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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b666a58 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #51067 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51067) diff --git a/old/51067-0.txt b/old/51067-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 9cba97f..0000000 --- a/old/51067-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8501 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Living Too Fast, by Oliver Optic - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Living Too Fast - The Confessions of a Bank Officer - -Author: Oliver Optic - -Release Date: January 28, 2016 [EBook #51067] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIVING TOO FAST *** - - - - -Produced by Giovanni Fini, David Edwards and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -[Illustration: A LONELY HOUSE. Page 40.] - - - - - LIVING TOO FAST; - - OR, - - The Confessions of a Bank Officer, - - - BY - - WILLIAM T. ADAMS, - (_Oliver Optic_.) - - AUTHOR OF “IN DOORS AND OUT,” “THE WAY OF THE WORLD,” - “YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD,” &C. &C. - - - _ILLUSTRATED._ - - - BOSTON: - LEE AND SHEPARD, PUBLISHERS. - - NEW YORK: - CHARLES T. DILLINGHAM, - 1876. - - - - - COPYRIGHT, - By WILLIAM T. ADAMS, - 1876. - - - Electrotyped by C. C. Morse & Son, Haverhill, Mass. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -The story contained in this volume records the experience of a bank -officer, “living too fast,” in the downward career of crime. The -writer is entirely willing now to believe that this career ought to -have ended in the state prison; but his work is a story, and he has -chosen—perhaps unhappily—to punish the defaulter in another way. -Yet running through the narrative for the sake of the contrast, is -the experience of a less showy, but more honest young man than the -principal character, who represents the true life the young business -man ought to lead. The author is not afraid that any of his young -friends who may read this book will be tempted into an “irregularity” -by the example of the delinquent bank officer, for it will be found -that his career of crime is full of remorse and positive suffering. - -DORCHESTER, JULY 1, 1876. - - - - - CONTENTS. - - - PAGE. - - - CHAPTER I. - - GETTING A SITUATION, 11 - - - CHAPTER II. - - MISS LILIAN OLIPHANT, 27 - - - CHAPTER III. - - GOING TO HOUSEKEEPING, 42 - - - CHAPTER IV. - - THE ENGLISH BASEMENT HOUSE, 57 - - - CHAPTER V. - - LILIAN ASTONISHED—SO AM I, 72 - - - CHAPTER VI. - - A FAMILY JAR, 87 - - - CHAPTER VII. - - A SHADOW OF SUSPICION, 102 - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - COMING TO THE POINT, 116 - - - CHAPTER IX. - - A LONELY HOUSE, 131 - - - CHAPTER X. - - MY WIFE AND I, 145 - - - CHAPTER XI. - - OVER THE PRECIPICE, 160 - - - CHAPTER XII. - - A KEEPER IN THE HOUSE, 174 - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - THE SECOND STEP, 187 - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - THE HOUSE-WARMING, 201 - - - CHAPTER XV. - - MY UNCLE IS SAVAGE, 214 - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - CORMORIN AND I, 228 - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - PROVIDING FOR THE WORST, 242 - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - BUSTUMUPS AT FIFTY, 256 - - - CHAPTER XIX. - - A CRASH IN COPPERS, 270 - - - CHAPTER XX. - - THE LAST STEP, 283 - - - CHAPTER XXI. - - AN EXILE FROM HOME, 297 - - - CHAPTER XXII. - - CHARLES GASPILLER, 311 - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - - MY CONFESSION, 324 - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - - AUNT RACHEL’S WILL, 337 - - - - - LIVING TOO FAST; - - OR, - - THE CONFESSIONS OF A BANK OFFICER. - - - - -_CHAPTER I._ - -GETTING A SITUATION. - - -[Illustration] - -“I DON’T wish to stand in your way, Tom Flynn.” - -“And I don’t wish to stand in your way, Paley Glasswood,” replied Tom, -with a refreshing promptness, which was intended to assure me, and did -assure me, that he was my friend, and that he was unwilling to take any -unfair advantage of me. - -Tom and myself were applicants for the situation of discount clerk -in the Forty-ninth National Bank of Boston. We had submitted our -applications separately, and each without the knowledge of the -other. If we had taken counsel together before doing so, possibly -some sentimental outbreak would have prevented one or the other from -placing himself even in a seeming attitude of competition with the -other. We had been schoolmates in Springhaven, had been cronies, -and agreed as well as boys usually do. It is true he had given me a -tremendous thrashing on one occasion, when I ventured to regard myself -as physically his equal. Though I could not quite forgive him for the -drubbing he gave me, I did not respect him any the less. While we were -good friends, as the world goes, I was sometimes rather annoyed by the -consciousness of being slightly his inferior. - -Tom was always a little ahead of me in scholarship, and always -contrived to come out just in advance of me in every thing in which we -were brought into real or fancied rivalry with each other. Still he -was never so far before me as to shut me out of the sphere in which he -moved. But in spite of my repeated partial defeats, I regarded myself -as fully his equal. Perhaps my vanity assured me that I was slightly -his superior, for, like the rest of the world, I was human then, as I -have unfortunately proved myself to be since. I was tolerably sure that -in the great battle of life which all of us are compelled to fight, I -should come out all right. When it came to the matter of business, I -was confident that I should outstrip him. - -Both of us had been graduated at the Springhaven High School, with the -highest honors, though as usual Tom was a little higher than myself, -for while he received the first diploma, the second was awarded to me. -Tom was my friend, and always treated me with the utmost kindness and -consideration, but I could not help feeling just a little stung by his -superiority; by his continually coming out about half a length ahead -of me. Springhaven is not so far from the metropolis of New England as -to be regarded as a provincial town; and though engaging in business -anywhere except in the great city was not the height of his or my -ambition, Tom had gone into a store in his native place, and obtained -his earliest knowledge of the ways of the world. But when he was -twenty-one he obtained a situation in an office in the city in which -he received a salary of six hundred dollars a year. - -Again, at this interesting period of life which seems to be the -beginning of all things to a young man, Tom was ahead of me, for I -had gone to the city as a boy of sixteen, and when I was of age, my -employers refused to give me over five hundred a year. Tom had been -lucky—this was my view of the case. Tom had blundered into a good -situation, and it was no merit of his own. I deserved something better -than I had, and it was only the stupid and stingy policy of the firm -which had “brought me up” that rendered my position inferior to that of -my friend. - -I had one advantage over my friendly rival, however, in my own -estimation. My character was above suspicion, which could not be said -of Tom, though in the city not a word affecting his reputation had ever -been breathed, so far as I was aware. At the store in Springhaven where -Tom had served two years as a clerk, several sums of money had been -missed. There was no proof that Tom took them, but a few people in town -knew that he was suspected of the theft, especially as he appeared to -be living beyond his income. I do not believe my friend even knew that -he was suspected of the theft, but inasmuch as he was the only person -besides the two partners who had access to the safe where the money was -kept, it seemed probable to Mr. Gorham, the senior member, that he was -guilty. - -It was a serious matter, and the two partners used every effort to -discover the thief. They put decoys in the safe, such as marked bank -bills, and resorted to various expedients, but it always happened -that none of these traps were ever disturbed. Though various sums -mysteriously disappeared, the decoys were never touched. Mr. Gorham -declared that Tom was too smart for him, and Mr. Welch, the junior, -never said much about the matter. At a convenient time, without -stating any reason for the step, Tom was informed that his services -were no longer required; that a change in the business rendered them -unnecessary. The junior partner retired from the firm, and the senior -carried on the store alone. - -Mr. Gorham was a relative of my mother, and knowing of my intimacy with -Tom, he regarded it as his duty to inform her of the suspicions which -he entertained. My mother was shocked and appalled. Tom was the son of -one of the best men in the town, and as there was no direct proof of -the crime, it was not deemed expedient to say anything about it. Mr. -Gorham did not say anything, except to my mother, and she, appreciating -the kindness of her kinsman, faithfully promised to keep the momentous -secret. Probably there were not a half dozen persons in Springhaven who -knew that Tom left his place under suspicion, and those were the family -and intimate friends of the storekeeper. - -I will not say that the knowledge of this circumstance afforded me -any satisfaction, but it helped me to feel that I was the superior -of Tom; that in being honest I had a decided advantage over him. I -could not disbelieve the story as it came from the lips of my mother, -though it was possible there was some mistake. Within three years after -the change in the firm of Gorham & Welch, the junior partner “went -to destruction,” and in the light of this after revelation, it was -possible that he had appropriated the money. Mr. Gorham hinted as much -to my mother, and she, knowing that Tom and myself were still intimate, -gave me the suggestion as a confirmation of what I had always said in -his defence. I had found it quite impossible to dissolve my relations -with Tom, strongly as my mother desired it. Without exactly believing -that he was guilty of the whispered iniquity, I felt that he would be a -sufferer on account of it. - -The position in the bank for which we were both applicants, was -considered a remarkably good one for a young man like Tom or me. I had -considerable influence which I could bring to bear upon the directors, -and so had my friend, but it seemed to be an even thing between him and -me. In the light of past experience, I felt that Tom would get ahead of -me again, and I was intensely anxious to succeed, in order that I might -regain the ground I had continually lost. - -I have called my book “Confessions.” I mean that they shall be such; -and of course I do not set myself up as a model man. I did wrong, and -that was the source of all my misery. I shall not, therefore, deem it -necessary to apologize for each individual fault of which I was guilty. -My readers can blame me as they will—and I deserve the severest -censure. I have sent grief and dismay into the bosoms of my friends, -and my story is a warning voice to all who are disposed to yield to the -temptations which beset every man in his business relations. - -I met Tom Flynn on the street, and I think he was sincerely desirous -not to step into my path. I am confident he had a genuine regard for -me, and that, if he could have been sure of securing the situation in -the bank to me by withdrawing from the competition himself, he would -have done so on the moment. But there were other applicants, and if he -retired from the field at all, he was as likely to do it in favor of -some stranger as of me. - -“I should like the place, Tom, though I don’t wish to stand in your -way,” I added; but in saying so, I am afraid I only indulged in a -conventional form of speech, desiring only to appear to be as generous -and self-sacrificing as he was. - -“Of course it is my duty to do as well as I can for myself, but if I -can get out of your way without losing the chance for one of us, I will -do so.” - -“Thank you, Tom. That’s handsome, and I would do as much for you; but -as neither of us can foresee the issue, we will each do the best he can -to get the place. That’s fair.” - -“Certainly it is; and whichever is successful, there shall be no hard -feelings on the part of the other.” - -At that moment Tom raised his hat to a lady, and turning from me spoke -to her. She was a beautiful creature, and though it would have been -quite proper for me to terminate the interview, I was not inclined to -do so, for the lady filled my eye, and I could not help looking at her. - -“Be sure and come, Mr. Flynn,” said she. - -“I shall certainly go if nothing unforeseen occurs,” replied he. “Miss -Oliphant, allow me to make you acquainted with my particular friend, -Mr. Paley Glasswood,” he added, turning to me. - -I was very glad indeed to know her, for I could not remember that any -lady had ever before made so captivating an impression upon me, even -after a much longer acquaintance. She was not only very pretty, but -she was elegantly dressed, and I concluded that she belonged to some -“nobby” family. I was pleased with her, and said some of the prettiest -things I could invent for the occasion. I hoped we should meet again. - -“Mr. Flynn, you must bring your friend with you to-morrow evening,” she -continued. - -“Thank you, Miss Oliphant; I should be delighted to take him with me, -and as he is here, he can speak for himself,” replied Tom. - -“Just a quiet little party of half-a-dozen at our house, to-morrow -evening. I hope you will come, Mr. Glasswood,” she added. - -“I should be very happy to join you, and I will do so,” I answered. - -She was very pretty, and she seemed to grow prettier every moment -that I looked at her. Her eyes sparkled and she smiled so sweetly, -that I am forced to acknowledge I experienced a new sensation in her -presence. I repeated my promise to join the little party, and no -entreaty was necessary to render me a willing follower. She bowed and -passed on, mingling with the bright throng that gaily flitted up and -down Washington Street. My eyes followed her till she was lost in the -crowd, and I almost forgot that I was an applicant for the situation of -discount clerk in the Forty-ninth National Bank. - -“Well, Paley, they say the place will be filled at the meeting of the -directors to-morrow forenoon,” said Tom, calling me away from the -sea of moonshine in which I was at that moment floating, as my eyes -followed the graceful form of Miss Oliphant. - -“So I have been told, and we shall have but little time left to work. -By the way, who is Miss Oliphant?” - -“She is a very pretty girl,” laughed Tom. - -“Tell me what I don’t know. What is she?” - -“She is the daughter of a small merchant, who is in rather shaky -circumstances, they say. He lives on Tremont Street, and has three -marriageable daughters. - -“If they are all as passable as the one I have just seen, their chances -are good.” - -“I don’t know about that,” added Tom, laughing. “Miss Lilian dresses -magnificently, you perceive; and whoever marries one of those girls -will find money a cash article. You shall see them all to-morrow.” - -“I should say that a wife like this Miss Oliphant was cheap at any -price.” - -“I think so myself, if a fellow can afford such an expensive luxury. -But, Paley, we must not waste our time,” added Tom, glancing at the Old -South clock. “I must find a man who can do a good thing for me at the -bank.” - -“So must I.” - -We parted, and as I walked down the street, I could not help recalling -the vision of loveliness I had beheld in the person of Miss Lilian -Oliphant. I was on my way to one of the insurance offices frequented -by my uncle, Captain Halliard, a retired shipmaster, who dabbled in -stocks, and was a director in the Japan Marine Insurance Company. -He had influence, and I relied principally upon him to engineer my -application at the bank. He was a man of the world in the broadest -sense of the term. He believed in making money, and in getting ahead -in business, and though he paid a reasonable respect to conventional -forms, I am not quite certain that he believed in anything higher. In -character and purposes, he was the very antipode of my mother, whose -brother he was. - -I found him reading a newspaper in the office. He dropped it when he -saw me, and I thought he looked very anxious. He had undertaken to -procure me the situation I was ambitious to obtain, and though I don’t -think he cared much for me individually, he was persistent in carrying -out any scheme upon which he had fixed his mind. - -“Paley, your chance is small,” said he, candidly, after we had passed -the time of day. - -My heart sank within me. - -“I am sorry to hear it,” I replied, gloomily. - -“Tom Flynn has the inside track.” - -As usual! It seemed to be laid down as the immutable law of -circumstances that Tom should always come out just a little ahead of -me. I was vexed. Tom had six hundred dollars a year, while I had but -five hundred. It was cruel and unjust to me. His income was to be -doubled, and mine to remain as it was. - -“I was afraid Tom would get ahead of me,” I added. “But I would rather -he should have the place than any other person, if I can’t get it.” - -“Nonsense, Paley. Don’t talk bosh! I haven’t given up all hope yet, -by any means. Tom is well enough, I dare say, but you must have this -place, if possible.” - -“I should like to have it,” I added, hopelessly. - -“Paley, what was that story about Tom which was kept so still in -Springhaven?” continued Captain Halliard in a low tone. “I heard your -mother say something about it, when she was speaking about your being -intimate with him. I have forgotten about it.” - -“His employers in Springhaven thought that he took money from the safe.” - -“Exactly so; that was the idea,” added my uncle, rubbing his hands -involuntarily. - -“But I don’t think there was any foundation for the suspicion,” I -protested, rather faintly, too faintly to produce any decided effect. - -“We are not called upon to try the case,” he replied, chuckling at his -own cunning. - -“But I don’t wish to have anything to say about that old affair.” - -“Then you needn’t have anything to say about it, except to me. I have -begun to manage this business, and I shall finish it.” - -“I don’t want to injure Tom in the estimation of any one,” I added. - -“Don’t be a spooney, Paley. You must look out for your own chances. You -can have this place, if we can get Tom off the track.” - -Although I was not the author of the brilliant idea foreshadowed in -my uncle’s remarks, I permitted him to develop it. I told him all I -knew about Tom’s affair with Gorham & Welch. If I stated that those -who knew anything about the matter now generally believed that the -junior partner was the thief, I stated it so mildly that my uncle took -no notice of it. I confess that I virtually assented to his scheme; -at least, I offered no decided opposition to it. I knew that Captain -Halliard had only to whisper the fact that Tom had been suspected, and -had lost his situation in consequence of this suspicion, to throw my -chief competitor out of the field. - -Practically, I assented to the scheme; if I did anything to prevent -its being carried into execution, I only “fastened the door with a -boiled carrot.” I wanted the place, not alone for its emoluments, but -in order, in the race of life, to surpass my friend. I regard this weak -yielding as my first crime—the crime against my friend, one of the -basest and most loathsome in the calendar of offences. This was my real -fall; and it was this, it has since seemed to me, which made me capable -of all that followed. - -I left my uncle in the office, and went back to the store in which I -was employed. Between the bright vision of Miss Oliphant’s loveliness -and the dark one of my own perfidy, I was nervous and uneasy all the -rest of the day. What was the use of being over nice? If I did not -look out for myself, no one would look out for me! I think I did not -sleep an hour that night, and the next day I performed my duties -mechanically. About one o’clock I was rather startled to see Tom Flynn -enter the counting-room. - -“Paley, my dear fellow, I congratulate you,” said he, grasping my hand. - -“What’s the matter, Tom?” I asked. - -“Why, haven’t you heard of it?” - -“Heard of what?” - -“You have been appointed discount clerk in the Forty-ninth National -Bank. ’Pon my soul, I am glad to be the first to tell you of it,” added -Tom, with enthusiasm, as he rung my hand. - -Iniquity had prospered, but only for a time. - - - - -_CHAPTER II._ - -MISS LILIAN OLIPHANT. - - -[Illustration] - -HOW could I look Tom Flynn in the face, after what I had done, or -permitted to be done? He had been my competitor in the race for the -situation in the bank, and probably would have obtained it if my uncle -had not whispered the old slander in the ears of Mr. Bristlebach, the -president. It is true this plan had originated with Captain Halliard, -but I consented to it, to say the very least. I could have prevented -him from carrying it into operation. I could have protested in the -strongest of terms that there was no truth in the story, and that I -would not take the place if it were procured for me by such a base -sacrifice of honor and integrity. - -I did not do so. If I protested at all, it was so faintly that my -worldly-minded uncle only regarded it as a piece of “buncombe.” It is -not for me to blame him, for I regard myself as equally guilty of the -infamous deed—more guilty, for Tom was my friend. It is a satisfaction -for me now to know that I blushed when my old schoolfellow entered -the counting-room; and to remember that my conscience stung me like -a hot iron when he informed me that the situation had been given to -me. It was not the glorious triumph which I had anticipated, and I -could hardly felicitate myself that I was to step immediately into the -enjoyment of a salary of twelve hundred a year. I could not even enjoy -the triumph of being, for once, actually ahead of my fortunate friend. - -“I congratulate you, Paley, with all my soul,” said Tom, with -enthusiasm. “I should have liked the place myself, but I am really -better satisfied with the result, than I should have been if I had been -successful.” - -“You don’t mean that, Tom,” I suggested; and I felt that I was almost -incapable of giving birth to a lofty emotion. - -“‘Pon my word, I do, Paley. I was thinking this forenoon that, if -the place fell to me, I should reproach myself for having stood in -your way. I never should have felt just right about it. Now I am -satisfied—more than satisfied; I am delighted with the result.” - -“I thank you, Tom. I didn’t expect any such magnanimity from any person -in this world;” but I comforted myself with the thought that, if the -place had been assigned to him, he would have contrived to endure the -disappointment which fell to my lot. - -“If I had known that you were an applicant, with any chance of success, -I would not have entered the field. But it is all right as it is; and I -am as much pleased as you are,” added Tom. - -“I don’t exactly see how I happened to get the place,” I replied, in -order to tempt him to tell what he knew about the canvass, rather than -because I was astonished at the result. - -“I do,” answered Tom, laughing. Your uncle, Captain Halliard, has -a great deal of influence with Mr. Bristlebach, the president. -Rhodes—you know Rhodes?” - -“I know of him; he’s book-keeper in the Forty-ninth National.” - -“Yes; well, he says Captain Halliard had a long talk with Mr. -Bristlebach this forenoon. I have no doubt he made a strong personal -appeal for you, and that settled the case.” - -I should very gladly have believed that I owed my good luck to the -personal influence of my uncle, but I was confident that he had used -that old slander to procure my appointment. Tom left me after I had -promised to meet him at Mr. Oliphant’s in the evening. I was sad, and -I felt mean. I was tempted to go to Mr. Bristlebach and undo what -my uncle had done. I could even procure a letter from Mr. Gorham -testifying to the integrity of Tom. Alas! I had not the courage to -do justice to my friend. A salary of twelve hundred dollars was too -glittering a prize to be thrown away; and after all it was possible -that Tom had been guilty—possible, but not at all probable. - -Before the store closed I received official notice of my appointment, -and informed my employers of my intention to leave them. They did not -say much, and I am not sure that they were very sorry to have me go. I -went to my boarding-house, and dressed myself with the utmost care for -the occasion in the evening. Miss Lilian Oliphant was a bright vision -before my eyes. I wondered that she had been condescending enough to -notice a person so insignificant as I was. I was thinking only of her, -and as the happy moment drew near when I was to see her again, I even -forgot my own infamy towards Tom. - -Twelve hundred a year! It was an immense sum for a young fellow like -me, and with such a foundation for an air-castle, I pictured to myself -a pleasant home with Lilian as the presiding genius of the place, -shedding unutterable bliss upon my existence. Twelve hundred dollars -would hire a house, furnish it, and enables me to live like a lord. If -Lilian did dress well, if she was rather extravagant, I could stand the -pressure with the magnificent income which would be mine. - -I was admitted to the parlor in which the family were seated. Tom and -two other gentlemen were there, conversing with the young ladies, all -of whom were dressed elegantly, and were evidently “got up” for the -purpose of making an impression. Miss Lilian gave me a cordial welcome, -and introduced me to the rest of the party. Mr. Oliphant had heard of -my good fortune. He congratulated me, and did me the honor to say that -I should soon be the cashier of the Forty-ninth National Bank. I was -treated with distinguished consideration, and, without exactly knowing -why, I felt myself to be the lion of the occasion. Discount clerk of -the bank, I was a bigger man than any of the gentlemen present. - -Miss Lilian was very gracious to me, but I bore my honors with -tolerable meekness. I tried to avoid putting on any airs, and I think -I produced a favorable impression. We played whist, and Lilian was my -partner; I did not do myself justice, for I was so fascinated by her -loveliness that I could not keep my thoughts about me, and Tom and Miss -Bertha beat us badly. But Miss Lilian attributed our misfortune to -ill-luck, and smiled as sweetly as ever. I may as well hasten to the -catastrophe, and declare at once that I was deeply and irretrievably -smitten, as I had intended to be from the first. She was very kind -to me, and seemed to look with a favorable eye upon me; but I could -not, of course, know whether she would accept me. I was fearful that -she would require even a bigger man than the discount clerk of the -Forty-ninth National Bank. - -I left the house at eleven o’clock with the most intense regret. I knew -not how soon I might see her again, but I ascertained where she went -to church, and I went there the very next Sunday. It was cloudy, and -she did not appear. I was sad and impatient. It seemed to me that I -must see her again soon, or I should do some desperate deed. I tried to -invent an excuse for calling at her father’s house on Sunday evening, -but my ingenuity failed me. I dropped in upon Tom Flynn, and talked -of nothing but Lilian Oliphant. I hoped he would take the hint, and -propose to call upon her that evening, but he would not; in fact, he -was going to a prayer-meeting, and only invited me to go there with -him. It was not Lilian’s church, and I did not wish to go. It would be -pleasanter to walk on the Common and think of her, if I could not see -her. - -I did not sleep half an hour that night. I was madly, desperately in -love with Lilian, and I was afraid that some young fellow with only a -thousand a year might snap her up while I was waiting to go through -all the forms of society in decent and conventional order. I was not -to take my desk in the bank till the first day of the new year, a week -hence, and I induced my employers to let me off from the last four -days’ service, for the reason that I was so infatuated with Miss Lilian -I could not do anything. I walked by Mr. Oliphant’s house twenty times -a day, but I had not the pluck to call. On Tuesday afternoon I sent -her a beautiful bouquet labelled “In memory of a pleasant evening. P. -G.” When I had done so, I happened to think that one of my companions -during the pleasant evening alluded to was Paul Grahame. It was an -awful blunder on my part, for how could she know whether Paul Grahame -or Paley Glasswood was the sender of the flowers, which had cost me -five dollars! If Paul, who was more intimate in the family than I, -should happen to call during the week, Lilian, under the consciousness -that such a pretty bouquet could come only from a sincere admirer, -might speak a gentle word or bestow a loving smile upon him, which -would forever darken my hopes. - -The situation looked desperate, and I must call on Wednesday, or drown -myself in the icy waters off Long Wharf on Thursday. Water below a -reasonable temperature was particularly repugnant to me, and I did not -relish the alternative. I wondered if she would be glad to see me. I -tried to determine whether her gracious demeanor towards me during -that important evening had been dictated by mere politeness, or by a -genuine interest in me. I was vain enough to flatter myself that I had -made an impression upon her gushing heart. In my native town I had -been accounted a good-looking fellow, as revealed to me through sundry -“compliments.” I thought I was not bad looking, and I consulted my -mirror on this momentous question. The result was satisfactory, and I -was quite willing to believe that Miss Lilian ought to be pardoned for -feeling an interest in me. - -On Wednesday afternoon I walked by her father’s house seven times, -and probably I should have passed it seven times more, if on the -eighth I had not seen Lilian at the window. The stars favored me. The -dear divinity saw me; she smiled, she bowed to me, and I thought she -blushed. Whether she did or not, I blushed, and the die was cast. The -thrilling glance the fair being bestowed upon me inspired me with a -resolution equal to the occasion. I rushed to the door, and before I -had time to change my purpose, I rang the bell. - -I was admitted. I asked for Miss Lilian Oliphant, and was shown into -the parlor in which she was seated. My heart throbbed like the beatings -of the ocean in a tempest, and my face felt as if a blast of fire -had swept over it; but I survived. I was more than fascinated; I was -infatuated with the fair being before me. I am free to say that no -such vision of loveliness was ever realized before or since in my -experience. - -“This is a very unexpected pleasure, Mr. Glasswood,” said she, more -self-possessed than I was. - -“I beg your pardon for calling,” I stammered. - -“I’m sure you needn’t do that, for I’m very glad to see you, sir,” she -replied, kindly helping me out. - -“I didn’t—really—I thought—it’s a beautiful day, Miss Oliphant.” - -“Splendid day!” laughed she; but I saw that she was beginning to be -embarrassed. - -I ventured to hint that I had spent a very pleasant evening at her -house on the preceding Friday; and she was kind enough to say she had -enjoyed it very much, and hoped I would call again soon with my friend, -Tom Flynn, and have another game of whist. - -“I played so badly then that I shall hardly dare to try again,” I -replied. I was—really, I was—” - -“What?” she asked, when I broke down completely. - -“I was going to say that I usually play better, but something disturbed -me that evening so that I was not myself;” and I fixed my loving gaze -upon the threadbare carpet at my feet. - -“Why, what was the matter with you?” laughed the vision of loveliness -before me. - -“I don’t know, but I didn’t seem to have the command of my faculties.” - -“Then you must come again and redeem your reputation, if you feel that -you did not do yourself justice.” - -“Thank you! When shall I come?” I asked eagerly. - -“As soon as you please.” - -“If it were as soon as I pleased, it would be this very evening,” I -added with a boldness which absolutely confounded me. - -“Do come this evening then. We can make up a set without any other -help.” - -Why didn’t she say something about that bouquet, and thus enable me to -advance a step nearer to the conquest. She did not, and I was afraid -the five dollar trifle had been placed to the credit of Paul Grahame. -I went away, but I hastened to the florist’s and bought another -bouquet—price seven dollars. On the card I wrote, “In memory of a -pleasant call. P. G******d.” She could not make Grahame out of that. - -Early in the evening I rang the bell, and was ushered into the parlor. -On the piano was my bouquet, and near it stood Lilian, who, as I -entered the room, was in the act of inhaling its fragrance. I think she -blushed a little when she saw me. - -“What a beautiful bouquet!” she exclaimed with rapture, after the -preliminary formalities had been disposed of. “I am very grateful to -you Mr. Glasswood, for this kind remembrancer.” - -“O, not at all; it was the best I could find, but it is altogether -unworthy.” - -“Why, it is positively lovely! It is beautiful, delicious. My friends -are very kind. It was only the other day that Mr. Grahame sent me one, -but it was not so pretty as this one.” - -“Did he, indeed?” I asked. - -“How stupid I am! Why it was you Mr. Glasswood. I interpreted the -initials as those of his name.” - -Miss Lilian looked upon the floor, and her chest heaved with emotion -that agitated me more than her. I fancied it was all right—and it was. -I played whist, and the old gentleman and one of the other daughters -beat us worse than before. I trumped my partner’s tricks, and put my -ace upon her king. But I consoled myself with the reflection that she -must be thinking of something else, or she would not so often have -played the king before the ace was out. We played a double game, of -which whist was the less important; but we played into each other’s -hands, and won the game in which hearts were trumps, if we lost on all -other suits. - -I ought to have gone home at ten o’clock, but I staid till half-past -eleven. I was cordially invited to come again, and I may say I went -again, until my visits included every evening in the week, not -excepting Saturday and Sunday, when all but “fiddlers and fools” stay -at home. Before the snows melted we were engaged. - -On the first day of the new year I took my place in the bank. It looked -to me then like a bed of roses; I have since found it to be a bed of -thorns; though I ought to add that I made it so myself. I knew the -routine of bank business tolerably well, though I had much to learn. I -tried to discharge my duties faithfully, and though Mr. Bristlebach, -the president, was a hard man, I won even his approval. I need not -dwell on this season of happiness, for as I look back upon it, I -appreciate it; I could not then. - -My services were so satisfactory that when our paying teller was -promoted to a higher place in another institution, I was advanced to -his situation with a salary of eighteen hundred dollars, and a promise -of an additional two hundred if I proved to be competent to discharge -the duties of the office. My uncle and others were my bondsmen. Never -did a young man look forward to a brighter future than I did. - -Every evening in the week I went to Mr. Oliphant’s and was treated as -one of the family. During the year I had been paying assiduous court -to my beautiful charmer. I spent all my salary, and more than all, -for I was in debt at the end of this time. I wore good clothes, for I -wished Lilian to be proud of me; I sent her bouquets, I took her to the -theatre, the opera, the concerts, and to balls and parties, a single -one of which in some instances, spoiled a twenty dollar bill. I took -her out to ride, and paid for many costly suppers. But Lilian appeared -to love me with all her soul, and I was satisfied. - -I had found the end of my twelve hundred dollars so easily that I dared -not think of getting married; but my promotion decided me. Lilian -offered no unreasonable objections, neither did her parents, and the -happy day was fixed. Tom Flynn, who had taken my place as discount -clerk in the Forty-ninth National, was to stand up with me. Somewhat -oddly, as it seemed to me, my good friend advised me not to marry, and -we almost quarrelled over some plain talking which he did. The die was -cast; I would not have retreated if I could. - - - - -_CHAPTER III._ - -GOING TO HOUSEKEEPING. - - -I was married in the spring, and the bank gave me my vacation on the -joyous occasion, so that I was enabled to make a bridal tour of ten -days to the South. I went to Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, -and while I distinctly recollect that I enjoyed myself exceedingly, and -traveled like a prince, I can more vividly recall the rapidity with -which my funds were expended. It had cost me all my salary to pay my -board and to take Miss Lilian to the opera and the balls, but I could -not afford to deprive Mrs. Glasswood of any luxury. - -Before we started I was “hard up,” and I tried to contrive some clever -expedient by which the bridal tour might be dispensed with. I suggested -to Lilian that the journey was not absolutely necessary; that some very -“nobby” people staid at home after they were married. Her chin dropped -down as though a ten pound weight had been attached to it, and she -looked so sad and gloomy that I could not think for a moment longer of -depriving her of this triumphal march, for so I am afraid she regarded -it. Of course I did not hint to her that I could not afford to spend -two or three hundred dollars in travelling, for we were still lovingly -cheating each other into the belief that she was a princess and I was a -representative of Crœsus himself. - -There was not a dollar to my credit at the bank, and I had not a dollar -to my credit anywhere else. I was fretful one day, and unguardedly -mentioned to Tom Flynn that I was short. The generous fellow promptly -offered to lend me a hundred dollars. I am surprised now that I was -able to accept it, but I did, and he put my “value received” into his -wallet as choicely as though it had been as good as the gold itself. -But a hundred dollars, though Tom seemed to think it would pay for -every thing which it could possibly enter into the head of a groom to -procure, was expended in trifles and before we were ready to start upon -the bridal tour I was penniless again. - -I wanted three hundred dollars, for it would not be safe to start on a -ten-days’ trip attended by such a helpmate as Lilian with less than -this sum in my pocket. First class hotels, private parlors, carriages, -the opera in New York, would make large demands upon my purse. I was -rather sorry that Tom Flynn had offered to lend me a hundred dollars, -for if he had not done so I should have asked him to favor me with the -loan I now needed. I could not ask him, after what he had done. My -uncle, Captain Halliard was a rich man, though he was a calculating and -a careful one. I had been a favorite of his in my earlier years, and I -knew that he had a great deal of regard for the honor of the family. I -had hardly seen him since he helped me into my situation, for he had -been on a business mission to Europe. - -Three hundred dollars was nothing to a man of his resources, and, with -some sacrifice of pride on my part, I made up my mind to wait upon him -with my request. He would understand the case, and readily see that a -young man about to be married must incur a great many extraordinary -expenses, and it would not be at all strange that he was temporarily -“short.” I found the worthy old gentleman in the insurance office, up -to his eyes in the news of the day. I talked with him for some time -about indifferent topics, about my mother’s health and the affairs of -Springhaven. Then I rose to depart, in the most natural manner in the -world though I was rather grieved to see that he was not sorry to have -me go; in fact, he returned to his newspaper with an eagerness which -seemed to intimate that I had bored him. I took a few steps towards the -door, and then, as though I had forgotten something, I hastily retraced -my steps. - -[Illustration: I CALL UPON MY UNCLE. Page 45.] - -“By the way, uncle—I’m sorry to trouble you, but—could you lend me -three hundred dollars for a few weeks?” - -“Three hundred dollars!” exclaimed the venerable seeker after the main -chance, just as though I had attacked him in the tenderest part of his -being. - -“The fact is, uncle, getting married in these times is an expensive -luxury, and I find myself a little short, though, of course, I shall be -all right as soon as I get settled down.” - -“It’s rather a bad sign for a young man to have to borrow money to get -married with,” he added with a glance of severe dignity at me. - -“Never mind it, uncle. I won’t trouble you, then, if it is not -convenient,” I replied, in a thoroughly off-hand manner, as though the -little favor I asked was of more consequence to him than to me. “I -shall expect to see you at the house of Mr. Oliphant at the ceremony, -and remember the levee is at eight o’clock. Don’t fail to be there, -uncle.” - -“Stop a minute! I suppose if you need three hundred dollars, I can let -you have it,” he added. - -“O, it is of no consequence. Don’t trouble yourself. Two or three of my -friends wanted to lend it to me, but I did not exactly like to accept -such a favor outside of the family. Aunt Rachel, I dare say, will be -glad to accommodate me.” - -“Write a note,” said he, rather crustily, as he went to one of the -desks, and drew a check for the amount I required. - -I could not help smiling, as I wrote the due bill, to think of the -address with which I had managed my case. I am confident if I had -whined and begged until the sun went down, he would have been hard -enough to refuse me. Possibly he did not like to have me apply to Aunt -Rachel. She was a maiden sister of my father who had about twenty -thousand dollars and lived with my mother. Her inheritance had been -the same as my father’s, but, having no expenses, she had kept certain -lands in the middle of the town till they increased in value so that -she was made independent. As I wished to be her heir, I had always -treated her with the utmost consideration. Captain Halliard managed -some stocks for her, and he was anxious to keep in her good graces. - -I put the check in my pocket with the utmost nonchalance, and again -begging my uncle not to fail to be present at the ceremony, I left him. -It was all right with me for the present. When I started on my bridal -tour I owed about six hundred dollars, which I calculated that I could -easily pay off in six months with my increased salary. When we returned -from Washington I had barely money enough left to pay the hackman for -conveying us to the house of my wife’s father. If I had not been so -cautious as to count up my money, and estimate the expenses of the -return trip, I should have exhausted my exchequer before we reached -home. When I found I had just enough left to pay these expenses, I -told Lilian that I had received a letter which compelled me to return -immediately, though we had intended to stay two days longer. - -She pouted, but I told her I should lose my situation if I did not -go back. She thought I might get another situation rather than break -up the pleasant excursion so abruptly. I told her I could easily -get another situation, but it was not exactly prudent to give up one -until the other was obtained. It almost broke my heart to cross her -in anything, and if I could have met a friend good-natured enough to -lend me a hundred dollars I might have been spared the annoyance. I met -no such friend, and we went on cheating each other as before. It was -stupid in me to do so, but I had not the courage to tell her that I was -not made of money, and I permitted her to believe that my pockets were -still well lined. - -We returned home, but on the way I was obliged to pretend that I was -sick, in order to save the expense of supper aboard the steamer. We had -dined at four o’clock, and though it was absurd to eat again at six, -Lilian wanted to see who were at the tables; but my pretended illness -saved me, and, what was more important, saved the two dollars for the -hack hire in Boston. - -“What shall we do when we get home?” asked Lilian, as we sat that -evening in the cabin of the steamer. - -“We shall live on love for years to come,” I replied, with enthusiasm. - -“Of course we shall do that,” she added; but I thought she did not -seem to be exactly pleased with the diet. “Shall we board or keep -house?” - -“Which do you prefer, my dear Lilian?” I asked, for though we had -discussed this question before, she had not been able to make up her -mind. - -“If we can board at the Revere House, or at Mrs. Peecksmith’s in Beacon -street, I would rather board.” - -“It would not be possible to obtain such rooms as would suit us at -the Revere House at this season of the year; and I heard a gentleman -in Washington say that Mrs. Peecksmith had not a single apartment -unoccupied.” - -“How provoking!” - -It was provoking, but I had to invent my excuses as I went along. I -did not venture to suggest that my entire salary would not pay the -expenses of boarding at either of the places she named. I was too weak -and vain to tell her the truth. I deceived her. She had no knowledge -of the world, no experience of the value of money, for her poor father -had actually ruined himself in a vain attempt to keep up the style of -living he had enjoyed in more prosperous days. Nearly all his profits -went upon the backs of his daughters, each of whom had been taught to -believe that a husband, when interpreted, was money. I did nothing to -disturb the illusion. - -“I think we must find a place to board for a few weeks, till we can get -a house, and then we will go to housekeeping,” I suggested. - -“We must go to housekeeping if we can’t get rooms at the Revere, or at -Mrs. Peecksmith’s,” added Lilian. “But dear ma will take us to board -for a time; and really I could not think of going anywhere else.” - -We went to “dear ma’s,” and after I had paid the hackman, I had just -twenty-five cents left in my pocket. “Dear ma” was willing to take -us to board for a time, under the circumstances, though it would be -a great inconvenience to her. She would not think of taking anybody -else, though she had plenty of house room. I ventured to hint that, as -a prudent man, I should like to know what the terms would be, though -really it did not make the least difference to me, in point of fact. -“Dear ma” did not like to speak of such things; she was going to take -us simply as a matter of accommodation—“under the circumstances.” - -“Of course, Mrs. Oliphant, I understand you, and I am very grateful -for the sacrifice you propose to make; but it is always well to have -things clearly set forth,” I replied, mildly. - -“Certainly it is. I always believe in having things in black and -white. I suppose it would cost you fifty dollars a week to board at -Mrs. Peecksmith’s; but I should not think of charging you that,” she -continued, with a benevolent smile. - -“Gracious! I should hope not,” I mentally ejaculated, for at the Beacon -Street house the boarders walked on Wilton carpets, looked out through -windows decked with velvet draperies, slept upon rosewood bedsteads, -and had seven courses at dinner, while Mr. Oliphant’s house was an old -one, its furniture worn out and dilapidated, its carpets threadbare, -and the fare—when they had no extra company—below the grade of a -cheap boarding-house. If I had not loved Lilian with all my soul, I -should have deemed it a charity to take her off her parents’ hands. As -it was, she was cheap at any price. - -“Whatever you say will be all right,” I replied. “I am getting a -handsome salary now, and I am willing to pay a fair price.” - -“I think thirty dollars a week would be no more than the cost to us. Of -course I don’t expect you to pay anything near what it would cost at -Mrs. Peecksmith’s.” - -Whew! I could board at a house only one grade below Beacon Street for -twenty. I expected she would say ten, or at the most fifteen dollars, -but, poor “dear ma!” I suppose she needed the money to deck out the -next daughter for the sacrifice. I could not object. It was all in the -family; but I determined to find a house with all possible dispatch. - -I went to the bank and took my place. I flatter myself that I was -smart, for I won the approbation of even Mr. Bristlebach. I made no -mistakes. I was not nervous. When I drew my month’s salary of one -hundred and fifty dollars, all but about twenty dollars of it went -into the purse of “dear ma,” for board which would have been high at -ten dollars a week. Though Lilian complained of the accommodations, -she said nothing about housekeeping. I made some inquiries, and -found I could board better for half the price I was paying. I then -said something about engaging rooms nearer to the bank. My dear wife -protested. She could not leave “dear ma’s,” where she had all the -comforts of a home, and was in her own family. I saw that she was a -party to the swindle; that “dear ma” had instructed her what to do and -what to say. - -My home was no home at all, and I was determined to leave it before I -had another month’s board to pay. To stay any longer would be ruin. My -twenty dollars’ surplus would pay for only a few concerts and rides, -and in less than a fortnight I was penniless again. My debts began to -trouble me. One day Captain Halliard wanted to know if he had not lent -me three hundred dollars for a few weeks. I assured him he had, and -that I intended to pay him in a few days. Tom Flynn hinted that he was -short, though he did not directly say he wanted his money. My tailor -was becoming slightly unreasonable, and the keeper of a livery stable -stupidly insisted upon being paid, and even had the audacity to refuse -to trust me for any more teams. - -It would not do for me to have these importunate creditors coming into -the bank to see me. The president and the cashier would be alarmed if -they discovered that the paying teller was in debt. But trying as these -duns were, they were insignificant compared with the annoyances which I -endured at “dear ma’s.” Lilian hinted, and then insisted, that I should -refurnish our room at my own expense. I told her I would think of it, -and went out to walk after dinner. I did think of it; and thought -I would not do it. Strange as it may seem, “dear ma” was absolutely -becoming disagreeable to me, and I wondered how such an angel as Lilian -could have been born of such a designing woman as I found her mother to -be. - -I stumbled upon a friend who had been to look at a house. It was a -splendid little place, but not quite large enough for him, and the rent -was only six hundred dollars a year. I went with him to see it. It -looked like a fairy palace to me, and was just the size I wanted. It -was an English basement house, three stories high. I went to see the -owner. Another man had just left it, and meant to take the house, but -he must first consult his wife. If I stopped to consult mine, I should -lose it, and I closed with him on the instant, regarding myself as the -luckiest fellow in the world. - -Lilian would be delighted with it; there could be no doubt of that. -What a magnificent surprise it would be to her, if I could take her -in, after it was all furnished! Stupid as the idea may seem to lady -housekeepers, I was so enamored of my plan that I determined to put it -into operation. I was satisfied we could live in this gem of a house -for less than I paid for board, and live in much better style. - -The idea of a surprise to Lilian was delightful to me, and I laid out -the plan in detail; but the first thing was to provide the funds. -Then my jaw dropped down. I owed over six hundred dollars to certain -restless creditors; but I could save money by going to housekeeping, -and my duty to them required that I should do so. I had not yet -troubled Aunt Rachel, and taking Lilian with me, I went down to -Springhaven to spend the Fourth of July, ostensibly to escape the noise -and dust of the city, but really to lay siege to my venerable aunt’s -purse strings. - -The only thing that was likely to defeat me was the fact that Aunt -Rachel did not like my wife, for Lilian, who regarded the worthy -spinster as an “old fuss,” had not always been as prudent in her -presence as I could have wished. But I caught my aunt alone at five -o’clock in the morning, for the noise of fire-crackers had driven the -old creature from her bed at an unwonted hour. I played my cards with -all the skill of which I was master. She not only gave me the money, -a thousand dollars, which she had “salted down” in the house for fear -all the banks would break, but she promised to keep my secret. She -declared that Lilian was too extravagant for a young man like me, and -I explained that I wished to furnish the house without her knowledge, -so as to save expense. She commended my good motive, and I returned to -the city with a thousand dollars in my pocket, to furnish the English -basement house. - - - - -_CHAPTER IV._ - -THE ENGLISH BASEMENT HOUSE. - - -A THOUSAND dollars in cash was more than I had ever before possessed -at one time. I felt like a rich man, for the shadow of the six hundred -dollars which I owed did not offensively obtrude itself upon me. I -could hardly conceal my exhilaration from Lilian, but I was so intent -upon giving her a grand surprise that I kept the great secret, and -preserved a forced calmness. I had made very careful estimates of the -cost of living in my new palace—I thought they were very careful—and -I was fully satisfied that I should save one-third of my present -expenses. - -My column of figures, after I had thought of every possible expense -that could be incurred in the course of the week, footed up at a trifle -over twenty dollars a week, but I was entirely convinced that I should -bring the actual below the estimated expense. From the first of July my -salary was to be two thousand a year, or about thirty-eight dollars and -a half a week. I could therefore let my expenses go up to twenty-five -dollars a week without upsetting the argument. - -Then I allowed three hundred a year for clothing my wife and myself, -and for incidental expenses. In our beautiful home we should not care -to ride and go to concerts and theatres much, and both of us were -well supplied with clothing. I deemed the sum appropriated as amply -sufficient. At this rate I could pay off my debts in a year and a half, -and be square with the world. Until this was done, I intended to hold -myself to a most rigid economy. I must even contrive some way to let -Lilian know that I could not spend money so freely as I had done, but I -could promise her that, when my debts were paid, she should have every -thing she wanted. - -I was perfectly satisfied. My prudential calculations set me all right -with myself and with the rest of mankind. The vision of the English -basement house, all finished and furnished, with Lilian sitting in -state in the little boudoir of a parlor, was my castle in the air for -the present. I was very cheerful and light hearted, and went to my -daily duties at the bank with an alacrity I had never before felt. -I told Lilian I should not be at home to dinner that day. When she -wanted to know why, I said something about bank commissioners, and was -afraid I should be detained until a late hour. She kissed me as usual -when I left her, and even “dear ma” looked so very amiable, that I was -afraid she would kiss me too. But she did not, and my heart smote me -as I thought of the treason I was meditating against her and the two -unmarried daughters. - -I ought to say here, in justice to myself, that these two sisters -of my wife were a heavy burden upon me, independently of the thirty -dollars a week I paid for my board; for if Lilian and I proposed to go -to a concert, to the theatre or the opera, it was somehow contrived -that one or both of them should join the party. My wife reasoned that -a carriage would cost no more for four than for two, and the paltry -expense of the tickets was all the additional outlay I incurred, while -it was _such_ a pleasure for the sisters to go. Then I could just as -well purchase three pairs of white kids as one—Mrs. Oliphant would pay -me for them. I must do her the justice to say that she always offered -to do so, but, as it was “all in the family,” I was too magnificent to -stoop to such trifles; and I know that she would have considered me -mean if I had accepted the paltry dollars. I went to the bank with the -thousand dollars in my pocket. I intended to devote the afternoon to -selecting the furniture for my new house. My friend Buckleton was in -the furniture business. He would not only keep my secret, but he would -give me a bargain on his wares; and what was better, if I came a little -short he would trust me. The thousand dollars’ worth of goods in my -house was so much real property, the possession of which would add to -my credit, and was available as security, if occasion required. - -[Illustration: Shaytop’s Little Bill.] - -The bank closed, and after I had settled my cash, I decided to take -a little lunch at Parker’s before I went to Buckleton’s store. I was -going out of the bank when that confounded Shaytop, the stable man, -presented himself before me like the ghost of a faded joy. He had the -impudence to thrust his little bill, which amounted to only sixty odd -dollars, in my sunny face. Humph! sixty dollars was nothing to me in -my present frame of mind. I didn’t “cotton” to any such sum as that, -and Mr. Bristlebach, the president of the bank, who was reputed to be -worth a million, could not have looked more magnificent than I did, if -he had tried. - -“Mr. Glasswood, I am getting rather tired of calling on you about my -bill,” Shaytop began, in the most uncompromising manner. - -“Do I owe you anything, Mr. Shaytop?” I inquired, very loftily. - -“Do you owe me anything!” exclaimed the fellow, opening his eyes wide -enough to catch a vision of the prophetic future. “I reckon you do.” - -“Is it possible? I declare, I had quite forgotten the circumstance.” - -“Forgotten it! I’ll bet you didn’t! I think I have taken pains enough -to keep you informed of it.” - -“Don’t be rude, Mr. Shaytop. I don’t permit any man to dun me.” - -“Don’t you? Well, by George, you have made an exception in my favor. -Haven’t I been to see you once a week for the last three months?” - -“I don’t remember,” I replied, vacantly. - -“Look here, my gay bird, you can’t tom-fool me any longer. I’m going to -have my money, or break something,” he added, with an energetic gesture. - -“Certainly, my dear sir, if I owe you anything, I shall pay it with -greater pleasure than you will receive it.” - -“I’ll bet you won’t! I want to see Mr. Bristlebach. I don’t think he -likes to have his clerks run up bills for teams, and not pay for them.” - -“All right; you can see Mr. Bristlebach, if you wish. He is in the -director’s room. Shall I introduce you to him?” - -“I want to see him if you are not going to pay me.” - -“Haven’t I told you that I should take great pleasure in paying you, -if I owe you anything. It had slipped my mind that I owed you’ a bill, -though now it comes to me that there is a small balance due you.” - -“A small balance! You owe me sixty-two dollars!” - -“Well, I call that a small balance. In the bank we deal in big figures. -How long have I owed you sixty-two dollars, Mr. Shaytop?” - -“About six months.” - -“Exactly so! Have you added interest?” - -“No. I shall be glad enough to get the bill, without saying anything -about the interest.” - -“If I forgot this little matter, it is not right that you should lose -anything by my neglect. Add the interest to your bill, and I will pay -it.” - -“That’s what you said every time I asked you for the money—all but the -interest.” - -“I’m going up to Parker’s for a lunch now. If you will call there in -half an hour, I will pay you the bill and the interest,” I continued, -glancing at the clock in the bank. - -“If you mean so, I’ll be there.” - -“Don’t insult me, Mr. Shaytop.” - -“I’ll be there, and if you are not there, I’ll take the next best step.” - -He turned on his heel, and left me. It was painfully impressed upon -my mind that I must pay that bill, and thus diminish the resources -for furnishing the house. But I was something of a philosopher, and -I argued that paying this demand would not increase the sum total -of my indebtedness; it would only transfer it to the account of the -furniture. This thought suggested a new train of ideas. My tailor was -bothering me about a little bill I owed him; Uncle Halliard would be -asking me again if I did not owe him three hundred dollars; and Tom -Flynn would hint that he was short. Why could I not improve my credit -by paying off all these debts, and “running my face” for the furniture? -It was worthy of consideration as a