Year: 1878

| Soohoi "ouiu dtHouuG W uedIly ~ per CellC,
and that the bond engaged his security to
pay an annuity for his (West's) life of that
amount 1t is true that, full of energy and
hope, he felt no doubt of his capacity to
meet the payments regularly; it is true
that, monstrous as were the TERMS he
would have accepted eagerly still harder
ones had it simply depended on his own de-
cision. But where find or how ask friend
to become his hondsman? He ran over in
despair the scanty list of acquaintances
whom his poverty had not already caused
to forget him. He felt that the thing was
impossible. There was not one he could
think of who would have even dreamed of
entering into such compact. He turned
desperately to the money lender:
| 81 have no FRIEND" he said ''of whom l
could or would ask such service. If had
l should not be here. Are there no terms,
however high, on which you can lend me
even the most trf1ing sum, for which my
self alone need be responsible ?''


"None," replied the usurer, already COM
mencing his letter.


81 will give 80 per cent"


| "Impossible.''


| "Fifty.''


The usurer shook his head impatiently.
ga hundred-cenr. per cent?'
| "Nor'


The strange seeker of loans at length rose
to depart. He reached the door, Sudden
ly he turned back, his eyes blazing with
sombre radiance Of despair. He strobe to
the table, and planted himself, with folded
arms, Immediately in front of the usurer.
.Mark me?" said West in tone of deep
suppressed passion, like the hollow mur-
mur of the sea before storm. ''It is a
question of life or death with me to get
money before sunset. Lend he only e20,
| and within twelve months | will repay you
e100. will give you every power which
the law can give one man over another; and
| will pledge my honor, which never yet
was questioned, to the bargainr'


The usurer almost smiled, so strangely
sarcastic was the contraction of his features,
as he listened to these words.


81 do not question your honor" he said,
iciy, "but honor has nothing to do with
business. AS for the law there is an old
axiom which says, Out of nothing, nothing
comes.'''


Bernard West regarded the cold, rocky
face and the passionless mouth from which
these words proceeded with that stinging
wrath a man feels who has hnmilisted him
self in vain. Nevertheless he cung to the
| t1inty usurer as to the last rock in deluge,
and sense of savage recklessness came
over him when he advanced yet closer to
the living casll-box before him, while the
latter shrank half-terrified before the burn
ing gaze Of his visitors dilated pupils.


Laying his hand upon the money lenders
shoulder, by gesture of terrible famiiari-
ty that insisted upon and commanded at
tention to his words, West spoke with
sudden clearness and even musical distinct
ness of utterance that male his words yet
more appealing in their SOLEMN despair:
''Old man, am desperate; l am ruined.
1t is but a few months since my father died,
leaving me not only penniless, but encircle1
by petty obligations which have cramped
every movement l would have made
have had no time, no quiet, to make an eff
fort such as my position requires. This day
l have spent my last shilling. 1 am TOO
proud to beg, and to borrow is to beg VIII n
a man is known to be in real distress
Within one hour from this time shall be
beyond all the tortures of a life which for
my sake care but little to preserve Aud
yet have spent my youth in accumulating
treasures. which but brief space might
have rendered productive of benefit to m IN,
and of profit to myself My fathers little
m sans and my own have vanished in the
pursuit of science. aud in the gulf of suf-
firing more immediate than our own. If I
die, also with me perish the results of his
experiments his studies and his sacrifices.
There are moments when all ordinary CAL
cnlations and prudence are empty baubles.
Life is the only real possession we have.
and death the only certainty. Listen!
will make one last proposal to you. Lend
me but ten pounds-that is but ten weeks
of life-and swear to you that if live l
will repay you for each pond lent not ten or
twenty but one hunired-in all one thous-
and pounds! Grant that it but chance
upon the one hand, yet, upon the other how
small is the risk; and then to save a human
lfe-is that not something in the scale?"
And the stranger laughed at these last
words with bitter gayety that caused
strange thrill to creep along the nerves of
the usurer


However, the lender Of gold shrugged his
shoulders without relaxing his habitual i'm
FEASIBILITY of manner. He did not speak.
Possibly the idea occurred to him that his
strange client meditated some act of vio-
lence upon himself or his strong box. But
this idea speedily vanished, as the stranger
relapsing suddenly into silence and conven-
tonal, behavior, removed his hand from the
usurer's shoulder and strode rapidly but
calmly from the apartment


The door closed behind the ruined man
and the usurer drew long breath, while
his bushy brows we're contracted in sor
of agony Of doubt and irresolute purpose.