Year: 1875

As pawnbroker in a populous SUBJ
urb of London, 1 have had occasion
to see painful, and sometimes not un-
pleasing phases of society. Just to
give an idea Of what occasionally
comes under the notice of persons in
my profession, shall describe q little
incident and its consequences. One
evening 1 stepped to the door for a
little fresh air and to look about me
for q moment. While Twas gazing
up and down the road saw q tidily-
dressed young person step up to our
side door. She walked like a lady
and let me tell you that in nine cases
out of ten it's the walk, and not the
dress, which distinguishes tile lady
from the servant-girl-and first she
looked about, and then she seemed to
make up her mind in q fiurried sort
of way, and in a moment more was
standing at our counter, holding out
glittering something in little tremb-
ling hand covered with worn kid
glove.


Ny assistant, Issacs, was stepping
forward to take the seal, when came
in and interposed. The poor young
thing was so nervous and shy, and
altogether so unused to this work,
that felt for her as If she had been
my own daughter almost. She
couldn't have been above IS years
old-teo frail and gentle a creature to
visit pawn shop"


"If you please, will you tell me-"
she said timidly, in a very sweet, low
voice, trembling with nervousness,
"whst is the value of this seal ?"


"Weli, miss" / said, taking the
seal into my hand and looking at it
it was an old-fashionej seal, such as
have arms cut upon it-"that depends
upon whether you want to pledge
it, or to sell it outright"


"I am married, sir" and she said
the words proudly and with dignity,
though still so shy, and seeming ready
to burst out crying and my husband
Is very ill-and-andh- And then
the tears wouldn't be kept back any
longer, and she sobbed as If her poor
little heart would break.


"There, there, my DEAR" I said to
her "don't cry; it will all come
right in time :" ami / tried to comfort
her as well as 1 could in my own
rough-and-ready way. 81 will lend
you. ma'am,n said to her at last, ga
sovereign upon this seal and il you
wish to sell it, perhaps may be able
to sell il for you to advantage" And
so gave her a pound it was more
than the thing was worth as a pledge;
and she tripped away with a lighter
heart, and many thanks to me, and
thought no more of the matter at the
| time,


The very next day, the day before
Christmas, there came into our place
of business q very eccentric gentle
man, who had called upon US pretty
often before, not for the sake of pawn
ing anything, though he was general
ly dressed shabby enough, too. But
he was q collector, one of those men
who are mad upon old china and
curiosities of all sort.


Anything in my way, to-day, Mr..
Davis ?'' he said, in his quick, ener-
getic manner, with jolly smile upon
his face, and putting down the cigar
cite he was smoking upon the edge Of
the counter.


The Rev. Mr.. BrOadman is a eollec-
tor of gems, and rings and seals, and
in fact, of any stones that have heads
or figures engraved upon them. And
1 had been in the habit of putting
aside for him whatever in this way
passed through our hands for be
gave us better price than We should
have got for them at the quarterly
sales. The fact is, Davis he used tC
say to me, these things are invalu.
able f; many Of them are as beautiful,
on 8 small scale, as the old Greek
sculptures and some Of them even
! by the same artists. And they are
made no longer, you see for, IN thif
busy nineteenth century OF ours, time
and brains are tso precious to be spent
on these laborious trif1es.i Now
although had no stones of the kind
he wanted Just then, it entered int
my head that would tell him about
the seal which had come into my pos,
session the evening before.


/ told him The story somewhat as
have just told it to you. He listened
atteDtively to all Isaid. When / haC
done, he looked at the seal, and said
81 observe that It has the heraldiC
emblem of a baronetn He then con.
graduated me upon the way in which
I had acted. He asked, too, for thii
young ladyis address, which she haC
given me quite correctly; and then ht
left the shop without another word.


You must give me leave to tell thu
rest of the story in my own way
although it may be a very difTeren
way from that which the reverend
parsonage employed in relating it t,
me afterwards.


It seemed that it was q runaway
match. A country baronet's son haC
fallen in love with the elergyman'
daughter in the village where hi
father lived. and they had run awal
together and got married. Then thel
came up to London, these two poo
young things-for neither his father
nor hers either, for the matter Of that
would have anything to say to tn
match-he full of hopes OF getting oil
in the literary and artistic line, an,
she, poor creature, full OF trust il
him.


The project of living by literaturu
did not turn out what was expected
The young fellow, without experience
or friends, spent much time goini
about from one publisher to another
and sending his writings to the editor
of the various magazines-which
need not say were always "returneC
with thanks.u And then he fell ill
} typhus, I fancy, brought on by insui
ficient nourishment, and bad drain
age, and disappointed hopes. Tn
registrar-general doesn't give returl
Of these cases in any list that l an
aware Of. But we see something Q
. them in our line Of business, never
theless.


It was just at this time that MI
Broadman found out Mrs. Vincent


for that was the name of the youn
lady who came to my shop with th
gold seal. Cambridge Terrace is no


very far fr.nrn the AnneI at IsIinoho,,