piece of financial policy. - -I went to Parker’s, and ordered “a little lunch” which cost me a dollar -and a half. Before I had finished it, Shaytop made his appearance. -I never saw a fellow look more doubtful than he did. He evidently -believed that he had come on a fool’s errand. Since I could not well -avoid paying the bill, I was to have the pleasure of dissolving this -illusion in his mind. - -“Sit down, Mr. Shaytop,” I began politely, pointing to the chair -opposite my own at the table. - -“I haven’t much time to spare,” he replied, glancing at the viands -before me, perhaps with the ill-natured reflection that this was the -way the money went which ought to be used in paying his bill. - -“Won’t you have something to eat, Mr. Shaytop; or something to drink, -if you please?” - -“No, I thank you; I’ve been to dinner, and I never drink anything.” - -“Happy to have you eat or drink with me,” I added, coolly. - -“I’m in a hurry, Mr. Glasswood.” - -“Are you? Well, I’m sorry for that. We don’t live out more than half of -our lives on account of always being in a hurry. By the way it seems -to me very strange I forgot that little bill of yours. One hundred and -sixty-two dollars, I think you said it was?” - -“Sixty-two dollars, I said,” he answered as if congratulating himself -that it was not the sum I named. - -He took the bill from his pocket, and laid it on the table before me. - -“Good!” said I, glancing at the document. “I’m a hundred dollars in. I -was thinking you said it was a hundred and sixty-two.” - -I intimated to the waiter that he might bring me a Charlotte Russe, and -he removed the dishes from the table. - -“I don’t like to hurry you, Mr. Glasswood, but I ought to be at the -stable.” - -“O, you are in a hurry! I had quite forgotten that you said so. Well, I -will not keep you waiting,” I replied drawing my _porte-monnaie_ from -my pocket. - -His eyes glistened, and I think he had a hope by this time. I glanced -at the bill again. - -“You haven’t added the interest,” I continued. - -“Never mind the interest.” - -“But I am very willing to pay it.” - -“Well, you add it. You can figure as fast again as I can. - -“Sixty-three, eighty-six,” I replied. “Receipt the bill, Mr. Shaytop.” - -He went over to the cashier’s desk and performed this pleasing -operation. I think the act gave him an additional hope of receiving his -money. - -“Perhaps you had just as lief take my due bill for six months for this -amount, now that we have added the interest?” I suggested. - -“No, I’ll be hanged if I had!” retorted he, very sharply. “Have you -brought me up here, and wasted an hour of my time, to give me your -note, which isn’t worth the paper you will write it on?” - -“You are impudent, Mr. Shaytop.” - -“Perhaps I am, but—” - -“Never mind; if you don’t want the note, you can have the money. It -don’t make much difference to me, though it would be more convenient to -pay the bill at another time than now. There isn’t the least need of -making use of any strong language.” - -“Pay me, and I won’t use any, then.” - -I opened my _porte-monnaie_ and took therefrom the roll of bills I had -received from Aunt Rachel. A five hundred dollar bill was on the top, -and the balance of the pile was in hundreds and fifties. I ran through -the bills with professional dexterity, so that he could see the quality -of them. - -“I can’t make the change, Mr. Shaytop,” I replied, with cool -indifference. - -I glanced at him. I went up in that man’s estimation from zero to -summer heat. He would have trusted me for a span every day in the week -for six months. I took out a hundred dollar bill and tossed it over to -him. As I suspected, he could not give me the change. He went to the -counter and procured smaller bills for it, and gave me the sum coming -to me. He had ceased to be in a hurry. - -“If you want any more teams, Mr. Glasswood, I think I can fit you out -as well as any other stable in the city,” said he, after he had put his -wallet back into his pocket. - -“I don’t,” I replied, curtly. - -“Don’t you ride any now?” - -“Yes, just as much as ever; but you see, Mr. Shaytop, I don’t like -to be bothered with these small accounts, and to deal with men who -think so much of little things,” I answered, magnificently. “You have -threatened to speak to Mr. Bristlebach, which you are quite welcome to -do; and you intimate that my note is not worth the paper on which it is -written. - -“I hope you will excuse me for what I said, but I was a little vexed” -pleaded he. “I was mistaken in you. The fact of it is, I lost two or -three bills—” - -“You haven’t lost anything by me, and I don’t intend you shall,” I -interposed. - -I finished my “little lunch,” rose from the table, and having paid -my bill, left the house. Shaytop followed me. He wanted my trade, -now that he had seen the inside of my pocket-book. But I shook him -off as soon as I desired to do so, and hastened to the store of -Buckleton. Confidentially I stated my plan to him, and he was willing -to be my bosom friend. In the course of the interview I opened my -_porte-monnaie_, and contrived that he should see the figures on the -bank bills it contained. It was surprising how those figures opened his -heart. - -When I suggested that I was making a large outlay, he volunteered to -trust me to any extent I desired. He was kind enough to go with me to -the carpet store, and assist me in the selection of the goods I wanted. -I insisted upon paying two hundred dollars on account, which made the -carpet people astonishingly good-natured to me; and I was taken aback -when they offered to give me credit. Buckleton then went with me to -the kitchen furnishing store, and his advice helped me very much as I -wandered through the long lists of articles. I made the selection and -paid the bill. - -When we returned to the furniture store, I warmed toward him, and -finally prevailed on him to accept two hundred dollars towards the bill -I bought of him. He gave me a receipt. When we footed up the prices of -the goods I had selected, I was rather startled to find they amounted -to nearly eight hundred dollars. - -“I can’t afford that!” I protested, “I must go over it again, and take -some cheaper articles.” - -“It don’t pay to buy cheap furniture, Glasswood,” replied my friend. -“You have been very moderate in your selections.” - -He overcame my scruples by declaring that I need not pay for the goods -till it suited my own convenience. I left him and went back to the bank -to count my funds. I had only four hundred and seventy dollars left. -I could not pay off the six hundred of old debts now; so I left the -matter open for further consideration. - -The carpet people went to work immediately, and in a week all the rooms -were ready for the furniture. Buckleton was so obliging as to go to -the house himself and arrange the chairs, tables, bedsteads and other -articles. The kitchen furniture was all put in the closets, hung up on -the walls, or otherwise disposed of, so that the place looked like an -occupied home. I had sheets, pillow-cases, towels, and other articles -made up, and in three weeks the English basement-house looked as cosey -as the heart of a bank officer could desire. - -But fearful inroads had been made upon my exchequer. The carpet people -made up a total bill of three hundred and thirty dollars; and when I -hinted that I might possibly find it necessary to avail myself of their -offer to give me credit, they had a note to pay and wanted the cash. I -was too magnificent to haggle. I settled their bill—and cursed them -in my heart. When I had paid everything except the six hundred I owed -Buckleton, I had only ninety dollars in my pocket. - -I was alarmed. A cold sweat stood on my forehead as I added up -the items and found that I was twelve hundred dollars in debt. The -situation worried me for a few days, but I soon became accustomed -to it. I consoled myself with the hope that the bank would raise my -salary, though I could pay off the debts with my present income in -three years. It would all come out right in the end, and it was useless -to worry about the matter. - -I didn’t worry long. The English basement house, all furnished, new -and elegant, with a Biddy in the kitchen, was a joy which could not be -ignored. If it had cost me nearly fifteen hundred dollars to furnish -the house, I had that amount of property on hand, and my debts were -really no more than before. The house was ready for my wife, and I -proposed to her, one afternoon, when all was ready, to take a walk with -me. - - - - -_CHAPTER V._ - -LILIAN ASTONISHED—SO AM I. - - -IN spite of the doubts and fears which had disturbed me, I was -delighted with the English basement house and already in anticipation -I enjoyed the surprise of Lilian, when I should tell her that the -beautiful home was her own. I asked her to walk with me, but she was a -little fretful that day; somehow she seemed more like “dear ma” than I -had ever seen her before. - -“I don’t want to walk to-day, Paley. I’m tired,” she replied, with a -languid air. - -“I only wish to go a little way,” I added. - -“Not to-day, Paley.” - -“I want to show you a house, Lilian.” - -“A house!” she exclaimed with something like an abused expression on -her beautiful face, as though she half suspected the treason towards -“dear ma” which I was meditating. - -“I saw a little English basement house in Needham street, which I would -like to have you look at, just as a curiosity, you know,” I continued, -with as much indifference as I could assume. - -“Why do you wish me to see it, Paley?” she asked, exhibiting more -interest and apparently forgetting that she was tired. - -“Well, because I saw it, and liked the looks of it. There can be no -harm in seeing it.” - -“I don’t know, Paley,” she answered, doubtfully; but whatever -suspicions she cherished, she could have no idea of the truth, “We will -go some other day.” - -“But we may not have the opportunity another day. I happen to know that -the house is open to-day.” - -What do you mean, Paley? You look just as though you were planning -something.” - -“So I am. I am planning a little walk that will not take half an hour -of your time.” - -“Something worse than that,” she added, shaking her head. - -“I was thinking that, some time or other, we might possibly go to -housekeeping.” - -“Well, I suppose we shall, some time or other,” she answered, -languidly. “But I hope you are not thinking of doing it yet awhile. -I can’t bear the thought of leaving dear ma; we are so pleasantly -situated here.” - -To use a vulgar expression, “I did not see it.” I was not wicked enough -to attempt to prejudice my darling against “dear ma,” and I felt -obliged to manage the matter with care. But, as the shock could not -long be deferred, I might as well make some approaches. - -“Of course we are situated pleasantly enough here; but you know, -Lilian, that you said we must go to housekeeping.” - -“Certainly, we must go to housekeeping in time, but not yet.” - -“But you know that your mother was kind enough to take us to board only -till we could complete our arrangements. She is very obliging, and I -am very grateful to her for the favor; but I don’t think it would be -right for us to impose ourselves upon her any longer than is absolutely -necessary.” - -“O—well—of course not; but it will be very hard for me to go away -from home.” - -“We need not go far; indeed, not so far but that you can call upon her -every day. My conscience reproaches me when I think of the trouble we -are giving her.” - -“She does not complain.” - -“She will not complain, but at the same time it is not right for us to -remain here, under the circumstances, any longer than we are compelled -to do so. You know she said she should not think of taking any body -else to board; and after she has been so kind to us, we ought to be -considerate enough not to trespass upon her goodness.” - -“I will speak to her about the matter; and if she really does not wish -to keep us, why, we’ll leave,” added Lilian. - -“But, my dear, you must not forget that she is your mother, and that -she will make any sacrifice for your sake, even to her own great -injury. It is a matter of conscience with me; and I do not feel like -asking her to make this sacrifice of comfort any longer than necessary. -Our coming here was only a temporary arrangement, you know, and -whatever she may say, our being here will give her a great deal of -trouble and anxiety. Come, Lilian, dearest, put on your bonnet. It will -do no harm to look at the house. It is already rented to a young couple -who are just going to housekeeping,” I continued; but I did not think -it necessary to say who the young couple were, and she did not seem to -care enough about it to ask me. - -“If the house is let, why do you wish me to see it?” she inquired. - -“I want to get at your ideas in regard to a house,” I replied, -ingeniously. - -She looked at me, and seemed to have some doubts, but she probably -reasoned that the house was already rented, and there could be no -treason against “dear ma” in merely looking at it. She put on her -bonnet and shawl. When my hand was on the door the ever watchful Mrs. -Oliphant appeared, and wished to know whether we should be back to tea. - -We should; but this was not enough. Lilian was not very well, and she -must not walk too far. We were only going around to Needham street, -and should return in half an hour. If Lilian was going to call on the -Trescotts, why had she not told her mother, for both owed them a call? -We did not intend to call on the Trescotts; we were only going out -for a little walk. If we were going to walk, why were we particular -in saying that we were going through Needham street? There was some -treason in Needham street, and Lilian was forced to say that we desired -to see a house which was already leased to a young couple who were -going to housekeeping. - -“Dear ma” looked uneasy, but she permitted us to depart. I was afraid -she would insist upon accompanying us, as I think she would, had she -not been satisfied by the assurance that the house was already leased. -We walked to Needham street. I was full of hope. Lilian would like -the English basement house—she could not help liking it, and what a -rapturous moment would it be when I told her that it was all her own! -Even the anticipated battle with “dear ma” seemed to be farther removed -and of much less consequence than before. We approached the house, and -my heart beat high with transports of delight. In a few days, perhaps -the very next day, I should see the idol of my soul enthroned within -its walls! - -With Lilian leaning lovingly on my arm, I halted at No. 21. On the -door, to my intense confusion and disgust, glittered a new silver plate -whereon was inscribed the name,”P. GLASSWOOD,” not in Old English, -German text, or any other letter which he who runs may _not_ often -read, but in plain script! I had told the maker not to put it on the -door for a week; but he had misunderstood me, or had taken it upon -himself to defeat my plan. - -“P. GLASSWOOD!”—exclaimed dear Lilian, stunned and horrified, so that -the shock she had thrilled my whole frame. - -“Certainly; P. Glasswood,” I interposed, promptly. “You know -Pierce—don’t you, Lilian? I think you saw him when we were at -Springhaven. He is only a second cousin of mine, but he is a good -fellow.” - -“I didn’t know you had a cousin of that name,” she replied, much -comforted. - -As I did not know it myself, I did not blame her for not being aware of -the circumstance. I opened the door, and we went in, for I had already -provided myself with a night key—that gross metallic sin against a -wife. Of course the house and furniture were at their best estate. -Every thing was new, nice and elegant. The hall gave the first cheerful -impression of the house, and Lilian was delighted with it. The little -sitting-room was so cosy and snug that my wife actually cried out with -pleasure. - -The parlors and the chambers were equally satisfactory, and Lilian -thought my cousin would be very happy with his bride in this new -house. We proceeded to the kitchen, where the Biddy in charge smiled -benignantly upon her new “missus,” though, she did not betray the -secret she had been instructed to keep. My wife was not so much -interested in the kitchen as in the parlor and sitting-room, but she -was kind enough to say that every thing was neat and convenient, though -I am afraid she was hardly a judge on the latter point. We returned to -the sitting-room, and my wife seated herself in the low rocking-chair -which had been selected for her use. - -“How do you like it on the whole, Lilian?” I asked, dropping into the -arm-chair, in which I intended to read the Transcript every evening. - -“I think it is real nice,” she replied, with a degree of enthusiasm -which fully rewarded me for all the pains I had taken, and the anxiety -I had suffered. - -“I’m glad you like it, Lilian. I like it exceedingly, and I am glad to -find our tastes are one and the same.” - -“I don’t mean to say that, if I were going to housekeeping, I wouldn’t -have some things different,” she added. - -“But you think you could contrive to exist in a house like this?” - -“Why, yes; I like it very much indeed.” - -“Then it is yours Lilian!” I added, rising from my arm-chair, as I -precipitated the climax upon her. - -“What do you mean, Paley?” she asked, bewildered by my words. - -“This house and all that it contains are ours, dearest Lilian.” - -“I thought you said it was your cousin’s.” - -“So I did, Lilian; but that was only a little fiction to aid me in -giving you a delightful surprise. This house is yours, my dear, and all -that it contains, including myself, and Biddy in the kitchen.” - -“Is it possible? Do you mean so, Paley?” - -“I do; every word, syllable, letter and point, including the crossing -of the t’s and the dotting of the i’s, of what I say is true. The house -and all that it contains are ours.” - -“I don’t understand it.” - -“Well, dearest, it is plain enough. Not only to give you a pleasant -surprise, but to save you all trouble and anxiety, I have hired the -house and furnished it.” - -“You have, Paley?” - -“I have, dearest Lilian! How happy we shall be in our new home.” - -“I don’t think so!” - -Certainly Lilian had been duly and properly astonished. It was my turn -now, and I was, if possible, more astonished than she had been. She did -not think so! What an unwarrantable conclusion! - -“You don’t think so, Lilian?” I added, interrogatively. - -“No, I don’t! If you begin in this way we can never be happy.” - -“Why not?” - -“In the first place, I don’t want to go to housekeeping yet.” - -“But I thought you did. The plan has been from the beginning, since -we could not get board at the Revere or in Beacon Street, to go to -housekeeping,” I replied, with rather more sharpness than I had ever -before found it necessary to use to dear Lilian. - -She was evidently angry, and her eyes glowed like diamonds in the -sunlight. But she never looked so pretty as she did at that moment when -her face was rouged with natural roses, and her eyes appeared like a -living soul. - -“Do you think, Paley, that I want to go to housekeeping in a little, -narrow contracted box like this?” she added. - -“I thought you liked the house, dearest Lilian.” - -“I like it very well for Mrs. Pierce Glasswood, but not for Mrs. Paley -Glasswood.” - -“I am sorry you don’t like it, for it is too late now to recede,” I -replied, gasping for breath. “I was sure it would please you.” - -“It don’t!” - -“What possible fault can you find with it?” - -“It don’t suit me. How could you do such a thing, Paley, as to hire a -house and furnish it, without saying a word to me?” - -By this time I had come to the conclusion that it was very stupid in me -to do it. - -“I wanted to surprise you.” - -“Well, you have surprised me,” she snapped, with such a sweet -expression of contempt that I was almost annihilated. “Do you think a -lady has no will of her own? No taste, no judgment, no fancy? How could -you be so ridiculous as to furnish a house without asking my advice? -Could you have found a homelier carpet in Boston, if you had looked for -one, than this very carpet under our feet?” - -“Buckleton said it was the handsomest one in the city, and the neatest -pattern.” - -“Then Buckleton has no taste. No one can select a carpet for a woman. -What did you put that cold oil-cloth on the entry for? I should think -you imported it from the polar regions on purpose to give me a chill -every time I see it! The figure in the parlor carpet is large enough -for a room a hundred feet square. That great blundering tete-a-tete -is fit for a bar-room, but not for a parlor. There is no end to the -absurdities in this house.” - -“Now, really, dearest Lilian, I was sure you would be pleased with -every thing,” I pleaded. - -“You are a stupid, Paley Glasswood.” - -I agreed with her. - -“I am very sorry, Lilian; but I did everything with the hope of -pleasing you.” - -“Now here’s a pretty kettle of fish!” exclaimed my indignant bride. -“What can we do?” - -“I can’t alter the house, my dear, but I can change the furniture so -as to suit you, though doing so will be very expensive,” I continued, -meekly, as I endeavored to conciliate her. - -We had been married only about four months, and the present occasion -looked very much like a quarrel. I had not had the remotest suspicion -that she was so spunky. It did occur to me that she was slightly -unreasonable, if one so beautiful could be unreasonable. Her father -was as poor as a church mouse. His house, as I have hinted, was meanly -furnished, and certainly neither the house nor the furniture was worthy -to be compared with the one I had provided for my little wife. She had -no reason for putting on airs, and being so fiercely critical about the -carpets and the chairs. They were vastly better than she had ever had -at home. - -“Do you think I will live in this house, Paley Glasswood?” said she, -with her lips compressed and her eyes snapping with indignation. - -“Why, I hope so,” I replied, more astonished than she had been at any -time during the visit to the new house. - -“You are mistaken, Paley Glasswood. I am your wife, but not your slave; -I am not to be dragged from my home when and where you please. You -ought to have told me what you intended to do in the beginning.” - -“I know it now; and I confess that I was wrong,” I replied, with due -humility, and, I may add, with perfect sincerity. “I hope you will -forgive me, this time Lilian, and I will never be guilty of such an -offence again.” - -“I should hope not. But here we are! What’s to be done with this house -and furniture?” - -“Why, my dear, won’t you go to housekeeping with me?” - -“Certainly not, in this house,” she answered, with a flourish. - -This announcement was very startling to me. It was appalling to think -that I had expended fifteen hundred in preparing a cage which the bird -refused to occupy. Intensely as I loved, adored Lilian, I could not -help seeing that she was developing a trait of character which I did -not like. But I was a politic man, and seeing how useless it was to -attempt to argue the matter while she was in her present frame of mind, -I had to keep still. We left the house and walked home. For the first -time since we were married she declined to take my arm, and I began to -be very miserable. Somehow it seemed to me that the meeker I was, and -the more I deprecated her wrath, the greater became her objection to -the house. - -“What shall I say to dear ma?” demanded Lilian, after she had thrown -off her things. - -“My dear, you need not say a word to her. I will do all this unpleasant -business myself,” I replied. “You can lay all the blame upon me. I will -tell her that we are going to our new house to-morrow.” - -“You needn’t tell her any such thing, for I am not.” - -Before we had proceeded any farther with the discussion Mrs. Oliphant -entered the room. The battle was imminent. - - - - -_CHAPTER VI._ - -A FAMILY JAR. - - -I DID not feel at all at ease when Mrs. Oliphant entered the room. I -was entirely willing to be conquered and trodden under the little feet -of the fair Lilian, but I was not so ready to be trampled upon by the -unromantic feet of “dear ma.” I was conscious that my pretty wife was -getting the weather-gage of me—that she had already got it, in fact. -I was not disposed to complain of this, but I intended, if possible, -to out-manœuvre Mrs. Oliphant. I regarded Lilian as “my family,” and I -wished to have her “set off” from my mother-in-law. - -In spite of all the strong talk which my lovely wife had used in regard -to the English basement house, I confidently expected that she would -take her place in the new home I had provided for her. If she was -dissatisfied with it, she would soon love it for my sake, if not for -its own. But I was sure she did not rebel on her own account; it was -the influence of her mother which had controlled her. I accepted the -theory that the queen’s majesty could do no wrong. If anything was not -right, it was the fault of the ministers. - -After I had permitted her to say all she had to say, and to exhaust her -vocabulary of invective, she would quietly submit to the new house, -move in, be as happy as a queen in a short time, and wonder how she had -ever thought the little snuggery was not a palace. I had made a fearful -expenditure in preparing the house for her; I had thrust my head into -the jaws of the monster Debt, and I must make the best of the situation. - -“Ma,” said Lilian, as her mother entered the room, “what do you suppose -Paley has done?” - -The poor child looked at the faded carpet as she spoke, hardly daring -to raise her eyes to the maternal visage. I hoped she contrasted the -hueless fabric on the floor with those bright colors which gleamed from -her own carpet in the Needham street house. - -“Why, what has he done?” asked Mrs. Oliphant, with a theatrical start, -which was modified by a tiger smile bestowed upon me. - -“He has hired a house?” replied Lilian, with a gasping sigh, which was -simply intended as convincing evidence that she was not implicated in -the nefarious transaction. - -[Illustration: Mrs. Oliphant.] - -“Hired a house!” exclaimed Mrs. Oliphant; and her sigh was genuine, and -not intended for effect. - -“And furnished it too!” added Lilian, with horror, as she piled up the -details of my hideous wickedness. - -“And furnished it too!” groaned poor Mrs. Oliphant, sinking into a -chair, as though she had reached the depth of despair in the gulf into -which my infamous conduct had plunged her. - -“He did not say a word to me about the house or furniture until this -very afternoon!” continued my beautiful wife, holding up both her -pretty white hands the better to emphasize her astonishment and chagrin. - -“Of course, if you desire to leave your own pleasant home, Lilian, it -is not for me to say a word,” added the meek mamma, with another sigh, -which seemed to measure the depth of the resignation that could submit -to such an outrage. - -“But I do not desire to leave my pleasant home,” protested Lilian. “I -never had such a thought. I am sure, I have been so happy here that I -never dreamed of another home, as long as you were willing to keep us, -mother.” - -“You have been very kind indeed to us, Mrs. Oliphant,” I ventured to -remark, though I was not certain that the time had come for me to -defend myself. “I feel very grateful to you for the sacrifice you have -made to accommodate us; and I am sure I shall never forget it.” - -“A mother lives for her children alone,” sighed Mrs. Oliphant. “Even -when they are married she cannot lose her interest in them.” - -“Certainly not, madam; especially not in so good a daughter as Lilian.” - -“It is hard enough to have them removed by marriage from the direct -influence of a mother, and to feel that she is no longer a mother in -the sense she has been.” - -I thought that Mrs. Oliphant had submitted to the marriage of her -daughter with tolerable resignation, and would even permit the other -two to go to the sacrifice without rebelling against the dictates of -fate. - -“Of course she can never be entirely removed from a mother’s -influence,” I replied, wishing that she could. “You have been very kind -and considerate toward us since we were married—to me for Lilian’s -sake.” - -“And for your own,” she interposed. - -“I trust I shall never be ungrateful. I feel called upon to explain -my conduct,” I continued. “You remember, when we returned from our -bridal tour that something was said about boarding. We could not -find such accommodations as we desired, and you were so kind as to -offer to accommodate us till we could obtain a house, or make other -arrangements.” - -“Yes, I remember,” replied Mrs. Oliphant. “I don’t take boarders, but I -was willing to do what I could for Lilian’s comfort and happiness.” - -“You were, madam; and I was very grateful to you for your -consideration, both to Lilian and to me. You intimated that it would -not be convenient for you to take us to board, but you were willing -to sacrifice your own comfort and your own feelings to oblige us. I -was very sorry indeed that the circumstances compelled us to trespass -upon your kindness. You did us a favor for which I shall never cease -to be grateful. But I did not feel willing to compel you to submit -to the inconvenience of boarding us any longer than was absolutely -necessary. My gratitude compelled me, when I found a house, to take it, -and relieve you at once from all the care and responsibility which your -self-sacrificing nature had imposed upon you.” - -“And without even permitting me to see the house in which I was to -live!” exclaimed Lilian, coming to the assistance of her mother, who -seemed to be thrown into disorder by my tactics. - -“I did not suppose it was possible for any one, even with your refined -taste, Lilian, to object to such a beautiful little house. But I was -obliged to hire it on the instant, or lose it. Another man would have -taken it in less than half an hour. It is so near your mother’s that -you can come to see her half-a-dozen times a day, if you please.” - -“But I will never live in that house,” protested Lilian, with more -energy than I thought the occasion required, though I could not help -adoring her while her cheeks glowed and her eyes snapped. - -“Don’t say that, dear Lilian. You should endeavor to conform to the -wishes of your husband,” mildly interposed the suffering parent. -“Doubtless he has done all for the best, and perhaps you will like the -house, after all.” - -“I know I never shall like it,” snapped the divine Lilian; which was as -much as to say that she was fully determined not to like it. - -“Mrs. Oliphant, would you do me the favor to walk over to the house -with me?” I suggested to the affectionate mother. - -“No; I would rather not. I never step between man and wife,” replied -she, with praiseworthy resolution. “I do not wish to see the house. -This is an affair between you and Lilian, and it is my duty to be -strictly neutral.” - -“But I hope you appreciate my motives?” - -“I can not say that I do,” she answered. “I think a man should consult -his wife before he hires and furnishes the house in which she is to -spend a great deal more time than her husband.” - -I wish to say to my readers that I heartily endorse Mrs. Oliphant’s -position. A man ought to consult his wife about the house in which -she is to spend more of her time than he. It is eminently proper, -right and just that he should do so; but I beg to call the attention -of the critic to my unfortunate position. Lilian was an angel (in my -estimation); her mother was not an angel. The daughter was a mere -doll—I am writing after the lapse of years. She was completely -under the control of her mother. What I suspected then, I knew -afterwards—that Mrs. Oliphant intended to have us as permanent -boarders. - -Mr. Oliphant had long been running behind-hand under the heavy expenses -of his extravagant family. Something must be done to eke out his -failing income, or the two unmarried daughters could no longer hold -their position in society. They must dress, or be banished by their own -vanity from the circle in which they moved—a circle which contained -husbands. They could not take strangers as boarders, for the house was -not fit to accommodate them; but a son-in-law would submit in silence, -while a stranger would rebel. I was the victim. - -If I proposed housekeeping, my plan would be condemned, as another -boarding-place had been already. Perhaps I persuaded myself into the -belief, under the necessities of the occasion, that I was hiring and -furnishing the English basement house as a pleasant surprise to Lilian. -If I did, it was a comfortable delusion, for it was really only a -scheme to escape from the clutches of my mother-in-law, and to avoid -the martyrdom of my situation on Tremont street. Perhaps the reader -will forgive me after this explanation. If he does not, it is not the -worst of my errors, and I would thank God most devoutly if I had no -graver sin to answer for. - -I told Mrs. Oliphant that I had hired a house which was rather better -than I could afford; that I had furnished it at an expense which was -beyond my means, in order to please Lilian. I said something more about -the “pleasant surprise,” and was positive that no bank officer of my -degree had so fine an establishment. I repeated all I had said about -not imposing upon her self-sacrificing nature. But all I said seemed -to fall flat upon her ear. She was not touched by my devotion to her -daughter; on the contrary she was disgusted with me, as I read her -sentiments in her face, for she did not utter them. - -Lilian felt that she had an able champion in her mother, and she said -but little. Still professing entire impartiality, Mrs. Oliphant read me -a lecture on the impropriety of my conduct, frequently interpolating -the discourse with the statement that it was none of her business -though, as I had asked her advice (which I had not), she felt obliged -to be candid with me. She and Lilian seemed to understand each other -perfectly, and while the latter resolutely refused to occupy the house -I had prepared for her reception, the former mildly and often declared -that a wife should submit to her husband. Lilian knew what to say so as -not to implicate her mother in any improper remarks. I think my wife -loved me almost as much as she feared her mother. I am sure that she -would have accepted the situation with pleasure, if she had not been -under her “dear ma’s” influence. - -What could I do? I had well-nigh ruined myself in fitting up the -house. I was vexed, and as the conversation proceeded I began to grow -impatient. Finally I left the house to buy some cigars, I said, but in -reality to find an opportunity to think over my situation. I did think -it over, and I did not buy any cigars, for I was not allowed to smoke -them, even in the kitchen. Lilian would yield at once, if she could -escape her mother’s influence. As it was, I must fight the battle with -both of them. - -I walked across the Common, thinking what I should do. If I submitted -this time, I should not only be obliged to bear the privations to which -the Oliphants subjected themselves in order to maintain their social -position, but I must forever be the willing slave of “dear ma.” I could -not endure the thought. If the family chose to live on tough beef and -salt fish, it was their affair, not mine. I could not stand it, and the -result of my deliberations was that I decided not to stand it. I went -back to the house, stiffened for any thing that might occur, though it -almost broke my heart to think of opposing Lilian. - -“Perhaps the person who wanted the house you have hired would be -willing to take it now, and purchase the furniture you have put into -it?” suggested Mrs. Oliphant, when the subject was resumed. - -Perhaps he would; but my idea just then was that he would not have the -opportunity to do so. - -“I think not; the party who wanted it would have furnished it at half -the expense I have incurred,” I replied. - -“Couldn’t you let it as a furnished house?” she added. - -“My lease does not permit me to underlet it.” - -“I think it would be cruel to take Lilian away from her own pleasant -home, when she wishes to remain here so much,” continued Mrs. Oliphant, -a little more sharply than she had yet spoken. “But, of course, it is -none of my business and I do not wish to interfere between you.” - -After supper, I saw Lilian alone in our room. She was as resolute as a -little tiger. She positively refused to go into the English basement -house, or to have anything to do with it. - -“I think you have insulted my mother,” she added. - -“Insulted her!” I exclaimed, rather startled by this new charge which -had evidently been put into her brain by “dear ma.” - -“She has made her arrangements to board us, and now you want to go -away.” - -“She hasn’t made any arrangements at all. Not an article of furniture -has been added to the house.” - -“She says she has; and I think she knows best,” retorted Lilian, -sharply. - -“You have spoken to me every day for a month about furnishing our room.” - -“I think we ought to furnish it.” - -“And pay thirty dollars a week for our board! I don’t think so,” I -replied; and this was almost the first time I had ventured to disagree -with her. - -“Mother says she boards us cheaper than any body else would,” snapped -my pretty one. “Now you insult her for her kindness to us.” - -“I have already explained my position to her. I did not mean to insult -her, and I don’t think my conduct will bear that construction. But, -Lilian, the house in Needham Street is all ready for us. I have even -hired a servant girl, who is there now.” - -“I will not go into it, Paley. If you wish to abuse my mother you can, -but I will not. I am sorry you have ceased to love me.” - -“I have not ceased to love you, Lilian,” I replied, putting my arm -around her neck and kissing her. - -Then I went over the whole argument again, and if I did not convince -her that I had not insulted or wronged her mother, it was because her -fears set logic at naught. - -“You will sell the furniture, and give up the house—won’t you, Paley?” -said she, in her most fascinating way. - -“I would if I could Lilian, but the die is cast. I must go, or I am -ruined.” - -Suddenly, in a fit of passion, she shook my arm from her neck and -shrunk from me. - -“For the last time, Paley, I say it, I will never go into that house,” -said she, angrily. - -“I am sorry, Lilian,” I replied, sadly. “You do not act like the loving -wife you have always been.” - -“I will not be insulted any longer.” - -“Very well, Lilian; I am going to move into the new house to-morrow.” - -“What!” exclaimed she, aghast, for she evidently did not believe me -capable of such rebellion. - -“I shall go to the new house to-morrow, after bank hours. If you will -not go with me, I cannot help it; and I must go alone.” - -“Do you mean to say that you will desert me?” gasped she. - -“Lilian, I will not pretend to say that what I have done is right, -though I did it to please you. I have provided you a house much better -than the home of your parents. I have done everything I could to -make it comfortable and pleasant. I am sorry I did this without your -knowledge, but it is done, and cannot be undone. If you will live in -the house for a year or so, and then are not happy, I will leave it. I -can do no more to please you.” - -“I will not move into it!” said she, more bitterly than ever. - -I went out of the house, and walked the streets till eleven o’clock at -night in utter misery. I returned home. Lilian told me ever so many -things her mother had said, and was firmer than ever. The next morning -when I went to the bank, I felt like a hopeless martyr. - -“Mr. Bristlebach wishes to see you in the director’s room, Mr. -Glasswood,” said the messenger to me. - -The president looked stern when I entered the room, and I realized that -some charge was pending against me. - - - - -_CHAPTER VII._ - -A SHADOW OF SUSPICION. - - -I HAD not sinned against the bank in thought, word, or deed, and -I had no fears of the result of an interview with the president. -All my sorrows related to my domestic difficulty, which was hardly -banished from my mind for a moment, though I did try to imagine what -Mr. Bristlebach could possibly want of me. Whatever pecuniary trouble -stared me in the face, I had never even been tempted to appropriate a -penny belonging to the bank. - -“Mr. Glasswood, I have sent for you,” said Mr. Bristlebach, sternly. - -“Yes, sir; and I am here,” I replied, very respectfully. - -“When did you balance your cash last?” - -“Yesterday afternoon.” - -“Did it come out right?” - -“Yes, sir,” I replied, with the utmost confidence. - -“Close the door, if you please.” - -I did so, and though Mr. Bristlebach did not often take the trouble -to spare any one’s feelings, this order looked ominous to me. I would -give all my earthly hopes at this moment for the consciousness of the -rectitude of my character which I possessed at that time. I shut the -door, and took my stand again in the august presence of the great -man—he was great to me, if he was not to others. - -“Mr. Glasswood!” continued Mr. Bristlebach, sternly. - -I bowed meekly, to intimate that I was ready to hear anything he -pleased to say. - -“Your cash is not right.” - -“It was right yesterday, at three o’clock,” I answered. - -“If it was right at three, it was not at five. I advise you, Mr. -Glasswood, to make no denials to any statement which you know to be -true. You are a defaulter, sir!” - -Troubles never come singly. It was not enough that I should quarrel -with my angelic wife, but I must cross swords with Mr. Bristlebach, -who was far from angelic. I might as well find the deep water off Long -Wharf and drown myself. What would Lilian say if I did? Would she care? -Or would she be only shocked? Bad as it was, the affair at the bank -did not seem half so desperate as the quarrel with Lilian. I bowed my -head meekly to Mr. Bristlebach’s charge. I was innocent, and it did not -make much difference to me what the president said. Under the shadow as -I was of a heavier woe than this, it really did not seem worth while to -defend myself. - -“I say you are a defaulter, Mr. Glasswood,” repeated the president, -more severely than before. - -“No, sir, I am not,” I answered, very mildly. - -“Have you the effrontery to deny the charge?” - -“Yes, sir, I have.” - -“You have robbed the bank of twelve hundred dollars, at least; and how -much more I don’t know.” - -“No, sir; I have not robbed the bank of twelve hundred dollars; nor of -even a single cent.” - -“I am surprised that you should have the hardihood to deny the charge. -Shall I call on your uncle, who is one of your bondsmen?” - -“If you please, I do not object,” I replied; and I think I should not -have objected to any thing. - -“Perhaps you will make the bank good yourself?” sneered Mr. -Bristlebach. - -“I don’t owe the bank a penny, sir.” - -“Mr. Glasswood—sit down!” - -I sat down. - -“Listen to me, sir!” - -I listened. - -“I have worked up the case, and understand it perfectly. I am -informed that three or four weeks ago you had in your pocket several -hundred dollars—perhaps a thousand dollars or more,” continued Mr. -Bristlebach, whose looks as well as his words were intended to carry -confusion to my soul. “Will you do me the favor to say whether or not -this statement is true?” - -“Quite true, sir. The sum in my pocket-book was one thousand dollars,” -I replied, beginning to gather up a little light on the subject. - -“A thousand dollars! Very well, sir! I am glad you have not the -effrontery to deny it. Bank officers in your situation do not usually -carry a thousand dollars about with them.” - -“I do, when I have it to carry, sir.” - -“Don’t be impudent, Mr. Glasswood. Will you deny that this sum was -abstracted from the funds of the bank?” - -“Certainly I shall deny it, sir. Did Mr. Shaytop inform you that I had -taken it from the bank?” - -“Who said anything about Mr. Shaytop?” demanded he, sternly. - -“I did, sir. It is not very manly in him to accuse me of stealing -simply because I refused to hire any more teams of him. Since I was -married I have found it necessary to curtail my expenses.” - -“Do not attempt to dodge the issue, sir.” - -“I am ready to look the issue fairly in the face.” - -“You had this money. You confess it.” - -“I affirm it. I don’t confess it.” - -“Since you had it, perhaps you will not deem it impertinent in me to -ask where you got it?” sneered Mr. Bristlebach, who seemed to be as -certain that I had robbed the bank as though he had already proved the -charge. - -“Under the circumstances, sir, I should not deem it impertinent,” I -replied coolly; and, under the influence of my domestic trouble, I felt -rather reckless. - -“Well, sir, where did you get it?” - -“I borrowed it.” - -“Precisely so! Borrowed it of the bank!” - -“I beg your pardon, Mr. Bristlebach, but there is a wide gulf between -my premise and your conclusion. I did not borrow the money of the -bank. If I had, doubtless the paper I offered would have passed under -your eyes.” - -“Mr. Glasswood, your tone and manner do not please me.” - -“I hope you will excuse me, sir, if I venture to say that the charge -you make against me does not please me.” - -“Will you tell me of whom you borrowed the money?” - -“With pleasure, sir. Of my Aunt Rachel.” - -Mr. Bristlebach looked at me; looked sharply at me. He seemed to be a -little staggered at something, though, of course, I did not suppose he -believed me. He asked me twenty questions about my aunt, all of which -I answered with a greater regard for the truth than I was sometimes in -the habit of paying to that sublime virtue. - -“Mr. Glasswood, your cash is twelve hundred dollars short,” he added. - -“I was not aware of the fact,” I replied. - -“After you went away yesterday, I made a strict examination of your -department, and you have heard the result.” - -I was surprised at the announcement, and of course I could not disprove -the assertion. - -“I can only say, sir, that I left it right at three o’clock yesterday,” -I added. - -“Do you doubt my statement?” - -“Certainly not, sir; but I do not understand it.” - -“The fact that you had a thousand dollars, or any large sum about you, -and that you recklessly exhibited it in the dining-room of a hotel, was -quite enough to excite my suspicions.” - -“If I had stolen the money, I think I should not have been so stupid as -to exhibit it. If I know myself, I should not.” - -“But you did show it.” - -“I did show it; but it was not stolen.” - -“I think it was; and when I heard of the circumstances, I spent my -afternoon here in making the investigation. Perhaps you can put me in -the way of verifying your statement that you borrowed the money of your -aunt?” - -“I shall be very glad to do so. My aunt lives in Springhaven. She will -show you my note.” - -“Even if she does show me your note, and it is fully proved that you -borrowed a thousand dollars of her, that will not explain how your cash -happens to be twelve hundred dollars short.” - -“Perhaps I can explain that myself, if you will allow me to examine my -drawer,” I replied. - -Just then a light flashed through my mind, and I recalled an incident -which had occurred just after the closing of the bank on the preceding -day, which my private griefs had driven out of my head. I understood -it all then, and I was satisfied that I should utterly confound Mr. -Bristlebach, though I was, at the same time, in danger of confounding -the cashier. But the clock was striking nine, and it was time to open -the bank. There was not time to count the cash again, and I did not -care to expose a little irregularity on the part of the cashier, by -telling what I knew. - -Mr. Bristlebach bit his lips and looked at the clock. Through the -glass windows of the directors’ room, he saw a man come in with a -check in his hand. He was evidently deliberating upon the propriety of -permitting me to discharge my duties for the forenoon. We were one hand -short, and there was no one to take my place. - -“Mr. Glasswood, you will not go out of the bank, even for a moment, -until this matter is settled. Go to your place, and as soon as the bank -closes, we will count the cash again in your presence.” - -I went to my station, after taking my drawer from the safe. I was now -not quite willing to believe that the president considered me guilty. -If he did, he would not trust me with the funds of the bank, though he -had forbidden me to leave the building. I proceeded in the discharge of -my duties as usual, but I soon discovered that the eyes of my superiors -were upon me, and if I had been disposed to indulge in a _coup d’etat_, -I was too closely watched to permit it to be a success. - -Within half an hour after the opening of the bank, the cashier handed -me twelve hundred dollars in payment for a draft, which had been placed -in my keeping, and which I had deposited in the safe. Just after the -bank closed the day before, he had accommodated a friend from my -department, by giving him the cash for this draft on a bank, which, for -some reasons best known to its officers, declined to pay it after bank -hours. It is not for me to discuss the propriety of this action on the -part of my superior. It was irregular, and the cashier was personally -responsible for his conduct. The draft had been handed to me, and I -included it in my cash in balancing. - -I learned that the cashier had not been present when the president -counted my cash. The book-keeper and receiving teller had assisted him, -and as the draft was not in my drawer, the amount appeared to be a -deficit on my part. It was very strange to me that I did not think of -this transaction sooner. - -Perhaps if my family trouble had not perplexed me, I should have done -so. But it came to my mind soon enough to correct the impression in the -mind of the president, if I had not chosen to suffer rather than betray -the irregularity of my superior. - -“That makes it all right,” said the cashier, as he slipped the bills -into my drawer, rather slyly. - -“I’m afraid not, Mr. Heavyside,” I replied, in a low tone, for Mr. -Bristlebach seemed to be all eyes and ears on this forenoon. - -“What do you mean, Glasswood?” he asked. - -“What time did you leave the bank yesterday?” - -“About three. I went out to ride with my wife.” - -“Where do you get your teams?” - -“Of Shaytop. Why do you ask?” - -“My cash was examined yesterday afternoon, after both of us left; and I -am charged with a deficit of twelve hundred dollars.” - -“Whew!” whistled Heavyside, more alarmed than I was. - -He stood by my side at the counter while I told him that Shaytop “had -put a flea into the ear of the president” on my account. - -“The scoundrel! I will never drive another of his teams!” exclaimed the -cashier. - -Shaytop was not likely to make much by his snivelling operation, which -was too mean for any gentleman to appreciate. There was no ground for -a charge against me, and I think the stable-keeper made it out of pure -malice. - -“I said nothing to Mr. Bristlebach about the draft,” I continued; “and -he still thinks the cash is twelve hundred dollars short.” - -“This is bad,” said he, biting his lips with vexation. - -I paid a check, and the cashier walked away to his desk. I saw that he -was much disturbed. He was an honest man, in the ordinary sense of the -word, and the worst which could be said of the transaction in which he -was implicated was that it was simply irregular. He came to me again -soon. - -“Although this affair amounts to nothing at all, it will cost me my -situation, and perhaps my reputation, if the president knows of it,” -said he. - -“He shall not know of it through me,” I replied. - -“Thank you, Glasswood,” he added, warmly; but the conversation was -interrupted so that nothing more was said on the subject. - -Mr. Bristlebach was a very particular man, but I do not complain -of him on this account. It was proper and right that he should be -very exact, and even very exacting, in his requirements. Though Mr. -Heavyside had no intention of defrauding the bank of a single dollar, -he was imprudent. I believe he did not realize the nature of the act -when he obliged his friend out of the funds of the institution. I was -fully satisfied in regard to his integrity, and I was more disposed to -suffer myself than to excite a suspicion against him. - -I am willing now to acknowledge that my position was wrong. The truth -should have been told in the beginning. Mr. Heavyside might have been -censured, as doubtless he ought to have been, but I do not think he -would have been discharged. If he had been, perhaps the tendency would -have been to make bank officers more circumspect, more inflexible in -the discharge of their duties. It is not safe to step over the straight -line of duty even for a moment, for there is no knowing how far one may -wander on the wrong side of it. - -If this incident did not injure him, it paved the way for me to -take a long stride down the road to ruin. When he consented to be -sheltered from the displeasure of the president by the cunning of -his subordinate, he placed himself, to some extent, in my power. A -superior should never sacrifice his dignity before a subordinate, and -should never place himself in the attitude of dependence upon him. - -The business of the bank went on as usual. My griefs at home had robbed -me of my appetite, and I had taken no breakfast. I was not permitted -to go out for a lunch, and when the doors were closed my empty stomach -and my sleepless night had produced an effect upon me. I was pale and -faint, but I was too proud to say anything, and my looks told against -me. I could hardly stand up, and doubtless Mr. Bristlebach thought he -saw in my wan features and trembling frame abundant evidences of my -guilt. He looked triumphant. - -The examination of my department was commenced at once. The checks paid -were called off, and the bills counted. To the intense astonishment of -the president, and, I am sorry to add, to his intense chagrin also, -the balance came out all right. There was not a dollar missing. Two -counts gave the same result. Mr. Bristlebach was compelled to give it -up. I persisted that my account had been squared the day before, but -I suggested that some papers had been laid upon a few odd bills which -had probably escaped his notice in counting—if I had been present the -mistake could not have occurred. - -The president stumbled through something which he intended for an -apology; and while he was doing so, I absolutely fainted away from -sheer exhaustion. Mr. Bristlebach was not a bad man, and I am sure -he regretted his inconsiderate accusation. I told him I was not very -well, and that the satisfactory result of the investigation was all I -desired. I did not blame him. I thanked him for his fairness, and all -that sort of thing. From that moment he had more confidence in me than -ever—and Shaytop lost another customer. - -A cup of coffee and a beefsteak set me right, and I started for my -miserable home. I was thinking of meeting Lilian, when my uncle, -Captain Halliard, stopped me in the street. - -“By the way, didn’t I let you have three hundred dollars some months -ago?” said he. - -“I think you did,” I replied, blandly. - -He wanted to talk with me, and led the way into an insurance office. - - - - -_CHAPTER VIII._ - -COMING TO THE POINT. - - -I WAS not pleased at the meeting, and ventured to suggest that I had -important business at home; but my uncle gently dragged me into the -insurance office. It was not pleasant to see him just then, and for -several weeks I had avoided him, so far as it was practicable to do so. -Captain Halliard was a rich man, and it could not possibly make any -difference to him whether or not I paid the money I owed him. But I -knew that he was exacting. - -“I think you said you did borrow three hundred dollars of me,” said -my uncle, as he seated himself at the long table and took out his -pocket-book, evidently for the purpose of finding the note. - -“There is no doubt about it,” I replied, with what self-possession I -could command. - -“Just so; I had forgotten the particulars,” he continued, as he took -the note from the papers in his pocket-book. - -He might as well have told me that I had forgotten it, as that he had; -but I am sorry to say that both of us had a bad habit of pretending not -to remember what, from the nature of the case, must have been uppermost -in the mind. It was a stupid and ridiculous affectation. My creditors -were often in my mind, and I am sure his debtors were as faithfully -remembered. - -“I am not prepared to pay the note just now,” I began, with more candor -than I generally used. - -“But, Paley, it is three or four months since I lent you the money; and -you promised to pay it in a few weeks.” - -His memory was improving wonderfully. - -“I have just furnished my house, uncle, and that cost me a good deal of -money,” I pleaded. - -“But you got trusted for that,” said he, sharply. - -“For only a small portion of it,” I answered, wondering how he could -know that I owed any thing. - -“Paley, how much do you owe?” he demanded. - -“O, only a few hundred dollars! I don’t know precisely how much, but -not more than I can pay in a short time.” - -“I’m glad to hear it,” replied he, rather dryly. “In how short a time?” - -“In a few weeks.” - -“That won’t do. When I lend money to any one I expect him to pay me, -whether friend or foe, in the family or out of it. I’m afraid you are -getting along a little too fast.” - -“I don’t think so.” - -“Your wife is rather extravagant, I’m told.” - -“I don’t think so.” - -“Where have you taken a house.” - -“In Needham street.” - -“Humph! What do you pay for it?” - -“Six hundred dollars.” - -“Six hundred dollars!” exclaimed he, leaping to his feet. - -“A very moderate rent for the house,” I added, not at all pleased at -what I considered the impudence of my uncle. - -“That is more than I pay, Paley. I’m astonished!” - -“I think it is a fair rent.” - -“I don’t think so. What did it cost you to furnish it?” he continued, -fixing a severe gaze upon me. - -“About eight hundred dollars,” I answered, not deeming it prudent to -give more than half of the actual cost. - -“You are crazy, Paley! You will run yourself out in a couple of years, -at this rate. Eight hundred dollars! When I was married I didn’t spend -a hundred dollars on my house. Paley, I will give you three days to pay -this note. If you don’t do it in that time, I shall do the next thing.” - -“What’s the next thing?” I asked, indignantly. - -“I’ll trustee your salary!” - -“You needn’t trouble yourself about the little sum I owe you; I will -pay you,” I replied, rising and walking towards the door. “The next -time I have occasion to ask a favor, I shall not go to a relation.” - -Doubtless he regarded this as a very savage threat, though perhaps he -did not think its execution involved any great hardship on his own -part. I walked out of the insurance office with a degree of dignity and -self-possession which would have been creditable in a bank president. -My uncle must be paid. There was no doubt of that. I would not be -thorned by him for all the money in the world, for he was a very -uncomfortable sort of man to a debtor, and very obstinately insisted on -collecting his dues. - -It was patent to me that some one had been talking to Captain Halliard. -Perhaps that mischievous stable-keeper had been in communication with -him; and it was possible that my friend Buckleton had mentioned the -trivial circumstance that I owed him eight hundred dollars. It was not -impossible that Mr. Bristlebach and my uncle had been discussing my -affairs. They were intimate acquaintances, and the captain did business -at the Forty-ninth. - -[Illustration: Tom Flynn.] - -I must pay Captain Halliard, or there would be a tempest about me at -once. Not that he would trustee my salary, or anything of that kind; -for this was only a hint that he would mention the matter to the -president of our bank. I must pay him, but how to do so, was a matter -about which I could not venture an opinion. I had little money, and I -had already bled my friends as much as it was prudent to bleed them. I -must “raise the wind,” or go under. I walked up State Street, trying -to think who should suffer next for my sins, when I met Tom Flynn. -We never passed each other without stopping to speak, though we stood -side by side in the bank during business hours. I saw that he looked -embarrassed, and it flashed upon my mind before he opened his mouth -that he wanted his money, and that he had made up his mind to ask me -for it. I did not regard it as proper for him to do so. - -“Tom, I’m glad to see you,” I began. “I wanted to meet you.” - -“That’s just my case. I was going down to the bank to find you, after -calling upon you at Mr. Oliphant’s. I wanted to see you very badly;” -and the honest fellow looked more embarrassed than ever. - -“Well, that’s a coincidence,” I replied, deeming it my duty to spare -him any unnecessary embarrassment. “I have just had a call for a -little money I owe, and it was not convenient for me to pay it. It was -awkward, because I have a habit of paying up all these little things at -sight, even if I have to borrow the money to do so. I shall be flush in -three or four days, but I dislike to make this particular fellow wait. -Could you lend me a hundred dollars till Monday?” - -“I