stare at me as you like" he proceeded cool
", 81 mean what say. Look at your clock
there. In twenty minutes twill strike five, and
the bank will shut. Draw out every farthing
tell you again; and look sharp about it,"


"Draw cut my money!" exclaimed, partial
ly recovering myself. "Are you in your right
sensesq Do you know that the firm | bank
with represents one of the first houses in the
world2 What do you mean-you, who are
total stranger to me--by taking this extraordi-
nary interest in my affars2 Ifyou want me to
act on your advice, why don't you explain your
self2"


II have explained myself Act on my ADVICE
or not, Just as you like. 1t don't matter to me.
have done what l promised and there's an
end of it."


He turned to the door. The minute hand of
the clock was getting on from the twenty min
utes to the quarter.


"Done what you promised 2" 1 repeated get
ting up to stop him.


"Yes," he said, with his hand on the lock. 81
have given my message. Whatever happens,
remember that. Good afternoon"
| He was gone before | could speak again.
tried to call alter him, but my lips had suddenly
got dry, and the words seemed to stick on them.


could not imagine why, but there was some
thing in the mans last words which had more
than half frightened me.


| looked at the clock. The minute hand was
on the quarter My Office was just far enough
from the bank to make it necessary for me to
decide in an instant If had had time to think,
| am perfeetly certain that / should not have
profted by the extraordinary warning that had
lust been addressed to me. The suspicious ap-
pearance and manners of the stranger; the i'm
probability Of the inference against the cred
of the bank towards which his words point
ed the chance that some underhand attempt
was made, by some enemy of mine, to frighten
me into embroiliDg myself with one OF my
friends, through showing an ignorant distrust OF
the firm with which he was associated as partner
all these questions would have occurred to me
if could have had time for reflection; and, as q
necessary consequence, not one farthing of my
balance would have been taken from the keep
ing of the bank on that memorable day.
AS it was, had just time enough to act and
not for thinking. Some heavy payments made
at the beginning of the week had SO far decreas-
ed my balance, that the sum to my credit in the
banking-book barely reached fifteen hundred
pounds. snatched up my oheque book, wrote
a draft for the whole amount, and ordered one
of my clerks to run to the bank and get it cash
ed before the doors closed. What impulse urged
me on, except the blind impulse of hurry and
bewilderment, can't say. l acted mechanical
! ly, under the influence OF the vague, inexplica-
! Bile fear which the mans extraordinary parting
words had aroused in me, without stopping tc
analyze my own sensations, almost without
knowing what was about. In three minutes
from the time when the stranger had closed my
door, the clerk had started for the bank; and
was alone again in my room, with my hands q:
cold as ice and my head all in whirl


did not recover my control over myself, un-
til the clerk came back with the notes in hit
hand. He had just got to the bank in the nick
of time. AS the cash for my draft was handed
to him over the counter, the clock struck five
and he heard the order given to close the doors


When had counted the bank-notes and hac
locked them up in the safe, my better sense
seemed to come back to me on sudden. New
er have / reproached myself before or since, as
reproached myself at that moment. What sor
of return had i made for Mr.. Fauntleroy's faith
erly kindness to met l had insulted him BY
the meanest, the grossest dstrust in the honor
and the credit of his house-and that on thu
word Of an absolute stranger, of q vagabond, i
ever there was one yet 1t was madness
lo - IN mar Qntnl
as had done. | could not account for my OWL
incoucevably thoughtless proceeding; | could
hardly believe in it myself. opened the safe
and looked at the bank-notes again. l locked
it once more, and flung the key down on the Ia
BILE in fury of vexation against myself. There
the money was, upbraidng me with my own in
conceivable folly; telling me in the plainest
terms that had risked depriving myself of my
best and kindest friends henoeforth and forever.


1t was necessary to do something at once to-
wards making all the atonement that lay in my
power. | felt that, as soon as | began to cool
down little. There was but one plain, straight.
forward way left now out of the scrape in which
had been mad enough to involve myself.
took nv hat, and, without stopping an instant to
hesitate hurried off to the bank to make clean
breast of it to Mr. Fauntleroy.


When knocked at the private door, and
asked for him, was told that he had not been
at the bank for the last two days. One of the
other partners was there, however, and was
working at that moment in his own room.
sent in my name, at once, and asked to see him.
| He and were little better than strangers to
each other; and the interview was likely to be,
on that account. unspeakably embarrassing and
bumilitating OF my side. Still, could not go
home. / could not endure the inaction of the
next day, the Sunday, without having done my
best on the spot, to repair the error into which
my own folly had led me. Uncomfortable as l
felt at the prospect of the approaching inter-