Year: 1870

| Hnu tliaJ ne mas got something to tell
you. There! there go away--don't
Interrupt mc--good. .bye-God bless
| youp


That was his way--ah -! poor fellow,
that was his way.


| | went to the head cashier the next
morning when l opened my little modi-
cum of an account. He had received
orders to pay my drafts without refer
ence to my balance. My checks when
| had overdrawn, were to be privately
shown to Mr. Fauntleroy. Do many
young men who start in business find
their prosperous superior5 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 beginnings may lead in time to
great ends. a prospect of ooe of those
great ends-great, 1 mean, TO such a
small trader as l was at that period
showed itself to Inc when l had been
some little time in business. In plain
| terms, l had a chance of joining in
firstrate transaction, which would give
me profit and position, and everything
l wanted, provided could qualify my
self for engaging in it by getting good
security beforehand for very large
amount.


In this emergency, 1 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 ofspeak-
ing his mind to you at once, in the few
est possible words. L explained the
business / came upon with some little
hesitation and nervousness, for / was
afraid he might think 1 was taking an
unfair advantage of his former kind
ness to me. When l had done, he just
nodded his head, snatched up blank
sheet of paper, scribbled few lines on
it in his rapid way, handed the writ
ing to me, and pushed me out of the
room by the two shoulders before l
could say single word. l looked at
the paper in the outer office. 1t was my
| security from that great banking house
for the whole amount, and for more, if
more was wanted.


l could not express my gratitude
then, and don't know that / can de-
scribe it now. I 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 I have no other alternative.
The course of my story must lead me
straight on to the latter time, and to
the terrible discovery which exposed
my benefactor nd my friend to all
England as the for ger Fauntleroy.


must ask you to suppose lapse of
some time after the occurrence of the
events that have just been relating.
During this interval, thanks TO the
kind assistance l had received at the
outset, my 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
respectable staff of clerks, and picture
me to yourself sitting alone in my
private room, between four and five
o'clock ona certain Saturday afternoon.


All my letters had been written, all
the people who had appointments with
me had been received. / 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 imm ediately
on very important business.


"Did he mention his name?" in
quired.


"No, sir"


"Did you ask him forit?"


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


"Does he look like begging letter
writer"


"Hespoke sharp and decided, sir, and
said it was in your interest that he
came, and that you would deeply regret
it afterward if you refused to see him"


she said that, did he? Show him in
at once, then"


He was shown up Immediately
middle sized man, with a sharp. un-
wholesome looking face, dressed in a
style of shabby smartness, eyeing me
with bold look, and not so overbur-
dened with politeness as to trouble him
self 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 appear
ance toward guessing his position in the
IDENTIFY; but as to fixing his whereabouts
in the initiate downward gradation of
vagabond existence in London, that
was mystery which | was totally in
competent TO solve.


SIS your name Trowbridge?" he be-
gon.


"Yes," answered, drily enough.


"Do you bank with Marsh, Stracey,
Fauntleroy and Graham?"


"Why do you ask?"


"Answer my question, and you will
know"


every we'll, l do bank with Marsh,
Stracey, Fnuntleroy and Graham-and
what then ?"


"Draw out every iarthing of balance
you have got, before the bank closes at
five to day"


l stared at him in speechless amaze
ment. The words, for an instant, abso-
lutely petrified me.


"Stare rs much as you like" he pro-
cceded coolly, 81 mean what | say.
Look ut your clock there. In twenty
minutes it will strike five, and the bank
will be shut. Draw out every farthing,
| tell you again, and look sharp about
it,"


"Draw out my money !" exclaimed,