am very sorry, Paley,” replied the poor fellow, the wind all taken -out of his sails. “The fact is, I’m short myself.” - -“O, well, never mind it. I’m sorry I said any thing,” I continued. - -“There was no harm in saying it to me,” laughed he, apparently more -troubled at my necessity than his own. “I had a chance to buy some -stock at a low figure, if I could raise the money to-day, so that the -owner can leave to-night for New York. I am one hundred short of the -amount required; but no matter; let it go.” - -“I’m sorry I haven’t the amount about me,” I replied, with a troubled -look. “Perhaps I can raise it for you.” - -“O, no! I don’t want you to do that. You said you should be flush in a -few days.” - -“Yes; I shall have some money on Monday.” - -“Well, then, Paley, since you can’t help me out, I can help you out,” -said the noble fellow, with a generous smile. “I can’t buy my stock, -and you may as well have the money as to let it remain idle.” - -“Thank you, Tom,” I replied, warmly. - -“You said a hundred dollars,” he continued, stepping into a doorway and -drawing out his wallet. - -“I said a hundred dollars, but only because I had not the cheek to -mention more. I must raise three hundred to-morrow—but only till -Monday you know.” - -“Three hundred,” said he musing. “I think I can help you out.” - -“Thank you, Tom. Next Monday I will pay you this and the other hundred -I owe you. And by the way, I had quite forgotten that you held my note.” - -“It’s of no consequence. I haven’t wanted it very badly. But I have a -chance to invest what little I possess next week, and if I can get it -then it will suit me better than to receive it now.” - -“You shall have the whole next Monday, without fail,” I replied, though -I had no more idea where the money was to come from than I had of the -source of the Nile. - -“That will fit my case exactly.” - -“We will step into the bank, and I will give you a note.” - -Every body had left the bank except the messenger, and I wrote the -note. I had the three hundred dollars in my fist. I was intent upon -taking the sting out of my uncle’s tongue. I meant to overwhelm him by -paying my note before I slept. I parted with Tom in the street, and -hastened to the insurance office, where I had left Captain Halliard. -I found him tipped back in his chair in the inner room, talking with -Mr. Bristlebach. I suspected that my case was the subject of their -discussion. - -“Is that you, Paley?” called my uncle, as I made a movement to retire. - -“Yes, sir; but I won’t trouble you now, if you are engaged,” I replied. - -“Come in; we were talking about you, Mr. Glasswood,” said the -president. “I was just telling your uncle how well satisfied I am with -you.” - -“Thank you, sir. I am very much obliged to you for your good opinion, -and I hope I shall always merit it,” I added, with becoming modesty. - -“Do you wish to see me, Paley?” asked my uncle. - -“Only for a moment, sir; but I will wait till you are at leisure.” - -Mr. Bristlebach took his hat and left the office, saying he had no -particular business with my uncle. - -“The president of the Forty-Ninth speaks well of you, Paley,” said my -uncle, good-naturedly. “I was glad to hear it, for I had a hint that -you were going a little too fast. Bristlebach and I talked the matter -over yesterday.” - -“I’m glad you found it all right. Have you my note in your pocket now?” -I continued, rather stiffly. - -“Yes, I have it.” - -I drew my wallet, and took out the three hundred dollars I had just -borrowed. - -“You needn’t trouble yourself about that just now,” said he, laughing. - -“I don’t like to be driven into so close a corner as you put me into a -little while ago. Here is the amount of the note, with the interest.” - -“What I said was spoken under a misapprehension. You needn’t pay the -note till you get ready.” - -“I am ready now, uncle.” - -“Of course, I don’t object to taking the money; but I didn’t mean to -press you.” - -“Didn’t you, indeed? You gave me three days to pay the note, and -threatened to trustee my salary if it was not paid in that time. If -that was not pressing me, I took it as a gentle hint. If I don’t know -any better than to borrow money of my relations another time, I ought -to be hung for being a fool.” - -“I am sorry now that I said any thing, Paley. I will take it all back.” - -“Take principal and interest also, and I shall be satisfied.” - -It was not in his nature to refuse money under any circumstances. He -gave up my note and pocketed the amount. It is quite probable that he -wondered where I had obtained the funds so readily, and he even hinted -at a desire to be enlightened on the subject. Perhaps he would suspect -that I had taken them from the vault of the bank; but if he consulted -Mr. Bristlebach on the matter, the messenger could inform him that the -vault had not been opened during my last visit. To remove any such -disagreeable impression as this from his mind, I said something about -having a sum of money due me from a friend which I had kept in reserve -for another purpose. - -After the excellent character which the president had given me, I think -my uncle was satisfied. He apologized for the sharpness of his words -and declared that he had more regard for my moral welfare than for -any thing else. Perhaps he had, but his ideas of morality were very -indefinite, for he had helped me into my situation by pulling down Tom, -though I must do him the justice to say that he helped my friend into -his present situation, by declaring that new light entirely convinced -him of the innocence of Tom. - -I left my uncle with the feeling that I had completely overwhelmed -him, and made him blush for his conduct. I was satisfied that I could -borrow five hundred dollars of him within a reasonable time, and with -a reasonable explanation of the necessity. The affairs of the day had -improved rather than injured my reputation. My integrity and honesty -stood at the highest point. I had made a friend of the cashier, who had -stupidly placed himself in my power when open conduct would have served -him better in the end. I owed no more than before, but I had hampered -myself with a promise to pay Tom Flynn four hundred dollars the next -Monday. I had said Monday, because I had a faint hope that I might go -down to Springhaven on Saturday and get the amount out of my aunt, who -had at least another thousand dollars salted down in her bureau. - -There was time enough to think of this matter before the day of -payment; but, if the worst came, Tom could easily be cajoled, and even -made to insist upon my retaining the money another week or another -month. While all these events were transpiring, the unfortunate -relations which I sustained to my beautiful wife were hardly out of my -mind for a moment. It was nearly six o’clock when I started for home, -and all my thoughts were then of Lilian and the new house. - -I was tempted to recede from my hard and trying situation, and I -probably should have done so if I had not been endowed with a certain -obstinacy, sometimes called firmness. It seemed to me that my wife was -not my wife while she remained in the home of “dear ma.” Her mother had -more influence over her than I had, and I could not be happy till I -had redeemed her from this bondage. My mother-in-law was swindling me -for the benefit of her unmarried daughters. I could not endure it any -longer, and come what would come, I would not. I entered the house the -saddest and most miserable man in the whole city. - -The hour for final action had come. I had informed Lilian that I -should move into the English basement house that day. I had ordered an -express wagon to come for my luggage at seven o’clock. We had nothing -to move but our trunks, in which, for the want of suitable closets, our -clothing was still kept. I had seen Biddy in the morning, and told her -to have supper for me at half-past seven. I went up to our room. Lilian -was there. I saw that she had been crying, but whether from grief or -from anger I could not tell. I put my arm around her neck and kissed -her, as I always did, when I came into the house. - -“You are late, Paley,” said she, in forced tones of calmness. - -“I was detained at the bank by the president,” I replied. “But the -wagon will be here at seven, Lilian.” - -“The wagon? What wagon?” she asked. - -“The wagon to take our trunks to Needham Street, Lilian.” - -“You do not mean that, Paley?” said she, looking up into my face, while -her lips quivered and her chest heaved with emotion. - -“Of course I mean it, Lilian.” - -“Do you mean to say that you intend to drag me to that house, whether I -am willing to go or not?” - -“Certainly not. I have never hinted at any thing of the kind. I only -say that I am going; and going at seven o’clock this evening.” - -“O, Paley! I did not think you would do such a thing!” sobbed she. - -“I did not think, Lilian, after I had done all I could to please you; -after I had carried out the arrangement we agreed upon when we came to -board at your mother’s; after I had nearly ruined myself in fitting -up the house, that you would refuse to live in it,” I pleaded. “I -acknowledge that I have done wrong, but I cannot help it now. If you -will go to the new house with me, I will promise to give it up in a -reasonable time, if you are not happy there.” - -“I will _not_ go, Paley! I have said it, and I mean it,” said she, -spitefully. - -“Very well. I am going at seven o’clock,” I replied, sadly enough. - -I began to pack my trunk, while she sobbed in her chair. - - - - -_CHAPTER IX._ - -A LONELY HOUSE. - - -“DO you mean to desert me, Paley?” asked Lilian, sobbing bitterly. - -“Does it look as though I meant to desert you when I have nearly ruined -myself to provide a house that would please you?” I replied, as gently -as I could speak, for I was not angry. - -“But you say you will go to that house without me?” she added, looking -up as if she had a gleam of hope that I did not mean what I said. - -“I did say so, Lilian. I am going at seven o’clock, when the express -wagon comes.” - -“Don’t you call that deserting me?” - -“No, Lilian; it will not be that I desert you, but you desert me.” - -“But I never will go into that house,” said she, sharply, as she dashed -away the tears that filled her eyes. - -“Very well; then we need say no more about it,” I answered, placing the -last of my wearing apparel in the trunk, and locking it. - -I did not think you would be so cruel, Paley.” - -“Cruel, Lilian! Do I ask anything unreasonable?” - -“I think you do. You come home, and wish to pack me off at half an -hour’s notice into a strange house.” - -“I think I spoke of the matter last night, and told you I intended to -go. If the time is too short, you may fix a day yourself to move. Name -the time you will go, three days, a week, a month hence, and I will not -object.” - -“I shall name no time. I will not live in that house!” - -“Then we may as well settle the matter now as at any other time,” I -replied, with Spartan firmness. - -“You will leave me, Paley?” - -“I will.” - -“O, Paley! Have I lost all influence over you?” - -“I do not believe in this sort of influence. I repeat that I have done -everything to please you; and before I told you that the house was for -you, were you not delighted with it?” - -This was a sore subject to her. I knew very well that she liked the -house herself. Her mother intended to keep us in our present quarters, -for the sake of the income to be derived from us. She could board -us for ten dollars a week, and make something even at that, for salt -fish and round steak form a cheap diet. I estimated that it cost five -hundred dollars a year apiece to clothe the two younger daughters, and -the profits on my board more than paid the bills. This was the whole -matter in a nutshell. I do not think that Lilian was a party directly -to the conspiracy, but she knew that it would upset all her mother’s -plans if we left. Unfortunately for me, I had given the impression that -I was made of money; that I not only had a large salary, but that I was -the heir of Aunt Rachel, whose wealth was supposed to equal the capital -of the Bank of England. - -My wife was too proud to acknowledge that she had any interest in her -mother’s scheme; it was safer to say that she did not like the house. -I knew that her family was reduced to the greatest straits; that -Mr. Oliphant’s income was utterly insufficient to keep up the style -of former years. I knew that Mrs. Oliphant pinched herself in every -possible way, that the prospects of her two unmarried daughters might -not be injured. But I felt that I had done enough for the family when -I relieved them of one mouth to feed, and one form to clothe. It -certainly was not fair that I should pay the extravagant expenses of -making the world believe that my wife’s two sisters were fine ladies. - -I was fighting the battle for my own independence, and not less for -that of my wife. I know that mothers-in-law are shamefully traduced, -but only because such a one as Mrs. Oliphant is taken as a type of the -whole class. I regard her as the exception, not the rule. Her plan -required that she should hold my wife as a slave within the maternal -home. In little things, I found that Lilian consulted the will of her -strong-minded mother, rather than my feelings. For example, I once -overheard Mrs. Oliphant tell my wife to induce me to go to a certain -concert, simply because Miss Bertha desired to go. Lilian did induce me -to go, and I went. She came up to the point by regular approaches. Not -a word was said about Miss Bertha till I was closing the door behind -me, as I went to the bank, when it was—“By the way, Paley, don’t you -think we had better ask Bertha to go with us?” Of course I thought so, -and she went with us. Lilian did not care a straw for the concert; -neither did I. - -This is only a specimen of the manner in which I was victimized. I not -only dressed the two marriageable sisters, but I was to introduce them -into society, by paying their bills at concerts, theatres, parties and -balls. But this was not the most objectionable part of the arrangement. -I could not endure the thought of having my wife made the cat’s paw for -the monkey to pull the chestnuts out of the fire. She was not my wife, -in the just and proper sense of the word. She did not think so much -of my interests and my happiness as she did of her mother’s will and -wish. Neither of us was to live for each other, but both of us for the -Oliphants’ ambitious schemes. So thoroughly was I persuaded in my own -mind of the justness of my position, that I was determined to stick to -it, even if it resulted in a complete separation. - -The door-bell rang, and we heard the sound of it in our room. I looked -out the window. An express wagon stood before the door. The crisis had -come, but I was as resolute as ever, and I expected to spend the night -alone in the house in Needham Street. - -“A man at the door wants to see you, Paley,” said Mrs. Oliphant, who -did not keep a servant. - -I went down to the door, and brought the man up with me. Lilian and -her mother stood aghast. They appeared to be utterly confounded, and -neither of them spoke in the presence of the stranger. - -“That trunk,” I said to the expressman. - -“Is that all?” asked he. - -“That is all,” I replied, giving him the number of the house in Needham -Street. - -The man picked up the trunk and I followed him down stairs. I paid -him, and he went off with my baggage. I was not willing to leave my -wife without saying good-by to her, for I had some hope that she would -yet relent. When my hand was on the door which I intended to close, -Lilian called me from the stairs above. She came down, followed by Mrs. -Oliphant. I hoped that both of them would understand me by this time. - -“What’s the matter, Paley?” asked “dear ma,” trying to look pleasant. - -“Nothing is the matter,” I replied, not caring to discuss the question -with her. - -“Lilian tells me you are going to your new house.” - -“Doubtless she told you that before.” - -“But I did not think you would go off and leave her.” - -“Such is my purpose, unless she decides to go with me.” - -“Of course it is not for me to say any thing about it,” she added, -in her magnanimous way. “But I must say I think you are a little -unreasonable.” - -“Well, Mrs. Oliphant, I don’t care about discussing the subject any -more. If Lilian chooses to desert me I can’t help myself.” - -“Desert you! Goodness gracious! I should think it was just the other -way, and you are deserting her.” - -“I think not. If I provide a suitable home for my wife, it seems to me -that she ought to occupy it with me,” I answered, meekly. “I do not -wish to be unreasonable, but I think Lilian will admit that our plan -discussed, and agreed to while we were on our bridal tour, was to go -to housekeeping. I have provided a pleasant house, near yours, and -furnished it in a style much better than I can afford. I have told her -that, after occupying the house for six months or a year, if it does -not suit her, I will conform to her wishes, whatever they may be. I -think my view is a reasonable one, and I intend to adhere to it.” - -“Is she to go there whether she wants to or not?” demanded Mrs. -Oliphant. - -“Am I to stay here whether I want to or not?” I replied. “In the matter -of housekeeping, I consulted her, and we were of the same mind.” - -“You will not leave me, Paley, will you?” pleaded Lilian, satisfied -that her mother was making no headway in solving the problem. - -“No; but you will leave me, Lilian. I am going now.” - -“Don’t go, Paley!” - -“Will you name a time when you will go with me, Lilian?” - -“I cannot go, Paley! Indeed I cannot.” - -“Good-by then, Lilian,” I replied, kissing her, while the tears gushed -from my eyes. - -I rushed from the house, without stopping to close the door behind me. -I wiped away my tears as I crossed the street at a furious pace. I -walked till I had subdued the emotions which crowded upon me. It was -half an hour before I dared to present myself before the Biddy I had -engaged, lest she should fathom the secret that worried me. I rang the -bell at my house, and the servant admitted me. She opened her eyes wide -when she saw me alone. - -“Where is the missus?” asked she. - -“She has concluded not to come, to-night,” I replied, hanging up my hat -in the hall. - -“The pretty crayture! Sure I’m dyin’ to have her in the house wit me!” -exclaimed Bridget. “Is it sick she is?” - -[Illustration: Biddy.] - -“She don’t feel very well this evening,” I replied evasively. - -“Sure the supper is all ready for the two of ye’s. The tay is drawn -this half hour, and the crame toast is breakin’ in flitters wid waitin’ -for ye’s.” - -“Very well; I will have my supper immediately.” - -The tea and the toast were certainly good enough even for Lilian; -but it was the most miserable supper to which I ever sat down. My -heart seemed to be almost broken. I lighted the gas in the little -sitting-room, and threw myself into the rocking-chair. I looked around -the apartment. Everything was neat, tasty and pleasant. Was it possible -that Lilian refused to share such a palace with me? No; it was not -her fault. With her mother’s permission how gladly she would have -taken her place by my side. Mrs. Oliphant evidently had not given me -credit for any considerable amount of resolution. She was “the better -horse” in her own matrimonial relations, and she found it difficult -to comprehend any other than a similar arrangement in her daughter’s -family. - -I tried to read the newspaper I had brought home with me, but my -thoughts were with Lilian. I turned over the leaves of the books I had -laid on the centre-table. I went into the dining-room and smoked. I was -almost worn out with fatigue and excitement. I was miserable beyond -description. I went to bed at midnight, and I went to sleep, but it was -only to dream of Lilian, goading and persecuting me, led on by a demon -who was always at her side. - -I rose in the morning, and found my breakfast ready at the time I had -ordered it. It was such a breakfast as Lilian liked, but she was not -there to enjoy it, and I groaned in spirit. I must go to the bank. I -was not to see my wife, but I decided to write her a line—it was only -a line: - - “_Dearest Lilian_:—I shall _hope_ to find you at our new home when I - come up from the bank. - - “PALEY.” - -I sent Biddy to deliver it, and told her not to wait for an answer. - -I went to the bank. Everything was “lovely” there. Even Mr. Bristlebach -was “lovely;” and that was a most unusual attitude for him. Captain -Halliard dropped in to see me. He was “lovely.” Tom Flynn was in -excellent spirits; but he took occasion to tell me something about his -business affairs, so that I could distinctly understand what a sad -mishap it would be to him if I should fail to pay him the four hundred -dollars I owed him on Monday. I felt that I must pay him, and I decided -to visit Springhaven on Saturday, and cajole Aunt Rachel into lending -me the amount. - -I went through my duties mechanically, but that day I lived on hope. I -had ordered my dinner at home at half past three, which was the hour -I usually dined. Lilian knew my habits, and I felt almost sure that I -should find her in Needham Street. I believed that she loved me, and I -could not believe that she would desert me. How my heart beat when I -went into the English basement house! How it sank within me when Biddy -failed to tell me that the “missus” was there. I dared not ask her -any questions, lest she should discover the anxiety under which I was -laboring. - -I looked into the sitting-room. It was as empty as the tomb of all I -desired to see. I went into the dining-room. The table was set for two, -but one of the plates seemed to mock me. Lilian was not there. She was -not in the kitchen. I went up stairs, but the same oppressive vacancy -haunted every spot in the house. No Lilian was there, and without her -the house was not home. The casket and all its appliances were there, -but no jewel flashed upon my waiting, longing eyes. - -There was no note in reply to mine. Biddy did not deliver any message -to me. It was plain enough that she had not heard from the “missus.” I -was sure that Lilian loved me, and that if left to herself she would -come to me, even if I had been lodged in a prison instead of the palace -I had provided for her. I ate my dinner alone and in silence. The -dinner was a good one, but it would have been the same thing to me if -the roast beef and mashed potato had been chips and shavings, so far as -I had any interest in their flavor. - -When the meal was finished I left the house, and wandered about the -streets till tea-time. I kept walking without going anywhere; I kept -thinking without knowing what I was thinking about. After I had -been to supper, and Biddy had finished her work, she came into the -sitting-room where I was looking at the blank sheets of the newspaper -I held in my hand. She begged my pardon for coming. She wanted to know -when the “missus” was to be at the house. I evaded an answer. She told -me she couldn’t stay in a house with no missus in it. She didn’t “spake -to a sowl all day long,” and she couldn’t “shtop in a house wid only -a man in it. She had a char_rack_ter, and people would be talking if -she shtopped in a house wid only a man in it.” Of course I was utterly -confounded at this complication of the difficulty, but I told her that -if the “missus” was not able to come by Monday she might go, and I -would pay her wages for an additional week. - -“God bless your honor! but is the missus sick?” she asked. - -“She is not very well, and does not like to leave her mother yet.” - -She appeared to be satisfied, and I was permitted to spend another -miserable night in the loneliness of my new home. I heard nothing from -Lilian. I thought she might, at least, send me a note in reply to mine; -but I knew that she acted upon the advice of “dear ma.” That strong -minded woman evidently intended to bring me to terms. If possible, I -was more resolute than ever. - -Before I went to the bank the next morning I decided to write one more -note—one which could not fail to bring the unpleasant matter to an -issue within twenty-four hours. It was in the form of an advertisement, -as follows:— - - “Whereas, my wife, Lilian O. Glasswood, has left my bed and board, - without justifiable cause, I hereby give notice that I shall pay no - debts of her contracting, after this date. - - “_Boston, Aug._—. PALEY GLASSWOOD. - - “Shall I insert the above in to-morrow’s papers? - - P. G.” - -I sent this epistle to Mr. Oliphant’s by Biddy. Though it was directed -to Lilian, it was intended for her mother. - - - - -_CHAPTER X._ - -MY WIFE AND I. - - -I KNEW very well that this note would produce a tremendous sensation in -the Oliphant family, and, as I walked down to the bank, I considered -whether so violent a demonstration was justifiable. But I soon came to -the conclusion that it was not a mere feint, and that if my wife would -not live with me in Needham Street, she could not live with me anywhere -else. If she did not choose to share my lot in the pretty residence I -had provided for her, I would not pay her board in Tremont Street. - -I wanted my wife. I had not married Mrs. Oliphant, and was willing to -dispense with the benefit of her advice. Perhaps it was reckless in -me to do so, but no man had ever made up his mind on any point more -decidedly than I had made up mine on this one. I attended to my duties -as usual, but there was a sort of grimness about everything I did which -astonished me, if it did not any one else. - -At my usual hour I rang the bell of my house with a more intense -anxiety than had before agitated me. If the savage measure I had taken -did not bring Lilian and her mother to their senses, nothing would, -and the breach must be regarded as permanent. I hoped and confidently -expected to find my wife in the house, and I braced my nerves for the -scene which must ensue. Biddy opened the door, with a sweet smile on -her face which augured well for my anticipations. - -“There’s a bit of a letther on the table for ye’s, sir,” said she, as I -hung up my hat in the hall. “Shtop! and I’ll bring it to ye’s.” - -“A bit of a letther!” Was that all? Of course it was from Lilian. -She did not intend to surrender without conditions, Biddy handed -me the missive. It was in my wife’s pretty hand-writing, but I was -disappointed, and more than ever disposed to be morose. I opened the -envelope. - - “Come and see me this afternoon, Paley. - - “LILIAN.” - -That was all. The case did not look hopeful. If I went I must fight the -battle with “dear ma.” I promptly decided that it would be worse than -folly for me to heed this request. It was only an ingenious device of -Mrs. Oliphant to carry her point by some new strategy. To go would be -to throw myself into the toils of the enemy. - -Biddy stood looking at me while I read the “bit of a letther.” If she -did not suspect the trouble, she was more stupid than I supposed. She -was a good girl, though her manners needed some improvement. If the -wife was ill, the place of the husband was at her side. My gem of the -Green Isle could reason out this proposition without exploding her -brain. She must understand that a family tempest was gathering. - -“Av coorse the bit of a letther is from the missus,” said she. “I hope -she is betther.” - -“Is dinner ready, Biddy?” I replied, trying to laugh. - -“All ready, sir. Sure the missus must be betther, for she brought the -letther herself.” - -“She is better, Biddy. There is trouble between us.” - -“Faix, I knew it from the firsht!” - -“Let me have my dinner now, and we will talk about it another time.” - -She seemed to be proud to have even so much of my confidence, and she -flew around with an alacrity which was as creditable to her locomotive -powers as it was to her Irish heart. Even her looks were full of -respectful sympathy. I sat down to the table, and taking her place -behind my chair, she waited upon me with a zeal which would have shamed -the black coats of a fashionable hotel. - -“In a word, Biddy, my wife refuses to live in this house with me. -That’s all the trouble we have,” said I, as I began to eat my dinner. - -“Bad luck to her for that same!” - -It was very undignified for me to say anything to my servant, or to -any one, indeed, about a matter of this kind, but I was absolutely -hungry for a confidant to whom I could pour out my griefs. If the -matter was to go any farther, I intended to send for Tom Flynn, and -talk over the situation with him. It seemed as though my brain would -burst, if I could not relieve it by exhibiting the cause of my sorrows. -If Biddy had not known so much I would not have told her any more. I -had informed her in the beginning about the “pleasant surprise” I was -preparing for my wife. She had seen Lilian when she called, and it -was stupid in me to attempt to conceal anything from her. I explained -to her the difficulty as far as I deemed it necessary. Biddy was my -strongest friend, then. She would not have left me even to save her -“char_rack_ter.” - -She rehearsed the whole matter, declared that I was an angel, and the -house a palace. It was not only unreasonable, but cruel and barbarous, -for my wife to refuse to share my lot. Thus spake Biddy, and I endorsed -her sentiments. When I had finished my dinner I wrote a brief note to -Lilian, declining to see her again, until we could meet in “our own -house.” Biddy was a zealous messenger. She was instructed to deliver -it without any words, and without answering any questions, for I was -afraid she would take the matter into her own hands, and complicate the -difficulty by attempting to fight my battle for me. - -An hour later came the reply to my note. Lilian wrote that she was -“quite indisposed,” and unable to leave the house that day. She wished -to see me very much, and begged me not to deny her this favor. Perhaps -she was sick. So was I—sick at heart. It would not be strange if the -intense excitement attending this affair had made her ill; it had made -me so. But I knew she was not so ill that she could not leave the -house. She had delivered her own letter in the forenoon when she knew I -was at the bank. Yet, if I did not see her when she was sick, it would -make the story tell with damaging effect upon me. I decided to see -her at once—to see her as my sick wife, and not to make terms in the -quarrel. - -In five minutes I rang the bell at the door of Mr. Oliphant’s house. It -was opened as usual by Mrs. Oliphant. A smile of triumph played upon -her face as she stood aside to permit me to pass into the hall. - -“I am glad you have concluded to come, Paley,” said she. - -This remark indicated that she was already in possession of the -contents of my last note; in fact that she, and not Lilian, was -fighting the battle. - -“Is Lilian sick?” I inquired. - -“She is not very well.” - -“I will go up and see her.” - -I went up. - -“O, Paley! how can you be so cruel?” exclaimed she, with much nervous -excitement. - -“Are you sick, Lilian?” I replied, taking her hand, and kissing her as -though nothing had happened. - -“I _am_ sick, Paley.” - -“I am sorry, Lilian.” - -“Do you think I am made of iron?” - -“Shall I go for Dr. Ingoldson?” - -“I do not need a doctor so much as I need peace.” - -“We both need that.” - -“Are you going to drive me into that hateful house?” - -“Certainly not, Lilian.” - -“Did you write that cruel note which came this morning, Paley? I cannot -believe it.” - -“I did write it, Lilian; but if you are sick we will not talk about -that,” I replied, tenderly, but firmly. - -“But we must talk about it. Do you mean to say that you will print that -horrid advertisement?” - -“Most certainly I shall, if you persist in your present course. It is -not right for me to support a wife who will not live with me. If you -are sick, we will defer all action until you are better.” - -“I am not well, but I wanted to see you about this awful business. Have -you ceased to love me, Paley?” - -“No, Lilian.” - -Perhaps Mrs. Oliphant had tried to stay down stairs, and permit her -daughter to pour out her griefs to me alone; but if she had tried, she -had not succeeded; and at this stage of the interview she entered the -room, without the ceremony of knocking. - -“I am glad you have come, Paley, for we want to talk over this -disagreeable business.” - -“Lilian’s note informed me that she was sick, and I came to see her, -but not to talk over any matter. If she is ill—” - -“She isn’t very ill,” interposed Mrs. Oliphant. - -I thought not; at least not too ill to discuss the exciting topic. - -“I am glad she is not very ill. If she is, I will stay at her side and -do all that a husband should do for a sick wife.” - -“O, we can take care of her! But I wanted to ask you if you really -intended to put that advertisement into the newspapers?” - -“You will excuse me, but I have nothing to say on that subject beyond -what I expressed in my note. If Lilian does not need any assistance -from me, I will go. If Lilian is ill, I will defer the insertion of the -advertisement until Monday morning.” - -“O, Paley!” gasped Lilian. - -“Are you such a monster!” exclaimed Mrs. Oliphant, her lips compressed -and her eyes flashing in such a way as to indicate in what manner poor -Oliphant had been conquered. - -“I have nothing more to say, madam,” I replied, with all the dignity I -could command. - -I moved towards the door. Mrs. Oliphant was proceeding to rehearse the -enormity of my offence, when I clipped the wings of her rhetoric by -opening the door. - -“Good-by, Lilian, if we are to meet no more,” I added. “On Monday it -will be too late.” - -I retreated down the stairs, and fled from the house, though Mrs. -Oliphant made a lively pursuit as far as the street door, calling upon -me with all her might to return. - -I know that my lady readers are branding me as a barbarian, but I -beg to remind them again that I was not fighting the battle with my -wife, but with her mother. I was striking for my own and for Lilian’s -independence. If I could not have her as my wife, I would not have her -at all. I did not go directly home. I called to see Tom Flynn. He was -not in, but I left a message for him to see me in Needham Street as -soon as he returned. - -I was tolerably calm, considering the amount of actual suffering I -endured. Biddy was garrulous, and disposed to say harsh things of the -“missus.” I checked her, declaring that Lilian was an angel herself, -and that Mrs. Oliphant was the fomenter of the strife. Fortunately I -was relieved from her comments by the arrival of Tom Flynn. The noble -fellow looked sad when he entered, and I think he feared I intended -to say I could not pay him the four hundred dollars on Monday, as I -promised. He had not visited my house before, and he was lavish in -his praise of the good taste displayed in the furniture. Perhaps it -suggested him a doubt in regard to the safety of his money. - -“Where is Lilian?” he asked. “I have not seen her for a month.” - -The question opened the subject nearest to my heart. I began my story, -and related it in the most minute detail up to the interview which -had just taken place between my wife and myself. The noble fellow was -astonished at the recital, and his countenance beamed with generous -sympathy. - -“I am very sorry for all this, Paley. It is an awkward and -uncomfortable predicament,” said he. - -“What can I do?” - -“I don’t know. I think you are right in your main position, though I am -not quite so sure in regard to your method of treatment,” he replied, -musing. “I should not quite like to advertise my wife.” - -“I don’t like to do it; but as sure as my name is Paley Glasswood, I -will do it, if she does not come to this house before Monday morning!” -I replied, quite excitedly. - -“However, I don’t think you will have occasion to do it,” he added. -“Oliphant has had the reputation of being a hen-pecked husband ever -since I first heard of him. His wife is a strong-minded woman, and I -suppose he found it cheaper to yield than to fight it out. He was a -prosperous man formerly, but they say his spirit was broken by this -domestic tyranny. I can’t advise you to back out, though I wish you had -consulted your wife before you furnished the house.” - -“That would only have transferred the battleground to another location. -If I yield, I am lost.” - -It was fully settled with the advice of my friend, that I should -not yield. I explained that if Lilian did not like the house or the -furniture after a reasonable trial, I would change either or both. Tom -Flynn stayed with me till midnight, and told me a great many things in -regard to the Oliphants that I was glad to know. It is enough for me to -add that I had not misapprehended the character of “dear ma.” - -The next day was Saturday. I went to the bank at the usual hour, and -stayed there till the close of business. I wanted to go to Springhaven -that day to make my assault upon Aunt Rachel’s purse-strings. The last -train left at six o’clock. I was going home, and if my wife did not -appear, I intended to spend Sunday at home with my mother. It was the -last day of grace, both for Lilian and the money I was to pay Tom Flynn -on Monday. - -Biddy admitted me, but she had no tidings of my wife. Lilian had not -come to my house, and had sent no message for me. Was it possible -that Mrs. Oliphant meant to let the affair take its course—to make -a “grass-widow” of her daughter rather than allow her to submit? It -looked so, incredible as it seemed. After I had eaten my dinner, I -wrote a note to Lilian, informing her that I intended to spend Sunday -at my mother’s, that I would call at our house in Needham Street on -Monday morning, and that, if I did not find her there, I should insert -the advertisement in all the newspapers. It was then after four -o’clock, and I sent the note by Biddy with the usual instructions. - -I went up stairs to take a bath and dress for my visit. It was after -five when I came down. Biddy had returned, and was busy with her work. -I began to tell her where I was going when the door-bell rang. - -“Bedad! the missus has come, and brought her mother with her!” -exclaimed she, as she rushed into the dining-room where I was smoking -away the half hour I had to spare before going to the train. - -“Where are they?” - -“In the parlor.” - -It was not a very encouraging fact that Mrs. Oliphant had come with -her. I went into the sitting-room where were seated my guests, for as -such only could I yet regard them. - -“I am glad you have come, Lilian,” said I, entering the room. - -“But I have not come to stay,” she interposed, promptly. - -“Then I am sorry you have come,” I added, as promptly. - -“It is terrible, Paley, to think that my husband is prepared to desert -me, and to advertise me in the newspapers,” said she. - -“It is just as terrible for me to be deserted as for you, Lilian. I -hope you will think well of it before it is too late.” - -“I came over to see about this business, Mr. Glasswood,” interposed -Mrs. Oliphant, stiffly. - -“Nothing need be said, madam. I must add that I decline to discuss the -question at all.” - -“That’s a pretty way, sir!” continued she. “You married my daughter, -and you promised—” - -“I know I did, madam, and she promised, too. If she does not choose to -occupy the house I have provided for her, that is the end of the whole -matter; and also the end of all argument. I am going to Springhaven -now. I have nothing more to say, except to add that when my wife -returns to me I will treat her as tenderly as I know how, bury the -past, and seek only her happiness.” - -I moved towards the door. Lilian burst into tears. I saw her glance at -her mother, who sat in dignified stiffness on the sofa. - -“Good-by, Lilian,” I said, glancing tenderly at her. - -“No, no, Paley! You shall not go!” gasped she, springing into my arms. -“I will stay here!” - -“Lilian!” exclaimed her mother, springing to her feet. - -She was my wife then. - - - - -_CHAPTER XI._ - -OVER THE PRECIPICE. - - -LILIAN was in my arms again, and all that I had suffered was -compensated for by the bliss of the moment. I think she had been -thoroughly aroused by the peril of her situation, and it was only at -the last possible moment, as she understood the case, that she yielded. -Lilian was human, like the rest of the world, and she was fond of her -own way. I was willing to let her have her own way, but when it came to -giving her mother the control of my affairs, I was rebellious. - -My poor wife sobbed in my arms, and I could hardly restrain my own -tears. I would not have repressed them if Mrs. Oliphant had not been -present. Lilian was conquered, but I was sure she had only reached a -point which she had desired to attain before. I am not sure that this -same battle is not fought out by every man and wife, however gentle -and affectionate they may be. Some husbands are brutes, some wives -are head-strong, but each is always jealous of individual power and -influence. I think Lilian was disposed to adopt the tactics of her -mother, and rule her own household; but now she had suddenly become a -gentle and submissive wife, and had thus placed herself in a position -to be potential in regard to her husband. - -[Illustration: MY WIFE CONCLUDES TO STAY. Page 160.] - -Mrs. Oliphant was disgusted. She frowned savagely upon both of us. She -realized that her influence was gone forever, if this state of feeling -existed. Her cherished plan fell through and was a wreck beyond the -possibility of redemption. I do not wonder that she was disgusted, for -it was no trivial thing to be suddenly deprived of the handsome income -she derived from me, which I should have been very glad to pay her, if -I could have done so, though not under the egregious cheat of paying -her thirty dollars a week for board which was dear at ten. - -“Lilian,” said Mrs. Oliphant, sternly, “I did not think you were so -weak and childish.” - -“Weak and childish, mother? Shall I desert my husband?” added my wife, -gently. - -“It is not for me to say any thing, for I never interfere between man -and wife,” continued “dear ma,” in the tone of a martyr. “But I can’t -help thinking that your husband is very unreasonable. It isn’t every -child that has so good a home as you have, and parents who are willing -to slave themselves to death for her! And this is all the thanks they -get for it!” - -“Why, dear ma, what have I done?” asked Lilian, horrified at the -implied charge of ingratitude. - -“Nothing, nothing! It is no matter!” replied Mrs. Oliphant, with a -vigorous effort to appear like a much-abused person. “I suppose it is a -mother’s lot to be deserted by her children.” - -“Deserted, mother!” exclaimed my poor wife. - -“I would not say any thing, Lilian,” I whispered to her. - -“After I had made all my arrangements to board you, suddenly, and -without a word of notice you go off and leave me. What have I done to -merit this treatment?” - -Lilian followed my suggestion, and made no reply. - -“Well, I suppose I am not wanted here, and I may as well go,” she said, -flouncing up, and aiming for the door. - -“On the contrary, Mrs. Oliphant, we shall both be very glad to have you -come here as often and stay as long as you can,” I added. - -“Yes, mother, my house shall be your house,” said Lilian, warmly and -with much feeling. - -“It is easier to talk than to do,” persisted Mrs. Oliphant, who was -determined to be an abused person. “I’ll go home alone.” - -“I will go with you, mother if you desire it.” interposed Lilian. - -Mrs. Oliphant did desire it. It is quite possible she expected still to -conquer our united forces. - -“Send the wagon for my trunks, Paley, as soon as you please,” whispered -Lilian, as she left the house with her mother. - -I need not say that I lost no time in complying with these stealthy -instructions. I hastened for the job wagon, but it was an hour before -I reached Mr. Oliphant’s with it, for I could not readily find a team -at that hour. The clock struck six, and I lost my train to Springhaven; -but I hardly noticed the circumstance, so intent was I upon healing the -breach in my domestic affairs. - -When I arrived at the house, I found Lilian in tears, and a little -inclined to yield again; but the appearance of the expressman seemed to -strengthen her again. She permitted the trunks to be carried down, and -the man departed with them. - -“I cannot go, Paley,” said she, as she dropped into a chair. - -“Why not, Lilian?” - -“Mother is terribly incensed against me.” - -“She will get over it in a few days. What does your father say?” - -“Nothing,” said she, looking up at me, as though she thought I asked a -curious question. - -“The sooner we go, Lilian, the better it will be for all of us,” I -suggested. - -“I will go, Paley, but I am afraid I shall never be happy again,” said -she, rising. - -“Yes, you will, my dear. Your mother will be the same as ever by -to-morrow.” - -We went down stairs, and found Mrs. Oliphant in the parlor. - -“Good-by, mother. I shall come to see you every day,” said Lilian, -trying to be cheerful. - -“Good-by, Lilian,” replied Mrs. Oliphant, in a tone which indicated the -depth of her despair. - -Lilian said good-by to her sisters, and hoped both of them would come -to the house in Needham Street every day, Sundays not excepted. Then -we went home. Blessed word! It meant more to me than ever before. I -need hardly add that we talked of nothing during the evening but the -exciting topic of the day, though I tried frequently to change the -subject. - -Biddy was the happiest girl outside of Ireland, for though my wife was -very sad, she was still the “missus” in her own house. Lilian confessed -to me that she liked the house very much; that she would not have had -it any different if she had been consulted, but her mother was so -anxious to have us remain at her house that she could not think of such -a thing as leaving her. If her mother could only be satisfied with the -new arrangement, she should be as happy as any mortal in existence. - -I hoped for the best. I did not count upon any continued opposition -from Mrs. Oliphant, as it was so obviously for her interest to keep -the peace now that the Rubicon had been passed. If I had not been so -busily occupied in smoothing the path for Lilian, I should have made -myself very miserable over my failure to visit Springhaven. I had four -hundred dollars to pay on Monday, with nothing on hand to meet the -demand. It was an ugly subject, and I avoided it as much as possible -in my meditations, though it would often flash upon me. I could not -disappoint Tom Flynn. - -I took an early walk on Sunday morning, and invited Tom to drop in upon -us to dinner that day, which he did. He was delighted to see Lilian in -her new home, and congratulated me privately upon the happy issue of -the difficulty. In the afternoon Mr. Oliphant called. We showed him all -over the house, and the old gentleman appeared to be in raptures. Then -Bertha and Ellen came, and they visited every part of the new mansion, -expressing their entire satisfaction with all the arrangements. - -After church, Tom called again, for he never staid away from service -for any reason, forenoon or afternoon. We sang psalm tunes till nine -o’clock in the evening, and truly home was home to me then, as it had -never been before. Bertha was a splendid singer, and I noticed that -Tom, who was very fond of music, appeared to be more interested in her -than I had ever before observed. He went home with her, and I ventured -to hope that my example would not be without its influence upon him. - -When I went to the bank the next morning, Tom told me, in the most -careless manner in the world, that Bertha was a very pretty girl, and a -magnificent singer. Of course I agreed with him, but the sight of my -friend thrust upon me, more forcibly than any other consideration, the -ugly fact that I owed him four hundred dollars, due that day. I had not -the courage to ask him for further time. My honor, and more than that, -my pride, were involved. What could I do? - -I might run down to Springhaven at night. No, I could not leave, for, -at church and elsewhere, we had invited all our friends to call upon -us, and I expected to see company every evening during the week. I must -be at home. The money must be paid. There was no possible way by which -I could honorably postpone it. - -“What time to-day do you want that little matter of money I owe you, -Tom?” I asked of my friend. - -“As soon after bank hours as convenient.” - -“You shall have it at half-past two. I must go up the street for it, -and can’t leave very well before the bank closes.” - -“All right; it will do at three,” added my obliging friend. - -What odds would it make to me whether the time was fixed at two or -three? I was just as unable to pay it at one time as the other. A lucky -thought occurred to me. I could call upon my uncle, Captain Halliard, -who would no doubt be glad to redeem his credit with me by lending me -any reasonable sum I wanted. In a week or so I could find time to see -Aunt Rachel, and as I was her favorite, she would put me in funds. - -The bank closed. I was in a tremor of anxiety. Before balancing my -cash, I hastened out to find my uncle. He was in the Insurance Office -as usual at this hour. I asked him a great many stupid questions about -indifferent matters, without daring to put the main question. He -actually appeared to have forgotten that he had insulted and offended -me. He was rather patronizing and stiff in his manner, and the result -of the interview was that I did not mention the matter nearest to -my heart. I was sure he would refuse if I did; and I could not be -humiliated for nothing. - -I was in despair. My heart was in my throat. My pride revolted at the -thought of telling Tom Flynn that I could not pay him. I went back to -the bank and balanced my cash. I counted over an immense sum of money. -Four hundred dollars would make me happy. Mr. Bristlebach had entire -confidence in me. Why could I not borrow four hundred dollars of the -bank as conveniently as of Captain Halliard. - -I trembled at the bare thought of such a thing. Thus far I had kept -myself honest before God and man. But then I did not mean to _steal_ -this sum. I would even put a memorandum in the drawer, to the effect -that I was indebted to the bank for this amount. What harm? Who would -be wronged by it? I intended to pay every penny of it back in a few -days, as soon as I could visit my aunt. It was a little irregular, but -even the cashier had done a similar thing within my knowledge. No one -would ever know anything about it, and certainly no one would ever lose -anything. - -Why should I be tortured for the want of four hundred dollars, when -thousands were lying idle in my drawer? Why should I humiliate myself -before Tom Flynn, when, without wronging any body, I could pay my debt, -make him happy, and be happy myself? I was certain that I could return -the four hundred dollars. My aunt would certainly let me have it. My -uncle even would lend it to me. I had property enough in my house to -pay it three times over. - -Why should I linger here at the brink of the precipice over which I -had determined to leap? I thought, as hundreds of others have thought, -in the same trying situation. I comforted myself, as they have done, -with fallacious reasoning. I persuaded myself that, as I intended to -pay back what I borrowed, and convinced myself that I had the means to -do so, it was not dishonest for me to take the money. I assured myself -it was only a slight irregularity that I meditated; that, even in the -sight of God, it was only a trivial error of form. The Good Father -judges us more by our intentions than by our acts. - -Perhaps I had prepared myself for this step, as every young man -does who permits himself to run in debt, who allows himself to be -continually subjected to a fearful temptation by the pressure of -obligations needlessly incurred. Certainly my experience in furnishing -my house had prepared me for this temptation. It came when I least -expected it. It was but a trivial form that I purposed to break -through; not the law of honesty, of moral rectitude. - -I took four one hundred dollar bills from my drawer, and slipped -them into my vest-pocket. Everybody in the bank was minding his own -business. No one took any notice of me. I think I must have been as -pale as death when I did the deed, trivial as I chose to regard it. -I wrote the amount in figures, on a slip of paper, and put it under -the bills in the drawer. I convinced myself that this was a suitable -acknowledgement of what I had done, which fully relieved me of every -intention of doing anything wrong. It is astonishing how weak and silly -we are when we are trying to conceal our own errors from our own eyes. -The contents of my drawer were transferred to the vault, and I prepared -to go home. - -“Tom, I haven’t had time to get that money yet, but I will meet you at -three o’clock, at the reading-room,” I remarked to my friend, as easily -as I could. - -“O, don’t put yourself out, Paley,” said the generous fellow. “If it is -not convenient, let it go.” - -“No, but it shall be paid. The money is all ready, only I have not had -time to go for it.” - -“I hope the matter has not given you any trouble, Paley,” he added; and -perhaps I had not been entirely successful in concealing the anxiety -which disturbed me. - -“O no, not a bit! You see my affairs at home took up my time, and I -neglected to attend to the matter on Saturday. Be at the reading-room -at three, and I shall have the money for you, without fail.” - -“I will be there, Paley. But what makes you look so pale?” he inquired. - -“I don’t know. I haven’t been very well, and my difficulty at home -has worn upon me. But I’m all right now,” I replied, assuming a very -cheerful face, as I left the bank. - -At the appointed time Tom was at the reading-room, and I gave him -the four hundred dollars. The bills passed out of my hands, and it -was forever too late to undo what I had done. I had leaped over the -precipice beneath which lie dishonor, shame and disgrace. I was sorely -troubled. My irregularity vexed me, and I felt as one tormented by a -legion of devils. - -The fact that Tom had noticed my altered appearance put me upon my -guard. I tried to be gay and even jovial. I laughed, cracked jokes, -rallied Tom on being in love with Bertha—any thing to banish from -my mind the corroding feeling that I was a defaulter. I tore up my -note which Tom handed to me. I invited him to come to my house in the -evening. I invited him to come every evening. I know that I must have -talked strangely. There seemed to be a twenty-four pound cannon shot -in the centre of my brain. I wanted something to elevate my spirits. -I went into a bar-room, and drank a glass of whiskey—a thing I had -never before done, though I had taken a glass of wine occasionally. - -The liquor inspired me. I drank a second glass, at another bar-room, -and found myself capable of rising above my troubles. I went home. -Buckleton was there, waiting to see me. - - - - -_CHAPTER XII._ - -A KEEPER IN THE HOUSE. - - -LILIAN opened the door, and kissed me as usual when I came home. - -“Why, Paley, you have been drinking,” whispered she. - -“I had a severe pain, and took a glass of whiskey. I feel fetter now,” -I replied. - -“There’s a gentleman waiting for you in the sitting-room,” she added. - -“Yes, I saw him. It is Buckleton, an old friend of mine. I may ask him -to dine with us.” - -I think Lilian suspected something was wrong with me, though I am sure -she had not the remotest conception of the nature and extent of the -mischief which was gathering around us. Probably the smell of my breath -startled her, with the added fact that I was a little flighty in my -manner, for I believe that nothing can be more justly startling to a -woman than the possibility of her husband becoming a drunkard. She -knew nothing whatever of my financial affairs. I had never made her -my confidant; on the contrary, I had weakly and foolishly assumed to -be “full of money,” and behaved with a liberality and extravagance far -beyond my means. - -Buckleton was waiting for me. I owed Buckleton eight hundred dollars, -for which he had no security. What did Buckleton want with me? It had -been his own proposition to give me, under a liberal interpretation of -his own words, unlimited credit as to time, if not amount. Why had he -come to my house? I had been at the bank all the forenoon, and that was -the proper place to meet a man in relation to business. Of course if I -had not owed him eight hundred dollars, I should not have troubled my -head about this particular visit of an old acquaintance. - -However, I had drank two glasses of whiskey, and the circumstance of -his coming did not trouble me much. I still felt light-hearted, and was -not disposed to let anything trouble me much or long. I smoothed down -my hair, and after drinking a glass of ice-water in the dining-room, -which my parched tongue required, I entered the room where Buckleton -was waiting for me. He was as cordial as though he had come only as -an old friend. But exhilarated as I was, I could not fail to notice -a certain constraint on his part, as though his cordiality was in a -measure forced. - -He was glad to see me. He had business at the South End, and thought -he would call in upon me as he was passing. The messenger at the bank -told me, the next day, he had been there to find me ten minutes after I -left. But his coming at this particular time, he labored to represent, -was purely an accident. He was glad to see me so well situated. He -hoped I should call on him at the West End with Mrs. Glasswood. He -had not had the pleasure of knowing my wife, but he hoped to make her -acquaintance. All these things he said with the utmost suavity, and -then rose from the sofa to take his leave; but he did not take it, and -I knew he did not intend to do so until he had said something about the -little matter of eight hundred dollars that I owed him. He had his hat -in his hand, and moved toward the door. - -“Stay and dine with me, Buckleton,” I interposed. “Dinner is all ready, -and I should be delighted to have you.” - -“Thank you! Thank you! I should be glad to do so, but I have to meet -a gentleman at the store in half an hour,” he replied, consulting his -watch. - -“Let him wait; you needn’t be over half an hour behind time.” - -“I can’t do that, for the fact is he owes me some money, and I am -desperately short just now.” - -Bah! I had given him the opportunity to say that, and it was now an -easy step for him to dun me. - -“Well, come up next Sunday, won’t you? And bring your wife with you. We -shall be delighted to see you,” I continued, hoping to throw him off -the track. - -“I will, if possible; but I often find that Mrs. Buckleton has made -engagements for me, and, if I remember rightly, her father and mother -dine with us next Sunday. Besides, I have been so annoyed with business -matters for a week, that I have not felt much like going into company. -I expected a remittance of six thousand dollars from Havana, and -learned the other day that the party had stopped payment. I don’t know -what we shall do to meet our own notes. By the way, Glasswood, would it -be perfectly convenient for you to pay the amount you owe us in a few -days?” - -“It would not be perfectly convenient,” I replied, squarely. - -“I know very well that I proposed to wait for it, but, you see, this -confounded Cuban affair throws us all out of groove; and we are in hot -water up to the eyes. Isn’t it possible for you to pay it?” - -“Perhaps it is possible, but it would be deused inconvenient. You know -I should not have bought so largely if you had not suggested that I -might pay for the goods in my own time.” - -“We sold you, as you are aware, at the very lowest cash prices,” he -added. - -I was not aware of it, but I did not deem it wise to open any -controversy on a subject so insignificant. - -“I don’t see how I can do a thing for you, Buckleton, at present.” - -“It would be a very great accommodation if you could. Half would be -better than nothing, though we want every dollar we can possibly raise. -I will discount five per cent. for cash.” - -“That’s liberal, but it won’t help me much.” - -“Think it over, and see what you can do for me, Glasswood. I am in a -tight place.” - -“I am sorry for it, but I haven’t got quite settled yet. I shall be -able to pay you in a couple of months.” - -“I may be in bankruptcy before that time,” said he, with a grim smile. -“I will call and see you to-morrow morning at the bank.” - -He went away. I thought I was inclined to stretch the truth quite -enough in making out a case, but I could not equal him. He was in no -more danger of failing than our bank was. The Cuban matter was a myth. -I was satisfied that he had been examining into the condition of my -credit. It was more than probable that he had heard rumors of my little -difficulty at the bank, and had not heard of the triumphant conclusion -of the affair. Shaytop had been whispering in his ear. Very likely my -uncle had hinted that I was living too fast. Certainly some persons had -been busy with matters which, in my estimation, did not concern them. -I was indignant, and felt that I had been abused. Let me say to young -gentlemen that shrewd business men usually know us better than we know -ourselves, and see sooner than we which way we are going. - -Lilian was waiting for me in the dining-room. Of course she wished to -know “what that man wanted;” and I turned off the affair as best I -could. I sat down, and for a sick man who found it necessary to take -medicine, I ate a very hearty dinner. - -“Well, my dear, how do you like the house, and housekeeping?” I said, -in order to turn the subject from “that man.” - -“Very much, indeed, Paley. The only draw-back is that mother feels so -badly about it.” - -“O, well! she will get over it in a few days.” - -“Do you know, Paley, that I have been thinking of something?” she -continued, looking up to me with that peculiar archness which indicated -that she had a plan to propose. - -“Have you, indeed? Well, that is not very remarkable.” - -“I don’t know that it is; but why don’t you ask me what I have been -thinking about?” - -“Well, my dear, what have you been thinking about?” - -“I’ll tell you, since you ask,” laughed she. “We haven’t had anything -like a house-warming yet.” - -“We have not. That was a great oversight. We will invite our friends, -and have some nuts and raisins.” - -“Nuts and raisins! And be called mean by everybody!” - -“Well, what do you propose?” I inquired, though I was rather appalled -at the idea of paying the bills for a large party. - -“I don’t know; but if we invite all our friends, we must not be mean -about it. Besides, I hope mother will come, and then we shall be able -to make it all up.” - -“I hope she will.” - -We proceeded to discuss the details of the house-warming. Lilian -thought it would be cheaper and more stylish to have Smith take charge -of the whole thing. He would provide all the eatables, and place a -cream-colored waiter in white cotton gloves in the hall to open the -door for the guests. She thought it would be more “_re-church-y_,” and, -of course, I could not stand up against this tremendous argument. As -I was busy at the bank, she would call and see Smith herself the next -forenoon. - -She had just been restored to me, and I could not deny her anything. I -think it would have broken her heart to know that I was up to my ears -in debt; that I could not afford to pay Smith for even a moderate thing -in his line. I ought to have told her the truth, the whole truth, but -I had not the courage to do so. I knew very well that the life we had -been living at her mother’s was just as distasteful and disagreeable -to her as to me. She had consented to it for her mother’s sake, and -had been a martyr since the day we returned from our bridal tour. I -need not say that she was fond of style and show, and she had deprived -herself of all these luxuries for the benefit of her family. The chain -was broken, and the first thing was a party. - -I could not help myself without being a tyrant. Smith’s bill at the -outside could not be over a hundred dollars, and that would not kill -me for once. It occurred to me that I would limit the expenses to one -hundred dollars, but I did not see how they could exceed this sum; so -I decided to let Lilian manage the whole affair to suit herself. I -have no doubt she would have done very well, and that the result would -have been satisfactory to me, but unfortunately my wife’s ideas were -different from mine. By an act of grace on the part of a very wealthy -gentleman to whom I had been able to render some service, we were -invited to a great birthday party of his daughter, shortly after our -marriage. Lilian’s pretty face and graceful figure made her a great -favorite among the gentlemen, and she made quite a sensation. Of course -I was proud of her and Lilian deemed it the most fortunate thing in the -world to obtain the _entree_ of such company. - -It never occurred to me that Lilian would attempt to imitate the style -of my wealthy friend, or to invite any of the acquaintances she had -made there. She knew that I was a bank-teller, on a salary of two -thousand dollars, and of course she could not think of competing with -a _millionaire_. I went to the bank the next day, and Lilian went to -Smith’s. While I was looking at the morning paper, Buckleton appeared. -He did not seem to have the same suavity which had distinguished him -at my house. On the contrary, he was rather stiff and decided in his -manner. I told him it was quite impossible for me to pay the bill at -present. - -“Glasswood, I must be square about this business. Things were not -exactly as I supposed, when I sold you those goods. I must have the -money or security for the debt at once.” - -I was mad. Some one had been talking to him about me, and he had -listened to the foe rather than to me. - -“You seem to be putting a different face upon the affair. Yesterday -you were short; to-day you are afraid of losing the money,” I replied, -coldly. - -“I only want to know what you are going to do.” - -“You told me to pay for the goods when it was convenient. If you had -not said so, I should not have bought them.” - -“Give me a mortgage on the furniture in your house, and I will wait any -reasonable time.” - -“I won’t do it!” I replied, angrily. - -“Very well; we needn’t talk any more about it.” - -“You professed to be my friend, and were willing to accommodate me.” - -“Circumstances alter cases. I have different information now.” - -“What information have you?” I demanded. - -“I am not at liberty to say. I never betray any man’s confidence. You -are living beyond your means. I am willing to do anything that’s fair, -but I must have the money or the security.” - -“I’ll see you after bank hours to-day.” - -“Perhaps you will,” said he, leaving the bank very abruptly. - -Who had been talking to this man? I never knew, but I am forced to -acknowledge now, what I did not believe then, that his information -was correct. I was vexed and disconcerted, and as the forenoon wore -away, and my wrath abated, I concluded to give him the mortgage on my -household furniture. This matter was so absorbing that I hardly thought -of the four hundred dollars I owed the bank till the memorandum I had -put in the drawer attracted my attention. I do not know why I tore it -up and threw it into the waste-basket, but I did so. - -Mr. Bristlebach was very gentle towards me; so was the cashier; and I -was confident that no one suspected my cash was four hundred short. The -late inquiry into the condition of my department, instead of securing -the bank, had opened the way for my first irregularity. I went on with -my duties until about one o’clock, when I was not a little astonished -to see Biddy come into the bank. My heart rose into my mouth. I was -afraid that something had happened to Lilian, and that she was dead or -very sick. But Biddy only handed me a note, instead of making the scene -I had anticipated. - -The note appeared to have been very hastily written, and was not in -Lilian’s usually careful style. My name was scrawled hastily on the -envelope. It occurred to me that Smith might have disappointed her, -but I feared something worse than this. I tore open the note. The -letter covered two pages, and it was evidently written under great -excitement. I was alarmed, and hardly dared to read it, lest it should -inform me that one of her family was dead. - -I did read it, and it went on to tell me that, while she was away at -Smith’s, a deputy sheriff had come to the house and attached all the -furniture, and left a man there who called himself a “keeper.” She -had talked with this man, and he had told her Mr. Buckleton was the -person who had caused the goods to be attached. These were the material -statements of the letter, to which Lilian added that the matter was -“horrid;” that she never felt so strangely before in her life. She -wanted to know if I really owed Mr. Buckleton a thousand dollars. - -I was almost stunned by this heavy blow. Some observations I dropped in -regard to Buckleton were not complimentary to that individual. I could -not stop to think then. The first business was to quiet Lilian, and I -wrote her a note, saying that Buckleton had taken offence at something -I had said; that the affair was a mere trifle, and I would send the man -away with a flea in his ear when I went home to dinner. I sent Biddy -off with this note. - -A keeper in my house! What could I do? - - - - -_CHAPTER XIII._ - -THE SECOND STEP. - - -[Illustration] - -“I TOLD you so!” - -It was not easy for me to tell what to do. Eight hundred dollars and -all the expenses of the attachment. The keeper was in my house at that -moment and poor Lilian appeared to be frightened out of her wits. It -was easy enough for me to flourish and call it a small matter, but I -could not put my hand upon the money which was to lift the load from my -shoulders. - -What a crash there would be if this keeper was not driven from the -house that very day! What a text it would afford for “dear ma!” How -she would declare that it was a judgment upon me for my wickedness in -turning Lilian from the maternal bosom! How poor Lilian would suffer -under this terrible infliction! - -It was galling to me even to think of exposing myself to the fire of -Mrs. Oliphant, and I was willing to drown myself rather than suffer -the punishment she could inflict with her tongue. It was horrible -to anticipate her “I told you so!” It would be the sum total of all -miseries to be pitied and advised by her. I must either run away and -leave Lilian to her fate, or pay this debt; for I could not think of -breasting the storm which would follow an exposure of my financial -condition. - -The cold sweat stood on my brow as I thought of the situation. But I -was naturally hopeful and sanguine. If I had not been so, I should -never have incurred the burden of debt which now weighed me down. I -began to devise expedients; and Aunt Rachel was always the foremost of -expedients with me. The venerable spinster had thirty thousand dollars -according to the calculations of Captain Halliard, which was one-third -more than I had ever supposed. It was currently reported, and currently -believed, that I was to be her heir. It was true that the old lady had -never expressed herself to this effect in so many words, but among our -friends and relations this theory was fully accepted. - -It could make no difference to her if she advanced one or two thousand -dollars before she shuffled off her mortal coil. I had so easily -persuaded her to let me have a thousand dollars, that I was confident -the second thousand would come without much difficulty. If I could -only find time to see her, I was satisfied my powers of persuasion -would do the rest. I wanted twelve hundred dollars; but this sum -would barely cover my pressing liabilities, and I made up my mind -that fifteen hundred would come as easily as twelve hundred, and the -difference would enable me to meet the cost of the attachment, Lilian’s -house-warming, and other little matters which would appear before the -next pay-day. - -I had entire confidence in my own powers. I could put my hand on my -heart, and say that I had always treated Aunt Rachel with kindness -and consideration. I had always been a favorite with her, and I was -positive that the old lady could not resist my eloquence. In fact, I -was as sure of the money as though it had already been in my pocket; -and as I considered the subject I became hopeful and happy. But I -could not go to Springhaven that night, and in a few hours more that -abominable keeper might reveal his presence in my house to the whole -neighborhood. Lilian did not understand the matter, and if any of her -dear friends called, she might relate to them the wretched story I had -written in my note. - -The keeper must be sent out of the house as soon as I could get away -from the bank. His staying there any longer would certainly ruin me. -Whatever else was doubtful, this was plain. Tom Flynn stood near me. -He had money, though he had just invested all he had in stocks; but -I was sure, if I told him the whole truth, he would help me out of -the difficulty even if he had to sell his stocks, and sacrifice his -dividends. But it was too humiliating to think of telling him that I -had plunged into a sea of debt, and was already struggling for life in -the waves. - -I did think of calling upon my uncle, but I rejected the suggestion on -the instant, for I could not listen to the storm of invectives he would -heap upon me; and, besides, he would tell my Aunt Rachel, and thus give -her a bad opinion of me. The old lady might disinherit me as a “fast -boy.” - -Buckleton had offered to take a mortgage on my furniture for security. -This seemed to be the most practicable solution of the problem which -had yet presented itself. But what was the use of mortgaging the -property when I could pay the debt as soon as I had seen Aunt Rachel? -Besides, if there was a man on the face of the footstool whom I hated -with all my mind, heart and soul, that man was Buckleton. He had -induced me to purchase more extensively than I intended by holding out -to me the most liberal terms of credit. Now, in less than a month, he -was putting the twisters upon me. I regarded him as a treacherous and -unfeeling man; one without a soul; one who would sell his friend for -sixpence. I despised him from the deepest depths of my heart, and the -idea of asking a favor of him, or even of having a word to say to him, -was utterly repulsive to me. I could not see him; I could only treat -him with cold and dignified contempt. - -Perhaps it was not becoming in one situated as I was to put on such -airs, or to attempt to save my dignity. I could not help it. I was -proud—I wish I had been too proud to do a wrong deed. There appeared -to be no resource to which I could turn for immediate relief. Of the -fifteen hundred dollars for which I had decided to ask my aunt, I was -perfectly sure. If the old lady hesitated, I could tell her that ruin -stared me in the face, that I should be compelled to run away, and -never show my face about Boston again, if I did not obtain this money. -I was satisfied this threat would bring the money, if nothing else did. -I could assure her it would be all the same with her. I would pay her -the highest rate of interest, and return the principal in a short time. -If she wished it, I could give her security on my furniture for the -amount. - -I was sure of the money from her. Why should I be distressed for the -want of it during the few days that must elapse before I could see her? -There was no reason, in my estimation. I need not inform the reader -that by this time I meditated taking another loan from the bank funds -in my keeping. I could borrow eleven hundred more, thus making my total -indebtedness to the bank fifteen hundred. A few days, or even a week -hence, I should receive the loan from Aunt Rachel, and I could slip the -whole amount in the drawer. Then I should be square with the bank. Then -no one would have the power to distress me. - -Two o’clock came, and the bank closed. With far less compunction than -I had experienced on the former occasion, I took eleven hundred dollars -from my drawer as I transferred the cash to the safe. I did not go -through with the idle formality of depositing a memorandum in my trunk -with the money. It was a loan for a few days, which Aunt Rachel would -enable me to pay. I will not say that I did not tremble—I did. I did -not persuade myself that the act was right, only that I intended no -wrong. I called the deed simply an “irregularity.” It was not stealing, -embezzlement, or any other ugly thing with a savage name. I had the -money in my pocket, and I think this fact was the basis of all the -arguments I used in persuading myself that I had not done a very wicked -act. - -As soon as I had balanced my cash I left the bank and hastened home. I -need not say that Lilian was in a tempest of excitement, in spite of my -consoling note. The horrible keeper sat in the dining-room, reading the -morning paper, and apparently unconscious of the misery he had brought -to my house. He was polite and gentlemanly, and I was magnanimous -enough to treat him with consideration. I inquired into the particulars -of the case, and proposed to settle the claim at once. He had no -authority to settle it, and referred me to Messrs. Shiver & Sharp, -attorneys, in Court Street, who had procured the writ. - -Dinner was nearly ready, and I invited the keeper to dine with me. He -was condescending enough to accept, and while we sat at the table I did -some large talking, in which I was particularly severe upon Buckleton, -and particularly complimentary to Glasswood, the latter of whom was -a highly honorable man, who had been grossly wronged by the former. -Buckleton had put on the attachment out of spite. Glasswood had always -paid his debts fairly and squarely, but would not be imposed upon. - -After dinner I rushed down to the office of Messrs. Shiver & Sharp. -I was indignant and savage, but I was magnificent. I rolled out the -hundred-dollar bills with a perfect looseness. I did not even dispute -the costs. I paid all, to the utmost penny demanded. Then I talked -about the insult, the stain upon my honor, and dilated upon kindred -topics, but I fear I failed to make any strong impression upon the -astute Mr. Sharp, who conducted the business. He was polite, but he was -cold. He gave me a note to the keeper, which I delivered on my return -to Needham Street, and which caused his immediate departure, after he -had carefully examined the well-known signature of the legal firm. - -“Such things are unpleasant, Lilian, but I suppose they have happened -to almost all men at one time or another,” I remarked, as soon as the -door had closed upon our unwelcome guest. - -“I never was so frightened before in my life,” she replied with a deep -sigh, indicative of the relief she felt. - -“It was a miserable trick! It was too mean for any decent man to be -guilty of.” - -“But did you really owe this Buckleton?” - -“I did really owe him about eight hundred dollars, but he told me at -the time I bought the furniture to pay him whenever it was convenient. -It was not convenient to pay him to-day, and he sued me. You know, -my dear, that when one has money comfortably invested, drawing large -interest, one does not like to disturb it, at least, just before -dividends are payable.” - -“It’s too bad!” exclaimed Lilian, warmly, her pretty face beaming with -sympathy; and she actually believed that the indefinite pronoun I had -used in my description represented myself. - -“Well, Lilian, what have you done about the party?” I inquired, rather -anxious to change the topic, lest she should desire to know more of my -financial affairs. - -“I have seen Smith, and made all the arrangements for next Friday -evening. As it is to be a house-warming, we must not put it off too -long. But, dear me, when I came home, and found this awful man here, I -was so alarmed that I was on the point of countermanding the order I -had given.” - -“It’s all right now. But you must hurry up your invitations.” - -“There is time enough for them. We will prepare the list this evening. -But, Paley, what shall we do for a piano? It will be very awkward to be -without a piano on such an occasion. Besides, people will think we are -nobody if we don’t have one.” - -“That’s very true, Lilian,” I replied, somewhat startled by the -proposition. “But I’m afraid we can hardly afford to buy one just yet. -Such a one as I want would cost five hundred dollars.” - -“A cheaper one will do.” - -“But it is bad economy to buy a cheap one. In the course of six months -or a year I shall be able to buy a good one.” - -“We must have one for this party.” - -“I will see what can be done before Friday.” - -“And, Paley, you furnished the house beautifully, but there is just one -thing for the parlor that you forgot,” continued Lilian, bestowing upon -me her most winning smile. - -“What is that?” - -“An _étagère_. It would set off the parlor more than all the rest of -the furniture.” - -“But it would cost about a hundred dollars.” - -“I would rather do without many other things than not have an -_étagère_,” replied Lilian, beginning to look very sad. - -“Will you go down town and look at some of them?” said I, looking as -amiable as though I had not borrowed fifteen hundred dollars of the -bank. - -“Dear me! I can’t go this afternoon. I have everything to do. But your -taste is so good, Paley, that you can buy one just as well without me.” - -I left the house for the purpose of obtaining a piano and an _étagère_. -Buckleton had showed me the latter article, and insisted that my house -would not be furnished without it. I had positively refused to buy it, -for two reasons. First, because I could not afford it; and, second, -because no one could pronounce the name of the thing. I confess that -it seemed to be a greater sin to place such a piece of furniture where -plain Yankees would be tempted to utter its name, than it was to -indulge in criminal extravagance. Lilian’s French had been neglected, -and she made a bad botch of the word, but I decided to instruct her in -the difficult task of pronouncing the word. - -I went to a pianoforte house. The book-keeper made his deposits and -drew his checks over our counter. I knew him. He showed me a five -hundred dollar instrument. It suited me—the piano, not the price. A -lower-priced one did not meet my views. I proposed an arrangement with -the concern, that I would hire the instrument with the intention of -purchasing if it suited me. One of the firm was consulted. Perhaps he -knew that persons who once indulged in a luxury would not willingly -give it up. He consented to let it for three months, with the privilege -of purchasing at the end of that time. It was ordered to my house. The -piano was provided for at an expense of twenty-five dollars, if not -bought, for three months. - -The _étagère_ was a more difficult matter. I could not hire one, and -I did not like to pay a hundred dollars for such a useless piece of -furniture; but there was no alternative. Lilian had said she must have -one. I had nearly three hundred dollars in my pocket, but with this sum -I intended to pay Smith, and get rid of my “floating debt,” so that I -should owe no one but Aunt Rachel. But Smith’s bill could not be over a -hundred dollars, at the most extravagant figure, and I thought I could -spare enough for the _étagère_. - -I went to a store near Buckleton’s. While I was looking at the -_étagère_ my late creditor came into the store. I was just closing the -bargain at ninety-five dollars. Buckleton had heard from his lawyer, -and was glad to meet me. I was glad to have him see me purchase this -piece of furniture. He spoke to me. I did not answer him. He attempted -to apologize. I did not look at him. I closed my bargain, and asked for -the bill. Buckleton was evidently vexed, and felt as any man does when -he has lost a customer. I enjoyed it. - -“I will sell you that same article for seventy-five dollars,” he -whispered in my ear, just before I closed the bargain. - -“I would not take it, if you would give it to me,” I replied. - -“I think I made a mistake to-day.” - -“The mistake of your lifetime,” I retorted. “Don’t speak to me again. I -despise you.” - -I stalked out of his reach, paid my bill, and went home. In the evening -Lilian and I made out the list of invitations. Of course I could not -overrule Lilian’s decisions, and not less than fifty were invited—all -our house would hold. It included my rich friend’s family, and I began -to tremble for the result. - - - - -_CHAPTER XIV._ - -THE HOUSE-WARMING. - - -[Illustration] - -THE next day the piano and the _étagère_ came, and were duly disposed -of in our pretty parlor. I could not help agreeing with Lilian that -both of them were absolutely necessary to the proper appointment of the -room. After she had covered the _étagère_ with a variety of articles, -most of which had to be purchased for the purpose, the effect was -pleasing. - -The piano filled a waiting space; and really there seemed to be nothing -more to wish for in this world. Lilian played a few tunes on the new -instrument, and my home seemed to be invested with a new charm. Beyond -the party, I looked forward to pleasant hours when our friends should -gather in this room on Sunday evening to sing sacred music, for which -Tom Flynn had a decided partiality. - -On Friday morning I went to the bank as usual. When I returned, Smith -had taken possession of the house, and was making his arrangements -for the grand occasion in the evening. I am bound to say that he made -but little fuss for so great an affair. When the evening came, a -colored gentleman in white cotton gloves was stationed at the door, -and more waiters were disposed of in other parts of the house. People -came—every body Lilian had invited, except those she wanted most, viz: -my wealthy friend from Beacon Street, with his family. They did not -come, and I had not supposed they would. - -Mrs. Oliphant came, and certainly this was a triumph. Lilian felt that -she had outgeneralled her mother, and conquered a peace. I am afraid -it required a desperate struggle on the part of “dear ma” to yield the -point, and I could only guess at the consideration which induced her to -come down from the “high horse.” But she was stiff and magnificent at -first. She did not seem to enjoy the affair, and looked upon me as an -ogre who had defeated all her cherished plans. - -Miss Bertha came, and so did Tom; and early in the evening I was not -a little surprised to hear the piano giving out the solemn notes of -Peterboro and Hebron, sung by a large portion of the company. The -instrument was pronounced excellent. Bertha sang like a nightingale, -and I am not sure that the piano did not cement a regard which -ultimately transformed the fair pianist into Mrs. Tom Flynn. - -Everything went well, and at eleven o’clock Smith’s supper was -uncovered. When I saw the stores with which the table was loaded, I was -afraid that the expense would spoil the face of a hundred dollar bill. -A little later, when champagne, Madeira and sherry were produced, I was -somewhat troubled. Reading the dates on the bottles, I was absolutely -alarmed. - -“I did not think you intended to have wine, Lilian,” I remarked, rather -seriously. - -“Not have wine!” exclaimed she, after she had imbibed a glass of -champagne. “Why, it would be no party at all without wine. I told Smith -to bring the best, and plenty of it.” - -He had evidently done so, and I groaned in spirit. - -“Tom Flynn don’t drink wine,” I added. - -“Let him drink coffee, then. We can suit his taste.” - -“He thinks it is wicked to furnish wine.” - -“Well, he can have the full benefit of his opinion,” laughed Lilian, -whose tongue flew merrily under the stimulus of the wine she had drank. - -Mrs. Oliphant took champagne, and warmed up under its influence. She -became quite sociable, and even forgiving. I was very glad to see that -Miss Bertha, for some reason best known to herself, did not partake of -the generous beverage. I am not sure that it was not the prospect of -disposing of another of her incumbrances quite as much as the influence -of the champagne which melted Mrs. Oliphant. Certainly Miss Bertha’s -chances were very flattering. Psalmody seemed to have done its perfect -work. - -Tom looked very serious when the wine began to flow in rivers of -profusion. He did not like it, and he seemed to be out of his element. -While most of the party were eating and drinking in the hall, dining -and sitting-rooms, I heard the voices of Bertha and Tom mingling with -the notes of the piano in a sacred song. They were alone in the parlor, -preferring to be away from the noisy revel over the wine cup. - -[Illustration: THE HOUSE WARMING. Page 204.] - -Smith’s stores of champagne and Madeira seemed to be inexhaustible, -and when the clock struck one, some of the party, not excluding a few -of the ladies, were in an exceedingly happy frame of mind. Then a -dance was proposed, and Tom and Bertha were driven from the parlor. A -gentleman played and called the changes. My good friend was actually -scandalized by the orgies of the revellers. He never danced; he did not -believe in it. Bertha appeared to sympathize with him, though this was -not in accordance with her antecedents. - -Wine was brought up to the parlor, and the dance went on, though some -of my guests were slightly unsteady in their movements. I was shocked -to see how wild Lilian was, and I mentally decided that no wine should -ever be brought into my house again, for the occasion was now nothing -but a revel. Some of the older of the party proposed to go home, and -Tom joined them. Miss Bertha was attended to her house by him. When -everybody was worn out, the party broke up, and all went away. Lilian -dropped into her bed exhausted, and in a measure stupefied. As the -hostess, she had been compelled to imbibe oftener than she desired, -and really I was grieved to see her in this condition. After all was -still, I went through the rooms to see that the windows were secure -and the lights put out. I was shocked when I saw what damage had been -done to the furniture. The carpets were stained with wine, ice cream -and cake; the new piano was scratched and discolored, and the cloth -greased. Besides the cost of this house-warming, whatever it might be, -the damages could not be less than three hundred dollars. - -At daylight I went to bed, sick at heart. I doubted whether the -hundred and fifty dollars in my pocket would pay the bills, and I was -miserable. I was in debt at least twenty-five hundred dollars. Lilian -slept heavily after the night’s debauch. But I could not sleep. What -if the bank should discover what I had done? What would the world say -the next day, when the particulars of my party were known? for I was -satisfied they could not be concealed. - -At seven o’clock I got up, my head aching fearfully, for I had not -wholly spared the champagne. I was positively miserable. I intended -to visit Springhaven that day, and secure the loan from Aunt Rachel. -It was not safe to let the matter stand any longer. I went to the -bank, and with a throbbing brow attended to my duties. Tom looked very -serious, but he did not say any thing to me. Probably he thought I was -going to ruin rapidly, not because I had appropriated the funds of the -bank, but because I furnished wine to my guests. - -The news of my party had not yet been circulated, and I was spared any -allusion to it. When I went home I found Lilian had not risen from -her bed. She was quite sick. Biddy had done what she could to restore -the house to its wonted order, but it was still in confusion. I could -not go to Springhaven that day. By Monday morning Lilian was able to -get up, and was herself again. She was even willing to acknowledge -that such parties “do not pay.” I am sure I enjoyed our little Sunday -evening gatherings, when Tom and Bertha sang sacred music, much better. - -When I went to the bank on Monday, I found Smith’s bill enclosed in an -envelope. I was afraid to open it at first, but when I did so my worst -fears were more than confirmed. The total was three hundred and fifty -dollars, of which two-thirds was for champagne, Madeira and sherry. I -was appalled and terrified. It must be promptly paid, or Smith would be -dunning me. I was short two hundred dollars. - -I read the bill a second time, and I was absolutely in despair. My -month’s salary, when paid, would not make up the deficiency; and I had -all my house bills to provide for, which would take up the whole sum. -I was running blindly before the wind to destruction. My extravagance -would ruin me in a short time. But it was no use to cry. I was in the -scrape, and I must get out of it. - -My hopeful tendencies came to my aid. With careful economy I could -soon pay my debts. A bright idea flashed through my excited brain. -Would it not be just as easy to induce Aunt Rachel to lend me two -thousand dollars as fifteen hundred? It was a brilliant thought, in my -estimation. Five hundred dollars could make no difference to her, if -the interest was punctually paid. It was a plain case. If the old lady -did not promptly meet my views, I could frighten her into acquiescence. -All right! The two thousand was sure enough. - -I did not think I should be able to go to Springhaven before Saturday, -and I did not care to receive a dunning visit from Smith. I might -as well “be hung for an old sheep as a lamb.” I could borrow five -hundred more from the bank, with no greater risk than I had already -incurred—and I did so! My cash was then two thousand short; but before -another week had passed, I should get the money from Aunt Rachel, and -make good the deficit. - -I called upon Smith, and paid the bill. I did not venture to suggest -that it was more than I had expected it would be. With so much money -in my pocket I felt rich again, and did not bother my head to consider -how I had obtained it. I went home in better spirits than for a week. -I talked pleasantly and magnificently to Lilian. I had even forgotten -my good resolution to practise a rigid economy, for with three hundred -dollars in cash in my pocket, it no longer seemed necessary. - -Lilian, too, was in excellent spirits. She was very affectionate, -and when I sat down on the sofa after supper, she seated herself -beside me, and told me how happy she was in her new home, and how -glad she was that I had compelled her to move into it. With my head -upon her shoulder and her arm around my neck she told me how kind -and indulgent, how tender and affectionate I had always been, and -then—added that she had not had a new dress since we were married! -Mrs. Gordon Grahame had just come out in a splendid black silk; Lilian -had never had a black silk, and she wanted one just like it. - -“How much will it cost, Lilian?” I asked, rather startled by this -ultra-affectionate turn in the conversation. - -“You won’t be angry with me, Paley—will you?” - -“Of course I won’t be angry with you, Lilian,” I laughed. - -“But I have been very economical with clothes.” - -“I know you have, my dear; and I haven’t a word of fault to find. I -only asked how much the black silk would cost.” - -“I can’t tell exactly what it will cost,” she answered, biting her -finger nails, as though she feared even to express an opinion. - -“Will it cost fifty dollars?” I asked, thinking I was placing it high. - -“Fifty dollars! Why, what an ignoramus you are, Paley!” tinkled she, in -the most silvery of tones. “You don’t think I can buy a black silk such -as a lady would wear for fifty dollars, do you?” - -“Well, I don’t know any thing about it,” I replied, abashed at my own -ignorance. “Will a hundred do it?” - -“Hardly. I can’t tell precisely what it will cost, but I think Mrs. -Gordon Grahame’s did not cost less than a hundred and twenty. Don’t be -angry with me, Paley. Don’t look so cold!” - -“I am neither angry nor cold, dearest,” I answered, pulling out my -portmonnaie, and taking therefrom one hundred and fifty dollars, which -I handed to her. - -It was the half I had left of what I had stolen that day—for, in the -light of after days, I may as well call the act by its true name. I -could not bear to have her accuse me of being angry, or of being cold, -or of grudging her any thing I had, or any thing I could get. - -“O, thank you, Paley! How generous you are!” she exclaimed, giving me a -rapturous kiss. - -She was satisfied, and so was I. We talked and read and played -backgammon till ten o’clock. - -“Paley, won’t you take a glass of wine?” she asked. “We had some left -the other night.” - -“I don’t care, Lilian. Did I tell you how much that party cost?” - -“No.” - -I told her. - -“I think that was quite reasonable, considering what we had. The -champagne was splendid, and the Madeira had been to India three -times—so Smith said.” - -She brought a bottle of sherry. It was old and strong. I was rather -startled to see her take two glasses within a few minutes of each -other, and I wished there was no wine in the house. We went to bed -happy, and no thought of the future disturbed me. - -The following Saturday was the last day of the month, and I was -detained at the bank so late that I could not go to Springhaven. I did -not like to leave while others remained, for I did not know but Mr. -Bristlebach might take it into his head to overhaul my cash again. The -next Monday I learned that Aunt Rachel was very sick, had been attacked -with paralysis. I went down to see her that night. She was almost -senseless, and I could not talk with her. But she might die in a few -days, and then her money would all be mine—I hoped; for it did not yet -appear that she had made a will. - -Two or three days later, my uncle, Captain Halliard, came into the bank -just as we were closing. He looked particularly grim and savage. - -“Paley, your aunt is very sick,” said he. - -“I know she is, but I hope she will get better,” I replied, perhaps -stretching the truth no more than many people do under such -circumstances. - -“I am attending to her affairs, as usual.” - -I bowed, and wondered what was coming. - -“I found among her papers a note for a thousand dollars, signed by -you,” he added, taking the document from his pocket. - -My heart came up into my throat. What was he driving at? - -“If you can afford to give parties and fill your guests with champagne, -you can afford to pay this note,” he continued, sternly. - -My plan was set at naught. - - - - -_CHAPTER XV._ - -MY UNCLE IS SAVAGE. - - -[Illustration: Captain Halliard.] - -CAPTAIN Halliard was as grim as an ogre, and evidently intended to make -me pay the thousand dollars I owed my Aunt Rachel. Of course he did not -care half so much about the money as he did to bring me to a realizing -sense of the peril of living too fast. He had worked hard for me, and -used his influence in obtaining the situation I then held. He was fond -of power and influence, and a failure to consult him in regard to any -important movement was a mortal insult. - -His views of life and living were different from mine, and I found -it necessary to steer clear of him. I do not say that this was not a -mistake on my part—it was. If I had followed his prudent counsels, -I should have kept out of trouble. I had sinned against my uncle, and -was no more worthy to be called a _protégé_ of his. I had married, I -had taken a house, I had furnished it, I had given a party, without -consulting him, and even without inviting him to any of the later -festive occasions. I knew that they were not to his taste, and it was -almost a cause of offence to ask him to attend a merry-making of any -kind. - -He had lent me three hundred dollars for my bridal tour, though he did -not know what it was for—if he had he would not have loaned it to me. -He made me pay him when it was the least convenient for me to do so. -Now he crossed my path again in the same disagreeable manner. Aunt -Rachel was very sick. Probably Captain Halliard had deemed it his duty -to look over her papers while she lay insensible on her bed. Notes or -interest might fall due. Perhaps it was proper enough that he should do -so, but it was deused unfortunate for me. - -It was equally unfortunate that I had written this note “On demand, -with interest.” I had done so because I did not wish to fix a time when -Aunt Rachel would feel compelled to ask me for the money. In avoiding -a dun in this direction, I had courted one in an other. As sharp people -are apt to do, I had overreached myself. - -The captain was in bad humor. I had once been his favorite. If I was -so now, I was under a shadow. But the case was a very simple one. I -had been acting without his advice, and contrary to his well known -opinions, which was perhaps very imprudent in me. He was a man of the -world, with no fine feelings to interfere with what he regarded as -his duty. Of course I could not think of such a thing as paying him. -He looked ugly, and my pride was touched by the attitude in which he -placed himself. - -“Paley, you are going too fast!” said my uncle, sternly. - -“I don’t think so, sir.” - -“I think so!” he added, in a tone which was intended to indicate that -he regarded the question as settled, and that it would be useless for -me to attempt to argue the matter with him. - -“I don’t know what you mean by too fast,” I replied. - -“Champagne suppers!” - -“Only one, and probably I shall never have another as long as I live.” - -“You had a party at your house, and the champagne flowed as free as -water. Two or three hundred dollars for wine in one evening, as I am -informed by one who knows!” - -“Who was he?” - -“No matter who he was. Deny it if you dare.” - -“Well, I dare!” - -“Show me the bill, then!” said he, fiercely. - -I was vexed and indignant at this rude treatment. I forgot that this -man had labored to procure my situation; that he was my mother’s -brother; that he had always taken a deep interest in me. I could not -bear to be regarded as a child, and be taken to task as such by any -one. My pride revolted. - -“I don’t understand that you are my guardian,” I answered. - -“I’m not your guardian! If I were, I would send you a hundred miles -from the city, and make you work on a farm. I’m the guardian of this -note, though; and it must be paid, or I’ll trustee your salary. When -you owe your aunt a thousand dollars, you shall not fool away your -money on champagne suppers. Pay the note!” - -“The note don’t belong to you,” I added, doggedly, as I beat about me -for the means of escaping from the uncomfortable dilemma. - -“Don’t belong to me!” growled my uncle. “What do you mean by that?” - -“How did the note come into your possession?” - -“None of your business how it came into my possession, you puppy! Do -you mean to insult me?” - -“No, sir; but I think you mean to insult me.” - -“Insult you!” sneered he. “Why, you young cub, I am your uncle, and old -enough to be your grandfather!” - -“You are not old enough to insult me.” - -“You have said enough! Will you pay the note?” demanded he, impatiently. - -He talked to me as though he were on the quarter-deck, while I belonged -in the forecastle. He was not in the habit of permitting his positions -to be disputed by those whom he regarded as his dependents or inferiors. - -“Not till you have shown me by what authority you hold the note.” - -“As the agent of the promisee!” snapped he. - -“Did she authorize you to collect it?” I inquired. - -He drew his out pocket-book, and trembling with rage and impatience -took a document from it, which he thrust into my face. It was a general -power of attorney, authorizing him to transact any and all business for -my aunt, and ratifying all his proceedings under it. Of course it was -dated before Aunt Rachel’s present sickness, but I could not deny his -power to act under it. - -“Are you satisfied?” said he, in a triumphant tone, and he folded up -the paper and restored it to his pocket-book. - -“I am,” I answered. - -“Pay then!” - -“When do you want the money?” I asked, in a tone of easy indifference, -for I saw that I could make nothing by attempting to bluff the old -fellow. - -“Now!” - -“Of course I don’t carry a thousand dollars around with me, in my -pocket, and I did not expect to be called upon to pay this note to-day. -It is not convenient for me to do so.” - -“I suppose not,” sneered my uncle. “But you seem to have money enough -to pay for champagne suppers, and better furniture than I can afford to -have in my house.” - -Buckleton was the villain who had been talking to my uncle! “Better -furniture” meant the _étagère_. But I must not quarrel with my uncle. -He had the power to throw me out of my situation in the bank. As my -mother’s brother he would not be likely to do that. I was even willing -to believe that he was acting for my good, but certainly he was doing -so in a very clumsy and ungainly manner. He evidently wished to get me -into a tight place, where he could control me, and thus compel me to -forego my habits of extravagance. - -“Uncle, the champagne supper was a mistake. I did not know there was to -be any wine until I saw it. My wife ordered it without my knowledge. -I did not suspect she intended to have it, or I should have spoken in -season to prevent it.” - -“Very well; let that pass,” said he, considerably mollified. “You have -fifteen hundred dollars’ worth of furniture in your house. I will sell -you all mine for half that sum.” - -“Buckleton cheated me into taking twice as much as I wanted.” - -“Humph! Did he?” - -“He did.” - -“Did you pay cash for all these things?” - -“Of course I did; though I did not intend to pay Buckleton for a month -or two. But he is a scoundrel, and I was glad to get rid of him, even -at the expense of sacrificing some stocks I had.” - -“Stocks?” said my uncle. - -“I haven’t been so reckless as you think I have,” I replied. “I -saved two-thirds of my salary till I was married, and doubled it by -speculation every year.” - -“What did you borrow a thousand dollars of your aunt for?” - -“Because I didn’t wish to sell a thousand dollars’ worth of ‘coppers’ I -had, and still have,” I continued, knowing very well what would satisfy -my uncle. “Somebody was ‘bearing’ them then; but they are all right -now, and I shall make a pretty thing on them by-and-by.” - -“That’s all very well; but you are living too fast.” - -I was afraid he would ask me what “coppers” I had been dickering in, -but he did not, probably reserving an inquiry into the details of my -financial operations till we were on better terms. - -“I don’t think I am living beyond my means.” - -“I do think so. You must give up that house in Needham Street, and live -within your means,” he added, sternly. - -I actually began to think that he was in league with Mrs. Oliphant. - -“I think I can live as cheaply there as anywhere else.” - -“You can board for half the money it will cost you.” - -“I differ from you there, uncle, I replied, mildly. “I paid—” - -“You differ from me!” exclaimed he, angrily. “Do you think I don’t know -what I am talking about. I am older than you, and I have seen more of -the world. I know what it costs a man to live.” - -“I think I know something about it.” - -“No, you don’t!” replied he, as arbitrarily as ever. “You can dispose -of your lease, and sell your furniture for all it cost you, for houses -are scarce.” - -“I don’t wish to do so; the house and furniture are worth as much to me -as to any one.” - -“Paley, you are a fool!” said he, impatiently. - -“I came of your stock, then,” I retorted, rashly, for my blood was warm -again. - -“None of your impudence to me!” - -“None of yours to me!” - -“I am an older man than you are.” - -“That gives you no right to call me a fool.” - -“Will you listen to reason?” - -“I will, but not to abuse.” - -“Do you know Brentbone?” - -“No, sir.” - -“He would have taken the house where you live if you had not. While he -went to consult his wife you took it.” - -“I was told that another man would take the house in half an hour if I -did not.” - -“Brentbone was the man. He was terribly disappointed, for he had set -his heart upon having the house. He is an old friend of mine, and still -wants it. He is willing to give you a hundred dollars bonus for the -house, and pay all the bills for the furniture.” - -“I am much obliged to him for his liberal offer, but I must decline -it,” I replied, firmly, for I could not think of leaving the English -basement house, when I was just beginning to realize the joys of home. - -“Are you mad, Paley?” - -“Not just now.” - -“You can’t afford to live there. Your mother-in-law will board you at -half the rate it will cost you to live in this house.” - -Upon my word, it looked more and more as if Captain Halliard was in -league with “dear ma.” - -I hate mysteries, and I may as well explain the facts as I afterwards -discovered them. Mr. Brentbone was a man of considerable means, who -had just married a second wife. The house in Needham Street pleased -him, and, too late, he found that it pleased his wife even more. He was -acquainted with Mr. Oliphant and with my uncle. When he ascertained who -had taken the house, he went to see Mrs. Oliphant, but this was about -the time I moved in, and “dear ma” was too indignant to mention the -subject to me, though I remembered that she had suggested the idea of -selling out the furniture and giving up the lease. - -As we had moved in, Brentbone gave up his purpose, and tried to find a -house elsewhere. Failing to suit himself, he again turned his attention -to the house in Needham Street, and spoke to my uncle about it. Captain -Halliard was probably startled to find I was living in a house which -would satisfy a person of Brentbone’s means. The matter was left in my -uncle’s hands for negotiation. He assured the would-be purchaser that -there would be no difficulty in completing the arrangement. All this -Brentbone told me himself in self-defence, a few weeks later, when I -made his acquaintance. - -As my uncle had in a measure pledged himself to complete the -arrangement, he felt a pride in doing so. He honestly and sincerely -believed that I was living beyond my means, and here was an opportunity -for me to change my style, and make something by it at the same time. -He might have succeeded better if he had not begun by attempting to -drive me into compliance. - -“I have no idea of boarding with my mother-in-law again, and paying -her thirty dollars a week for accommodations I can procure for ten,” I -replied, to my uncle’s proposition. - -“Then board somewhere else. I don’t care where you board; but it will -cost you three thousand dollars a year to live in that house.” - -“I think not.” - -“I know it will,” responded my uncle, sharply. - -“Time will tell.” - -“Leave a fool to his folly,” snarled the captain out of patience with -me. - -“I will leave you to yours,” I replied. - -“Will you pay the note?” - -“When?” - -“Now.” - -“No, sir; I will not.” - -“When will you pay it?” - -“To-morrow,” I replied, willing to gain even a day’s’ delay. - -“Very well; if it isn’t paid to-morrow, I’ll trustee your salary, and -keep doing it till the note is paid!” exclaimed he, darting out the -ante-room where we had gone to talk over the matter. - -I felt very much like sinking through the floor. Not only was I cut off -from obtaining the two thousand dollars from Aunt Rachel, but I was -called upon to pay the thousand I already owed her. The means of making -my account good with the bank were gone, for Aunt Rachel was too sick -even to speak to me. What could I do? - -I went into the banking-room, and balanced my cash-two thousand short! -No one knew it but myself. Mr. Bristlebach was a careful man. He made -frequent forays into all the departments of the institution, and the -fact could not long be concealed from him. It was about time for the -directors to make an examination of the funds. I should be ruined in -a few days, or weeks, at most. I could only study how to defer rather -than avoid the catastrophe. I put my cash into the safe, and left the -building. My face was like a sheet as I saw it in the glass before I -left the bank. My heart was in my throat. I could not see any thing or -any body as I walked along State Street. - -“Glasswood, how are you?” - -I turned to the speaker. It was Cormorin, paying-teller of the -Forty-third. I was well acquainted with him, and he lived near my -house. He had been present at our party, and had drank more champagne -than any other five persons present. - -“How are you, Cormorin?” I replied. - -“In a hurry, Glasswood?” - -“No, not specially.” - -“Come into Young’s with me and drink a bottle of wine.” - -That was just what I wanted in my misery—something to enliven my -spirits. I went, and found that Cormorin had a mission with me. - - - - -_CHAPTER XVI._ - -CORMORIN AND I. - - -CORMORIN was not a man for whom I had ever entertained any great -respect, and I wondered how he contrived to retain his position in the -bank, for he was rather dissolute and dissipated in his habits. We went -to a private room in the hotel, and he sent for champagne. He talked -about indifferent matters for a time, but I was soon satisfied that he -had something more than these to bring forward. I was not mistaken. - -We finished the first bottle of champagne before the plan of my -companion began to be developed. He ordered another; but I ought to -add, in justice to myself, that he drank three glasses to my one. His -frequent potations, however, seemed to have but little effect upon him, -for he was accustomed to drink stronger fluids than champagne. - -“Glasswood, what salary do you get now?” asked Cormorin, after we had -begun upon the second bottle. - -“Two thousand,” I replied. - -“The same as mine. But can you live upon it?” - -“I think I can, though I have not had much experience since I was -married.” - -“I can’t live on mine.” - -“You drink expensive wines.” - -“’Pon my soul, I don’t!” he protested. “I haven’t tasted champagne, -except at your house-warming, for a year, until this afternoon. I -can’t afford to drink champagne more than once a year; and I have to -stimulate on cheap whiskey. Well, even on this camphene, I can’t make -the ends meet. I’m as economical as a London Jew. I don’t spend a cent -on luxuries. I don’t go to the opera above a dozen times a year. I -don’t own a horse. I don’t average hiring one more than once a week. I -have been in the same fix these two years.” - -“What do you mean—that you run in debt?” I inquired, willing to help -him reach the point at which he was evidently aiming. - -“Just that; and nothing less, nothing more. I’ve tried every way in the -world to eke out my income; and, just now, I’m in a fair way to put -about ten thousand dollars into my pocket.” - -“I congratulate you.” - -“If I had sold my stock to-day, I should have put five thousand into my -exchequer.” - -“Why didn’t you do it, then?” - -“Because I would rather have ten thousand dollars than five,” he -replied, gulping down a full glass of the generous fluid before us. - -“When a man can make a good thing by selling, I believe in realizing.” - -“Isn’t it better to wait when a man is sure of making twice as much a -week hence?” - -“Are you sure?” - -“I wish I was as sure of living a week as I am of making this money, if -I can hold on for a week.” - -“If I were reasonably certain, I should hold on; by all means.” - -“O, I’m dead sure! I wouldn’t give the president of our bank sixpence -to insure me.” - -“Of course you will hold on, then,” I added. - -“That’s the trouble,” said he, slapping his fist upon the table, and -then swallowing another potion. - -“What’s the trouble?” I inquired, kindly asking the questions he -suggested. - -“Why, the holding on.” - -“But if you are sure of the result, you cannot be in doubt in regard to -your course.” - -“Well, I’m in no doubt about that.” - -“What are you in doubt about?” - -He looked at me steadily, and appeared to be uncertain whether to say -anything more or not. He was struggling to reach some point, though I -could not imagine what it was. I began to suspect that he wanted to -borrow some money of me. If he did, he had come to the wrong man. He -labored heavily, like a ship in a storm, and I was beginning to be -rather impatient at the slowness with which he proceeded. - -[Illustration: Cormorin and I.] - -“Glasswood, give me your hand,” said he, after a long pause, as he -extended his own to me across the table. - -I took his hand, for I could not refuse to do as much as that for a -man who was paying for the champagne. - -“We are friends—are we not?” he continued. - -“Certainly we are.” - -“Do you mean so?” - -“Of course I do. I don’t say one thing and mean another. If you want to -say any thing, Cormorin, say it.” - -“As a friend, I will,” said he, with compressed lips, as though he had -made up his mind to do a desperate deed. “This is between us, you know?” - -“Certainly,” I replied. - -The champagne I had drank had somewhat muddled my brain; and I was in -that reckless frame of mind which is so often induced by stimulating -draughts. If I had drank nothing, I should have been cautious how I -permitted myself to be dragged into the counsels of such a man as -Cormorin. As it was, I was becoming rapidly prepared for any desperate -step. I was very curious to know what my companion was driving at. - -“I’m in a tight place, then!” said he, filling the glass again. - -“A tight place! Why, I thought you were on the high road to wealth!” I -replied, rather to help him forward in his statement, than because I -experienced any astonishment at his apparent contradictions. - -“Exactly so! Both propositions are equally true, and equally -susceptible of demonstration. You are dull, Glasswood. You don’t drink -enough to sharpen your wits. Don’t you see that while I am waiting for -a further rise in my stocks I am kept out of my capital?” - -“Precisely so; that is not a difficult problem to comprehend,” I -replied. - -“Well, you don’t seem to get along as fast as I do.” - -“I understand you now. Go on.” - -“That’s all.” - -“Let’s go home, then,” I added, rising from the table. - -“Not yet. Hold on! Don’t you understand my position?” - -“Very clearly; you are short. So am I. If I could help you, I would do -so with the greatest pleasure.” - -“You can help me. We are both honest fellows, and don’t mean to wrong -or injure any one.” - -“That’s myself for one,” I replied, warmly. - -He seemed to be using the very arguments which. I had applied to my -own case while borrowing the funds of the bank that employed me. What -did he mean by it? Could it be possible that he even suspected me of -taking the money of the bank? Had he by any means obtained a hint of -my financial operations? He was in another establishment. He could not -suspect what none in our bank suspected. I was excited with champagne, -and I dismissed the fear as preposterous. - -“That’s myself for another!” exclaimed he, with more emphasis than the -subject matter seemed to require. “My coppers have doubled on my hands.” - -“What are your coppers?” I inquired. - -“The Ballyhack,” he answered promptly. “Do you think I haven’t any?” - -He pulled from his breast-pocket a bundle of papers, and exhibited -certificates of shares for a very large amount of stock. Just at this -time there was a fever of speculation in these copper stocks. While -some were substantial companies, many were mere fancies, run up to high -figures by unscrupulous and dishonest men. In the particular one he -mentioned, the upward progress of the stock had been tremendous. Men -had made five or ten thousand dollars in them as easily as they could -turn their hands. It was patent to me that the Ballyhack had doubled in -a week, and was gaining rapidly every day. - -Cormorin had “gone in for a big thing,” for he exhibited two hundred -shares, for which he had paid twenty-five, and which was now quoted -at fifty. Shrewd men were buying it at this rate, confident that the -stock would touch a hundred in a week or two. Cormorin’s statements, -therefore, were reasonable, and I began to be deeply interested in the -operation. If this reckless and semi-dissipated fellow could make five -or ten thousand dollars in a fortnight, why might not I do the same. It -flashed upon my mind that I could redeem myself from my own financial -difficulties by this exciting process—if I only had the capital to -make the investment. My companion had gone deeply into the business, -and could advise me in regard to some safe and profitable speculation -in coppers. It would be even less troublesome than borrowing money of -Aunt Rachel. - -“You see it now,” continued Cormorin, folding up his papers, and -restoring them to his pocket. - -“I do; that’s a good operation.” - -“That’s so! What’s the use for a man to be contented with a paltry -salary of two thousand a year, when he can make five times that sum in -a week or two? That’s the question,” said he, vehemently. - -“It is all very well for a fellow that has the capital to go into these -operations,” I added. - -“The capital! Yes; that’s so! There’s the rub. But you see I didn’t -have any capital.” - -He paused to fill the glasses again, though mine was not empty. He was -laboring with the next step in his revelation, and, reckless as he was, -he appeared to halt on the verge of further developments. I could not -see how he purchased his stock, if he had no capital; and I was rather -anxious to have the problem solved. - -“Nary red,” he added, as I did not ask the question which would suggest -the revelation he evidently wished to make. “Not a cent—up to my -eyes in debt beside—one, two or three thousand dollars. O, well! -When a man understands himself, these things are easy enough. By the -way, Glasswood, don’t you want to try your hand in this business? I -know of a new company, which is going to be the cock of the walk on -State Street. You can buy it for twenty to-day. It will be twenty-five -to-morrow, for it is going like hot cakes. Everybody is after it. I -have been tempted to sell my Ballyhack and invest in it.” - -“What’s the company?” - -“The Bustumup—Indian name, you know. It’s going up like a rocket, now.” - -“Perhaps it will come down like one.” - -“No fear of that. If I had ten thousand dollars to-day, I would put -every cent of it into Bustumups. If you want two, three or five hundred -shares of it, I will get them for you at the lowest figure. Your name, -you know, would help the thing along.” - -My name! Of course I was flattered. If I could have raised four or -five thousand dollars, I should have been glad to give the company the -benefit of my name! - -“I should like to go in, but I have no capital,” I replied, with the -modesty of a man without means. - -“Do as I did!” exclaimed Cormorin, in whom the champagne had now -banished every thing like caution. - -“How did you do?” - -“I used the bank funds!” he replied, hitting the table a tremendous -rap. “But I don’t mean that the bank shall ever lose a single cent by -me. I mean to be honest. I mean to pay every cent I borrow. I don’t see -why money should lie idle in my drawer in the bank, when I can make -something out of it, without wronging, cheating or defrauding man, -woman or child. Glasswood, give me your hand. I have spoken frankly to -you. If you betray me, of course I shall have to take the next steamer -for foreign parts, and I’m afraid the bank would then be the loser by -the operation.” - -“I will never betray you,” I replied, clasping his offered hand. - -“Thank you, Glasswood! You are a noble fellow. To-morrow those infernal -directors will examine into the condition of our bank. My cash is five -thousand short—just the sum I paid for the Ballyhacks. You understand -me?” - -I had drank so much champagne that I not only understood, but -sympathized with him. He had done just what I had, though I was not -stupid enough to betray myself to him. - -“I understand you, Cormorin,” I replied. “Go on and tell me what you -are driving at just as though I were your own brother.” - -“Exactly so; just as though you were my own brother. I borrowed five -thousand dollars from the bank. It will be missed to-morrow. Lend me -five one thousand dollar bills, or the same amount in some other form, -for two hours to-morrow, and I shall be all right. You shall hold my -stock as collateral. It is worth double the amount; and I will do the -same thing for you when your cash is counted, if you want to make -something on your own account.” - -“I’ll do it,” I replied, without a moment of reflection. - -“You are a good fellow, Glasswood. Your fortune is made, and so is -mine.” - -I should not have been so prompt in acceding to his request without the -aid of the champagne. Though I knew what I was about well enough, I was -reckless. I was fascinated with the idea of making five or ten thousand -dollars in “coppers,” and thus discharging my obligation to the bank. - -“We don’t always know when our directors intend to make an -examination,” I suggested. - -“I can always tell by the looks of them. No matter; there is time -enough after they begin. Our banks are near enough to each other to -enable us to make a connection,” laughed Cormorin. - -We discussed the matter still further, but we were perfectly agreed. We -separated with an arrangement to meet in the forenoon of the next day, -to carry out the plan we had devised. I did not deem it prudent to go -directly home, and I spent an hour on the Common, waiting for the fumes -of the wine I had drank to work off. When I went to Needham Street, I -found that Lilian was still out, probably purchasing her new black silk -dress. She came at last, and we ate a dried-up dinner at five o’clock. -She had purchased her dress, and was in the best of spirits. - -The next day, when I went to the bank, I quietly transferred six -thousand dollars from my drawer to my pocket, with hardly a tithe of -the compunction with which I had appropriated my first loan. O, I -intended to be honest! The bank was not to lose a penny by me. For five -thousand of the money, Cormorin was to give me collateral worth ten -thousand in the market. With the other thousand I intended to pay my -uncle, and silence his carping for all time. - -Cormorin was punctual in his call for his share of the funds. He handed -me the certificates and I gave him the money. In the course of the -forenoon Captain Halliard, faithful to his threat, paid me a visit. -I was not ready for him then, but I showed him one-half of Cormorin’s -certificates. They did not abate his persistency for payment of the -note, and I promised to pay him at three o’clock in the afternoon, -without fail. As I had the money in my pocket, I could safely make the -promise. - -At the appointed time he presented himself before me. - - - - -_CHAPTER XVII._ - -PROVIDING FOR THE WORST. - - -“THERE is your money, principal and interest,” said I to my uncle, -carelessly tossing him the bills. “You have compelled me to sacrifice -my coppers, but I am rid of you now.” - -“Rid of me! It isn’t necessary for you to be impudent, Paley,” replied -the Captain. - -“I assure you, it is a very great satisfaction for me to feel that -there is now no possible way in which you can annoy me.” - -“I don’t want to annoy you.” - -“I thought you did. You have been crowding me pretty hard. You have -compelled me to pay this note, for no other purpose than to annoy me. -You have done your worst, and I hope you are satisfied.” - -“You may have the money again, if you want it,” said he; for, like -other bullies, when he felt that his power was gone, he was disposed to -make peace. - -“I don’t want it now. I have sold out my stock at a loss to gratify -your malice. If you can do anything more to crush me, I hope you will -do it.” - -“I don’t want to crush you. What are you talking about?” added my -uncle, impatiently. - -“I don’t know what you mean by crowding me so hard, then.” - -“Paley, you are living too fast. All I have done has been for your -good.” - -“I don’t see it; and I don’t exactly know by what right you purpose -to take the management of my affairs into your own hands. You have -an offer for my house, and you have attempted to drive me out of it. -Let me say that I would go into bankruptcy, or into the State Prison, -before I would submit to any such dictation. I am of age and I think -I am able to take care of myself. I hear that Aunt Rachel is better -to-day, and is steadily improving. I shall take the first occasion to -tell her how you have used me.” - -“Do you want to make trouble in the family?” asked he, evidently -startled by my threat; for the handling of the invalid’s property was -of some importance even to a gentleman of Captain Halliard’s wealth. - -“I want justice done, though the heavens fall. Aunt Rachel never -intended that I should be driven up to pay this thousand dollars, as -you have done the business.” - -“I did what I thought was best for you and for her.” - -“All right; if you are satisfied, I am.” - -I think my uncle was rather sorry he had crowded me so hard. He had -failed to accomplish his purpose of driving me out of my house, and he -knew that I had some influence with my aunt. He was disposed to back -out, but I was not willing that he should do so. I did not like the -idea of having him around me in the capacity of a guardian, prying into -my affairs, and listening to every breath of scandal that related to me. - -The sharp words I had spoken produced some effect upon him. But it -occurred to me that his malice would be dangerous, and I did not -deem it prudent to provoke him any farther. He was intimate with Mr. -Bristlebach, and his influence might imperil my situation. It would -be utter ruin for me to be discharged before I had replaced the sums -I had “borrowed.” I moderated my wrath, therefore, and refrained from -enforcing my threat. My uncle left me, and I was willing to wait until -he made the next move. - -I remained at the bank until half-past three o’clock, at which time I -had agreed to meet Cormorin, at Young’s. He was nearly half an hour -late, but he came, and I saw by his countenance that every thing -had gone well with him. I should say, in the light of subsequent -experience, that every thing had gone ill with him, for the successful -concealment of guilt, whatever consequences might follow its exposure, -is the greatest misfortune that can befall a man, inasmuch as it leads -him farther and deeper into crime. - -“Five thousand; there are the identical bills you lent me,” said -Cormorin, as he laid the money upon the table before me. “I’m all right -now, and I hope I shall not have occasion to repeat this folly.” - -“You will make enough by your operation in Ballyhacks to afford you a -sufficient capital for future operations.” - -“That’s so. I shall be worth ten or fifteen thousand dollars next week, -as sure as I live. I am going to pay what I owe the bank, and then keep -square with the world. You have done me a good turn to-day, Glasswood, -and I am not one of the kind that forget such things.” - -“Here are your certificates. I am glad to have been able to serve -you,” I replied, as I handed him the papers. “You said something about -another company in which a fellow might make a good thing.” - -“I did—the Bustumup. Its stock’s going up just as that of the -Ballyhack did.” - -“What can I have it for?” - -“I am interested in this company, and if you take the stock at once you -shall have it for twenty, though it went at twenty-two to-day.” - -“I will take two hundred and fifty shares of it.” - -“You are sensible,” replied Cormorin. “You have the money in your fist, -and you can return it in a week or two, and put ten thousand dollars -into your pocket.” - -I had not told Cormorin my secret, and I think he was anxious to have -me invest the five thousand dollars, I had taken from the bank, that we -might stand on an equal footing. He desired to possess as strong a hold -upon me as I had upon him. I was satisfied of the truth of what he had -told me in regard to his own “coppers.” I had inquired for myself, and -I realized that he was making ten if not fifteen thousand dollars by -his operation. - -I felt compelled to take the step he suggested. I owed my bank three -thousand dollars, and while Aunt Rachel was so feeble, I had no hope of -obtaining the amount from her. I must do something to save myself from -possible exposure. The brilliant example of Cormorin loomed up before -me. If he had made a large sum in “coppers,” there was no reason why I -should not do the same. It was necessary that I should make the effort, -and I gave him the five thousand dollars he had just returned to me, to -be invested in Bustumups. - -“It will be a safe operation, Glasswood,” continued Cormorin. -“Bustumups are sure to go up.” - -I did not regard this last expression as one to be taken in the -metaphorical sense. - -“You have looked into this matter, Cormorin, and of course you -understand it. As things now stand, you and I must hang together.” - -“That’s so; count on me for anything you want.” - -“Thank you. Now won’t you have a bottle of champagne with me?” - -“I am much obliged to you, Glasswood, but I can’t stop any longer -now. I must get your stock for you before four, or it will cost you -twenty-five to-morrow.” - -“You are confident that this is a safe thing for me—are you not?” - -“Oh, perfectly confident!” exclaimed he. “If you don’t believe in it, -don’t do it.” - -“I rely upon your statements, and go in upon the assurance of what you -say.” - -“Of course you must run your own risk. I can only advise you to do what -I would do myself.” - -“That’s enough.” - -He left me to procure the certificates of stock in the Bustumup -Company. I was to wait in the private room I had taken until his -return. I was alone, and when I began to think what I was doing, I was -appalled at the possibility of failure. I was in debt to the bank in -the sum of eight thousand dollars. If my investment should go wrong -I could not hope to make good the loss. I should be obliged to flee -from my wife and my home, and end my days in exile, if I should be -so fortunate as to escape without detection. A cold sweat stood on -my forehead as I thought of the possibility of discovery, of being -arrested even before I supposed any one suspected me, and of being -condemned to the State Prison for ten years or more. - -I rang the bell, and ordered a bottle of champagne. I drank several -glasses of it, and the fumes went to my brain. I felt better. My -thoughts began to flow in another direction under the influence of the -sparkling fluid. Bustumups would advance every day. In a week or two -they would go up to a hundred dollars a share. If they did this, I -should make twenty thousand dollars, besides having my capital returned -to me. I should be able to pay off the bank, and have seventeen -thousand dollars left. My dream of future success was colored with the -pinkiest tint of the wine I drank. - -I intended to be cautious. If, after my stock had gone up to fifty, -there were any signs of a reaction, I would sell, and still make ten -thousand dollars. Cormorin was sure the stock would be twenty-five the -next day. If it was, I should clear twelve hundred and fifty dollars. -But if it only went up to thirty-five in a week, it would enable me to -pay off what I owed the bank, and I should be content even with that. - -My new friend brought me the coveted shares, and helped me finish the -bottle of champagne before me. For some reason or other he declined -to punish a second one with me, and we separated. I went home with -my shares in my pocket. When the fumes of the champagne passed off, I -was uneasy again. I felt that I stood upon the brink of a precipice. -If Bustumups went down instead of going up, I was ruined. There was no -possible way for me to redeem myself. - -Though my uncle knew I was dealing in stocks—or rather took my word -for it—and was plunging into a sea of speculation, he did not warn me -against it. He had not a word of caution to utter, and probably had no -suspicion that I might be tempted to meddle with the funds of the bank. -If he had been as solicitous as he pretended to be for my welfare, he -would have warned me of the perils of my course. For my own part, my -uncle was a mystery to me. - -Lilian with the black silk in prospect, was as happy as a queen. In the -evening Tom Flynn called. He was hardly seated before Mrs. Oliphant -and Bertha made us a call. “Dear ma” appeared to be cured of her evil -propensity, probably because another daughter, through my indirect -agency, was in a fair way of being disposed of. We had sacred music, -and a lively time generally. I was quite satisfied that Tom would, at -no distant day, make my wife’s sister his bride. This prospect was -quite enough to appease Mrs. Oliphant, and she really looked quite -amiable under the indications of this happy event. - -Tom escorted Bertha and her mother home at ten o’clock, and the next -day the noble fellow told me with a blush, that he did not leave the -house on Tremont Street till the clock struck twelve. A question or two -from me brought out the fact that they were engaged. I envied Tom—he -was so happy. Why should he not be? He owed the bank nothing. He had -not soiled his soul by taking what did not belong to him. He was a -strictly moral and religious young man. He would have gone without his -dinner rather than stay away from the evening prayer-meeting. I say I -envied him. I did; and I would have given all the world, had it been -mine to give, for his peace of mind. - -I could not sleep that night when I went to bed. I got up and drank -nearly half a bottle of Smith’s old sherry, which stupefied my brain, -and gave me the needed rest from the goadings of conscience and the -terrors of the future. My fate depended upon the success of the -Bustumup Company. If that went down, I might be called at any time to -flee from my wife, and wander in fear and trembling as an exile in -some strange land. If I was in peril of exposure I could not remain to -face the blast of popular condemnation. My pride would not permit me to -live where any man could look down upon me with either pity or contempt. - -At twelve o’clock, when I run out for a lunch, I found that Bustumups -were quoted at twenty-five. This fact assured me, for already I had -practically paid off more than one-third of my debt. The stock went a -little higher before two o’clock, and my courage was correspondingly -increased. I was rather disturbed, however, at the close of the bank, -to see my uncle in close conversation with Mr. Bristlebach. I fancied -that I was the subject of their remarks, especially as the president -cast frequent glances at me. Captain Halliard looked ugly. - -I had shown him a portion of the certificates which Cormorin had lent -me. He was a shrewd business man, and though he had not objected to -the statement that I had saved half my salary, and invested it in -stocks, he might well have doubted the truth of it. Perhaps he had -been thinking over my affairs, and had come to the conclusion that my -assertions were doubtful. On two occasions he had driven me up to the -payment of money, and both times I had met the demand. - -Cormorin told me that he always ascertained when the directors intended -to make an examination. Captain Halliard meant mischief. He intended, -at least, to put me in condition to let Aunt Rachel alone. I am -confident he did not really believe that I had borrowed any thing of -the bank; but probably he wanted to satisfy himself that I did not -obtain my ready money from the drawer. As the conversation continued -I became alarmed. The President almost invariably left the bank soon -after two o’clock. To-day he remained. As he had done once before since -I occupied my position, he might examine the condition of the cash -department. - -I meant to be on the sure side. I ran into the bank where Cormorin was, -and told him what I suspected. He promptly offered to help me out, on -the same terms that I had performed a similar service for him. - -“I want eight thousand,” I whispered. “I will return it to-morrow -morning.” - -“Eight thousand!” exclaimed he. “Why, you are only five thousand -short.” - -“Eight,” I replied, firmly. - -“How’s that?” - -“I was three thousand short when I made the little arrangement.” - -“Thunder!” ejaculated he, impatiently. “Then you are the eagle and I am -the lamb.” - -“We are both honest fellows, and mean to pay all we owe,” I replied. -“Do you suppose I would have accommodated you, the other day, if I had -not been in hot water myself? Of course if I go down, you go with me.” - -“But the security?” he asked. - -“Two hundred and fifty shares of Bustumups.” - -“They are worth only six thousand or so.” - -“But will be worth more than eight in a few days; you shall have your -bills back to-morrow morning, without fail.” - -I gave him my certificates and he handed me the money; but he gnashed -his teeth as he did so. If I fell, I should drag him down with me. - -“Is everything right in your drawer?” asked Heavyside, the cashier, -slyly, of me, when I returned. - -“Certainly it is,” I replied. “Why do you ask?” - -“Bristlebach is going to look over our accounts and cash this -afternoon.” - -“All right,” I answered, carelessly. - -I deposited the eight thousand in my drawer, balanced my cash, and put -the trunk into the safe. Paying no attention to any one, and especially -not to my uncle, I sauntered leisurely out of the bank. - - - - -_CHAPTER XVIII._ - -BUSTUMUPS AT FIFTY. - - -BY the ruse in which Cormorin had instructed me, and for which he had -furnished the funds, I had provided against any exposure. By this time -I was fully satisfied that my uncle was working against me; not that he -intended to ruin me, but only to maintain his own power and influence -over me. There are men of this stamp in the world, who will punish -their best friends when they refuse to be guided by them. Captain -Halliard was as jealous of his influence as he was of his money. - -As my account with the bank was now square, I had no fear of the -investigation which was in progress. Mr. Heavyside, who had never been -suspected of even an irregularity, had been so kind as to inform me of -the proposed examination. I had in him a good friend, and a mortgage on -his future fidelity to me. I should defeat my uncle this time, as I had -before, but it was annoying to be subjected to his espionage, though I -could not afford to have a serious quarrel with him. - -I went home at about the usual hour. My Bustumups had done so well -that I was tolerably light-hearted. Lilian was as joyous as a dream -in June. Bertha had been with her all the forenoon, and I heard much -in praise of Tom Flynn. We dined, and then I proposed to Lilian that -we should ride out into the country. She was glad to go, and we went. -On my return home at six o’clock, Biddy handed me a note from Mr. -Bristlebach. I recognized his heavy hand-writing, and my blood ceased -to flow in its channels. I tore open the envelope. It was simply a -request to appear at the bank immediately. - -What could it mean? My cash was all right. They could not have -discovered the truth. That was simply impossible. If there was any -trouble at the present time, Cormorin, and not myself, would be the -sufferer. If there had been a discovery of the whole truth, Mr. -Bristlebach was not the man to have sent a note to me; he would have -sent a constable. I decided to go at once to the bank, for I was -satisfied, from the manner in which the message had come, and by the -assurance that my cash was all right, that nothing very serious could -be charged upon me. I told Lilian I was going down town for an hour, -and she did not bother me with any troublesome questions. - -On my arrival at the bank I found the president and my uncle in the -directors’ room. Both of them looked severe, but Captain Halliard did -not seem to be so much at his ease as usual. I knew him well enough to -be able to read his thoughts, and whatever mischief was brewing he was -at the bottom of it. - -“Mr. Glasswood, of course you are aware that There is a deficiency in -your account?” said Mr. Bristlebach. - -“No, sir, I am not aware of it,” I replied; and as I spoke the literal -truth, I answered with confidence. - -“You are not?” - -“No, sir.” - -“Did you balance your cash to-day?” - -“I did, sir; and at half-past two it was all right.” - -“You put a bold face on the matter.” - -“Certainly I do, sir. I am innocent of the charge, and I can afford to -speak the truth.” - -“Nevertheless, your cash is short.” - -“It was not short at half-past two to-day,” I replied, glancing at my -uncle. - -He was uneasy, and did not confront me when I gazed at him. - -“It is not a large deficiency,” added Mr. Bristlebach, “but large -enough to demand inquiry.” - -“May I ask how much you found it short,” I inquired. - -“Only three hundred dollars.” - -“There may be some mistake—I hope there is,” suggested my uncle. - -“Who counted the cash?” I asked. - -“We counted it together,” replied the president. “I wish to add that I -do not regard you as a defaulter or any thing of that sort. I sent for -you to enable you to explain the matter.” - -“I have no further explanation to make. I left my cash all right -to-day,” I added, confidently. - -“He is so sure, that I rather think some mistake has been made,” added -Captain Halliard. - -“Probably there has been. Mr. Glasswood, I have had the utmost -confidence in you. When I suspected you before, a second examination -convinced me of your integrity. I have no doubt it will be so this -time.” - -“I cannot undertake to keep my cash right, if other persons are allowed -to go to my drawer,” I continued, rather savagely. - -“What!” exclaimed my uncle, springing to his feet. - -“I said what I meant to say,” I replied. - -The remark hit just where I intended it should. Mr. Bristlebach and -my uncle had been counting my cash. I had left it all right. If the -deficiency was insignificant, it was still enough to ruin me. I had -already made up my mind how my cash happened to be short. If the -president had made the examination himself there would have been no -deficiency. Of course I mean to say that Captain Halliard himself had -been the author of the mischief. In other words, he had either taken -three hundred dollars from my cash, or had falsely reported his count. - -Before I ventured to make this violent statement, I put my uncle fairly -on trial, and called up all the circumstances of our present relations -to testify against him. He was determined to maintain his influence -over me, and to prevent me from saying any thing to Aunt Rachel about -him. I had refused to give up my house at his bidding, and prevented -him from obliging his friend, Mr. Brentbone. I had roundly reproached -him for his conduct to me, and used language which he could not -tolerate in any one. I was satisfied that he had a strong motive for -desiring to obtain a hold upon me. - -A strong motive, however, is not sufficient to explain so dastardly -an act as that in which I had dared to implicate my uncle. A man of -integrity, simply an honest man, would not be guilty of so vile a deed. -Was my uncle capable of such an act? He had procured my situation for -me by bringing up a charge against Tom Flynn which both he and I knew -was false—one which he himself had disproved as soon as his purpose -was accomplished. If he would do one mean thing, he would not halt at -another. - -He had compelled me to pay the thousand dollars I owed Aunt Rachel, -out of sheer malice, and only to put me in a position where he could -control me. The mild speech of the president of the bank assured me -that I was not to be harshly dealt with; and my uncle gently suggested -that there might be a mistake. - -“Be careful what you say, Mr. Glasswood,” said the president. “Now -I’m going out to get a cup of tea; when I come back we will ascertain -whether there is a mistake or not.” - -Mr. Bristlebach left the room. My uncle looked embarrassed, thrust his -fingers into his vest pockets, and seemed to be feeling for something. -I was tempted to spring upon him, and throw out the contents of those -pockets, for I was satisfied that the deficiency in my cash could be -accounted for only in that way. - -“Paley, you have been speculating in coppers,” said he. - -“I have; but that is my business,” I replied, roughly. - -“I propose to pay the bank the amount your cash is short, and to hush -the matter up where it is.” - -“I don’t ask you to do any thing of the sort.” - -“I am on your bond, and I must do it. No matter about that. I expected, -after you told me what you were doing in coppers, to find a deficit of -thousands. I was prepared to pay even that, for you are of my own flesh -and blood.” - -“You are very affectionate!” - -“I have succeeded in quieting Mr. Bristlebach.” - -“I see you have.” - -“You talk to me as though I had done you an injury instead of a -kindness,” added he, reproachfully. - -“That is what you have done.” - -“Your cash is three hundred short,” said he, putting his hands into his -vest pockets again. - -Perhaps I was insane under the pressure of his implied charge; at any -rate, under the impulse of the moment, without consciously determining -to do it, I sprung upon him like a tiger; and having no warning of -my purpose myself, I gave him none. I thrust my hands into his vest -pockets, and drew from them whatever they contained. I retreated into -the farther corner of the room to examine my capture. The deed was done -so quick that Captain Halliard had no time to resist, though he seized -me by the shoulders. I was furious, and shook him off like a child. - -“What do you mean, you villain?” gasped he. - -I paid no attention to him, but proceeded to examine my prize. Among -other things I found three bills, of one hundred dollars each. - -“Do you mean to rob me, Paley?” demanded he; but, like Hamlet’s ghost, -he appeared to be “more in sorrow than in anger;” and more in fear than -in sorrow. - -“Do you carry your money in your vest pockets, sir?” I demanded. - -“Sometimes I do.” - -“You took these bills from my trunk when you counted my cash.” - -“Nonsense, Paley!” - -“I can swear to one of them, at least,” I replied, holding up one of -the bills, on the face of which some clown had written a sentence about -depreciated currency, that had attracted my attention. “I left this -bill in my trunk in the vault at half-past two to-day; at half-past six -I find it in your pocket.” - -“Do you think—” - -“I know!” I interrupted, him, in the most savage manner. “If I can find -a policeman, I will put you on the track to the State Prison.” - -“Don’t be absurd, Paley,” interposed my uncle; but I saw that there -was no heart in the remark. “There must have been a mistake in the -counting.” - -“You stole this money from my trunk to get me into trouble.” - -“Didn’t I tell the president that I would pay the deficit?” asked my -uncle. “Hush up! There comes Mr. Bristlebach! Not a word of this to -him.” - -“You confess, then, that you took this money from my trunk?” - -“By-and-by we will talk about it,” he replied, with much agitation. - -I had proved my case. My uncle was a villain. He had taken three -hundred dollars from my cash—not enough to make me look like a -defaulter—for the purpose of maintaining his influence over me, and to -keep me from telling bad stories about him to Aunt Rachel. Guilty as I -was, I made myself believe that I was an innocent man, because I was -not guilty in the direction he accused me. Mr. Bristlebach returned to -the room. - -“I am satisfied, from what Mr. Glasswood says, that there must have -been a mistake in our count,” said my uncle. “As I told you, I was -confident my nephew was honest, but I was fearful, when I learned that -he had been speculating in coppers. I thought, as I was on his bond, we -had better look into the matter. I am perfectly satisfied now.” - -This very consistent statement was assented to by the president, but -my cash was counted again, at the request of Captain Halliard. I was -in doubt whether to restore the three hundred I had wrested from the -conspirator, but I concluded that I could not afford to expose him. We -counted the cash, which was mostly in large bills, and of course I was -fully vindicated. The president was profuse in his apologies, and my -uncle was kind enough to take the burden of the blunder on himself. He -could even see where he had made the mistake. I left the bank with him, -and we walked up the street together. - -“That was an awkward mistake of mine,” said he. - -“Very,” I replied, with a sneer. - -“But I think I can explain it.” - -“I don’t think you can.” - -“You seem to have taken it into your head that I mean to injure you.” - -“I have.” - -“You are mistaken. I am on your bond. Money is so plenty with you, that -I was afraid I might be called upon to pay the bond. Bristlebach is -so intimate with me that I could satisfy myself without doing you any -harm. That was all I intended.” - -“And that’s the reason why you took three hundred dollars out of my -trunk, I suppose?” - -“Mr. Bristlebach handed me that money himself. I wanted to pay out that -amount to-night, and I drew a check for it. I entirely forgot it when -we counted the cash, and that was the deficit. Here is the check; as -you put the money back, I took the check from your drawer. That’s the -whole story.” - -“Why didn’t you explain it to Mr. Bristlebach, then?” I asked, -believing not a word he said. - -“Because it was so stupid of me to forget that the check had been paid -out of your cash.” - -“Very stupid, indeed!” - -“I will tell him about it to-morrow,” added my uncle. - -As I have said before, a man in my situation could not afford to -quarrel with one so powerful as Captain Halliard. I kept my own -counsel, not wholly certain that he would not yet be called upon to pay -the amount of his bond on my account. We parted in peace, and I was -abundantly pleased that I had been able to fight off the charge. - -The next morning, when I went to the bank, I took the eight thousand -from the cash, which Cormorin had lent me, and returned it to him. He -was a happy man then. I doubt whether he slept a wink the night before, -for the idea of being responsible for my deficit, as well as his own, -could not have been very comforting to him. - -I was all right at the bank, and my uncle treated me with -“distinguished consideration.” On several occasions he assured me he -should use his influence in my favor with Aunt Rachel. If I wished for -the money he had compelled me to pay—solely for my own good—he would -let me have it again. Indeed, if I was short at any time, he would lend -me a thousand dollars. I thought I might have occasion to avail myself -of his offer, and I was pleasant and pliable. I said nothing more about -the three hundred dollars. - -For a week all was well with me. Ballyhacks went up to seventy-five; -but Bustumups were slower, and had only touched forty in the same time. -This figure satisfied me, inasmuch as it enabled me to pay my debt at -the bank. Yet I believed, with the utmost confidence, that there was -five or ten thousand more in the stock for me, and as long as things -were easy at the bank, I did not think of realizing. - -Then I was sick for ten days, and was obliged to stay in the house, -but even while my brain was on fire with fever I went down town one -day. I dared not leave my deficit to be discovered by my substitute. -I compelled poor Cormorin to lend me the eight thousand again, on the -security of my Bustumups. They were worth nearly this sum in the -market by this time, and he did not object very strenuously. - -As soon as I was able to get out, I hastened back to the bank, and -took my place at the counter. Cormorin had sold his stock at eighty. -Bustumups were quoted at fifty, with a prospect of a further advance. -My friend had made thirteen thousand dollars. When I had made him -whole, he instantly resigned his place, fearful, I think, of getting -into trouble through my agency. He went to New York, to go into -business there. I did not care. My stocks at fifty paid my debt, and -left me forty-five hundred surplus. I was excited over the prospect. I -should be a rich man in a few weeks. - -But everything did not turn out just as I anticipated. - - - - -_CHAPTER XIX._ - -A CRASH IN COPPERS. - - -I WAS worth forty-five hundred dollars while Bustumups were quoted at -fifty. Every day, while they hung at about this figure, I debated with -myself the policy of selling, paying my debt, and investing my surplus -in some other concern. Perhaps I should have done so, if I had known of -a company in which I could place entire confidence. I missed Cormorin -very much, for I needed his advice; and I had come to regard him as an -oracle in the matter of coppers. - -It looked like madness to sacrifice a stock which might go up to eighty -or a hundred, as the Ballyhack had, and though my debt worried me, I -could not make up my mind to let it go. If I could put ten thousand -dollars in my pocket, my fortune would be made, for with this sum -I could operate on a large scale. There was no danger of another -examination of my cash at present, and I was secure. But Bustumups did -not advance as rapidly as I wished. They hung at about fifty. I was -told that parties were investigating the condition of the mine, and -that as soon as they reported, the stock would go up as rapidly as -Ballyhack had done. I was willing to wait patiently for a week or two, -while the stock about held its own. Its trifling fluctuations up and -down troubled me, but the parties who worked it convinced me that these -were only accidental changes. - -Though I saw my uncle every day, he did not allude to his own villainy, -and I was prudent enough to wait until I was out of the woods before -I did so. In the course of a couple of weeks, when I had made my ten -thousand dollars, I intended to resign my position, and then I could -afford to express my mind very freely to Captain Halliard. With ten -thousand dollars in my exchequer, I could go into any business that -suited me, and make money enough to support me in a style becoming my -abilities. - -I still had strong hopes that the fortune of Aunt Rachel would be mine. -She was now apparently rapidly regaining her health, and I determined -to improve my chances as soon as I could. On the following Saturday -afternoon I took Lilian down to Springhaven with me, and we both used -our best efforts to win her regard. I took her out to ride, I read to -her, and the old lady seemed as fond of me as when I was a boy. I was -her only nephew, and it had been often reported that I was to be her -heir, though on what authority I did not know. I invited her to spend -a week or a month at my house in Boston, and she promised to do so as -soon as she was able. - -A rumor that the parties who were investigating the condition of the -mine intended to make a favorable report sent Bustumups to fifty-five, -and I was very happy. I was worth nearly six thousand dollars. At the -end of another week the stock went up to sixty, and the balance of -worldly wealth in my favor was seven thousand dollars. The game was -becoming intensely exciting. Another week or so would realize all my -hopes. I should be free and safe. - -While every thing was in this cheerful condition Aunt Rachel sent for -me, and I hastened to Springhaven, for I could not afford to neglect -her summons. She was ready to go home with me, and she accompanied me -to my house in Needham street. The old lady was a little surprised to -find that I lived in elegant style, as she was pleased to express it; -but then she regarded the salary I received, which was double what her -minister had, as princely in itself. Simple as were her views of social -economy, she did not accuse me of extravagance. Lilian understood the -matter perfectly, and was all tenderness and devotion. - -One morning, after she had been at our house three days, Aunt Rachel -asked me if I knew a certain Squire Townsend, a lawyer, whom the old -lady had been acquainted with in the early years of her life. I had -heard of him. He was an attorney of the old school, and I hoped she -intended to make her will while she was thus kindly disposed towards -me. She begged me to see the old gentleman, and ask him to call upon -her during the forenoon. - -“Do you see much of Captain Halliard, Paley?” asked my aunt, as I was -going out. - -“I see him nearly every day.” - -“I wonder he has not been up to see me yet,” added the old lady. - -I did not wonder. I had not taken the trouble to tell him that Aunt -Rachel was at my house. - -“Do you wish to see him?” I asked. - -“Not particularly. He has done considerable business for me.” - -“I know it. He did some for you while you were sick.” - -“Did he?” - -“He made me pay the thousand dollars I borrowed of you.” - -“What, Captain Halliard!” exclaimed the old lady. - -“He did.” - -“Why, I didn’t tell him to do that.” - -“I know you didn’t, but he showed me a power of attorney from you, and -I couldn’t have helped myself if I had wished to do so; but I paid it, -and it’s of no consequence now.” - -“I didn’t mean you should pay that money. I shouldn’t have cried if you -had never paid it. I’ll talk with Squire Townsend about it. Couldn’t -you take care of my property for me just as well as your uncle?” - -“Well, I suppose I could,” I replied, rather indifferently. - -“I never liked your uncle very well. He is too sharp for me. I’ll see -what can be done.” - -“I wouldn’t say anything about meddling with Captain Halliard, at -present,” I suggested, for I was somewhat afraid of him myself. - -“I’ll see about it; but I didn’t mean he should trouble you about that -money. He’d no business to do it, and I shall tell him so when I see -him.” - -I did not intend she should see him at present. I went to the office -of Squire Townsend, on my way down town, and left a message for him -to call upon my aunt. I was fully persuaded in my own mind that she -intended to make a will, and that she had come up to Boston in order to -have the instrument drawn up by her old friend. Every thing looked rosy -to me, for the old lady would certainly leave me the larger portion, if -not the whole, of her worldly wealth. - -When I went home in the afternoon I learned that Squire Townsend had -spent a couple of hours with Aunt Rachel, but Lilian had not heard a -word that passed between them. Then the squire had called a carriage, -and they had gone off together. I was not very anxious to know where -they had gone, though I concluded that it was only to the office of -her old friend for the purpose of having the will properly signed and -witnessed. Now, as always before, Aunt Rachel kept her own counsel. She -never told how much she was worth, or what she intended to do with her -property. She was true to her antecedents, and during the remainder of -her stay she never mentioned the nature of her business with Squire -Townsend, as she invariably called him. She said a good deal about the -worthy lawyer’s history, and told stories about him at school. She was -glad to meet him once more before she left the world, but she did not -hint that she had special business with him. - -The old lady staid her week out, and then said she must go home. She -did not think the city agreed with her. She did not sleep as well -nights as at Springhaven. Both Lilian and I pressed her to remain -longer, and promised to do every thing we could to make her happy, but -she was resolute, and I attended her home, a week to a day from the -time she arrived. - -I never saw her again. - -During the week that Aunt Rachel was with me, Bustumups began to look a -little shaky. From sixty the stock went down to fifty-five in one day, -but it immediately rallied, and those who managed it assured me it was -only because money was a little tight, and a considerable portion of -the stock had been forced upon the market. I proposed to sell, as I had -promised myself that I would on the first appearance of a decline. - -“Don’t do it,” said the operator. “Wait three days, and you can take -sixty, if not sixty-five, for your stock. If you crowd it upon the -market at once, you will drive it down, and cheat yourself out of -twelve hundred dollars.” - -But it looks shaky,” I pleaded. - -“The best stocks on the street go up and down by turns. Wait till day -after to-morrow, at least.” - -I did wait, because I did not like to have twenty-five hundred dollars -taken out of my pocket at one swoop. Two days after, I was in a fever -of anxiety about my Bustumups. They had gone up and down under the -influence of various rumors, good and bad, and no one could foresee the -end. At noon Tom Flynn went out for his lunch. - -“The coppers are in a bad way,” said he, taking his place at the -counter on his return. - -“What is the matter with them?” I inquired, with my heart in my throat, -for my very reputation rested upon the prosperity of the coppers. - -“Ballyhacks have dropped down from eighty to fifty,” added Tom. - -“What?” I exclaimed. - -“That’s what they say. Did you own any?” - -“No, no; no Ballyhacks,” I replied, struggling to conceal my emotion. - -I had not told Tom I was speculating in coppers, and I think he knew -nothing about it, though he might have heard something of the kind. - -“Did you own any coppers?” he inquired, with a tone and look that -indicated the sympathy he felt for me. - -“None of any consequence,” I replied. - -I dared not talk with him about the matter lest I should expose my -emotion. With the stunning intelligence he had communicated to me on -my mind, it was simply impossible for me to discharge my duties in the -bank. I could hardly tell a hundred-dollar bill from a thousand. I told -the cashier that I was sick, and was fearful that I should faint again -if I did not get out in the air. He took my place, and I staggered out -into the street. There were people on the sidewalk, but I could not -see them. Every thing seemed to be without form or shape. I was in a -fearful agony of mind, and dreaded lest I should drop senseless upon -the pavement. - -I went into a saloon and drank a glass of brandy. I sat down at one -of the little tables to gather up my shattered senses. Ruin stared -me in the face. If Ballyhacks had fallen from eighty to fifty, what -hope could there be for Bustumups? After all, the mischief might be -confined to this particular stock, and mine might be still on the top -of the wave. The brandy I had drank seemed to have no effect upon -me. I took another glass, and my courage began to rise a little. The -saloon was nearly filled with people, and there was a confused jabber -of tongues all around me. Men spoke to me, and called me by name. I -replied mechanically, but I could not have told a minute later who had -spoken to me. - -“But they are a fraud,” said a gentleman, seating himself at the table -next to mine. - -“Certainly they are,” replied the other. “The Ballyhack mine has -produced some copper; but they say there is not a particle of metal on -the Bustumup track—not an ounce! The managers of this affair ought to -be indicted and sent to the State Prison.” - -“Merciful Heavens!” I ejaculated to myself, “I am ruined!” - -“Ballyhack has gone down to forty within half an hour,” added one of -the gentlemen. - -“I heard a man offer Bustumups just now for twenty, and people laughed -at him,” added the other. “I don’t believe they will bring ten.” - -“Probably not. There is not a dollar of value in them. The thing is an -unmitigated swindle.” - -The whole of the savage truth was poured into my ears. A moment later, -I heard some one say that the managers of the Bustumup Company had -found it convenient to disappear. I was almost a maniac. I cursed my -folly because I had not sold my stock when it began to look shaky. The -villains who had comforted me and made promises that I should sell at -sixty were simply designing knaves, who had fraudulently worked this -stock up to sixty, while there was not a penny of real value in it. - -The first shock bore heavily upon me, but I soon recovered in some -measure from its effect. I went into the street, and inquired for -myself, in regard to the coppers. There were two or three substantial -companies which were actually producing metal and paying handsome -dividends. The other companies were swindles; and Bustumup was the most -egregious humbug of the whole. I tried to get an offer for my stock, -and found it would not bring a dollar a share. Indeed, it could not be -sold at any price. In a word, the five thousand dollars I had borrowed -from the bank was a total loss. - -I will not attempt to describe the misery into which I was so suddenly -plunged. If I had sold my stock a week before, I might have paid my -debt and had five thousand dollars left. Now I was a defaulter in the -sum of eight thousand dollars. It was horrible to think of. There was -no possible way, that I could see, to escape the consequences. What -should I do? - -I went back to the bank and told Mr. Heavyside that I was better. I -resumed my place at the counter, and did my work till the bank closed, -sustained by the brandy I had drank. I tried to devise some plan by -which I could conceal my deficit for a time. I could think of nothing -satisfactory. An examination of the affairs of the bank was sure to -betray me. I was tempted to commit suicide, as others have done under -the same pressure of guilt. - -I thought of my wife, and my eyes filled with tears, as I pictured the -fall to which she would be subjected. It was ruin to her as well as to -me. What would she do, while I was thinking of her in my narrow cell -in the State Prison? The thought was madness to me. I swore that this -should never be. She should not be the widow of a living man, who could -not support her, who could give her nothing but a legacy of disgrace. - -My pride rebelled as I thought of being confined in the prisoners’ -dock, with all my former friends and enemies staring at me. I thought -of facing my uncle after he had been called upon to pay the bond; -of meeting Buckleton, Shaytop, and others to whom I had talked so -magnificently. I could not survive the crash. I could not live in -dread of the calamity that impended. While I was thinking what to do, -my uncle came into the bank. He was a cold-blooded wretch, but he was -afraid of me. - -He began to talk of coppers, as, of course, I expected he would. - - - - -_CHAPTER XX._ - -THE LAST STEP. - - -“I HOPE you are not in very deep, Paley,” said Captain Halliard, after -he had stated the question in regard to the copper stocks. - -“Not very, but I am bitten somewhat,” I replied, trying to look -cheerful, for I could not think of exhibiting to the enemy the state of -my affairs. “Did you own any coppers, uncle?” - -“No; not a copper. I had some, but I got rid of them,” replied the wily -man of the world, rubbing his hands to indicate that he was too shrewd -to be involved in any speculation that could possibly miscarry. - -“You are fortunate.” - -“Speculation is just as much a trade as any other branch of human -industry. It requires brains, forethought, coolness. Novices should be -cautious how they venture beyond their depth, for they are almost sure -to be bitten. I am sorry you have been trapped, Paley.” - -“I’m not badly hurt, though of course the small loss I have -experienced must make some difference in my future arrangements. And, -by the way, I should like to avail myself of your kind offer.” - -“What was that?” he asked, rather blankly. - -“You offered to lend me money if I was short.” - -“Just so.” - -“I want a thousand dollars.” - -“Of course you mean of your aunt’s money?” - -“It won’t make much difference to me whose money it is, if I only get -it.” - -“You shall have the thousand you paid me on her account.” - -“Very well, sir.” - -He gave me his check for the amount, and I wrote a note for it, payable -to my aunt. The captain wished to ascertain how much I had lost by the -copper explosion, but I evaded a definite answer, and intimated that -I was bitten to the extent of only a few hundred dollars. I had now a -thousand dollars in my pocket, besides about a hundred in my possession -before. I felt a little easier, though the terrible pressure of my load -still rested heavily upon me. I am not disposed to moralize in this -place upon the guilt of my conduct, for really the guilt at that time -did not trouble me half so much as the fear of detection. - -I owed the bank eight thousand dollars. I had “tinkered” the books so -as to account for the deficiency, but the record would not bear a very -close examination. The fact that I was mixed up in these miserable -copper stock speculations was quite enough to excite suspicion, for I -could not hope that the fact was unknown to the directors, as long as -my uncle knew it. I felt as though I was living on a powder magazine -which might explode at any instant. The slightest accident might reveal -the whole truth to Mr. Bristlebach. - -If I should happen to be sick a day, so that I could not go to the -bank, my false entries might be detected. Even while I was in the daily -discharge of my duties, the president or the cashier might be tempted -to examine my accounts. On the other hand, I might go a year or more -without discovery, though the chances were apparently all against me. -If I ran the risk of the future, I should live in constant terror of -an explosion. The death of Aunt Rachel, I confidently believed, would -enable me to pay off my debt; and the question was whether or not I -should take the chances of detection until the possession of her money -enabled me to set myself right with the bank. - -My aunt’s health was so much improved that I could not reasonably -expect to have her money for some time. In a week, a month, a year—but -be it sooner or later, it was sure to come—my deficit would be -exposed. It might be discovered while I was at home, or at least before -I had any suspicion that I was in peril. I should have no time to -provide for my own safety. I was liable to be arrested in my own house, -without any warning, and then nothing could save me from a term in the -State Prison. - -The cold sweat dropped from my brow as I thought of this fearful -contingency. I should not have a moment for preparation; an opportunity -to take the first train departing from the city; or even to hide -myself in the dark places of the city. Cold irons on my wrists, a -gloomy dungeon for, my resting-place, with the loathing and contempt -of my fellow-men, were all that would be left to me then. Lilian, -whom I loved with all my soul, would be reduced to despair. My savage -mother-in-law would not cease to reproach her, as long as my wife was a -burden in the maternal home. - -I could not face the emergency. I was determined to place myself -beyond the possibility of such an awful crash. I was resolved that -Lilian, whatever she might think of me, should never be compelled to -look in upon her husband through the bars of a prison cell. Before -the discovery of the deficit, I could make such arrangements as I -pleased. Afterwards, I could do nothing. It seemed to me then that I -had not a day or an hour to spare. I had decided to save myself from -the consequences of one tremendous error, by plunging into another. Of -course I could not flee from Boston with only a thousand dollars in -my pocket. I am surprised now when I consider how easy it was for me -to think of taking from the bank no less a sum than thirty thousand -dollars. I did not now flatter myself that I intended only to borrow -the money, though it did occur to me that Aunt Rachel’s fortune would -in part pay my debt. Before I left the bank that day, I put in my -pocket ten thousand dollars, so that if my errors were immediately -discovered, I should not be wholly unprovided for. - -I went to a broker where I was not known, and bought a thousand pounds -in gold, which I carried home in a small valise I purchased for -future use. I concealed the gold in my chamber ready for the final -move when I should be required to make it. I was intensely excited -by the resolution I had taken, and my thoughts seemed to move with -tremendous rapidity. I had decided upon the precise plan I intended to -follow; but of course it was necessary for me to move with the utmost -circumspection. - -I had only a day to spare, for we must leave Boston the next evening. -I must prepare Lilian for a great change in her future. I must lay my -plans so as not to excite a breath of suspicion in any one, especially -at the bank. I had hardly twenty-four hours left to complete my -arrangements. I composed myself as well as I could, and went down to -dinner. Lilian was as cheerful as she always was when I came into the -house, and it almost started the tears in my eyes when I thought what -she would be if the world knew the whole truth in regard to my affairs. - -“Lilian, I have been unfortunate to-day,” I began, as a suitable -introduction to the plan I had to propose. - -“Unfortunate! Dear me! What has happened?” she asked, dropping her -pretty chin and her knife and fork at the same time. - -“I have lost a good deal of money.” - -“Lost a good deal of money?” - -“Yes, a large amount.” - -“Why, Paley!” - -“Don’t look so sad, Lilian. It won’t kill me; and while I have you, I -need not complain.” - -“But how did you lose it, Paley?” - -“By the fall of stocks.” - -I showed her one of the evening papers, in which the bursting of the -copper bubble was fully detailed. She looked at the article, but she -could not understand it, and I explained the matter to her. - -“You haven’t lost all—have you, Paley?” - -“No, not all, my dear. But I have something else to tell you. How would -you like to live in Paris for a year or two?” - -“In Paris!” exclaimed she, her face lighting up with pleasure. - -“In Paris, Lilian; and perhaps we may go to other parts of Europe.” - -“O, I should like it above all things! I have always thought if I could -ever go to Europe, I should be the happiest woman in the world. But -what do you mean, Paley? You surely do not intend to go to Paris?” - -“I am thinking of it.” - -“Are you, really?” she continued, opening her bright eyes so wide that -her whole soul seemed to shine out through them. - -“I am, truly; but I was thinking you would not be able to go so soon as -I should be obliged to leave.” - -“O, I would go to-night, if I could only go!” she replied, with -enthusiasm. - -“I have an offer, or a partial offer, from a concern in New York to act -as its financial agent in Paris.” - -“Accept it, Paley—do accept it. I shall be so happy if I can only go -to Paris!” - -“I don’t know certainly that I can have the position, but I am pretty -confident that I can.” - -“Don’t refuse it, Paley. As you love me, don’t!” - -“But there are a great many difficulties in the way,” I suggested. - -“O, never mind the difficulties!” - -“But we must mind them.” - -“Well, what are they?” - -“In the first place we must go to New York to-morrow night.” - -“We can do that well enough. I am ready to go to-night.” - -“I can’t go and leave this house, and all the furniture, paying the -rent while I am gone.” - -“Leave it in the hands of Tom Flynn. He will sell the furniture and let -the house. There are enough who will want it.” - -“That is not even the principal trouble. The bank will not let me off -without my giving some notice, so that the officers can get another -person in my place.” - -“It would be mean in them to keep you when you have a good chance to -better your condition.” - -“I think I can manage it somehow, Lilian; and I feel almost sure that -we shall go.” - -“O, I am so glad!” - -“But, Lilian, you must not tell a single soul where you are going, or, -indeed, that you are going at all.” - -“Not tell any one! Why not?” she asked, as if it would be a great -hardship to deprive herself of the pleasure of telling her friends that -she was going to Paris. - -“I will tell you why, Lilian. It is difficult and dangerous business. I -am not sure of the position yet. Suppose I should go to New York, and -then, after I had thrown up my situation in the bank, find that the -firm who made the partial offer did not want me? I should have lost my -present place without having obtained another.” - -“That’s very true. I understand you, perfectly.” - -“If I find in New York that I can have the position, it will be time -enough for me to resign my place in the bank. If I am disappointed, I -have only to return to my present place. If it should get to the ears -of Mr. Bristlebach that I am doing anything of this kind, he might fill -my place in my absence—don’t you see?” - -“I do; it is plain enough.” - -“You can tell your mother that you are going away to-morrow night, and -that possibly I may accept a position in New Orleans.” - -“In New Orleans?” - -“Yes; it won’t do to say any thing about Paris yet.” - -“I am sorry we have to go off in this way; but I would rather do it -than not go at all.” - -I am willing to confess that my conscience reproached me for thus -deceiving my loving wife; but I believed that I was doing it for her -good—to save her from a fate so terrible that neither of us could -comprehend it. We discussed the details of the plan in full, and -she promised to be as circumspect as I could desire. We had two -traveling trunks which we had used upon our bridal tour, and these -were immediately brought into requisition. Leaving Lilian to commence -packing, I left the house with the intention of seeing Mr. Brentbone, -who had so long been anxious to have my house. I found him at his -lodgings. I stated my business, and inquired if he still wished to -obtain the dwelling. - -“I am still open to a trade. I offered your uncle three hundred bonus -for the house,” said he. - -“But I wish to sell my furniture.” - -“Very well; if it suits my wife, I will buy it.” - -“I lost a good deal of money to-day by the coppers, and I must change -my plans.” - -“Ah! I am sorry for you; but I see you are a prudent young man.” - -“I am in a hurry to dispose of the matter, for I have a good chance to -board now. If you and Mrs. Brentbone will walk over to the house, we -can show you what there is in it.” - -The gentleman and the lady were willing, and I accompanied them to -Needham Street. Mrs. Brentbone found some fault with the furniture, -and rather objected to purchasing it. I intimated that I should not -dispose of my lease unless I could sell the furniture. - -“What do you ask for the furniture?” he inquired. - -“Twenty-two hundred dollars, including the piano, or seventeen hundred -without. I can show you bills for fifteen hundred; and a hundred small -things not included in them.” - -“You ask too much. I must pay twenty-five hundred to get possession, at -this rate,” said Mr. Brentbone. He made me various offers, but I was -satisfied that he would give my price, and I did not abate a dollar. -The trade was closed, and he agreed to see me at the bank the next day, -where we were to pass the papers. My landlord consented to endorse the -lease over to the new tenant. Mrs. Brentbone had a talk with Bridget, -and engaged her to remain in the place. Everything was going as well -as I could expect. Lilian and I staid up till midnight packing our -clothes, and preparing for our abrupt departure. - -I went to the bank as usual, the next morning. On my way I stopped at -the pianoforte warerooms, and bought the piano in my house which I had -only hired, for however guilty I had been, and intended to be, I still -had a certain sense of worldly honor, which would not permit me to do -what I regarded as a mean action, though I acknowledge that I did not -discriminate very nicely in some portions of my conduct. But I settled -the bill for four hundred dollars. - -Mr. Brentbone came according to his promise. I gave him the lease, and -the bill of sale of the furniture for his check. My uncle happened to -come in while we were doing the business. I told him that my losses the -day before had induced me to accept Mr. Brentbone’s offer for my house. -He commended me for my prudence. Mr. Bristlebach also expressed his -approbation of the economical step I had taken, and declared that he -had more confidence in me than before. He liked to see a young man take -counsel of prudence. - -I took advantage of his good-nature to put in my request for leave of -absence for a single day, to enable me to visit a friend in Albany -who was sick. The permission was promptly granted. I balanced my cash -for the last time, leaving it thirty-eight thousand dollars short, -to account for which I altered various charges and credits, and made -several fictitious entries. The account was left square, and if no -particular investigation was instituted, my deficit might remain -concealed for some time. With the twenty thousand dollars which I had -just appropriated I left the bank—for the last time. - - - - -_CHAPTER XXI._ - -AN EXILE FROM HOME. - - -I WAS astonished to find that I could commit a crime of such magnitude -with so little remorse. It is true, the sin had become, in a measure, -necessary to my salvation, and that of my wife; but I was only excited, -not burdened with guilt, when I did the deed. I had been traveling -very rapidly on the downward road, and in a few weeks I had acquired -a facility in crime which enabled me to rob the bank of thirty -thousand dollars without considering any thing but the peril of being -discovered. Fatal facility, which can only be avoided by those who -refrain from taking the first step! - -I had deluded myself into the belief that principle was only a worldly -sense of honor. Tom Flynn was a man of genuine principle, for his -actions were based upon a religious foundation, which alone can -vitalize principle. A man may be honest because it is safer or more -reputable to be so; but then he would steal if it were not for being -found out, and will be as dishonest as fashion or custom will tolerate. -When I had leisure to think of the matter, I marvelled that I had -fallen so easily; and this was the explanation I made to myself. - -Tom Flynn had said as much as this to me, in the way of argument, -assuring me it was quite impossible for a man without the love of God -and the love of man in his heart—which is the epitome of the whole -gospel—to have any genuine principle in his soul. Any thing short -of this is mere sentiment, which is blown aside by the rude blast of -temptation. The hymn he used to sing so much seemed to tell the whole -story:— - - “I want a principle within - Of jealous, godly fear; - A sensibility to sin, - A pain to find it near.” - -Worldly honor, the fear of discovery, the bubble of reputation, are -not enough to keep a man in the path of rectitude. But I will not -anticipate the reflections which were forced upon me afterwards. I -did not believe I was much worse than the majority of young men. I -certainly did not mean to steal when I began to take money from the -bank; and even when I found it necessary to flee from the anticipated -consequences of my errors, I had a certain undefined expectation of -being able to restore all I had taken. The fortune of Aunt Rachel still -flitted through my mind as the solution of the difficult problem. - -I left the bank struggling to look cool and indifferent. I bowed and -spoke to my acquaintances as naturally as possible. In two or three -hours more I should be out of the city, perhaps never to see it again. -I could not even go down to Springhaven to see my mother—probably -I had seen her for the last time on earth. My blood seemed like ice -as the thought came to my mind. I reflected upon all she had been to -me, all she had done for me. The prayers and the hymns she had taught -me in my childhood came back to me as though I had learned them but -yesterday. I was amazed at my own folly and wickedness. What a blow I -was dealing to that mother! When she heard that her only son had fled -from his home, steeped in crime, and covered with shame how she would -weep! For days months and years she would groan in bitterness of spirit. - -What a wretch, what a villain, what an ingrate I was to strike her in -this cruel manner! My sense of worldly honor would have revolted at -the thought of giving her even the slightest blow with my hand; but how -inconceivably more cruel was the blow I was giving her by my conduct! -Could I have sooner realized the anguish which the thought of my mother -would cause me, I think it might have saved me. - -I could not make up my mind to doom her who had given me being, who -had watched over me in my childhood, who had loved me as none else but -God could love me, to such awful agony as the revelation of my crime -would cause her. Was there no way to escape? I could restore the thirty -thousand dollars. With the proceeds of my house and furniture I could -make up three thousand more. I was really, then, only five thousand -dollars in debt—the sum which I had lost in copper stocks. The case -seemed not so desperate, after all. I could go to Aunt Rachel, tell -her, with the genuine penitence I then felt what a wicked deed I had -done. She would lend me five thousand dollars, and I could pay all I -owed. - -My heart leaped with delight as I thought of this remedy. But then -there might be some delay. Lilian was all ready to start for New -York. It was possible that the deficit might be discovered before I -had raised the money. If it were, I was lost. Still farther, if I paid -the three thousand dollars in my possession into the bank, I should -not have any thing to furnish another house. I should be compelled to -board, and very likely the circumstances would drive me back to Mrs. -Oliphant’s. I shuddered as I considered it. - -I thought of my mother again, and had almost resolved to adopt the -suggestion of my better nature, when I was tempted to enter a bar-room. -I drank a glass of whiskey. The effect of strong drink upon me was to -stupefy my faculties and make me reckless. I drank a second and then a -third glass, in as many different saloons. I forgot my mother then. I -was excited, and pictured to myself the delights of foreign travel. - -I am almost sure now, so strong was the tendency upon me, that I should -have carried out the suggestion of my higher impulses, if I had not -entered the bar-room. The devil of whiskey drove the good resolution, -still in its formative state, out of my mind. If the thought of my -mother came back to me, I drove it from me. In this frame of mind, I -could not think of humiliating myself by confessing my errors even to -Aunt Rachel, the most indulgent of women. - -I walked up Tremont Street, thinking of the future. The die was cast, -and I refused to avail myself of the means of escape which were open to -me. It was a sorry day for me when I turned from the road which might -have restored me to honor and integrity. As the events proved, it would -have been better, and I should have realized more than I anticipated. -I had long dreamed of seeing the wonders of the old world, and the -prospect of doing so at once had a powerful influence upon me. Within -twenty-four hours I should be on board of a steamer bound to Europe; -but at the same time I should be an exile from home, from honor and -integrity, leaving a ruined name and a blasted reputation behind me. - -“How are you, Paley?” - -It was Tom Flynn. His voice startled me. I would rather have met any -other one than him, for his very looks seemed to reproach me. - -“Ah, how do you do, Tom?” I replied, in some confusion. - -“So you are going to Albany to-night?” he added. - -“Yes; poor Whiting is quite sick?” - -“Who?” - -“Whiting; don’t you know him?” - -“No; who is he?” - -“I knew him in the city here, and we were cronies.” - -Whiting was a myth, but I had a facility for lying which helped me -through in an emergency. - -“I hope you will find him better.” - -“I’m afraid it’s all up with him; he is probably in consumption.” - -“I am sorry for him.” - -“I suppose you knew I had sold my furniture and lease?” - -“No!” exclaimed he, opening his eyes. - -“Yes. Brentbone takes possession to-night.” - -“I am sorry for that, for I liked to go there.” - -“The fact is, I lost heavily for me in coppers, and I can’t afford to -keep that house any longer.” - -“One must be prudent,” said he, musing. “I was afraid you were going a -little too fast. Did you lose much?” - -“Considerable, for me.” - -“If I can do any thing to help you out, Paley, I will, with the -greatest pleasure. I never had anything to do with fancy stocks.” - -“Thank you, Tom. You are fortunate. But I must go along.” - -“I suppose you are in a hurry, so I will walk along with you. I don’t -know but you will think me impertinent, Paley, but I don’t want to -meddle with your business, in a bad sense. I have been thinking that -something was going wrong with you.” - -“With me?” I demanded, not a little startled by this candid revelation. -“Going wrong?” - -“I had an idea that you were losing money, or that something serious -troubled you.” - -“What makes you think so?” I asked. - -“I hardly know; but you seem to act strangely; to be excited or -absent-minded. Perhaps you have lost more on coppers than you care to -acknowledge?” - -“Well, I have lost more than I ought to lose.” - -“And—excuse me, Paley—but you have been drinking.” - -“Only a nipper or two for a pain which often vexes me.” - -“It’s a dangerous practice—don’t do it, Paley. Better suffer the pain -than fall into a bad habit. I’m impudent, I know, but I can’t help it. -I wouldn’t have things go wrong with you for all the world. Are you in -debt?” - -“Somewhat.” - -“Let me help you out. With what I have saved myself, and with what came -to me from my father’s estate, I have about eight thousand dollars. -Promise me that you won’t drink any more, and I will let you have money -enough to help you out of debt.” - -“What has the drinking to do with it?” I asked, rather vexed at the -manner in which he put the question. - -“I am always afraid that any man who drinks will become a drunkard. -Perhaps it is a superstition; but I can’t help it, and you know that -the theory is backed up by common experience.” - -“I don’t think I’m in any danger; but I am not exactly willing to be -bought up to total abstinence.” - -“I didn’t mean that, Paley. You know how much wine was drank at your -party. Never mind that now; we will talk of it at another time. How -much do you owe?” - -“Five or six thousand.” - -“So much!” exclaimed he. - -“All of that. I lost just five thousand on Bustumups,” I replied, -desperately. - -“I had no idea you were in so deep as that,” he added, looking very -serious. “But I will not go back on myself. I will lend you every -dollar I have rather than permit the world to go wrong with you. We -will talk it over when you return from Albany.” - -We parted at the corner of Needham Street, for he was going to the -Oliphants to see Miss Bertha. What could Tom mean? He had observed -that something was wrong with me. I was troubled. If he had noticed -it, perhaps others had, and it was time for me to be gone. He was a -noble fellow, and I knew that he was deeply concerned about me. From -his standpoint, I had been gambling in fancy stocks, had lost, and -was in imminent peril of becoming a drunkard under the influence of -my financial troubles. He wanted to be a brother to me, but I felt -humiliated by the view he took of my case. Why should he think I was in -danger of becoming a drunkard? It was fanaticism. - -He offered to lend me money enough to pay my debts. I could not borrow -it of him. I could not place myself under so great an obligation to -him. He tendered me the means of making myself square with the bank; -but then I should be a beggar, five thousand in debt, instead of -travelling like a lord in Europe, with over thirty thousand dollars at -my disposal. My pride resented his offer and I did not give it another -thought. - -Dinner was ready when I went into the house. Lilian had almost worn -herself out in getting ready for her departure. She told me she had -been at her mother’s, and that the whole family were astonished when -she told them I had sold out the English basement house. She had -informed them that I had an offer in New Orleans, as I had directed her -to do; in a word, she had been faithful to my instructions. Before the -carriage came for us, Mrs. Oliphant and her two daughters appeared to -bid us good-by. I must say that “dear ma” behaved with great propriety -on this trying occasion, for it must be remembered that she expected to -see no more of Lilian for months, if not for years. - -We drove to the railroad station with our two heavy trunks. It was -fortunate that neither Tom Flynn nor any one but the Oliphants took it -into his head to “see us off,” or the quantity of baggage we carried -might have provoked inquiry. The train moved out of the station-house, -and I felt that I had bade farewell to Boston forever. I had my wife, -but I had sundered all ties with every body else. - -“I hope we shall not have to come back here again next week,” said -Lilian, as the train began to increase its speed. - -“There is little danger of that,” I replied. - -I was obliged to admit to myself that I might possibly be brought back -by an officer, with irons on my wrists, within a week. I had committed -a crime which would condemn me to the State Prison for a long term of -years, if discovered—and it could not be long concealed. - -“Do you really think we shall go to Europe, Paley?” - -“I have hardly a doubt of it.” - -“Then why didn’t you let me tell mother, and not make her think I was -going to New Orleans?” - -“I told you the reasons, my dear, and I hope you will be satisfied with -them,” I answered, rather petulantly. - -“Don’t be cross, Paley.” - -“I’m not cross.” - -But the fumes of the whiskey I had drank were nearly evaporated, and I -did not feel right. I could not help dreading something which I tried -to define. If Tom Flynn had suspected that something was going wrong -with me, it was not impossible that Mr. Bristlebach, or Mr. Heavyside, -had been equally penetrating in their observations. It was possible -that, at this moment, the bank officers were engaged in examining my -accounts and my cash. Any attempt to verify some of my entries must -infallibly expose me. - -Even without any suspicions of me, they might, in looking over my -accounts, discover the altered figures, or the fictitious items. An -accident might betray me. Perhaps the detectives were already on my -track. Telegraphic dispatches to New York might place officers at the -station in that city ready to arrest me when I arrived. If my deficit -was exposed, it would be impossible for me to take a foreign-bound -steamer. My photograph, or at least my description, would be in the -hands of all the detectives. - -All these reflections, all these fears and misgivings, are the penalty -of crime. I was called to endure them, as thousands of others have -been; and those who commit crimes must remember that these things are -“nominated in the bond.” But no telegram preceded me; no detectives -dogged my steps; and the bank had no suspicion that anything was wrong -with me. We went to the Fifth Avenue Hotel on our arrival in the city. - -I hastened down town after breakfast, engaged a state-room in the -steamer which sailed at one o’clock, and procured a letter of credit -on London for three thousand five hundred pounds, payable to Charles -Gaspiller, whose signature I left to be forwarded to the banker. I -then went to a barber, and had my beard, except the moustache, shaved -off. When I entered the parlor of the hotel, Lilian did not at first -recognize me. She was talking to a lady and gentleman—a young married -couple—whose acquaintance we had made at breakfast. They intended to -sail in the afternoon for Havana. The husband was about my size, and -not unlike me. He wore only a moustache, and for this reason I had -sacrificed my beard. If any detectives, after a few days, should be -disposed to ascertain what had become of me, they would be as likely to -follow him to Havana as me to Liverpool. It was well to be prudent and -take advantage of circumstances. - - - - -_CHAPTER XXII._ - -CHARLES GASPILLER. - - -I HAD avoided writing my name in the register of the hotel, for I did -not wish to leave any recorded traces of my presence in the city. It -occurred to me that perhaps Lilian had told her name to her new-made -friends, but they would soon be in the tropics, and out of the reach of -detectives. I regarded myself as very shrewd, and I could not exactly -see how it was possible for any one to obtain a trace of me, after the -steamer had departed. - -I had given my name at the steamer office as Charles Gaspiller, and -the money for my bill of exchange was to be drawn in London under this -appellation. I don’t know how I happened to select this name. It was a -French word which probably came back to my memory from my studies at -the high school; but I had forgotten its meaning, though I could read -French tolerably well. When I came to ascertain its signification, I -was not a little surprised to find that it exactly fitted my case, -for it means “to waste, to squander, to lavish.” It was entirely by -accident that I chose this word, and I certainly should not have done -so had I been aware that it covered my case so exactly. - -But if I succeeded in concealing my identity from others, I could not -hide it from my wife. If I was Mr. Gaspiller, she must of necessity -be Mrs. Gaspiller. We were not at all fitted to pass ourselves off as -French people, for my pronunciation had been so neglected at school, -that I could hardly speak a word of the language with which I was -tolerably familiar by the eye. Lilian knew still less of it. I knew -that double _l_ in French had a liquid sound, and I called the word -Gas-pee-ay. It would be singular that I should have a French name, -pronounced with a French accent, and yet not be able to speak the -language. I was afraid I had made an unpleasant bed for myself. But I -determined as soon as I reached Paris to master the language. - -How could I have the assurance to tell Lilian that her name was -Gaspiller, and not Glasswood. I might convince her that the latter -was too commonplace to travel in Europe upon—indeed she was already -convinced of that, for she often, in her lively manner, made fun of -the cognomen. I could assure her that, while I was not to blame for -my name, the word was so inconsistent, absurd and contradictory, that -it would subject me to ridicule. It was no part of my purpose to tell -her I was a defaulter, an exile from home, a fugitive from justice. It -would break her gentle heart. Yet I was not sure that it would not come -to this. - -After I had completed all my preparations, I was in her presence with -my bill of exchange and my passage receipt in my pocket. She was -talking with the lady who was going to Havana when I entered. She -looked at me, and as soon as she recognized me, she commented merrily -upon the change which the loss of my whiskers made in my appearance. -She rose from her chair, but her friend talked so fast that she could -not at once leave her. I knew how anxious she was to know the final -answer of the great banking-house to which I had alluded. Upon that -depended the voyage to Europe. As soon as she could decently do so, she -tore herself away from her companion, and sat down on the sofa at my -side. - -“Are you going, Paley, or not?” she asked, with breathless eagerness. - -In answer to this inquiry I inadvertently pulled out the receipt for -the passage money, which constituted the ticket. I did not at the -moment think that it ran in favor of “Charles Gaspiller,” for I was not -quite ready to tell her that I had changed my name. - -“What is this, Paley?” she asked, blankly. “I don’t understand it.” - -“Don’t you, my dear? Why, it is our ticket for a passage in the steamer -to Liverpool,” I replied, cheerfully. - -“This? ‘Received of Charles Gas-pill-er!’” said she, reading just what -the letters of my new name spelled. - -How stupid I was! Why had I not told her in so many words, that we were -to go, instead of doing the thing in this sensational way? - -“Precisely so; that is the French for Glasswood,” I replied, laughing -as gaily as my confusion would permit. “I don’t want Frenchmen in Paris -to call me _Bois de Verre_, which means wood made of glass, or anything -of that sort. The name is Gas-pee-ay, and not Gas-pill-er.” - -“But how does it happen that the receipt is given to you under this -name?” - -“Because I don’t want to be called Glasswood in Europe. But, my dear, -we have no time to spare now, and we shall have ten days of idleness -as soon as the steamer sails. So we must not stop to discuss this -matter at the present time. We must be on board at half-past twelve, -and it is after eleven now,” I continued, with sufficient excitement in -my manner to change the current of her thoughts. - -“Then we are really going!” exclaimed she, opening her bright eyes. - -“Certainly we are; and going immediately.” - -“Why, I wanted to go shopping in New York, if we were really going.” - -“Shopping! That’s absurd! Ladies never go shopping in New York, when -they are on their way to Paris.” - -“But I must write a letter to mother.” - -“Certainly; you have time to do that while I speak for a carriage and -pay the bill.” - -I procured note paper and envelopes for her, and went down to settle my -account at the office. The polite book-keeper asked me to indicate the -name on the register. I told him I had not written it. I had wound my -handkerchief around my right hand, which I held up to him, and declared -that I was unable to use a pen. He was kind enough to offer to render -me the service himself. - -“C. Gaspiller,” I added, when he was ready to write. - -“What is it, sir?” - -“C. Gaspiller.” - -He wrote “C. Caspeare,” and I was entirely satisfied. - -“Three dollars, Mr. Caspeare,” said he; and I gave him the amount, -though it was one dollar more than the regular charge. - -I was confident that I was leaving no trace of myself here. A carriage -was ordered for me, and my trunks were loaded. I went up for Lilian, -and found that she had finished her letter. She gave it to me to be -stamped and mailed. I took a stamp from my porte-monnaie, carefully -adjusted it upon the envelope, and put the letter in my pocket. Of -course I was not stupid enough to mail it, since it would betray my -secret to those who could not see the necessity of keeping it. - -“This is very sudden, Paley,” said Lilian, as the carriage drove off. - -“Sudden? Why, I told you this was the way it would have to be done, if -it was done at all,” I replied. - -“I know you did. Won’t dear ma be astonished when she reads my letter?” - -“Probably she will be,” I answered; but I thought she would be -astonished, long before she read it. - -I confess that my conscience reproached me when I thought of the letter -in my pocket, and of the deception towards my wife, of which I was -guilty. Her father, mother and sisters would wonder, and be permitted -to wonder, for weeks if not for months, that they did not hear from -her. It was cruel for me to deceive Lilian, and to subject her family -to all the anxiety to which I thus doomed them, but I believed that it -was a stern necessity, and I silenced the upbraidings of the inward -monitor. With thirty thousand dollars of stolen money in my pocket, -it may be supposed that I did not trouble myself much upon such an -insignificant matter as the peace of my wife’s friends. - -We went on board of the steamer and I found our state-room. Being one -of the last engaged, it was not the best on board, though it was a very -comfortable one. Lilian was delighted with it, and declared that she -should be as happy as a queen in it. I was afraid she was mistaken. She -had never traveled any except on our bridal tour, and I expected she -would be sea-sick all the way. But now she was excited by the prospect -before her, and by the busy scene which surrounded us. The steamer was -crowded with those who were going, and with their friends who had come -to see them off. There was no one to say adieu to Lilian or to me. - -If, of the multitude on the wharf, there was any one who felt an -interest in me, it could only be a detective. I was a fugitive, and I -felt like one. While Lilian was full of life and animated by the scene, -I could not help feeling depressed. I was bidding farewell to my native -land, perhaps forever. It might never be safe for me to return. I could -not get rid of a certain sense of insecurity. It seemed to me, after -I saw the men casting off the huge hawsers that held the ship to the -pier, that those infernal detectives must come on board and hurry me -back to a prison cell in the city from which I had fled. - -Any flurry in the crowd, the arrival of a belated passenger, gave me -a pang of anxiety which I cannot describe. It was only when the huge -steamer was clear of the dock, and the great wheels began to turn, that -I dared to breathe in a natural manner. Even then I was thrown into -a fresh agony, when a steam-tug came out to us to put the mails on -board. I was sure, until it was alongside, that it had been specially -chartered by the detectives to arrest me. I was determined to jump -overboard and perish in the waves, in sight of my wife, rather than be -borne back to a long term of imprisonment in a dungeon. It was better -to die than confront my friends in Boston. - -I asked one of the officers what the tug was, as she came alongside, -that I need not be tempted to do a deed for which there was no real -necessity. He assured me it contained only the mails, and I breathed -easier; but I was not entirely satisfied that the officers had not -availed themselves of this last opportunity to arrest their victim, -until the tug had cast off, and the steamer started on her long voyage. -I was safe then. My throbbing heart returned to its natural pulsations. - -But I could not forget the ruin and disgrace which would soon cover my -name and fame in Boston. I could not shut out from my view the horror -of my mother when she learned that I was a fugitive from justice, and -that I had mocked her fondest hopes. I was miserable for the time, -and Lilian rallied me upon my gloomy appearance. There was a remedy -which I had tried before for this mental suffering. Leaving my wife -for a moment, I went down to the steward’s room, and drank a glass of -whiskey. I found that lunch was on the table, and I conducted Lilian to -the saloon. I ordered a bottle of sherry, and a few glasses of this, -in addition to what I had already taken, soon gave my reproaches of -conscience to the winds for the time. - -I do not intend to describe our voyage. It was an unusually pleasant -one, and Lilian suffered but very little from sea-sickness. In a few -days, as the distance from my native land increased, I felt tolerably -secure from the consequences of my crime; but I found it impossible to -get rid of the thought of my mother and other friends at home. Even -whiskey and wine soon failed to stupefy me unless I partook of them in -inordinate quantities. Lilian told me I drank too much, and begged me -not to do so any more. She was so gentle and so tender that I could not -refuse, for I had not acquired a decided appetite for the intoxicating -cup. I only drank it for the solace it afforded me, and I was fully -convinced that the severe headaches and the disordered stomach which -troubled me were the effects of this excess. I would gladly refrain, -but there was “no peace for the wicked.” - -I will not attempt to describe my sufferings, though I appeared -cheerful and happy to my wife. I could not wholly conceal them from -her, and she worried me with her questions, anxious to know what ailed -me. We arrived at Liverpool and hastened on to London, for I wished to -cash my bill before it was possible for anything to go wrong. I had -no trouble in doing so. My signature had already reached the bankers, -having come out in the same steamer with me. With the gold which I -had brought, I had four thousand five hundred pounds. To prevent -any trace being had of me, I went to another banker and purchased a -circular letter of credit for a thousand pounds, investing the rest in -securities which paid me about five per cent. - -We spent a month in London, seeing the sights, and Lilian was as happy -as a woman could be. I had satisfied her that the change of name was -purely a matter of convenience, and she soon became accustomed to it. -She wrote letters to her mother and other friends, and gave them to me -to be mailed. I lighted my cigar with them. We had rooms at Morley’s, -but we saw no one, knew no one in the house, except the servants. One -day, after dinner, I went out to obtain some tickets to visit Windsor -castle, leaving Lilian in the room. When I came back I found her in -terrible excitement. She had a Boston newspaper in her hand, which the -landlord, as a special favor, had sent up to our apartments. - -“O Charles—Paley!” said she; and I saw that she had been weeping. -“What does this mean?” - -“What, my dear?” I asked, appalled at the tempest which was rising. - -“This paper says there is a rumor of a defalcation in the Forty-Ninth -National Bank, and that the paying teller has disappeared. Were not you -the paying teller, Paley?” - -She suddenly ceased to call me Charles, as I had instructed her to -do. Evidently she knew more than I wished her to know. I took the -newspaper. It was dated about a week after our departure from Boston. -The paragraph said it was rumored that there was a heavy defalcation in -the Forty-Ninth. The paying teller had been missing for a week. That -was all. It was merely an item which some industrious reporter had -picked up; and the particulars had not yet been published. Doubtless -the detectives were looking for me. - -With tears in her eyes Lilian again demanded an explanation of the -paragraph. What could I say? - - - - -_CHAPTER XXIII._ - -MY CONFESSION. - - -I HAD apparently deceived my wife as far as it was possible for me to -do so. If I told her the truth, would she not spurn me, cast me out -and despise me? How could she do less? She was innocent, she was true, -she was beautiful; and I was afraid of her. Many and many a time had I -cursed my folly and wickedness in departing, even for a moment, from -the straight path of rectitude. I wondered that I had been able to -delude myself into the belief that taking even a few hundred dollars -for a brief period was not a crime. - -Be warned, O young man, against the _first_ wrong step. While you cheat -others, you are the greatest dupe yourself. - -In the excitement of seeing the wonders of London I had found some -relief from the goadings of conscience, and from the terrors of the -future. Almost every day I met some Americans, seeing the sights which -attracted strangers. I avoided them, for I feared that I should -be recognized by some one from Boston. Lilian desired to see these -Americans, but I was obliged to lead her away from them. I was not only -an exile from home, but I felt like a leper among my own countrymen. - -I was now to face a genuine trial, not a fear, but a reality. After -reading the paragraph in the newspaper, my wife had evidently measured -my conduct by the suspicions she entertained. By this time she was -satisfied that I had not resorted to so much concealment in leaving -Boston for the reasons I had alleged. My course was inconsistent from -beginning to end. I could easily imagine what had passed through her -mind since she read that paragraph. - -Possibly I might succeed in lulling her suspicions for the time. I -might even argue her out of them. She was innocence and simplicity, -like her father, rather than her mother, and would try to believe what -I told her. But what was the use to attempt to deceive her any longer? -The truth would soon dawn upon her. Yet I had not the courage to be -candid with her. - -“Why don’t you tell me about it, Paley?” repeated she, anxiously, as I -turned over the newspaper. - -“What shall I tell you, Lilian?” - -“Tell me that you are not a defaulter.” - -“Well, I’m not, then,” I replied, with a smile, which I am sure was a -very grim one. - -She looked at me, and I saw her eyes fill with tears after she had -gazed at me in silence for a moment. I think that my tone and my looks -belied my speech, and without heeding the value of the words I used, -they conveyed to her the impression that I was guilty. - -“Why do you cry, Lilian?” I asked, moved by her tears. - -“I don’t know. I can’t help it. I feel just as though something was -going wrong,” she replied, covering her face with her handkerchief. - -“Why, what do you mean, Lilian?” - -“Every thing looks very strange to me.” - -“What looks strange?” - -“That we should have left so suddenly; that I could not even tell dear -ma where we were going; that you were in such a hurry to reach your new -place in Paris, though we have stopped a whole month in London. What is -the reason I have no letters from home?” - -“Because none have come, I suppose. I have not received any,” I -answered, struggling to be funny. - -“Paley, you told me, if you left for Paris, that you should write to -the bank officers, and resign your situation. You did not do so. This -paper says you have been missing for a week, and there is a suspicion -that your accounts are not all right. Tell me the worst, Paley. I will -try to bear it,” she continued, wiping away the tears which filled her -eyes. - -I was tempted to do so. She had been worrying for weeks about her -letters, and she would continue to do so as long as we remained in -Europe. No letters would come; none could come. Her parents and her -sisters were as anxious about her as she was about them. I could never -make peace on the plan which I had laid out at home. My wife would -become more and more unhappy, and after the facts of my defalcation had -been fully published, I should be still more in dread of meeting some -American who would recognize me. As a teller in the bank I was well -known to many of the wealthiest men of Boston. Under existing treaties, -I could be arrested in most of the European nations, and sent back to -the scene of my crime. There was no place of safety for me. I could not -flee from the wrath to come. - -“What do you suspect, Lilian?” I inquired. - -“I should not suspect anything, if this paper did not say that your -accounts were supposed to be wrong. I don’t know any thing about -such things, but this paragraph set me to thinking how strange your -movements were when you left Boston. I wish I could believe it is all -right. Why don’t you go to your place in Paris? We had to leave home at -twenty-four hours’ notice, because there must be no delay.” - -“We are going next week.” - -“But you have laid your plans to travel in Europe for the next year, at -least.” - -What was the use for me to attempt to explain? It was worse than folly. -I had told Lilian so many stories, without regard to their consistency, -that she knew not what to believe. I was disgusted with myself. - -“I don’t see where you got so much money, either, Paley,” she added. - -“Do you think I stole it?” I asked, somewhat severely. - -“I’m afraid you did,” she answered, with a shudder. - -“You are?” - -“When I think of it, I am really afraid you did. Here we are in London -under an assumed name. All your papers call you Charles Gaspiller. You -told me you had over thirty thousand dollars too.” - -“I should have had more if I had not lost any,” I replied, in rather a -surly tone. - -“Tell me the whole truth, Paley. Let me know the worst. If my husband -is a—” - -“A what?” - -“A defaulter, a thief. Let me know it,” said she, with a burst of agony. - -“A thief!” I exclaimed, springing to my feet. - -“Don’t be angry, Paley.” - -“When my wife calls me a thief, we have been together long enough,” I -added, sternly. - -I took my hat, and rushed out of the room. I was angry, but my wrath -was of only a moment’s duration. I went out into the Strand, and walked -at a furious pace till I reached the American Agency. I wished to know -the worst. If I had been published as a defaulter in Boston, I was no -longer safe in London. I wished to see a file of Boston papers. I had -not thought of looking at them before, because I desired to banish my -native land from my mind. - -I turned the folios till I came to the one which Lilian had seen. I -read the paragraph again. It was very vague. It did not say that the -missing teller was a defaulter; it only hinted at something of the -kind, for the inference always is, when a bank officer disappears, -that his cash is short. I turned over the sheet to find something more -about the matter. There was nothing else about me or the bank; but as I -examined the paper, my eyes rested for a moment on the list of deaths. - -“In Springhaven, 15th inst., Miss Rachel Glasswood, 67 years.” - -My aunt had passed away on the very day that I sailed from New York! -How I cursed myself again and again! If I had not fled I should -certainly have been able to pay my debt to the bank in a short time, -for I was confident she had left me enough for this. I had banished -myself from home for nothing. I had suffered tortures which no innocent -man can understand or conceive of, and years of misery were still -before me. I had made up my mind long before, that honesty was the best -policy; and I even had a glimmering conception of something higher than -this. I was sure I should have been happier with poverty and hard labor -for my lot, if I could only have been honest. - -How I envied Tom Flynn! His piety, which I had derided, seemed to me -now to be the sum total of earthly joy. I do not believe in cant of -any kind, but if ever a man was convicted of sin, I was, though I had -not yet the courage to attempt to retrace my steps. My wife virtually -called me a thief. It was only the truth; I deserved the epithet, and -more than that. - -I turned to the next paper. There was nothing about me or the bank in -it, and I continued my search till, in a subsequent issue, I found -another paragraph. The writer was happy to assure the public that the -bank would not lose a dollar by the missing teller. I was surprised -at this announcement, for I was indebted to the bank in the sum of -thirty-eight thousand dollars. I could not understand it. I turned to -the stock lists in the several papers. The shares in the Forty-Ninth -had been affected by the first paragraph, but the quotations showed -that they had been restored by the information contained in the second. - -I concluded that the bank had determined to conceal my deficit to -avoid the loss of public confidence. But while I was trying to satisfy -myself with this theory, a better one was suggested to me. My aunt -died on the day of my departure. Within the week the substance of her -will was known to Captain Halliard. She had left her whole fortune to -me, and it was to be used in making good the deficiency in my cash. -Of course I had no idea how much she had left, but I supposed it was -enough to satisfy the bank, or to pay the loss with the sums for -which my bondsmen were liable. One thing was plain, that, if the bank -acknowledged no loss, it would not proceed against me; and I realized -that I was safe from arrest while in Europe. - -I could find no further allusion to the missing teller in any of the -papers. If the deficit was made good, doubtless my friends would -labor to cover up my errors. As the matter now stood, the money in my -possession belonged to me. I tried to make myself believe that it was -Aunt Rachel’s fortune. But I could not wink out of sight my blasted -reputation, for, whatever the papers said, or failed to say, people -would have their own opinions about my sudden departure. I was far from -satisfied. If my financial record were explained away, I could not get -rid of the consciousness of my own guilt, which was positive suffering -to me. I was convicted of my sin, and I had even prayed to God for -mercy under my misery. - -Poor Lilian was suffering quite as severely. I had left her in anger, -and the tears came to my eyes when I thought of her. I hastened back -to the hotel. I found her lying upon the sofa, sobbing like a child. I -raised her in my arms, kissed her tenderly, and begged her to forgive -my harsh conduct. - -“O, Paley! how miserable I am! Only tell me that you are not guilty, -and I shall be happy,” she said. - -“You would hate and despise me if I told you the truth, Lilian,” I -replied. - -“Then it is the truth!” she exclaimed, springing up, and looking at me -with something like horror in her expression. - -I did not know what had come over me, unless it was the conscious -conviction of my sin, but without definitely resolving to tell the -truth, I found it impossible to utter any more lies. Life seemed to me -a more solemn thing than ever before. - -“I deserve the worst you can say of me, Lilian.” - -“Then you are a defaulter, Paley?” - -“I am; but no one knows it.” - -“Yes, I know it.” - -“I wish I could hide it from myself. You shall know all, Lilian.” - -“But give back the money. I would rather be a beggar and sweep the -crossings of the streets, than live in luxury on stolen money.” - -“Do not be too severe, Lilian. The bank will not lose a dollar by me. -On the very day that we sailed from New York, Aunt Rachel died. I have -no doubt that she left most of her property to me; and the bank has by -this time been paid every dollar I owed it.” - -“That is some comfort, but not much. You have ruined your reputation. -Poor Aunt Rachel! I wish I had seen more of her. What could tempt you -to go astray, Paley?” continued my wife, the tears coming to her eyes -again. - -“I was extravagant, and lived beyond my means. I borrowed the money to -furnish our house, and I was otherwise in debt.” - -“Why didn’t you tell me, Paley? We all thought you were made of money.” - -“I had not the courage to tell you.” - -“I know I am giddy, and fond of dress and show, but I would rather have -lived in an attic, and dressed in calico, than had you run in debt. You -always said you had plenty of money, and your salary seemed to be more -than enough to supply all our wants.” - -“I was weak and foolish, Lilian. I can see it now; I could not see it -then.” - -I told her the whole story from the beginning to the end—how I had -been thorned by my uncle and by other creditors, and how I had been -tempted to take the money from the bank. I told the truth, as I -understood it at the time, when I declared that I had not, at first, -intended to rob my employers. She listened to me with the deepest -interest, occasionally interrupting me with questions. I told her -the whole truth. I did not even conceal from her the fact that I -had destroyed her letters. She wept bitterly as she rehearsed the -sufferings of her parents and sisters. - -“Let us go home, Paley,” said she, when I had finished the loathsome -confession. “I don’t want to see Europe till you have atoned for your -fault.” - -“I may be thrown into prison if I go to Boston again,” I suggested. - -She clasped me in her arms and wept upon my neck. If her heart was -bursting, mine was hardly less affected. The afternoon, the evening, -the night passed away, and still we wept and groaned in bitterness -of spirit in each other’s arms. The clock struck four in the morning -before we could decide what to do. She could not advise me to go home -if a prison cell awaited me. I never realized the pressure of guilt -so heavily before. I never knew my wife till then. Guilty as I was -she still clung to me, and was willing to share my lot of shame and -disgrace. - -In the morning hours I told her what I would do. I would write to Tom -Flynn. I would confess my error to him, assure him of the sincere -penitence I felt, and be governed by his advice. I did write, page -after page, and, sheet after sheet, till I had told the whole story. -I assured him every penny the bank or my bondsmen had lost should be -paid. I would give up everything I had. - -I sent my long letter, with another from Lilian to her friends, by the -next mail, and anxiously waited a reply, which could not reach me under -three weeks. - - - - -_CHAPTER XXIV._ - -AUNT RACHEL’S WILL. - - -BOTH Lilian and myself were miserable while we waited for an answer -from Tom Flynn. I pictured to myself the surprise of the noble -fellow when he read my letter. I was not worthy of the disinterested -friendship he had extended to me, but I did not believe that he would -spurn me, as I deserved, in my guilt and shame. - -We were tired of London, and rather to seek relief from the misery that -preyed upon us than to see the sights, we went over to Paris. There -was no peace for me in the gay capital, any more than in England, and -at the end of a fortnight we returned to London. I had written to Tom -that his answer would find me there. I wished him to inform me whether -I could safely return to Boston, for I wished to go there, settle up my -business, and then begin life anew in some part of the country where -I was not known. The future, therefore, was still a problem to me. My -first duty was to pay all that I owed the bank. With the ill-gotten -wealth I had with me, and with what Aunt Rachel had left me, if she had -left me anything, I should be able to discharge all my obligations. - -I felt that I deserved a term in the State Prison, but I was not -willing to endure the penalty of my crime. I hoped that I might be -permitted to escape if I saved the bank from loss. This settlement was -now the question above all others with me, and I looked more earnestly -for an opportunity to restore my stolen plunder than I ever had to -obtain it. Perhaps if Lilian had not been possessed of my secret I -should have felt differently. As it was, she suffered not so much from -the fear of what the world would say, as from actual consciousness of -my guilt. She had vastly more of real principle than I ever gave her -credit for. I had measured her by the standard of her mother, rather -than her father. I could not persist in a crime which she so sincerely -condemned. - -My wife saved me. - -The misery which I had suffered before she knew of my guilt was the -fear of consequences, the fear of discovery. Her anguish rebuked me. -She loved me, even while she despised me for my sin. Day after day we -talked of the matter, and I was more and more impressed with the folly -and wickedness of my past conduct. A man is a fool to commit a crime. - -The three weeks expired, and I looked for my letter from Tom Flynn. -It did not come, but I was willing to believe that there was some -unavoidable delay. Tom would certainly write. Another week elapsed. I -saw by the morning paper that the steamer had passed Cape Clear, and I -waited with intense anxiety for the arrival of the mail, which was due -in the evening. Lilian and I sat in the parlor awaiting the postman. -There was a knock at the door. The letter had come at last, and I -hastened to open the door. - -Instead of a servant with the letter, at the door stood Tom Flynn! - -“Paley, how are you?” exclaimed he, grasping both my hands. - -The tears stood in my eyes, for it seemed like the days of innocence to -be thus warmly greeted by him. I could not speak. I threw myself on the -sofa and wept like a child. - -“Lilian, how do you do?” cried Tom, entering the room, and grasping the -hand of my wife. - -Poor Lilian! It was more than she could bear. She had no burden of -guilt on her pure soul, but she bore mine as though it had been her -own. She burst into tears, dropped into her chair, and covered her face -with her hands. She sobbed like an infant. - -“Come, Paley, don’t take it too hardly,” said the generous Tom, -clapping me on the shoulder. “I received your letter, and of course I -know all about it.” - -“Tom, I’m the most miserable fellow in the world,” I said, venturing to -look up at him. - -“To be candid, Paley, I don’t wonder at it. You deserve it. But I -rejoice to know that you have come to take a right view of your past -conduct,” replied he, with the candor which always distinguished him. - -“I deserve all the reproaches you can heap upon me. You need not spare -me, Tom.” - -“It is not for me to reproach you, Paley; and I will not. I know how -much you must have suffered since you came to yourself.” - -“You are pure-minded and innocent, Tom; and you can form no idea of it.” - -“If you repent of your error, Paley—” - -“I do repent, and I have asked my God to forgive me.” - -“Give me your hand, Paley. Let us not say another word about it. All -shall yet be well with you, if you have made your peace with God,” said -Tom, as he took my hand and pressed it warmly. - -“You are too kind, Tom.” - -“But I am talking here while my wife is waiting for me,” added he. - -“Your wife!” - -“Yes,” replied he, with a smile which expressed the pleasure he felt at -being able to use the endearing term. - -“Where is she?” asked Lilian. - -“Down stairs; I will bring her up at once.” - -“But stop, Tom,” interposed Lilian, with no little embarrassment in her -manner. - -“What, Lilian?” - -“Who is she?” asked my wife, timidly. - -“Who is she?” exclaimed Tom, opening his eyes, and then laughing -merrily. - -“It seems like an age since I left Boston, and I did not know but you -had changed your mind.” - -“An age! Why, it is only three months. My wife, of course, is no other -than Bertha. We were talking seriously of marriage before you came -away. We had fixed the time when I received your letter, but we made it -two weeks earlier, so that we could take our bridal tour across the -Atlantic. I desired to see you because I could not write you what I -wanted to say.” - -“You are more than a brother to me.” - -“Wait till I bring Bertha up, before you say anything more. O, by the -way, she knows nothing at all about this affair with the bank. Don’t -say anything to her about it. It would only make her miserable for -nothing. Besides, everything is all right with you, Paley. It is, upon -my word.” - -“How can we conceal it from her?” asked Lilian, as Tom left the room. - -“We must do it, since he desires it,” I replied. “He says it is all -right with me, and if Bertha don’t know any thing about my conduct, I -suppose others do not.” - -In a moment Tom appeared with his wife, who rushed into Lilian’s arms. -They kissed each other, and I think Bertha was the happiest being -I ever saw. My wife had not written anything about my crime to her -friends, because she feared to compromise me. - -“Why didn’t you write to us before, Lilian?” demanded Bertha. - -“I did, but my letters did not reach you, it seems,” replied my wife; -and I saw that she shuddered at the deception she was compelled to use. - -“We thought you had gone to New Orleans.” - -“No, we did not; but how is dear ma, and father and Ellen?” - -“All very well; and very happy, after they had heard from you. You are -a rich man’s wife now, Lilian, and I hope—” - -“Come, Paley, I must look after my luggage,” interposed Tom, who -evidently did not care to have me hear what his wife had to say. - -I was somewhat astonished to hear Bertha call Lilian a rich man’s wife. -I could not fully comprehend it. I suppose from this that Aunt Rachel -had actually left me her property, as I had anticipated she would, -but the most that I had ever heard her rated at was thirty thousand -dollars, and according to the city standard, this would not make a very -rich man. I was willing to wait for an explanation, however, and I -followed Tom out of the room. We went down to the office, where rooms -for the newly married couple were secured near mine. The baggage was -sent up, and Tom and I took the parlor for a conference. - -“I suppose you are anxious to know how your affairs stand in Boston, -Paley,” said my friend. - -“I am only anxious to make my peace with God and man,” I replied, -earnestly. “I have sinned against God and man. I am a wretch.” - -“That’s a fact, Paley; I can’t deny it. But repent and sin no more.” - -“Tom, if it were not for my wife, I feel that I should be willing to -serve out my term in the State Prison. I feel that I have no right to -be exempted from the consequences of my crime; but Lilian would suffer -more than I should, if the law were to take its course.” - -“Never mind the law. You must suffer the penalty of God’s law—you -need not fear man’s. When you left, Paley, I took your place. I soon -discovered what you had done to your books. I had nearly fainted away -when I found what you had been doing. There was a deficit of something -like twenty thousand dollars.” - -“Just thirty-eight thousand, Tom,” I interposed. - -“Then you were more ingenious than I took you to be,” added he, with -evident disgust. - -“I am going to tell the truth.” - -“Well, no one has investigated the matter very closely. Indeed, no one -knows anything about it but your uncle, Mr. Bristlebach, and myself; -not even the cashier.” - -“That’s very strange,” I replied, wondering at the secrecy with which -the affair had been managed. - -“I don’t know that it is. You wrote me that you had learned of your -aunt’s death. She died on the day after you left home. Your uncle -telegraphed to you in Albany, but was unable to ascertain where you -were. The funeral was deferred as long as possible for you, but you -did not return. Before your aunt was buried, I discovered what you had -been doing, and realized that you did not intend to return. I told your -uncle, and the president what I had ascertained, and we examined the -books. Captain Halliard cursed and swore like a madman, but after a -while he cooled off, and declared that the news would kill your mother. - -“Mr. Bristlebach only added that the news would injure the bank, and it -would take a year to convince the public that it had lost only twenty -thousand dollars; for that was what the deficit appeared to be then, -though the rest of it would have soon become apparent, as the foreign -accounts were settled. It was therefore decided to say nothing about -it. After your aunt’s funeral, Squire—an old lawyer in Court Street, I -forget his name—” - -“Squire Townsend.” - -“Squire Townsend came to the bank and told your uncle he had your -aunt’s will, and that, after paying out a few small legacies, her -property was all left to you. This information settled the matter. -If you had property enough, the bank would lose nothing by you. Your -disappearance called forth a paragraph or two in the papers, but Mr. -Bristlebach caused others to be inserted to the effect that the bank -would not lose a dollar by your absence.” - -“I saw all these items.” - -“So you wrote me. Now, Paley, how much do you suppose your aunt left?” - -“I don’t know. People used to say she was worth about twenty thousand -dollars, but finally the sum got up to thirty thousand,” I replied. - -“Both were below the fact. Her inventory amounts to over fifty -thousand. They say she had twenty thousand more than fifteen years ago. -She has never spent much of anything, and her stocks paid her from six -to twenty per cent. In a word, Paley, you are a rich man.” - -I was astonished at this information, and more than ever conscious of -the folly of my past conduct. - -“You can return to Boston, and if any body ever suspected that you -were a defaulter, your money will cover up the error.” - -“I don’t deserve this good fortune, Tom.” - -“That’s very true,” replied Tom, drily. “If you are honest and true, -you may enjoy it. I hope it will not undo your reformation.” - -“It will not, Tom,” I added, solemnly. “I am grateful to God for His -mercy in sparing me from the consequences of my errors; and I promise -you that I will try to be faithful to Him and to my fellow-creatures.” - -Before I could fully comprehend his purpose, Tom had gently drawn me -upon my knees at his side, on the floor, and there he prayed for me -more earnestly than I could have uttered the petition for myself. I -felt better. The prayer did me good. We talked for half an hour of the -religious aspect of my case, and I came to believe that I was a true -convert. - -“How did they explain my absence?” I asked, as we rose to join our -wives. - -“Your wife’s mother said you had gone to New Orleans to take a -situation in a banking office. Your uncle sent a messenger there to -find you. We all supposed you were there till I received your letter. -I showed it to Captain Halliard, and explained my plan to him. He -approved it, for the executor is waiting for you to claim your aunt’s -property.” - -“I must return immediately.” - -“No; I am going to stay over here two or three months, for I have given -up my place in the bank.” - -“What is that for?” - -“I have a chance to go into business in the spring. My old employer -in the dry goods business wants to sell out to me for forty thousand -dollars. If you will go in with me, with a part of your capital, we can -make a good thing of it.” - -“Will you trust me, Tom?” I inquired, wondering at the confidence he -proposed to give me, after what I had done. - -“Paley, I believe your repentance is sincere; and believing so, I think -you are not so likely to go astray as you would be if you had had no -bitter experience to remind you that the way of the transgressor is -hard.” - -“I hope to prove worthy of your confidence and regard, Tom.” I replied, -clasping his hand. “I shall be glad to go into business with you.” - -“In the spring, then, we will do so. Now I am over here, I mean to see -something of Europe. You must write to your uncle, stating the amount -of the deficit. Give him a draft on Mr. Townsend, who is your aunt’s -executor, for the whole sum. Write to the executor yourself, also, -directing him to take care of the balance till your return.” - -“I have about the value of thirty thousand dollars with me,” I added, -with a blush, as I thought of the means by which I had obtained it. - -After this conference I felt more cheerful than for months before. I -realized that Tom’s earnest prayer for me had been heard, and that God -had forgiven my great sin. I pledged myself anew to be faithful. I -trembled when I thought that, if my aunt’s dying bounty had not been -interposed to save me, I might have spent a portion of my life in -prison. Truly, I had every thing to be grateful for. When, after Tom -and Bertha had retired, I told Lilian what had passed between my friend -and myself, she wept tears of joy and gratitude. - -My story is told. We travelled in Europe till the end of February, and -then sailed from Cadiz to Havana, and thence proceeded to New Orleans. -I wrote to my uncle, and sent him the requisite papers to adjust my -accounts. He replied to me in a very good-natured strain, for to him -crime undiscovered was no crime at all. I wrote to my mother, also. -I could not wound her with the terrible truth, and therefore did not -allude to the reasons for my leaving Boston. - -When we got home, we were warmly welcomed by all our friends. I was -regarded as a rich man, for a young one, and people were not disposed -to ask hard questions. I do not think my mother was ever fully -satisfied as to the reason of my leaving Boston so suddenly, but she -did not press me for an explanation. - -Tom and I went into business in the spring. After paying every dollar -I owed, I had about forty thousand dollars. My partner put in twenty -thousand dollars, and I the same. We are doing well, and both of us -stand well in the community. Mr. Bristlebach is dead, and my uncle -still keeps my secret. - -I bought a house similar to the one I had occupied for so brief a -period in Needham Street, and our home was all that peace, plenty and -grateful hearts could make it. - -I do not yet feel like an innocent man; I can never feel so. I shall -regret and repent my sin to the end of my life. But I appreciate all my -blessings, not the least of which is my wife, who has been my guardian -angel since the day that her horror of my crime assured me of the -reality of truth and goodness. - -I am trying, by every means in my power, to atone for my error, for -which a lifetime is no more than sufficient. I was not inclined to evil -by nature or by education, and, I still feel that my crime was the -legitimate result of LIVING TOO FAST. - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: - -—Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Living Too Fast, by Oliver Optic - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIVING TOO FAST *** - -***** This file should be named 51067-0.txt or 51067-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/0/6/51067/ - -Produced by Giovanni Fini, David Edwards and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Living Too Fast - The Confessions of a Bank Officer - -Author: Oliver Optic - -Release Date: January 28, 2016 [EBook #51067] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIVING TOO FAST *** - - - - -Produced by Giovanni Fini, David Edwards and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<div class="limit"> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="350" height="575" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-001.jpg" width="400" height="600" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc"><span class="smcap">A Lonely House.</span> <span class="wn"><a href="#Page_40">Page 40</a>.</span></p> -</div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span></p> - -<h1 class="p4">LIVING TOO FAST;</h1> - -<p class="pc2">OR,</p> - -<p class="pc2 elarge">The Confessions of a Bank Officer,</p> - -<p class="pc4 lmid">BY</p> - -<p class="pc4 large">WILLIAM T. ADAMS,</p> -<p class="pc">(<i>Oliver Optic</i>.)</p> - -<p class="pc4 reduct"><span class="smcap">Author of “In Doors and Out,” “The Way of the World,”<br /> -“Young America Abroad,” &c. &c.</span></p> - -<p class="pc4 mid"><i>ILLUSTRATED.</i></p> - -<p class="pc4 mid">BOSTON:<br /> -LEE AND SHEPARD, PUBLISHERS.<br /> -NEW YORK:<br /> -CHARLES T. DILLINGHAM,<br /> -1876.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pc4 reduct">COPYRIGHT,</p> -<p class="pc">By WILLIAM T. ADAMS,</p> -<p class="pc reduct">1876.</p> - -<hr class="d2" /> - -<p class="pc reduct">Electrotyped by C. C. Morse & Son, Haverhill, Mass.</p> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">PREFACE.</h2> - -<hr class="d1" /> - -<p>The story contained in this volume records the experience of a -bank officer, “living too fast,” in the downward career of crime. -The writer is entirely willing now to believe that this career ought -to have ended in the state prison; but his work is a story, and he -has chosen—perhaps unhappily—to punish the defaulter in another -way. Yet running through the narrative for the sake of the contrast, -is the experience of a less showy, but more honest young -man than the principal character, who represents the true life the -young business man ought to lead. The author is not afraid that -any of his young friends who may read this book will be tempted -into an “irregularity” by the example of the delinquent bank -officer, for it will be found that his career of crime is full of remorse -and positive suffering.</p> - -<p class="p1"><span class="smcap">Dorchester, July 1, 1876.</span></p> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a><br /><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CONTENTS.</h2> - -<hr class="d1" /> - -<table id="toc" summary="cont"> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdr"><span class="small">PAGE.</span></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER I.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Getting a Situation</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_11">11</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER II.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Miss Lilian Oliphant</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_27">27</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER III.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Going to Housekeeping</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_42">42</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER IV.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The English Basement House</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_57">57</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER V.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Lilian Astonished—So Am I</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_72">72</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER VI.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A Family Jar</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_87">87</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER VII.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8"><span class="small">[8]</span></a></span></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A Shadow of Suspicion</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_102">102</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER VIII.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Coming to the Point</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_116">116</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER IX.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A Lonely House</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_131">131</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER X.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">My Wife and I</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_145">145</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER XI.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Over the Precipice</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_160">160</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER XII.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A Keeper in the House</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_174">174</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER XIII.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Second Step</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_187">187</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER XIV.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The House-Warming</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_201">201</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER XV.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">My Uncle is Savage</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_214">214</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER XVI.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Cormorin and I</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_228">228</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER XVII.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9"><span class="small">[9]</span></a></span></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Providing for the Worst</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_242">242</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER XVIII.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Bustumups at Fifty</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_256">256</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER XIX.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A Crash in Coppers</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_270">270</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER XX.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Last Step</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_283">283</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER XXI.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">An Exile from Home</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_297">297</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER XXII.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Charles Gaspiller</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_311">311</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER XXIII.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">My Confession</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_324">324</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tch">CHAPTER XXIV.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Aunt Rachel’s Will</span>,</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_337">337</a></td> - </tr> - -</table> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a><br /><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p class="pc4 elarge">LIVING TOO FAST;</p> - -<p class="pc2">OR,</p> - -<p class="pc2 large font1">THE CONFESSIONS OF A BANK OFFICER.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/b1.jpg" width="150" height="43" - alt="" - title="" /> -</div> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER I.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">GETTING A SITUATION.</p> - -<div class="floatleft"> - <img src="images/ill-011.jpg" width="250" height="255" - alt="" - title="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap00"> -“I DON’T wish -to stand in -your way, Tom -Flynn.”</p> - -<p>“And I don’t -wish to stand in -your way, Paley -Glasswood,” replied -Tom, with a refreshing -promptness, which was intended to assure me, -and did assure me, that he was my friend, and -that he was unwilling to take any unfair advantage -of me.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span></p> - -<p>Tom and myself were applicants for the situation -of discount clerk in the Forty-ninth National -Bank of Boston. We had submitted our applications -separately, and each without the knowledge -of the other. If we had taken counsel together -before doing so, possibly some sentimental outbreak -would have prevented one or the other from -placing himself even in a seeming attitude of competition -with the other. We had been schoolmates -in Springhaven, had been cronies, and -agreed as well as boys usually do. It is true he -had given me a tremendous thrashing on one occasion, -when I ventured to regard myself as physically -his equal. Though I could not quite forgive -him for the drubbing he gave me, I did not -respect him any the less. While we were good -friends, as the world goes, I was sometimes rather -annoyed by the consciousness of being slightly his -inferior.</p> - -<p>Tom was always a little ahead of me in scholarship, -and always contrived to come out just in -advance of me in every thing in which we were -brought into real or fancied rivalry with each -other. Still he was never so far before me as to -shut me out of the sphere in which he moved. -But in spite of my repeated partial defeats, I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span> -regarded myself as fully his equal. Perhaps my -vanity assured me that I was slightly his superior, -for, like the rest of the world, I was human then, -as I have unfortunately proved myself to be since. -I was tolerably sure that in the great battle of -life which all of us are compelled to fight, I -should come out all right. When it came to the -matter of business, I was confident that I should -outstrip him.</p> - -<p>Both of us had been graduated at the Springhaven -High School, with the highest honors, -though as usual Tom was a little higher than -myself, for while he received the first diploma, -the second was awarded to me. Tom was my -friend, and always treated me with the utmost -kindness and consideration, but I could not help -feeling just a little stung by his superiority; by -his continually coming out about half a length ahead -of me. Springhaven is not so far from the -metropolis of New England as to be regarded as -a provincial town; and though engaging in business -anywhere except in the great city was not the -height of his or my ambition, Tom had gone into -a store in his native place, and obtained his earliest -knowledge of the ways of the world. But -when he was twenty-one he obtained a situation<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span> -in an office in the city in which he received a -salary of six hundred dollars a year.</p> - -<p>Again, at this interesting period of life which -seems to be the beginning of all things to a -young man, Tom was ahead of me, for I had -gone to the city as a boy of sixteen, and when I -was of age, my employers refused to give me over -five hundred a year. Tom had been lucky—this -was my view of the case. Tom had blundered -into a good situation, and it was no merit of his -own. I deserved something better than I had, -and it was only the stupid and stingy policy of -the firm which had “brought me up” that rendered -my position inferior to that of my friend.</p> - -<p>I had one advantage over my friendly rival, -however, in my own estimation. My character -was above suspicion, which could not be said of -Tom, though in the city not a word affecting his -reputation had ever been breathed, so far as I was -aware. At the store in Springhaven where Tom -had served two years as a clerk, several sums of -money had been missed. There was no proof that -Tom took them, but a few people in town knew -that he was suspected of the theft, especially as -he appeared to be living beyond his income. I -do not believe my friend even knew that he was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span> -suspected of the theft, but inasmuch as he was -the only person besides the two partners who had -access to the safe where the money was kept, it -seemed probable to Mr. Gorham, the senior member, -that he was guilty.</p> - -<p>It was a serious matter, and the two partners -used every effort to discover the thief. They put -decoys in the safe, such as marked bank bills, and -resorted to various expedients, but it always happened -that none of these traps were ever disturbed. -Though various sums mysteriously disappeared, the -decoys were never touched. Mr. Gorham declared -that Tom was too smart for him, and Mr. Welch, -the junior, never said much about the matter. At -a convenient time, without stating any reason for -the step, Tom was informed that his services were -no longer required; that a change in the business -rendered them unnecessary. The junior partner -retired from the firm, and the senior carried on -the store alone.</p> - -<p>Mr. Gorham was a relative of my mother, and -knowing of my intimacy with Tom, he regarded -it as his duty to inform her of the suspicions -which he entertained. My mother was shocked -and appalled. Tom was the son of one of the -best men in the town, and as there was no direct<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span> -proof of the crime, it was not deemed expedient to -say anything about it. Mr. Gorham did not say -anything, except to my mother, and she, appreciating -the kindness of her kinsman, faithfully promised -to keep the momentous secret. Probably -there were not a half dozen persons in Springhaven -who knew that Tom left his place under -suspicion, and those were the family and intimate -friends of the storekeeper.</p> - -<p>I will not say that the knowledge of this circumstance -afforded me any satisfaction, but it -helped me to feel that I was the superior of Tom; -that in being honest I had a decided advantage -over him. I could not disbelieve the story as it -came from the lips of my mother, though it was -possible there was some mistake. Within three -years after the change in the firm of Gorham & -Welch, the junior partner “went to destruction,” -and in the light of this after revelation, it was -possible that he had appropriated the money. Mr. -Gorham hinted as much to my mother, and she, -knowing that Tom and myself were still intimate, -gave me the suggestion as a confirmation of what -I had always said in his defence. I had found it -quite impossible to dissolve my relations with Tom, -strongly as my mother desired it. Without exactly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span> -believing that he was guilty of the whispered -iniquity, I felt that he would be a sufferer on account -of it.</p> - -<p>The position in the bank for which we were -both applicants, was considered a remarkably good -one for a young man like Tom or me. I had -considerable influence which I could bring to bear -upon the directors, and so had my friend, but it -seemed to be an even thing between him and me. -In the light of past experience, I felt that Tom -would get ahead of me again, and I was intensely -anxious to succeed, in order that I might regain -the ground I had continually lost.</p> - -<p>I have called my book “Confessions.” I mean -that they shall be such; and of course I do not -set myself up as a model man. I did wrong, and -that was the source of all my misery. I shall not, -therefore, deem it necessary to apologize for each -individual fault of which I was guilty. My readers -can blame me as they will—and I deserve the -severest censure. I have sent grief and dismay -into the bosoms of my friends, and my story is a -warning voice to all who are disposed to yield to -the temptations which beset every man in his business -relations.</p> - -<p>I met Tom Flynn on the street, and I think he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span> -was sincerely desirous not to step into my path. -I am confident he had a genuine regard for me, -and that, if he could have been sure of securing -the situation in the bank to me by withdrawing -from the competition himself, he would have done -so on the moment. But there were other applicants, -and if he retired from the field at all, he -was as likely to do it in favor of some stranger as -of me.</p> - -<p>“I should like the place, Tom, though I don’t -wish to stand in your way,” I added; but in saying -so, I am afraid I only indulged in a conventional -form of speech, desiring only to appear to -be as generous and self-sacrificing as he was.</p> - -<p>“Of course it is my duty to do as well as I can -for myself, but if I can get out of your way without -losing the chance for one of us, I will do -so.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, Tom. That’s handsome, and I -would do as much for you; but as neither of us -can foresee the issue, we will each do the best he -can to get the place. That’s fair.”</p> - -<p>“Certainly it is; and whichever is successful, -there shall be no hard feelings on the part of the -other.”</p> - -<p>At that moment Tom raised his hat to a lady,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> -and turning from me spoke to her. She was a -beautiful creature, and though it would have been -quite proper for me to terminate the interview, -I was not inclined to do so, for the lady filled my -eye, and I could not help looking at her.</p> - -<p>“Be sure and come, Mr. Flynn,” said she.</p> - -<p>“I shall certainly go if nothing unforeseen occurs,” -replied he. “Miss Oliphant, allow me to -make you acquainted with my particular friend, -Mr. Paley Glasswood,” he added, turning to me.</p> - -<p>I was very glad indeed to know her, for I -could not remember that any lady had ever before -made so captivating an impression upon me, -even after a much longer acquaintance. She was -not only very pretty, but she was elegantly dressed, -and I concluded that she belonged to some “nobby” -family. I was pleased with her, and said -some of the prettiest things I could invent for the -occasion. I hoped we should meet again.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Flynn, you must bring your friend with -you to-morrow evening,” she continued.</p> - -<p>“Thank you, Miss Oliphant; I should be delighted -to take him with me, and as he is here, -he can speak for himself,” replied Tom.</p> - -<p>“Just a quiet little party of half-a-dozen at our -house, to-morrow evening. I hope you will come, -Mr. Glasswood,” she added.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I should be very happy to join you, and I will -do so,” I answered.</p> - -<p>She was very pretty, and she seemed to grow -prettier every moment that I looked at her. Her -eyes sparkled and she smiled so sweetly, that I -am forced to acknowledge I experienced a new -sensation in her presence. I repeated my promise -to join the little party, and no entreaty was necessary -to render me a willing follower. She bowed -and passed on, mingling with the bright throng -that gaily flitted up and down Washington Street. -My eyes followed her till she was lost in the -crowd, and I almost forgot that I was an applicant -for the situation of discount clerk in the -Forty-ninth National Bank.</p> - -<p>“Well, Paley, they say the place will be filled at -the meeting of the directors to-morrow forenoon,” -said Tom, calling me away from the sea of moonshine -in which I was at that moment floating, as -my eyes followed the graceful form of Miss Oliphant.</p> - -<p>“So I have been told, and we shall have but -little time left to work. By the way, who is Miss -Oliphant?”</p> - -<p>“She is a very pretty girl,” laughed Tom.</p> - -<p>“Tell me what I don’t know. What is she?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span></p> - -<p>“She is the daughter of a small merchant, who -is in rather shaky circumstances, they say. He -lives on Tremont Street, and has three marriageable -daughters.</p> - -<p>“If they are all as passable as the one I have -just seen, their chances are good.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know about that,” added Tom, laughing. -“Miss Lilian dresses magnificently, you perceive; -and whoever marries one of those girls -will find money a cash article. You shall see -them all to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>“I should say that a wife like this Miss Oliphant -was cheap at any price.”</p> - -<p>“I think so myself, if a fellow can afford such -an expensive luxury. But, Paley, we must not -waste our time,” added Tom, glancing at the Old -South clock. “I must find a man who can do a -good thing for me at the bank.”</p> - -<p>“So must I.”</p> - -<p>We parted, and as I walked down the street, I -could not help recalling the vision of loveliness I -had beheld in the person of Miss Lilian Oliphant. -I was on my way to one of the insurance offices -frequented by my uncle, Captain Halliard, a retired -shipmaster, who dabbled in stocks, and was -a director in the Japan Marine Insurance Company.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span> -He had influence, and I relied principally -upon him to engineer my application at the bank. -He was a man of the world in the broadest sense -of the term. He believed in making money, and -in getting ahead in business, and though he -paid a reasonable respect to conventional forms, -I am not quite certain that he believed in anything -higher. In character and purposes, he was -the very antipode of my mother, whose brother -he was.</p> - -<p>I found him reading a newspaper in the office. -He dropped it when he saw me, and I thought he -looked very anxious. He had undertaken to procure -me the situation I was ambitious to obtain, -and though I don’t think he cared much for me -individually, he was persistent in carrying out -any scheme upon which he had fixed his mind.</p> - -<p>“Paley, your chance is small,” said he, candidly, -after we had passed the time of day.</p> - -<p>My heart sank within me.</p> - -<p>“I am sorry to hear it,” I replied, gloomily.</p> - -<p>“Tom Flynn has the inside track.”</p> - -<p>As usual! It seemed to be laid down as the -immutable law of circumstances that Tom should -always come out just a little ahead of me. I was -vexed. Tom had six hundred dollars a year, while<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span> -I had but five hundred. It was cruel and unjust -to me. His income was to be doubled, and mine -to remain as it was.</p> - -<p>“I was afraid Tom would get ahead of me,” I -added. “But I would rather he should have the -place than any other person, if I can’t get it.”</p> - -<p>“Nonsense, Paley. Don’t talk bosh! I haven’t -given up all hope yet, by any means. Tom is -well enough, I dare say, but you must have this -place, if possible.”</p> - -<p>“I should like to have it,” I added, hopelessly.</p> - -<p>“Paley, what was that story about Tom which -was kept so still in Springhaven?” continued -Captain Halliard in a low tone. “I heard your -mother say something about it, when she was -speaking about your being intimate with him. I -have forgotten about it.”</p> - -<p>“His employers in Springhaven thought that he -took money from the safe.”</p> - -<p>“Exactly so; that was the idea,” added my -uncle, rubbing his hands involuntarily.</p> - -<p>“But I don’t think there was any foundation -for the suspicion,” I protested, rather faintly, too -faintly to produce any decided effect.</p> - -<p>“We are not called upon to try the case,” he replied, -chuckling at his own cunning.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span></p> - -<p>“But I don’t wish to have anything to say -about that old affair.”</p> - -<p>“Then you needn’t have anything to say about -it, except to me. I have begun to manage this -business, and I shall finish it.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to injure Tom in the estimation -of any one,” I added.</p> - -<p>“Don’t be a spooney, Paley. You must look -out for your own chances. You can have this -place, if we can get Tom off the track.”</p> - -<p>Although I was not the author of the brilliant -idea foreshadowed in my uncle’s remarks, I permitted -him to develop it. I told him all I knew -about Tom’s affair with Gorham & Welch. If I -stated that those who knew anything about the -matter now generally believed that the junior -partner was the thief, I stated it so mildly that -my uncle took no notice of it. I confess that I -virtually assented to his scheme; at least, I offered -no decided opposition to it. I knew that Captain -Halliard had only to whisper the fact that Tom -had been suspected, and had lost his situation in -consequence of this suspicion, to throw my chief -competitor out of the field.</p> - -<p>Practically, I assented to the scheme; if I did -anything to prevent its being carried into execution,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span> -I only “fastened the door with a boiled carrot.” -I wanted the place, not alone for its emoluments, -but in order, in the race of life, to surpass -my friend. I regard this weak yielding as my -first crime—the crime against my friend, one of -the basest and most loathsome in the calendar of -offences. This was my real fall; and it was -this, it has since seemed to me, which made me -capable of all that followed.</p> - -<p>I left my uncle in the office, and went back to -the store in which I was employed. Between the -bright vision of Miss Oliphant’s loveliness and the -dark one of my own perfidy, I was nervous and -uneasy all the rest of the day. What was the -use of being over nice? If I did not look out for -myself, no one would look out for me! I think I -did not sleep an hour that night, and the next -day I performed my duties mechanically. About -one o’clock I was rather startled to see Tom -Flynn enter the counting-room.</p> - -<p>“Paley, my dear fellow, I congratulate you,” -said he, grasping my hand.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter, Tom?” I asked.</p> - -<p>“Why, haven’t you heard of it?”</p> - -<p>“Heard of what?”</p> - -<p>“You have been appointed discount clerk in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span> -Forty-ninth National Bank. ’Pon my soul, I am -glad to be the first to tell you of it,” added Tom, -with enthusiasm, as he rung my hand.</p> - -<p>Iniquity had prospered, but only for a time.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER II.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">MISS LILIAN OLIPHANT.</p> - -<div class="floatleft"> - <img src="images/ill-027.jpg" width="250" height="276" - alt="" - title="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap04">HOW could I -look Tom -Flynn in the face, -after what I had -done, or permitted -to be done? He -had been my competitor -in the race -for the situation in -the bank, and probably would have obtained it if -my uncle had not whispered the old slander in -the ears of Mr. Bristlebach, the president. It is -true this plan had originated with Captain Halliard, -but I consented to it, to say the very least. I -could have prevented him from carrying it into -operation. I could have protested in the strongest -of terms that there was no truth in the story, -and that I would not take the place if it were -procured for me by such a base sacrifice of honor -and integrity.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span></p> - -<p>I did not do so. If I protested at all, it was -so faintly that my worldly-minded uncle only regarded -it as a piece of “buncombe.” It is not -for me to blame him, for I regard myself as equally -guilty of the infamous deed—more guilty, for -Tom was my friend. It is a satisfaction for me -now to know that I blushed when my old schoolfellow -entered the counting-room; and to remember -that my conscience stung me like a hot iron -when he informed me that the situation had been -given to me. It was not the glorious triumph -which I had anticipated, and I could hardly felicitate -myself that I was to step immediately into -the enjoyment of a salary of twelve hundred a -year. I could not even enjoy the triumph of being, -for once, actually ahead of my fortunate -friend.</p> - -<p>“I congratulate you, Paley, with all my soul,” -said Tom, with enthusiasm. “I should have liked -the place myself, but I am really better satisfied -with the result, than I should have been if I had -been successful.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t mean that, Tom,” I suggested; and -I felt that I was almost incapable of giving birth -to a lofty emotion.</p> - -<p>“‘Pon my word, I do, Paley. I was thinking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span> -this forenoon that, if the place fell to me, I should -reproach myself for having stood in your way. I -never should have felt just right about it. Now -I am satisfied—more than satisfied; I am delighted -with the result.”</p> - -<p>“I thank you, Tom. I didn’t expect any such -magnanimity from any person in this world;” but -I comforted myself with the thought that, if the -place had been assigned to him, he would have -contrived to endure the disappointment which fell -to my lot.</p> - -<p>“If I had known that you were an applicant, -with any chance of success, I would not have entered -the field. But it is all right as it is; and -I am as much pleased as you are,” added Tom.</p> - -<p>“I don’t exactly see how I happened to get the -place,” I replied, in order to tempt him to tell -what he knew about the canvass, rather than because -I was astonished at the result.</p> - -<p>“I do,” answered Tom, laughing. Your uncle, -Captain Halliard, has a great deal of influence -with Mr. Bristlebach, the president. Rhodes—you -know Rhodes?”</p> - -<p>“I know of him; he’s book-keeper in the Forty-ninth -National.”</p> - -<p>“Yes; well, he says Captain Halliard had a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span> -long talk with Mr. Bristlebach this forenoon. I -have no doubt he made a strong personal appeal -for you, and that settled the case.”</p> - -<p>I should very gladly have believed that I owed -my good luck to the personal influence of my uncle, -but I was confident that he had used that old -slander to procure my appointment. Tom left me -after I had promised to meet him at Mr. Oliphant’s -in the evening. I was sad, and I felt -mean. I was tempted to go to Mr. Bristlebach -and undo what my uncle had done. I could even -procure a letter from Mr. Gorham testifying to -the integrity of Tom. Alas! I had not the courage -to do justice to my friend. A salary of twelve -hundred dollars was too glittering a prize to be -thrown away; and after all it was possible that -Tom had been guilty—possible, but not at all -probable.</p> - -<p>Before the store closed I received official notice -of my appointment, and informed my employers -of my intention to leave them. They did not say -much, and I am not sure that they were very -sorry to have me go. I went to my boarding-house, -and dressed myself with the utmost care -for the occasion in the evening. Miss Lilian -Oliphant was a bright vision before my eyes. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span> -wondered that she had been condescending enough -to notice a person so insignificant as I was. I -was thinking only of her, and as the happy moment -drew near when I was to see her again, I -even forgot my own infamy towards Tom.</p> - -<p>Twelve hundred a year! It was an immense -sum for a young fellow like me, and with such a -foundation for an air-castle, I pictured to myself -a pleasant home with Lilian as the presiding genius -of the place, shedding unutterable bliss upon -my existence. Twelve hundred dollars would -hire a house, furnish it, and enables me to live -like a lord. If Lilian did dress well, if she was -rather extravagant, I could stand the pressure with -the magnificent income which would be mine.</p> - -<p>I was admitted to the parlor in which the family -were seated. Tom and two other gentlemen -were there, conversing with the young ladies, all -of whom were dressed elegantly, and were evidently -“got up” for the purpose of making an -impression. Miss Lilian gave me a cordial welcome, -and introduced me to the rest of the party. Mr. -Oliphant had heard of my good fortune. He congratulated -me, and did me the honor to say that -I should soon be the cashier of the Forty-ninth -National Bank. I was treated with distinguished<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> -consideration, and, without exactly knowing why, -I felt myself to be the lion of the occasion. Discount -clerk of the bank, I was a bigger man than -any of the gentlemen present.</p> - -<p>Miss Lilian was very gracious to me, but I bore -my honors with tolerable meekness. I tried to -avoid putting on any airs, and I think I produced -a favorable impression. We played whist, and -Lilian was my partner; I did not do myself justice, -for I was so fascinated by her loveliness that -I could not keep my thoughts about me, and -Tom and Miss Bertha beat us badly. But Miss -Lilian attributed our misfortune to ill-luck, and -smiled as sweetly as ever. I may as well hasten -to the catastrophe, and declare at once that I was -deeply and irretrievably smitten, as I had intended -to be from the first. She was very kind to me, and -seemed to look with a favorable eye upon me; -but I could not, of course, know whether she -would accept me. I was fearful that she would -require even a bigger man than the discount clerk -of the Forty-ninth National Bank.</p> - -<p>I left the house at eleven o’clock with the most -intense regret. I knew not how soon I might see -her again, but I ascertained where she went to -church, and I went there the very next Sunday.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span> -It was cloudy, and she did not appear. I was -sad and impatient. It seemed to me that I must -see her again soon, or I should do some desperate -deed. I tried to invent an excuse for calling at -her father’s house on Sunday evening, but my ingenuity -failed me. I dropped in upon Tom Flynn, -and talked of nothing but Lilian Oliphant. I -hoped he would take the hint, and propose to call -upon her that evening, but he would not; in fact, -he was going to a prayer-meeting, and only invited -me to go there with him. It was not Lilian’s -church, and I did not wish to go. It would be -pleasanter to walk on the Common and think of -her, if I could not see her.</p> - -<p>I did not sleep half an hour that night. I was -madly, desperately in love with Lilian, and I was -afraid that some young fellow with only a thousand -a year might snap her up while I was waiting to -go through all the forms of society in decent and -conventional order. I was not to take my desk -in the bank till the first day of the new year, a -week hence, and I induced my employers to let -me off from the last four days’ service, for the -reason that I was so infatuated with Miss Lilian -I could not do anything. I walked by Mr. Oliphant’s -house twenty times a day, but I had not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span> -the pluck to call. On Tuesday afternoon I sent -her a beautiful bouquet labelled “In memory of -a pleasant evening. P. G.” When I had done -so, I happened to think that one of my companions -during the pleasant evening alluded to was -Paul Grahame. It was an awful blunder on my -part, for how could she know whether Paul Grahame -or Paley Glasswood was the sender of the -flowers, which had cost me five dollars! If Paul, -who was more intimate in the family than I, -should happen to call during the week, Lilian, -under the consciousness that such a pretty bouquet -could come only from a sincere admirer, might -speak a gentle word or bestow a loving smile upon -him, which would forever darken my hopes.</p> - -<p>The situation looked desperate, and I must call -on Wednesday, or drown myself in the icy waters -off Long Wharf on Thursday. Water below a -reasonable temperature was particularly repugnant -to me, and I did not relish the alternative. I -wondered if she would be glad to see me. -I tried to determine whether her gracious demeanor -towards me during that important evening -had been dictated by mere politeness, or by a -genuine interest in me. I was vain enough to -flatter myself that I had made an impression upon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span> -her gushing heart. In my native town I had -been accounted a good-looking fellow, as revealed -to me through sundry “compliments.” I thought -I was not bad looking, and I consulted my mirror -on this momentous question. The result was -satisfactory, and I was quite willing to believe -that Miss Lilian ought to be pardoned for feeling -an interest in me.</p> - -<p>On Wednesday afternoon I walked by her -father’s house seven times, and probably I should -have passed it seven times more, if on the eighth -I had not seen Lilian at the window. The stars -favored me. The dear divinity saw me; she -smiled, she bowed to me, and I thought she -blushed. Whether she did or not, I blushed, and -the die was cast. The thrilling glance the fair -being bestowed upon me inspired me with a resolution -equal to the occasion. I rushed to the -door, and before I had time to change my purpose, -I rang the bell.</p> - -<p>I was admitted. I asked for Miss Lilian Oliphant, -and was shown into the parlor in which -she was seated. My heart throbbed like the beatings -of the ocean in a tempest, and my face felt -as if a blast of fire had swept over it; but I survived. -I was more than fascinated; I was infatuated<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span> -with the fair being before me. I am free -to say that no such vision of loveliness was ever -realized before or since in my experience.</p> - -<p>“This is a very unexpected pleasure, Mr. Glasswood,” -said she, more self-possessed than I was.</p> - -<p>“I beg your pardon for calling,” I stammered.</p> - -<p>“I’m sure you needn’t do that, for I’m very -glad to see you, sir,” she replied, kindly helping -me out.</p> - -<p>“I didn’t—really—I thought—it’s a beautiful -day, Miss Oliphant.”</p> - -<p>“Splendid day!” laughed she; but I saw that -she was beginning to be embarrassed.</p> - -<p>I ventured to hint that I had spent a very pleasant -evening at her house on the preceding Friday; -and she was kind enough to say she had enjoyed -it very much, and hoped I would call again soon -with my friend, Tom Flynn, and have another -game of whist.</p> - -<p>“I played so badly then that I shall hardly -dare to try again,” I replied. I was—really, I -was—”</p> - -<p>“What?” she asked, when I broke down completely.</p> - -<p>“I was going to say that I usually play better, -but something disturbed me that evening so that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> -I was not myself;” and I fixed my loving gaze -upon the threadbare carpet at my feet.</p> - -<p>“Why, what was the matter with you?” laughed -the vision of loveliness before me.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know, but I didn’t seem to have the -command of my faculties.”</p> - -<p>“Then you must come again and redeem your -reputation, if you feel that you did not do yourself -justice.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you! When shall I come?” I asked -eagerly.</p> - -<p>“As soon as you please.”</p> - -<p>“If it were as soon as I pleased, it would be -this very evening,” I added with a boldness which -absolutely confounded me.</p> - -<p>“Do come this evening then. We can make -up a set without any other help.”</p> - -<p>Why didn’t she say something about that bouquet, -and thus enable me to advance a step nearer -to the conquest. She did not, and I was afraid -the five dollar trifle had been placed to the credit -of Paul Grahame. I went away, but I hastened to -the florist’s and bought another bouquet—price -seven dollars. On the card I wrote, “In memory -of a pleasant call. P. G******d.” She could -not make Grahame out of that.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span></p> - -<p>Early in the evening I rang the bell, and was -ushered into the parlor. On the piano was my -bouquet, and near it stood Lilian, who, as I entered -the room, was in the act of inhaling its fragrance. -I think she blushed a little when she -saw me.</p> - -<p>“What a beautiful bouquet!” she exclaimed -with rapture, after the preliminary formalities had -been disposed of. “I am very grateful to you -Mr. Glasswood, for this kind remembrancer.”</p> - -<p>“O, not at all; it was the best I could find, -but it is altogether unworthy.”</p> - -<p>“Why, it is positively lovely! It is beautiful, -delicious. My friends are very kind. It was only -the other day that Mr. Grahame sent me one, but -it was not so pretty as this one.”</p> - -<p>“Did he, indeed?” I asked.</p> - -<p>“How stupid I am! Why it was you Mr. -Glasswood. I interpreted the initials as those of -his name.”</p> - -<p>Miss Lilian looked upon the floor, and her chest -heaved with emotion that agitated me more than -her. I fancied it was all right—and it was. I -played whist, and the old gentleman and one of -the other daughters beat us worse than before. I -trumped my partner’s tricks, and put my ace upon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span> -her king. But I consoled myself with the reflection -that she must be thinking of something -else, or she would not so often have played the -king before the ace was out. We played a double -game, of which whist was the less important; -but we played into each other’s hands, and won -the game in which hearts were trumps, if we lost -on all other suits.</p> - -<p>I ought to have gone home at ten o’clock, but -I staid till half-past eleven. I was cordially invited -to come again, and I may say I went again, -until my visits included every evening in the -week, not excepting Saturday and Sunday, when -all but “fiddlers and fools” stay at home. Before -the snows melted we were engaged.</p> - -<p>On the first day of the new year I took my -place in the bank. It looked to me then like a -bed of roses; I have since found it to be a bed of -thorns; though I ought to add that I made it so -myself. I knew the routine of bank business tolerably -well, though I had much to learn. I tried -to discharge my duties faithfully, and though Mr. -Bristlebach, the president, was a hard man, I won -even his approval. I need not dwell on this season -of happiness, for as I look back upon it, I -appreciate it; I could not then.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span></p> - -<p>My services were so satisfactory that when our -paying teller was promoted to a higher place in -another institution, I was advanced to his situation -with a salary of eighteen hundred dollars, -and a promise of an additional two hundred if I -proved to be competent to discharge the duties of -the office. My uncle and others were my bondsmen. -Never did a young man look forward to a -brighter future than I did.</p> - -<p>Every evening in the week I went to Mr. Oliphant’s -and was treated as one of the family. -During the year I had been paying assiduous -court to my beautiful charmer. I spent all my -salary, and more than all, for I was in debt at -the end of this time. I wore good clothes, for I -wished Lilian to be proud of me; I sent her bouquets, -I took her to the theatre, the opera, the -concerts, and to balls and parties, a single one of -which in some instances, spoiled a twenty dollar -bill. I took her out to ride, and paid for many -costly suppers. But Lilian appeared to love me -with all her soul, and I was satisfied.</p> - -<p>I had found the end of my twelve hundred dollars -so easily that I dared not think of getting -married; but my promotion decided me. Lilian -offered no unreasonable objections, neither did her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span> -parents, and the happy day was fixed. Tom -Flynn, who had taken my place as discount clerk -in the Forty-ninth National, was to stand up with -me. Somewhat oddly, as it seemed to me, my -good friend advised me not to marry, and we -almost quarrelled over some plain talking which -he did. The die was cast; I would not have retreated -if I could.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER III.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">GOING TO HOUSEKEEPING.</p> - -<p class="p2">I was married in the spring, and the bank gave -me my vacation on the joyous occasion, so that I -was enabled to make a bridal tour of ten days to -the South. I went to Philadelphia, Baltimore -and Washington, and while I distinctly recollect -that I enjoyed myself exceedingly, and traveled -like a prince, I can more vividly recall the rapidity -with which my funds were expended. It had -cost me all my salary to pay my board and to -take Miss Lilian to the opera and the balls, but -I could not afford to deprive Mrs. Glasswood of -any luxury.</p> - -<p>Before we started I was “hard up,” and I -tried to contrive some clever expedient by which -the bridal tour might be dispensed with. I suggested -to Lilian that the journey was not absolutely -necessary; that some very “nobby” people -staid at home after they were married. Her chin -dropped down as though a ten pound weight had -been attached to it, and she looked so sad and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span> -gloomy that I could not think for a moment longer -of depriving her of this triumphal march, for -so I am afraid she regarded it. Of course I did -not hint to her that I could not afford to spend -two or three hundred dollars in travelling, for we -were still lovingly cheating each other into the -belief that she was a princess and I was a representative -of Crœsus himself.</p> - -<p>There was not a dollar to my credit at the -bank, and I had not a dollar to my credit anywhere -else. I was fretful one day, and unguardedly -mentioned to Tom Flynn that I was short. -The generous fellow promptly offered to lend me -a hundred dollars. I am surprised now that I -was able to accept it, but I did, and he put my -“value received” into his wallet as choicely as -though it had been as good as the gold itself. -But a hundred dollars, though Tom seemed to -think it would pay for every thing which it could -possibly enter into the head of a groom to -procure, was expended in trifles and before we -were ready to start upon the bridal tour I was -penniless again.</p> - -<p>I wanted three hundred dollars, for it would -not be safe to start on a ten-days’ trip attended -by such a helpmate as Lilian with less than<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> -this sum in my pocket. First class hotels, private -parlors, carriages, the opera in New York, -would make large demands upon my purse. I -was rather sorry that Tom Flynn had offered to -lend me a hundred dollars, for if he had not done so -I should have asked him to favor me with the loan -I now needed. I could not ask him, after what -he had done. My uncle, Captain Halliard was a -rich man, though he was a calculating and a careful -one. I had been a favorite of his in my earlier -years, and I knew that he had a great deal -of regard for the honor of the family. I had -hardly seen him since he helped me into my situation, -for he had been on a business mission to -Europe.</p> - -<p>Three hundred dollars was nothing to a man of -his resources, and, with some sacrifice of pride on -my part, I made up my mind to wait upon him -with my request. He would understand the case, -and readily see that a young man about to be -married must incur a great many extraordinary -expenses, and it would not be at all strange that -he was temporarily “short.” I found the worthy -old gentleman in the insurance office, up to his -eyes in the news of the day. I talked with him -for some time about indifferent topics, about my -mother’s health and the affairs of Springhaven. -Then I rose to depart, in the most natural manner -in the world though I was rather grieved to -see that he was not sorry to have me go; in fact, -he returned to his newspaper with an eagerness -which seemed to intimate that I had bored him. -I took a few steps towards the door, and then, as -though I had forgotten something, I hastily -retraced my steps.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-045.jpg" width="400" height="600" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc"><span class="smcap">I call upon my Uncle.</span> <span class="wn"><a href="#Page_45">Page 45</a>.</span></p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span></p> - -<p>“By the way, uncle—I’m sorry to trouble you, -but—could you lend me three hundred dollars -for a few weeks?”</p> - -<p>“Three hundred dollars!” exclaimed the venerable -seeker after the main chance, just as though -I had attacked him in the tenderest part of his -being.</p> - -<p>“The fact is, uncle, getting married in these -times is an expensive luxury, and I find myself a -little short, though, of course, I shall be all right -as soon as I get settled down.”</p> - -<p>“It’s rather a bad sign for a young man to -have to borrow money to get married with,” he -added with a glance of severe dignity at me.</p> - -<p>“Never mind it, uncle. I won’t trouble you, -then, if it is not convenient,” I replied, in a -thoroughly off-hand manner, as though the little<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span> -favor I asked was of more consequence to him -than to me. “I shall expect to see you at the -house of Mr. Oliphant at the ceremony, and remember -the levee is at eight o’clock. Don’t fail -to be there, uncle.”</p> - -<p>“Stop a minute! I suppose if you need three -hundred dollars, I can let you have it,” he added.</p> - -<p>“O, it is of no consequence. Don’t trouble -yourself. Two or three of my friends wanted to -lend it to me, but I did not exactly like to accept -such a favor outside of the family. Aunt Rachel, -I dare say, will be glad to accommodate me.”</p> - -<p>“Write a note,” said he, rather crustily, as he -went to one of the desks, and drew a check for -the amount I required.</p> - -<p>I could not help smiling, as I wrote the due -bill, to think of the address with which I had -managed my case. I am confident if I had whined -and begged until the sun went down, he would -have been hard enough to refuse me. Possibly he -did not like to have me apply to Aunt Rachel. -She was a maiden sister of my father who had -about twenty thousand dollars and lived with my -mother. Her inheritance had been the same as -my father’s, but, having no expenses, she had kept -certain lands in the middle of the town till they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span> -increased in value so that she was made independent. -As I wished to be her heir, I had always -treated her with the utmost consideration. Captain -Halliard managed some stocks for her, and he -was anxious to keep in her good graces.</p> - -<p>I put the check in my pocket with the utmost -nonchalance, and again begging my uncle not to -fail to be present at the ceremony, I left him. -It was all right with me for the present. When -I started on my bridal tour I owed about six hundred -dollars, which I calculated that I could -easily pay off in six months with my increased -salary. When we returned from Washington I -had barely money enough left to pay the hackman -for conveying us to the house of my wife’s -father. If I had not been so cautious as to count -up my money, and estimate the expenses of the -return trip, I should have exhausted my exchequer -before we reached home. When I found I had -just enough left to pay these expenses, I told -Lilian that I had received a letter which compelled -me to return immediately, though we had -intended to stay two days longer.</p> - -<p>She pouted, but I told her I should lose my -situation if I did not go back. She thought I -might get another situation rather than break up<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span> -the pleasant excursion so abruptly. I told her I -could easily get another situation, but it was not -exactly prudent to give up one until the other -was obtained. It almost broke my heart to cross -her in anything, and if I could have met a friend -good-natured enough to lend me a hundred dollars -I might have been spared the annoyance. I -met no such friend, and we went on cheating -each other as before. It was stupid in me to do -so, but I had not the courage to tell her that I -was not made of money, and I permitted her to -believe that my pockets were still well lined.</p> - -<p>We returned home, but on the way I was -obliged to pretend that I was sick, in order to -save the expense of supper aboard the steamer. -We had dined at four o’clock, and though it was -absurd to eat again at six, Lilian wanted to see -who were at the tables; but my pretended illness -saved me, and, what was more important, -saved the two dollars for the hack hire in Boston.</p> - -<p>“What shall we do when we get home?” asked -Lilian, as we sat that evening in the cabin of the -steamer.</p> - -<p>“We shall live on love for years to come,” I -replied, with enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>“Of course we shall do that,” she added; but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span> -I thought she did not seem to be exactly pleased -with the diet. “Shall we board or keep house?”</p> - -<p>“Which do you prefer, my dear Lilian?” I -asked, for though we had discussed this question -before, she had not been able to make up her -mind.</p> - -<p>“If we can board at the Revere House, or at -Mrs. Peecksmith’s in Beacon street, I would rather -board.”</p> - -<p>“It would not be possible to obtain such rooms -as would suit us at the Revere House at this season -of the year; and I heard a gentleman in -Washington say that Mrs. Peecksmith had not a -single apartment unoccupied.”</p> - -<p>“How provoking!”</p> - -<p>It was provoking, but I had to invent my excuses -as I went along. I did not venture to suggest -that my entire salary would not pay the expenses -of boarding at either of the places she -named. I was too weak and vain to tell her the -truth. I deceived her. She had no knowledge of -the world, no experience of the value of money, -for her poor father had actually ruined himself in -a vain attempt to keep up the style of living he -had enjoyed in more prosperous days. Nearly all -his profits went upon the backs of his daughters,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span> -each of whom had been taught to believe that a -husband, when interpreted, was money. I did -nothing to disturb the illusion.</p> - -<p>“I think we must find a place to board for a -few weeks, till we can get a house, and then we -will go to housekeeping,” I suggested.</p> - -<p>“We must go to housekeeping if we can’t get -rooms at the Revere, or at Mrs. Peecksmith’s,” -added Lilian. “But dear ma will take us to -board for a time; and really I could not think of -going anywhere else.”</p> - -<p>We went to “dear ma’s,” and after I had paid -the hackman, I had just twenty-five cents left in -my pocket. “Dear ma” was willing to take us -to board for a time, under the circumstances, -though it would be a great inconvenience to her. -She would not think of taking anybody else, though -she had plenty of house room. I ventured to hint -that, as a prudent man, I should like to know -what the terms would be, though really it did not -make the least difference to me, in point of fact. -“Dear ma” did not like to speak of such things; -she was going to take us simply as a matter of -accommodation—“under the circumstances.”</p> - -<p>“Of course, Mrs. Oliphant, I understand you, -and I am very grateful for the sacrifice you propose<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span> -to make; but it is always well to have things -clearly set forth,” I replied, mildly.</p> - -<p>“Certainly it is. I always believe in having -things in black and white. I suppose it would -cost you fifty dollars a week to board at Mrs. -Peecksmith’s; but I should not think of charging -you that,” she continued, with a benevolent smile.</p> - -<p>“Gracious! I should hope not,” I mentally -ejaculated, for at the Beacon Street house the -boarders walked on Wilton carpets, looked out -through windows decked with velvet draperies, -slept upon rosewood bedsteads, and had seven -courses at dinner, while Mr. Oliphant’s house was -an old one, its furniture worn out and dilapidated, -its carpets threadbare, and the fare—when they -had no extra company—below the grade of a -cheap boarding-house. If I had not loved Lilian -with all my soul, I should have deemed it a charity -to take her off her parents’ hands. As it was, -she was cheap at any price.</p> - -<p>“Whatever you say will be all right,” I replied. -“I am getting a handsome salary now, -and I am willing to pay a fair price.”</p> - -<p>“I think thirty dollars a week would be no -more than the cost to us. Of course I don’t expect -you to pay anything near what it would cost -at Mrs. Peecksmith’s.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span></p> - -<p>Whew! I could board at a house only one -grade below Beacon Street for twenty. I expected -she would say ten, or at the most fifteen dollars, -but, poor “dear ma!” I suppose she needed the -money to deck out the next daughter for the sacrifice. -I could not object. It was all in the family; -but I determined to find a house with all -possible dispatch.</p> - -<p>I went to the bank and took my place. I flatter -myself that I was smart, for I won the approbation -of even Mr. Bristlebach. I made no mistakes. -I was not nervous. When I drew my -month’s salary of one hundred and fifty dollars, -all but about twenty dollars of it went into the -purse of “dear ma,” for board which would have -been high at ten dollars a week. Though Lilian -complained of the accommodations, she said nothing -about housekeeping. I made some inquiries, -and found I could board better for half the price -I was paying. I then said something about engaging -rooms nearer to the bank. My dear wife -protested. She could not leave “dear ma’s,” -where she had all the comforts of a home, and -was in her own family. I saw that she was a -party to the swindle; that “dear ma” had instructed -her what to do and what to say.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span></p> - -<p>My home was no home at all, and I was determined -to leave it before I had another month’s -board to pay. To stay any longer would be ruin. -My twenty dollars’ surplus would pay for only a -few concerts and rides, and in less than a fortnight -I was penniless again. My debts began to -trouble me. One day Captain Halliard wanted to -know if he had not lent me three hundred dollars -for a few weeks. I assured him he had, and -that I intended to pay him in a few days. Tom -Flynn hinted that he was short, though he did -not directly say he wanted his money. My tailor -was becoming slightly unreasonable, and the keeper -of a livery stable stupidly insisted upon being -paid, and even had the audacity to refuse to trust -me for any more teams.</p> - -<p>It would not do for me to have these importunate -creditors coming into the bank to see me. -The president and the cashier would be alarmed -if they discovered that the paying teller was in -debt. But trying as these duns were, they were -insignificant compared with the annoyances which -I endured at “dear ma’s.” Lilian hinted, and -then insisted, that I should refurnish our room at -my own expense. I told her I would think of it, -and went out to walk after dinner. I did think<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span> -of it; and thought I would not do it. Strange as -it may seem, “dear ma” was absolutely becoming -disagreeable to me, and I wondered how such an -angel as Lilian could have been born of such a -designing woman as I found her mother to be.</p> - -<p>I stumbled upon a friend who had been to look -at a house. It was a splendid little place, but -not quite large enough for him, and the rent was -only six hundred dollars a year. I went with him -to see it. It looked like a fairy palace to me, and -was just the size I wanted. It was an English -basement house, three stories high. I went to see -the owner. Another man had just left it, and -meant to take the house, but he must first consult -his wife. If I stopped to consult mine, I -should lose it, and I closed with him on the instant, -regarding myself as the luckiest fellow -in the world.</p> - -<p>Lilian would be delighted with it; there could -be no doubt of that. What a magnificent surprise -it would be to her, if I could take her in, -after it was all furnished! Stupid as the idea -may seem to lady housekeepers, I was so enamored -of my plan that I determined to put it into -operation. I was satisfied we could live in this -gem of a house for less than I paid for board, and -live in much better style.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span></p> - -<p>The idea of a surprise to Lilian was delightful -to me, and I laid out the plan in detail; but the -first thing was to provide the funds. Then my -jaw dropped down. I owed over six hundred -dollars to certain restless creditors; but I could -save money by going to housekeeping, and my -duty to them required that I should do so. I had -not yet troubled Aunt Rachel, and taking Lilian -with me, I went down to Springhaven to spend -the Fourth of July, ostensibly to escape the noise -and dust of the city, but really to lay siege to -my venerable aunt’s purse strings.</p> - -<p>The only thing that was likely to defeat me -was the fact that Aunt Rachel did not like -my wife, for Lilian, who regarded the worthy spinster -as an “old fuss,” had not always been as -prudent in her presence as I could have wished. -But I caught my aunt alone at five o’clock in the -morning, for the noise of fire-crackers had driven -the old creature from her bed at an unwonted -hour. I played my cards with all the skill of -which I was master. She not only gave me the -money, a thousand dollars, which she had “salted -down” in the house for fear all the banks would -break, but she promised to keep my secret. She -declared that Lilian was too extravagant for a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span> -young man like me, and I explained that I wished -to furnish the house without her knowledge, so as -to save expense. She commended my good motive, -and I returned to the city with a thousand -dollars in my pocket, to furnish the English basement -house.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER IV.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">THE ENGLISH BASEMENT HOUSE.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap08">A THOUSAND dollars in cash was more than -I had ever before possessed at one time. I -felt like a rich man, for the shadow of the six hundred -dollars which I owed did not offensively obtrude -itself upon me. I could hardly conceal my exhilaration -from Lilian, but I was so intent upon -giving her a grand surprise that I kept the great -secret, and preserved a forced calmness. I had -made very careful estimates of the cost of living -in my new palace—I thought they were very -careful—and I was fully satisfied that I should -save one-third of my present expenses.</p> - -<p>My column of figures, after I had thought of -every possible expense that could be incurred in -the course of the week, footed up at a trifle -over twenty dollars a week, but I was entirely -convinced that I should bring the actual below the -estimated expense. From the first of July my -salary was to be two thousand a year, or about -thirty-eight dollars and a half a week. I could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span> -therefore let my expenses go up to twenty-five -dollars a week without upsetting the argument.</p> - -<p>Then I allowed three hundred a year for clothing -my wife and myself, and for incidental expenses. -In our beautiful home we should not -care to ride and go to concerts and theatres much, -and both of us were well supplied with clothing. -I deemed the sum appropriated as amply -sufficient. At this rate I could pay off my -debts in a year and a half, and be square with -the world. Until this was done, I intended to -hold myself to a most rigid economy. I must -even contrive some way to let Lilian know that -I could not spend money so freely as I had done, -but I could promise her that, when my debts -were paid, she should have every thing she -wanted.</p> - -<p>I was perfectly satisfied. My prudential calculations -set me all right with myself and with the -rest of mankind. The vision of the English basement -house, all finished and furnished, with Lilian -sitting in state in the little boudoir of a parlor, -was my castle in the air for the present. I was -very cheerful and light hearted, and went to my -daily duties at the bank with an alacrity I had -never before felt. I told Lilian I should not be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span> -at home to dinner that day. When she wanted to -know why, I said something about bank commissioners, -and was afraid I should be detained until -a late hour. She kissed me as usual when I -left her, and even “dear ma” looked so very -amiable, that I was afraid she would kiss me too. -But she did not, and my heart smote me as I -thought of the treason I was meditating against her -and the two unmarried daughters.</p> - -<p>I ought to say here, in justice to myself, that -these two sisters of my wife were a heavy burden -upon me, independently of the thirty dollars a -week I paid for my board; for if Lilian and I -proposed to go to a concert, to the theatre or the -opera, it was somehow contrived that one or both -of them should join the party. My wife reasoned -that a carriage would cost no more for four than -for two, and the paltry expense of the tickets was -all the additional outlay I incurred, while it was -<i>such</i> a pleasure for the sisters to go. Then I -could just as well purchase three pairs of white -kids as one—Mrs. Oliphant would pay me for -them. I must do her the justice to say that she -always offered to do so, but, as it was “all in the -family,” I was too magnificent to stoop to such -trifles; and I know that she would have considered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span> -me mean if I had accepted the paltry dollars. -I went to the bank with the thousand dollars in -my pocket. I intended to devote the afternoon -to selecting the furniture for my new house. My -friend Buckleton was in the furniture business. -He would not only keep my secret, but he would -give me a bargain on his wares; and what was -better, if I came a little short he would trust me. -The thousand dollars’ worth of goods in my house -was so much real property, the possession of which -would add to my credit, and -was available as security, if -occasion required.</p> - -<div class="floatleft"> - <img src="images/ill-060.jpg" width="200" height="389" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="cf"><p class="pc">Shaytop’s Little Bill.</p> -</div></div> - -<p>The bank closed, and -after I had settled my cash, -I decided to take a little -lunch at Parker’s before I -went to Buckleton’s store. -I was going out of the -bank when that confounded -Shaytop, the stable man, -presented himself before me -like the ghost of a faded -joy. He had the impudence -to thrust his little bill, -which amounted to only sixty odd dollars, in my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span> -sunny face. Humph! sixty dollars was nothing -to me in my present frame of mind. I didn’t -“cotton” to any such sum as that, and Mr. Bristlebach, -the president of the bank, who was -reputed to be worth a million, could not have -looked more magnificent than I did, if he had -tried.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Glasswood, I am getting rather tired of -calling on you about my bill,” Shaytop began, in -the most uncompromising manner.</p> - -<p>“Do I owe you anything, Mr. Shaytop?” I -inquired, very loftily.</p> - -<p>“Do you owe me anything!” exclaimed the -fellow, opening his eyes wide enough to catch a -vision of the prophetic future. “I reckon you -do.”</p> - -<p>“Is it possible? I declare, I had quite forgotten -the circumstance.”</p> - -<p>“Forgotten it! I’ll bet you didn’t! I think I -have taken pains enough to keep you informed of -it.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be rude, Mr. Shaytop. I don’t permit -any man to dun me.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you? Well, by George, you have made -an exception in my favor. Haven’t I been to see -you once a week for the last three months?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t remember,” I replied, vacantly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Look here, my gay bird, you can’t tom-fool -me any longer. I’m going to have my money, or -break something,” he added, with an energetic -gesture.</p> - -<p>“Certainly, my dear sir, if I owe you anything, -I shall pay it with greater pleasure than you will -receive it.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet you won’t! I want to see Mr. Bristlebach. -I don’t think he likes to have his clerks -run up bills for teams, and not pay for them.”</p> - -<p>“All right; you can see Mr. Bristlebach, if you -wish. He is in the director’s room. Shall I introduce -you to him?”</p> - -<p>“I want to see him if you are not going to pay -me.”</p> - -<p>“Haven’t I told you that I should take great -pleasure in paying you, if I owe you anything. -It had slipped my mind that I owed you’ a bill, -though now it comes to me that there is a small -balance due you.”</p> - -<p>“A small balance! You owe me sixty-two -dollars!”</p> - -<p>“Well, I call that a small balance. In the bank -we deal in big figures. How long have I owed -you sixty-two dollars, Mr. Shaytop?”</p> - -<p>“About six months.”</p> - -<p>“Exactly so! Have you added interest?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span></p> - -<p>“No. I shall be glad enough to get the bill, -without saying anything about the interest.”</p> - -<p>“If I forgot this little matter, it is not right -that you should lose anything by my neglect. -Add the interest to your bill, and I will pay it.”</p> - -<p>“That’s what you said every time I asked you -for the money—all but the interest.”</p> - -<p>“I’m going up to Parker’s for a lunch now. If -you will call there in half an hour, I will pay you -the bill and the interest,” I continued, glancing -at the clock in the bank.</p> - -<p>“If you mean so, I’ll be there.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t insult me, Mr. Shaytop.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll be there, and if you are not there, I’ll -take the next best step.”</p> - -<p>He turned on his heel, and left me. It was -painfully impressed upon my mind that I must pay -that bill, and thus diminish the resources for furnishing -the house. But I was something of a -philosopher, and I argued that paying this demand -would not increase the sum total of my indebtedness; -it would only transfer it to the account of -the furniture. This thought suggested a new -train of ideas. My tailor was bothering me about -a little bill I owed him; Uncle Halliard would be -asking me again if I did not owe him three hundred<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span> -dollars; and Tom Flynn would hint that he -was short. Why could I not improve my credit by -paying off all these debts, and “running my face” -for the furniture? It was worthy of consideration -as a piece of financial policy.</p> - -<p>I went to Parker’s, and ordered “a little lunch” -which cost me a dollar and a half. Before I had -finished it, Shaytop made his appearance. I never -saw a fellow look more doubtful than he did. -He evidently believed that he had come on a fool’s -errand. Since I could not well avoid paying the bill, -I was to have the pleasure of dissolving this illusion -in his mind.</p> - -<p>“Sit down, Mr. Shaytop,” I began politely, pointing -to the chair opposite my own at the table.</p> - -<p>“I haven’t much time to spare,” he replied, -glancing at the viands before me, perhaps with -the ill-natured reflection that this was the way -the money went which ought to be used in paying -his bill.</p> - -<p>“Won’t you have something to eat, Mr. Shaytop; -or something to drink, if you please?”</p> - -<p>“No, I thank you; I’ve been to dinner, and I -never drink anything.”</p> - -<p>“Happy to have you eat or drink with me,” I -added, coolly.</p> - -<p>“I’m in a hurry, Mr. Glasswood.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Are you? Well, I’m sorry for that. We -don’t live out more than half of our lives on -account of always being in a hurry. By the way -it seems to me very strange I forgot that little -bill of yours. One hundred and sixty-two dollars, -I think you said it was?”</p> - -<p>“Sixty-two dollars, I said,” he answered as if -congratulating himself that it was not the sum I -named.</p> - -<p>He took the bill from his pocket, and laid it on -the table before me.</p> - -<p>“Good!” said I, glancing at the document. -“I’m a hundred dollars in. I was thinking you -said it was a hundred and sixty-two.”</p> - -<p>I intimated to the waiter that he might bring -me a Charlotte Russe, and he removed the dishes -from the table.</p> - -<p>“I don’t like to hurry you, Mr. Glasswood, -but I ought to be at the stable.”</p> - -<p>“O, you are in a hurry! I had quite forgotten -that you said so. Well, I will not keep you waiting,” -I replied drawing my <i>porte-monnaie</i> from my -pocket.</p> - -<p>His eyes glistened, and I think he had a hope by -this time. I glanced at the bill again.</p> - -<p>“You haven’t added the interest,” I continued.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Never mind the interest.”</p> - -<p>“But I am very willing to pay it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you add it. You can figure as fast -again as I can.</p> - -<p>“Sixty-three, eighty-six,” I replied. “Receipt -the bill, Mr. Shaytop.”</p> - -<p>He went over to the cashier’s desk and performed -this pleasing operation. I think the act -gave him an additional hope of receiving his -money.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you had just as lief take my due bill -for six months for this amount, now that we have -added the interest?” I suggested.</p> - -<p>“No, I’ll be hanged if I had!” retorted he, -very sharply. “Have you brought me up here, -and wasted an hour of my time, to give me your -note, which isn’t worth the paper you will write -it on?”</p> - -<p>“You are impudent, Mr. Shaytop.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps I am, but—”</p> - -<p>“Never mind; if you don’t want the note, you -can have the money. It don’t make much difference -to me, though it would be more convenient -to pay the bill at another time than now. There -isn’t the least need of making use of any strong -language.”</p> - -<p>“Pay me, and I won’t use any, then.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span></p> - -<p>I opened my <i>porte-monnaie</i> and took therefrom -the roll of bills I had received from Aunt Rachel. -A five hundred dollar bill was on the top, and the -balance of the pile was in hundreds and fifties. -I ran through the bills with professional dexterity, -so that he could see the quality of them.</p> - -<p>“I can’t make the change, Mr. Shaytop,” I -replied, with cool indifference.</p> - -<p>I glanced at him. I went up in that man’s -estimation from zero to summer heat. He would -have trusted me for a span every day in the week -for six months. I took out a hundred dollar bill -and tossed it over to him. As I suspected, he -could not give me the change. He went to the -counter and procured smaller bills for it, and gave -me the sum coming to me. He had ceased to be -in a hurry.</p> - -<p>“If you want any more teams, Mr. Glasswood, -I think I can fit you out as well as any other -stable in the city,” said he, after he had put his -wallet back into his pocket.</p> - -<p>“I don’t,” I replied, curtly.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you ride any now?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, just as much as ever; but you see, Mr. -Shaytop, I don’t like to be bothered with these -small accounts, and to deal with men who think<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span> -so much of little things,” I answered, magnificently. -“You have threatened to speak to Mr. -Bristlebach, which you are quite welcome to do; -and you intimate that my note is not worth the -paper on which it is written.</p> - -<p>“I hope you will excuse me for what I said, -but I was a little vexed” pleaded he. “I was -mistaken in you. The fact of it is, I lost two or -three bills—”</p> - -<p>“You haven’t lost anything by me, and I don’t -intend you shall,” I interposed.</p> - -<p>I finished my “little lunch,” rose from the -table, and having paid my bill, left the house. -Shaytop followed me. He wanted my trade, now -that he had seen the inside of my pocket-book. -But I shook him off as soon as I desired to do -so, and hastened to the store of Buckleton. Confidentially -I stated my plan to him, and he was -willing to be my bosom friend. In the course of -the interview I opened my <i>porte-monnaie</i>, and contrived -that he should see the figures on the bank -bills it contained. It was surprising how those -figures opened his heart.</p> - -<p>When I suggested that I was making a large -outlay, he volunteered to trust me to any extent -I desired. He was kind enough to go with me<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span> -to the carpet store, and assist me in the selection -of the goods I wanted. I insisted upon paying -two hundred dollars on account, which made the -carpet people astonishingly good-natured to me; -and I was taken aback when they offered to give -me credit. Buckleton then went with me to the -kitchen furnishing store, and his advice helped me -very much as I wandered through the long lists -of articles. I made the selection and paid the -bill.</p> - -<p>When we returned to the furniture store, I -warmed toward him, and finally prevailed on him to -accept two hundred dollars towards the bill I -bought of him. He gave me a receipt. When -we footed up the prices of the goods I had selected, -I was rather startled to find they amounted to -nearly eight hundred dollars.</p> - -<p>“I can’t afford that!” I protested, “I must go -over it again, and take some cheaper articles.”</p> - -<p>“It don’t pay to buy cheap furniture, Glasswood,” -replied my friend. “You have been very -moderate in your selections.”</p> - -<p>He overcame my scruples by declaring that I -need not pay for the goods till it suited my own -convenience. I left him and went back to the -bank to count my funds. I had only four hundred<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span> -and seventy dollars left. I could not pay -off the six hundred of old debts now; so I left -the matter open for further consideration.</p> - -<p>The carpet people went to work immediately, -and in a week all the rooms were ready for the -furniture. Buckleton was so obliging as to go to -the house himself and arrange the chairs, tables, -bedsteads and other articles. The kitchen furniture -was all put in the closets, hung up on the -walls, or otherwise disposed of, so that the place -looked like an occupied home. I had sheets, pillow-cases, -towels, and other articles made up, and -in three weeks the English basement-house looked -as cosey as the heart of a bank officer could -desire.</p> - -<p>But fearful inroads had been made upon my -exchequer. The carpet people made up a total -bill of three hundred and thirty dollars; and when -I hinted that I might possibly find it necessary to -avail myself of their offer to give me credit, they -had a note to pay and wanted the cash. I was -too magnificent to haggle. I settled their bill—and -cursed them in my heart. When I had paid everything -except the six hundred I owed Buckleton, -I had only ninety dollars in my pocket.</p> - -<p>I was alarmed. A cold sweat stood on my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span> -forehead as I added up the items and found that -I was twelve hundred dollars in debt. The situation -worried me for a few days, but I soon became -accustomed to it. I consoled myself with the -hope that the bank would raise my salary, though -I could pay off the debts with my present income -in three years. It would all come out right in -the end, and it was useless to worry about the -matter.</p> - -<p>I didn’t worry long. The English basement house, -all furnished, new and elegant, with a Biddy in -the kitchen, was a joy which could not be ignored. -If it had cost me nearly fifteen hundred dollars to -furnish the house, I had that amount of property -on hand, and my debts were really no more than -before. The house was ready for my wife, and I -proposed to her, one afternoon, when all was -ready, to take a walk with me.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER V.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">LILIAN ASTONISHED—SO AM I.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap04">IN spite of the doubts and fears which had disturbed -me, I was delighted with the English -basement house and already in anticipation I -enjoyed the surprise of Lilian, when I should tell -her that the beautiful home was her own. I -asked her to walk with me, but she was a little -fretful that day; somehow she seemed more like -“dear ma” than I had ever seen her before.</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to walk to-day, Paley. I’m -tired,” she replied, with a languid air.</p> - -<p>“I only wish to go a little way,” I added.</p> - -<p>“Not to-day, Paley.”</p> - -<p>“I want to show you a house, Lilian.”</p> - -<p>“A house!” she exclaimed with something like -an abused expression on her beautiful face, as -though she half suspected the treason towards -“dear ma” which I was meditating.</p> - -<p>“I saw a little English basement house in -Needham street, which I would like to have you -look at, just as a curiosity, you know,” I continued,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span> -with as much indifference as I could -assume.</p> - -<p>“Why do you wish me to see it, Paley?” she -asked, exhibiting more interest and apparently -forgetting that she was tired.</p> - -<p>“Well, because I saw it, and liked the looks of -it. There can be no harm in seeing it.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know, Paley,” she answered, doubtfully; -but whatever suspicions she cherished, she -could have no idea of the truth, “We will go -some other day.”</p> - -<p>“But we may not have the opportunity another -day. I happen to know that the house is open -to-day.”</p> - -<p>What do you mean, Paley? You look just -as though you were planning something.”</p> - -<p>“So I am. I am planning a little walk that -will not take half an hour of your time.”</p> - -<p>“Something worse than that,” she added, shaking -her head.</p> - -<p>“I was thinking that, some time or other, we -might possibly go to housekeeping.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I suppose we shall, some time or other,” -she answered, languidly. “But I hope you are -not thinking of doing it yet awhile. I can’t bear -the thought of leaving dear ma; we are so pleasantly -situated here.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span></p> - -<p>To use a vulgar expression, “I did not see it.” -I was not wicked enough to attempt to prejudice -my darling against “dear ma,” and I felt obliged -to manage the matter with care. But, as the -shock could not long be deferred, I might as well -make some approaches.</p> - -<p>“Of course we are situated pleasantly enough -here; but you know, Lilian, that you said we -must go to housekeeping.”</p> - -<p>“Certainly, we must go to housekeeping in time, -but not yet.”</p> - -<p>“But you know that your mother was kind -enough to take us to board only till we could -complete our arrangements. She is very obliging, -and I am very grateful to her for the favor; but -I don’t think it would be right for us to impose -ourselves upon her any longer than is absolutely -necessary.”</p> - -<p>“O—well—of course not; but it will be very -hard for me to go away from home.”</p> - -<p>“We need not go far; indeed, not so far but -that you can call upon her every day. My conscience -reproaches me when I think of the trouble -we are giving her.”</p> - -<p>“She does not complain.”</p> - -<p>“She will not complain, but at the same time<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span> -it is not right for us to remain here, under the -circumstances, any longer than we are compelled -to do so. You know she said she should not -think of taking any body else to board; and after -she has been so kind to us, we ought to be considerate -enough not to trespass upon her goodness.”</p> - -<p>“I will speak to her about the matter; and if -she really does not wish to keep us, why, we’ll -leave,” added Lilian.</p> - -<p>“But, my dear, you must not forget that she is -your mother, and that she will make any sacrifice -for your sake, even to her own great injury. It -is a matter of conscience with me; and I do not -feel like asking her to make this sacrifice of comfort -any longer than necessary. Our coming here -was only a temporary arrangement, you know, -and whatever she may say, our being here will -give her a great deal of trouble and anxiety. -Come, Lilian, dearest, put on your bonnet. It -will do no harm to look at the house. It is already -rented to a young couple who are just -going to housekeeping,” I continued; but I did -not think it necessary to say who the young -couple were, and she did not seem to care enough -about it to ask me.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span></p> - -<p>“If the house is let, why do you wish me to -see it?” she inquired.</p> - -<p>“I want to get at your ideas in regard to a -house,” I replied, ingeniously.</p> - -<p>She looked at me, and seemed to have some -doubts, but she probably reasoned that the house -was already rented, and there could be no treason -against “dear ma” in merely looking at it. She -put on her bonnet and shawl. When my hand -was on the door the ever watchful Mrs. Oliphant -appeared, and wished to know whether we should -be back to tea.</p> - -<p>We should; but this was not enough. Lilian -was not very well, and she must not walk too -far. We were only going around to Needham -street, and should return in half an hour. If -Lilian was going to call on the Trescotts, why -had she not told her mother, for both owed them -a call? We did not intend to call on the Trescotts; -we were only going out for a little walk. -If we were going to walk, why were we particular -in saying that we were going through Needham -street? There was some treason in Needham -street, and Lilian was forced to say that we desired -to see a house which was already leased to a -young couple who were going to housekeeping.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Dear ma” looked uneasy, but she permitted -us to depart. I was afraid she would insist upon -accompanying us, as I think she would, had she -not been satisfied by the assurance that the -house was already leased. We walked to Needham -street. I was full of hope. Lilian would like -the English basement house—she could not help -liking it, and what a rapturous moment would it -be when I told her that it was all her own! -Even the anticipated battle with “dear ma” -seemed to be farther removed and of much -less consequence than before. We approached the -house, and my heart beat high with transports of -delight. In a few days, perhaps the very next -day, I should see the idol of my soul enthroned -within its walls!</p> - -<p>With Lilian leaning lovingly on my arm, I -halted at No. 21. On the door, to my intense -confusion and disgust, glittered a new silver plate -whereon was inscribed the name,”<span class="smcap">P. Glasswood</span>,” -not in Old English, German text, or any -other letter which he who runs may <i>not</i> often -read, but in plain script! I had told the maker -not to put it on the door for a week; but he had -misunderstood me, or had taken it upon himself to -defeat my plan.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span></p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">P. Glasswood!</span>”—exclaimed dear Lilian, stunned -and horrified, so that the shock she had thrilled -my whole frame.</p> - -<p>“Certainly; P. Glasswood,” I interposed, promptly. -“You know Pierce—don’t you, Lilian? I think -you saw him when we were at Springhaven. He -is only a second cousin of mine, but he is a good -fellow.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t know you had a cousin of that -name,” she replied, much comforted.</p> - -<p>As I did not know it myself, I did not blame her -for not being aware of the circumstance. I opened -the door, and we went in, for I had already provided -myself with a night key—that gross metallic -sin against a wife. Of course the house and furniture -were at their best estate. Every thing -was new, nice and elegant. The hall gave the -first cheerful impression of the house, and Lilian -was delighted with it. The little sitting-room was -so cosy and snug that my wife actually cried out -with pleasure.</p> - -<p>The parlors and the chambers were equally satisfactory, -and Lilian thought my cousin would be -very happy with his bride in this new house. We -proceeded to the kitchen, where the Biddy in -charge smiled benignantly upon her new “missus,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span>” -though, she did not betray the secret she had been -instructed to keep. My wife was not so much -interested in the kitchen as in the parlor and sitting-room, -but she was kind enough to say that -every thing was neat and convenient, though I -am afraid she was hardly a judge on the latter -point. We returned to the sitting-room, and my -wife seated herself in the low rocking-chair which -had been selected for her use.</p> - -<p>“How do you like it on the whole, Lilian?” I -asked, dropping into the arm-chair, in which I -intended to read the Transcript every evening.</p> - -<p>“I think it is real nice,” she replied, with a -degree of enthusiasm which fully rewarded me for -all the pains I had taken, and the anxiety I had -suffered.</p> - -<p>“I’m glad you like it, Lilian. I like it exceedingly, -and I am glad to find our tastes are one -and the same.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t mean to say that, if I were going to -housekeeping, I wouldn’t have some things different,” -she added.</p> - -<p>“But you think you could contrive to exist in -a house like this?”</p> - -<p>“Why, yes; I like it very much indeed.”</p> - -<p>“Then it is yours Lilian!” I added, rising from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span> -my arm-chair, as I precipitated the climax upon -her.</p> - -<p>“What do you mean, Paley?” she asked, bewildered -by my words.</p> - -<p>“This house and all that it contains are ours, -dearest Lilian.”</p> - -<p>“I thought you said it was your cousin’s.”</p> - -<p>“So I did, Lilian; but that was only a little -fiction to aid me in giving you a delightful surprise. -This house is yours, my dear, and all that -it contains, including myself, and Biddy in the -kitchen.”</p> - -<p>“Is it possible? Do you mean so, Paley?”</p> - -<p>“I do; every word, syllable, letter and point, -including the crossing of the t’s and the dotting -of the i’s, of what I say is true. The house and -all that it contains are ours.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t understand it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, dearest, it is plain enough. Not only -to give you a pleasant surprise, but to save you -all trouble and anxiety, I have hired the house -and furnished it.”</p> - -<p>“You have, Paley?”</p> - -<p>“I have, dearest Lilian! How happy we shall -be in our new home.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think so!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span></p> - -<p>Certainly Lilian had been duly and properly -astonished. It was my turn now, and I was, if -possible, more astonished than she had been. She -did not think so! What an unwarrantable conclusion!</p> - -<p>“You don’t think so, Lilian?” I added, interrogatively.</p> - -<p>“No, I don’t! If you begin in this way we -can never be happy.”</p> - -<p>“Why not?”</p> - -<p>“In the first place, I don’t want to go to housekeeping -yet.”</p> - -<p>“But I thought you did. The plan has been -from the beginning, since we could not get board -at the Revere or in Beacon Street, to go to housekeeping,” -I replied, with rather more sharpness -than I had ever before found it necessary to use -to dear Lilian.</p> - -<p>She was evidently angry, and her eyes glowed -like diamonds in the sunlight. But she never -looked so pretty as she did at that moment when -her face was rouged with natural roses, and her -eyes appeared like a living soul.</p> - -<p>“Do you think, Paley, that I want to go to -housekeeping in a little, narrow contracted box -like this?” she added.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I thought you liked the house, dearest Lilian.”</p> - -<p>“I like it very well for Mrs. Pierce Glasswood, -but not for Mrs. Paley Glasswood.”</p> - -<p>“I am sorry you don’t like it, for it is too -late now to recede,” I replied, gasping for breath. -“I was sure it would please you.”</p> - -<p>“It don’t!”</p> - -<p>“What possible fault can you find with it?”</p> - -<p>“It don’t suit me. How could you do such a -thing, Paley, as to hire a house and furnish it, -without saying a word to me?”</p> - -<p>By this time I had come to the conclusion that -it was very stupid in me to do it.</p> - -<p>“I wanted to surprise you.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you have surprised me,” she snapped, -with such a sweet expression of contempt that I -was almost annihilated. “Do you think a lady -has no will of her own? No taste, no judgment, -no fancy? How could you be so ridiculous as to -furnish a house without asking my advice? Could -you have found a homelier carpet in Boston, if you -had looked for one, than this very carpet under -our feet?”</p> - -<p>“Buckleton said it was the handsomest one in -the city, and the neatest pattern.”</p> - -<p>“Then Buckleton has no taste. No one can<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span> -select a carpet for a woman. What did you put -that cold oil-cloth on the entry for? I should -think you imported it from the polar regions on -purpose to give me a chill every time I see it! -The figure in the parlor carpet is large enough -for a room a hundred feet square. That great -blundering tete-a-tete is fit for a bar-room, but -not for a parlor. There is no end to the absurdities -in this house.”</p> - -<p>“Now, really, dearest Lilian, I was sure you -would be pleased with every thing,” I pleaded.</p> - -<p>“You are a stupid, Paley Glasswood.”</p> - -<p>I agreed with her.</p> - -<p>“I am very sorry, Lilian; but I did everything -with the hope of pleasing you.”</p> - -<p>“Now here’s a pretty kettle of fish!” exclaimed -my indignant bride. “What can we do?”</p> - -<p>“I can’t alter the house, my dear, but I can -change the furniture so as to suit you, though -doing so will be very expensive,” I continued, -meekly, as I endeavored to conciliate her.</p> - -<p>We had been married only about four months, -and the present occasion looked very much like a -quarrel. I had not had the remotest suspicion that -she was so spunky. It did occur to me that she -was slightly unreasonable, if one so beautiful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span> -could be unreasonable. Her father was as poor -as a church mouse. His house, as I have hinted, -was meanly furnished, and certainly neither the -house nor the furniture was worthy to be compared -with the one I had provided for my little -wife. She had no reason for putting on airs, and -being so fiercely critical about the carpets and the -chairs. They were vastly better than she had -ever had at home.</p> - -<p>“Do you think I will live in this house, Paley -Glasswood?” said she, with her lips compressed -and her eyes snapping with indignation.</p> - -<p>“Why, I hope so,” I replied, more astonished -than she had been at any time during the visit to -the new house.</p> - -<p>“You are mistaken, Paley Glasswood. I am -your wife, but not your slave; I am not to be -dragged from my home when and where you -please. You ought to have told me what you -intended to do in the beginning.”</p> - -<p>“I know it now; and I confess that I was -wrong,” I replied, with due humility, and, I may -add, with perfect sincerity. “I hope you will -forgive me, this time Lilian, and I will never be -guilty of such an offence again.”</p> - -<p>“I should hope not. But here we are! What’s -to be done with this house and furniture?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Why, my dear, won’t you go to housekeeping -with me?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly not, in this house,” she answered, -with a flourish.</p> - -<p>This announcement was very startling to me. -It was appalling to think that I had expended -fifteen hundred in preparing a cage which the -bird refused to occupy. Intensely as I loved, -adored Lilian, I could not help seeing that she -was developing a trait of character which I did -not like. But I was a politic man, and seeing -how useless it was to attempt to argue the matter -while she was in her present frame of mind, -I had to keep still. We left the house and -walked home. For the first time since we were -married she declined to take my arm, and I began -to be very miserable. Somehow it seemed to me -that the meeker I was, and the more I deprecated -her wrath, the greater became her objection to -the house.</p> - -<p>“What shall I say to dear ma?” demanded -Lilian, after she had thrown off her things.</p> - -<p>“My dear, you need not say a word to her. I -will do all this unpleasant business myself,” I -replied. “You can lay all the blame upon me. -I will tell her that we are going to our new house -to-morrow.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span></p> - -<p>“You needn’t tell her any such thing, for I -am not.”</p> - -<p>Before we had proceeded any farther with the -discussion Mrs. Oliphant entered the room. The -battle was imminent.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER VI.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">A FAMILY JAR.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap00">I DID not feel at all at ease when Mrs. -Oliphant entered the room. I was entirely -willing to be conquered and trodden under the -little feet of the fair Lilian, but I was not so -ready to be trampled upon by the unromantic feet -of “dear ma.” I was conscious that my pretty -wife was getting the weather-gage of me—that -she had already got it, in fact. I was not disposed -to complain of this, but I intended, if possible, -to out-manœuvre Mrs. Oliphant. I regarded -Lilian as “my family,” and I wished to have her -“set off” from my mother-in-law.</p> - -<p>In spite of all the strong talk which my lovely -wife had used in regard to the English basement -house, I confidently expected that she would take -her place in the new home I had provided for -her. If she was dissatisfied with it, she would -soon love it for my sake, if not for its own. But -I was sure she did not rebel on her own account; -it was the influence of her mother which had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span> -controlled her. I accepted the theory that the -queen’s majesty could do no wrong. If anything -was not right, it was the fault of the ministers.</p> - -<p>After I had permitted her to say all she had to -say, and to exhaust her vocabulary of invective, -she would quietly submit to the new house, move -in, be as happy as a queen in a short time, and -wonder how she had ever thought the little snuggery -was not a palace. I had made a fearful expenditure -in preparing the house for her; I had -thrust my head into the jaws of the monster -Debt, and I must make the best of the situation.</p> - -<p>“Ma,” said Lilian, as her mother entered the -room, “what do you suppose Paley has done?”</p> - -<p>The poor child looked at the faded carpet as -she spoke, hardly daring to raise her eyes to the -maternal visage. I hoped she contrasted the hueless -fabric on the floor with those bright colors -which gleamed from her own carpet in the -Needham street house.</p> - -<p>“Why, what has he done?” asked Mrs. Oliphant, -with a theatrical start, which was modified -by a tiger smile bestowed upon me.</p> - -<p>“He has hired a house?” replied Lilian, with -a gasping sigh, which was simply intended as -convincing evidence that she was not implicated -in the nefarious transaction.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span></p> - -<div class="floatright"> - <img src="images/ill-089.jpg" width="250" height="384" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="cf"><p class="pc">Mrs. Oliphant.</p> -</div></div> - -<p>“Hired a house!” -exclaimed Mrs. Oliphant; -and her sigh -was genuine, and -not intended for -effect.</p> - -<p>“And furnished it -too!” added Lilian, -with horror, as she -piled up the details -of my hideous wickedness.</p> - -<p>“And furnished -it too!” groaned -poor Mrs. Oliphant, -sinking into a chair, -as though she had reached the depth of despair in -the gulf into which my infamous conduct had -plunged her.</p> - -<p>“He did not say a word to me about the house -or furniture until this very afternoon!” continued -my beautiful wife, holding up both her pretty white -hands the better to emphasize her astonishment -and chagrin.</p> - -<p>“Of course, if you desire to leave your own -pleasant home, Lilian, it is not for me to say a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span> -word,” added the meek mamma, with another -sigh, which seemed to measure the depth of the -resignation that could submit to such an outrage.</p> - -<p>“But I do not desire to leave my pleasant -home,” protested Lilian. “I never had such a -thought. I am sure, I have been so happy here -that I never dreamed of another home, as long as -you were willing to keep us, mother.”</p> - -<p>“You have been very kind indeed to us, Mrs. -Oliphant,” I ventured to remark, though I was -not certain that the time had come for me to defend -myself. “I feel very grateful to you for the -sacrifice you have made to accommodate us; and -I am sure I shall never forget it.”</p> - -<p>“A mother lives for her children alone,” sighed -Mrs. Oliphant. “Even when they are married she -cannot lose her interest in them.”</p> - -<p>“Certainly not, madam; especially not in so -good a daughter as Lilian.”</p> - -<p>“It is hard enough to have them removed by -marriage from the direct influence of a mother, -and to feel that she is no longer a mother in the -sense she has been.”</p> - -<p>I thought that Mrs. Oliphant had submitted to -the marriage of her daughter with tolerable resignation,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span> -and would even permit the other two to -go to the sacrifice without rebelling against the -dictates of fate.</p> - -<p>“Of course she can never be entirely removed -from a mother’s influence,” I replied, wishing that -she could. “You have been very kind and considerate -toward us since we were married—to me -for Lilian’s sake.”</p> - -<p>“And for your own,” she interposed.</p> - -<p>“I trust I shall never be ungrateful. I feel -called upon to explain my conduct,” I continued. -“You remember, when we returned from our -bridal tour that something was said about boarding. -We could not find such accommodations as -we desired, and you were so kind as to offer to -accommodate us till we could obtain a house, or -make other arrangements.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I remember,” replied Mrs. Oliphant. “I -don’t take boarders, but I was willing to do what -I could for Lilian’s comfort and happiness.”</p> - -<p>“You were, madam; and I was very grateful -to you for your consideration, both to Lilian and -to me. You intimated that it would not be convenient -for you to take us to board, but you -were willing to sacrifice your own comfort and -your own feelings to oblige us. I was very sorry<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span> -indeed that the circumstances compelled us to -trespass upon your kindness. You did us a favor -for which I shall never cease to be grateful. But -I did not feel willing to compel you to submit to -the inconvenience of boarding us any longer than -was absolutely necessary. My gratitude compelled -me, when I found a house, to take it, and relieve -you at once from all the care and responsibility -which your self-sacrificing nature had imposed -upon you.”</p> - -<p>“And without even permitting me to see the -house in which I was to live!” exclaimed Lilian, -coming to the assistance of her mother, who -seemed to be thrown into disorder by my tactics.</p> - -<p>“I did not suppose it was possible for any one, -even with your refined taste, Lilian, to object to -such a beautiful little house. But I was obliged -to hire it on the instant, or lose it. Another -man would have taken it in less than half an -hour. It is so near your mother’s that you can -come to see her half-a-dozen times a day, if you -please.”</p> - -<p>“But I will never live in that house,” protested -Lilian, with more energy than I thought the occasion -required, though I could not help adoring -her while her cheeks glowed and her eyes -snapped.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Don’t say that, dear Lilian. You should -endeavor to conform to the wishes of your husband,” -mildly interposed the suffering parent. -“Doubtless he has done all for the best, and perhaps -you will like the house, after all.”</p> - -<p>“I know I never shall like it,” snapped the -divine Lilian; which was as much as to say that -she was fully determined not to like it.</p> - -<p>“Mrs. Oliphant, would you do me the favor to -walk over to the house with me?” I suggested -to the affectionate mother.</p> - -<p>“No; I would rather not. I never step between -man and wife,” replied she, with praiseworthy -resolution. “I do not wish to see the house. -This is an affair between you and Lilian, and it -is my duty to be strictly neutral.”</p> - -<p>“But I hope you appreciate my motives?”</p> - -<p>“I can not say that I do,” she answered. “I -think a man should consult his wife before he -hires and furnishes the house in which she is to -spend a great deal more time than her husband.”</p> - -<p>I wish to say to my readers that I heartily -endorse Mrs. Oliphant’s position. A man ought -to consult his wife about the house in which she -is to spend more of her time than he. It is eminently -proper, right and just that he should do<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span> -so; but I beg to call the attention of the critic to -my unfortunate position. Lilian was an angel (in -my estimation); her mother was not an angel. -The daughter was a mere doll—I am writing -after the lapse of years. She was completely -under the control of her mother. What I suspected -then, I knew afterwards—that Mrs. Oliphant -intended to have us as permanent boarders.</p> - -<p>Mr. Oliphant had long been running behind-hand -under the heavy expenses of his extravagant -family. Something must be done to eke out -his failing income, or the two unmarried daughters -could no longer hold their position in society. -They must dress, or be banished by their own -vanity from the circle in which they moved—a -circle which contained husbands. They could not -take strangers as boarders, for the house was not -fit to accommodate them; but a son-in-law would -submit in silence, while a stranger would rebel. -I was the victim.</p> - -<p>If I proposed housekeeping, my plan would be -condemned, as another boarding-place had been -already. Perhaps I persuaded myself into the -belief, under the necessities of the occasion, that -I was hiring and furnishing the English basement -house as a pleasant surprise to Lilian. If I did,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span> -it was a comfortable delusion, for it was really -only a scheme to escape from the clutches of my -mother-in-law, and to avoid the martyrdom of my -situation on Tremont street. Perhaps the reader -will forgive me after this explanation. If he does -not, it is not the worst of my errors, and I would -thank God most devoutly if I had no graver sin -to answer for.</p> - -<p>I told Mrs. Oliphant that I had hired a house -which was rather better than I could afford; that -I had furnished it at an expense which was beyond -my means, in order to please Lilian. I said something -more about the “pleasant surprise,” and -was positive that no bank officer of my degree -had so fine an establishment. I repeated all I -had said about not imposing upon her self-sacrificing -nature. But all I said seemed to fall flat -upon her ear. She was not touched by my devotion -to her daughter; on the contrary she was -disgusted with me, as I read her sentiments in -her face, for she did not utter them.</p> - -<p>Lilian felt that she had an able champion in -her mother, and she said but little. Still professing -entire impartiality, Mrs. Oliphant read me a -lecture on the impropriety of my conduct, frequently -interpolating the discourse with the statement<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span> -that it was none of her business though, as -I had asked her advice (which I had not), she -felt obliged to be candid with me. She and Lilian -seemed to understand each other perfectly, and -while the latter resolutely refused to occupy the -house I had prepared for her reception, the former -mildly and often declared that a wife should submit -to her husband. Lilian knew what to say so -as not to implicate her mother in any improper -remarks. I think my wife loved me almost as -much as she feared her mother. I am sure that -she would have accepted the situation with -pleasure, if she had not been under her “dear -ma’s” influence.</p> - -<p>What could I do? I had well-nigh ruined myself -in fitting up the house. I was vexed, and as the -conversation proceeded I began to grow impatient. -Finally I left the house to buy some cigars, I -said, but in reality to find an opportunity to think -over my situation. I did think it over, and I did -not buy any cigars, for I was not allowed to -smoke them, even in the kitchen. Lilian would -yield at once, if she could escape her mother’s -influence. As it was, I must fight the battle with -both of them.</p> - -<p>I walked across the Common, thinking what I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span> -should do. If I submitted this time, I should not -only be obliged to bear the privations to which -the Oliphants subjected themselves in order to -maintain their social position, but I must forever -be the willing slave of “dear ma.” I could not -endure the thought. If the family chose to live -on tough beef and salt fish, it was their affair, -not mine. I could not stand it, and the result -of my deliberations was that I decided not to stand -it. I went back to the house, stiffened for any -thing that might occur, though it almost broke -my heart to think of opposing Lilian.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps the person who wanted the house -you have hired would be willing to take it now, -and purchase the furniture you have put into it?” -suggested Mrs. Oliphant, when the subject was -resumed.</p> - -<p>Perhaps he would; but my idea just then was -that he would not have the opportunity to do so.</p> - -<p>“I think not; the party who wanted it would -have furnished it at half the expense I have -incurred,” I replied.</p> - -<p>“Couldn’t you let it as a furnished house?” -she added.</p> - -<p>“My lease does not permit me to underlet it.”</p> - -<p>“I think it would be cruel to take Lilian away<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span> -from her own pleasant home, when she wishes to -remain here so much,” continued Mrs. Oliphant, a -little more sharply than she had yet spoken. -“But, of course, it is none of my business and I -do not wish to interfere between you.”</p> - -<p>After supper, I saw Lilian alone in our room. -She was as resolute as a little tiger. She positively -refused to go into the English basement -house, or to have anything to do with it.</p> - -<p>“I think you have insulted my mother,” she -added.</p> - -<p>“Insulted her!” I exclaimed, rather startled by -this new charge which had evidently been put into -her brain by “dear ma.”</p> - -<p>“She has made her arrangements to board us, -and now you want to go away.”</p> - -<p>“She hasn’t made any arrangements at all. -Not an article of furniture has been added to the -house.”</p> - -<p>“She says she has; and I think she knows best,” -retorted Lilian, sharply.</p> - -<p>“You have spoken to me every day for a month -about furnishing our room.”</p> - -<p>“I think we ought to furnish it.”</p> - -<p>“And pay thirty dollars a week for our board! -I don’t think so,” I replied; and this was almost<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span> -the first time I had ventured to disagree with her.</p> - -<p>“Mother says she boards us cheaper than any -body else would,” snapped my pretty one. “Now -you insult her for her kindness to us.”</p> - -<p>“I have already explained my position to her. -I did not mean to insult her, and I don’t think -my conduct will bear that construction. But, -Lilian, the house in Needham Street is all ready -for us. I have even hired a servant girl, who is -there now.”</p> - -<p>“I will not go into it, Paley. If you wish to -abuse my mother you can, but I will not. I am -sorry you have ceased to love me.”</p> - -<p>“I have not ceased to love you, Lilian,” I -replied, putting my arm around her neck -and kissing her.</p> - -<p>Then I went over the whole argument again, -and if I did not convince her that I had not -insulted or wronged her mother, it was because -her fears set logic at naught.</p> - -<p>“You will sell the furniture, and give up the -house—won’t you, Paley?” said she, in her most -fascinating way.</p> - -<p>“I would if I could Lilian, but the die is cast. I -must go, or I am ruined.”</p> - -<p>Suddenly, in a fit of passion, she shook my arm -from her neck and shrunk from me.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span></p> - -<p>“For the last time, Paley, I say it, I will never -go into that house,” said she, angrily.</p> - -<p>“I am sorry, Lilian,” I replied, sadly. “You do -not act like the loving wife you have always been.”</p> - -<p>“I will not be insulted any longer.”</p> - -<p>“Very well, Lilian; I am going to move into -the new house to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>“What!” exclaimed she, aghast, for she evidently -did not believe me capable of such rebellion.</p> - -<p>“I shall go to the new house to-morrow, after -bank hours. If you will not go with me, I cannot -help it; and I must go alone.”</p> - -<p>“Do you mean to say that you will desert -me?” gasped she.</p> - -<p>“Lilian, I will not pretend to say that what I -have done is right, though I did it to please you. I -have provided you a house much better than the -home of your parents. I have done everything I -could to make it comfortable and pleasant. I am -sorry I did this without your knowledge, but it -is done, and cannot be undone. If you will live -in the house for a year or so, and then are not -happy, I will leave it. I can do no more to -please you.”</p> - -<p>“I will not move into it!” said she, more bitterly -than ever.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span></p> - -<p>I went out of the house, and walked the streets -till eleven o’clock at night in utter misery. I -returned home. Lilian told me ever so many -things her mother had said, and was firmer than -ever. The next morning when I went to the -bank, I felt like a hopeless martyr.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Bristlebach wishes to see you in the director’s -room, Mr. Glasswood,” said the messenger -to me.</p> - -<p>The president looked stern when I entered the -room, and I realized that some charge was pending -against me.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER VII.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">A SHADOW OF SUSPICION.</p> - - -<p class="drop-cap00">I HAD not sinned against the bank in thought, -word, or deed, and I had no fears of the -result of an interview with the president. All -my sorrows related to my domestic difficulty, -which was hardly banished from my mind for a -moment, though I did try to imagine what Mr. -Bristlebach could possibly want of me. Whatever -pecuniary trouble stared me in the face, I had -never even been tempted to appropriate a penny -belonging to the bank.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Glasswood, I have sent for you,” said -Mr. Bristlebach, sternly.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir; and I am here,” I replied, very -respectfully.</p> - -<p>“When did you balance your cash last?”</p> - -<p>“Yesterday afternoon.”</p> - -<p>“Did it come out right?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” I replied, with the utmost confidence.</p> - -<p>“Close the door, if you please.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span></p> - -<p>I did so, and though Mr. Bristlebach did not -often take the trouble to spare any one’s feelings, -this order looked ominous to me. I would give -all my earthly hopes at this moment for the consciousness -of the rectitude of my character which -I possessed at that time. I shut the door, and -took my stand again in the august presence of -the great man—he was great to me, if he was not -to others.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Glasswood!” continued Mr. Bristlebach, -sternly.</p> - -<p>I bowed meekly, to intimate that I was ready -to hear anything he pleased to say.</p> - -<p>“Your cash is not right.”</p> - -<p>“It was right yesterday, at three o’clock,” I -answered.</p> - -<p>“If it was right at three, it was not at five. -I advise you, Mr. Glasswood, to make no denials -to any statement which you know to be true. -You are a defaulter, sir!”</p> - -<p>Troubles never come singly. It was not enough -that I should quarrel with my angelic wife, but I -must cross swords with Mr. Bristlebach, who was -far from angelic. I might as well find the deep -water off Long Wharf and drown myself. What -would Lilian say if I did? Would she care? Or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span> -would she be only shocked? Bad as it was, the -affair at the bank did not seem half so desperate -as the quarrel with Lilian. I bowed my head -meekly to Mr. Bristlebach’s charge. I was innocent, -and it did not make much difference to me -what the president said. Under the shadow as I -was of a heavier woe than this, it really did not -seem worth while to defend myself.</p> - -<p>“I say you are a defaulter, Mr. Glasswood,” -repeated the president, more severely than before.</p> - -<p>“No, sir, I am not,” I answered, very mildly.</p> - -<p>“Have you the effrontery to deny the charge?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, I have.”</p> - -<p>“You have robbed the bank of twelve hundred -dollars, at least; and how much more I don’t -know.”</p> - -<p>“No, sir; I have not robbed the bank of twelve -hundred dollars; nor of even a single cent.”</p> - -<p>“I am surprised that you should have the hardihood -to deny the charge. Shall I call on your -uncle, who is one of your bondsmen?”</p> - -<p>“If you please, I do not object,” I replied; -and I think I should not have objected to any -thing.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you will make the bank good yourself?” -sneered Mr. Bristlebach.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I don’t owe the bank a penny, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Glasswood—sit down!”</p> - -<p>I sat down.</p> - -<p>“Listen to me, sir!”</p> - -<p>I listened.</p> - -<p>“I have worked up the case, and understand it -perfectly. I am informed that three or four weeks -ago you had in your pocket several hundred dollars—perhaps -a thousand dollars or more,” continued -Mr. Bristlebach, whose looks as well as his -words were intended to carry confusion to my -soul. “Will you do me the favor to say whether -or not this statement is true?”</p> - -<p>“Quite true, sir. The sum in my pocket-book -was one thousand dollars,” I replied, beginning to -gather up a little light on the subject.</p> - -<p>“A thousand dollars! Very well, sir! I am -glad you have not the effrontery to deny it. Bank -officers in your situation do not usually carry a -thousand dollars about with them.”</p> - -<p>“I do, when I have it to carry, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be impudent, Mr. Glasswood. Will you -deny that this sum was abstracted from the funds -of the bank?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly I shall deny it, sir. Did Mr. Shaytop -inform you that I had taken it from the bank?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Who said anything about Mr. Shaytop?” demanded -he, sternly.</p> - -<p>“I did, sir. It is not very manly in him to -accuse me of stealing simply because I refused to -hire any more teams of him. Since I was married -I have found it necessary to curtail my expenses.”</p> - -<p>“Do not attempt to dodge the issue, sir.”</p> - -<p>“I am ready to look the issue fairly in the -face.”</p> - -<p>“You had this money. You confess it.”</p> - -<p>“I affirm it. I don’t confess it.”</p> - -<p>“Since you had it, perhaps you will not deem -it impertinent in me to ask where you got it?” -sneered Mr. Bristlebach, who seemed to be as certain -that I had robbed the bank as though he -had already proved the charge.</p> - -<p>“Under the circumstances, sir, I should not -deem it impertinent,” I replied coolly; and, under -the influence of my domestic trouble, I felt rather -reckless.</p> - -<p>“Well, sir, where did you get it?”</p> - -<p>“I borrowed it.”</p> - -<p>“Precisely so! Borrowed it of the bank!”</p> - -<p>“I beg your pardon, Mr. Bristlebach, but there -is a wide gulf between my premise and your conclusion. -I did not borrow the money of the bank.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span> -If I had, doubtless the paper I offered would have -passed under your eyes.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Glasswood, your tone and manner do not -please me.”</p> - -<p>“I hope you will excuse me, sir, if I venture -to say that the charge you make against me does -not please me.”</p> - -<p>“Will you tell me of whom you borrowed the -money?”</p> - -<p>“With pleasure, sir. Of my Aunt Rachel.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Bristlebach looked at me; looked sharply -at me. He seemed to be a little staggered at -something, though, of course, I did not suppose -he believed me. He asked me twenty questions -about my aunt, all of which I answered with a -greater regard for the truth than I was sometimes -in the habit of paying to that sublime virtue.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Glasswood, your cash is twelve hundred -dollars short,” he added.</p> - -<p>“I was not aware of the fact,” I replied.</p> - -<p>“After you went away yesterday, I made a -strict examination of your department, and you -have heard the result.”</p> - -<p>I was surprised at the announcement, and of -course I could not disprove the assertion.</p> - -<p>“I can only say, sir, that I left it right at three -o’clock yesterday,” I added.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Do you doubt my statement?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly not, sir; but I do not understand -it.”</p> - -<p>“The fact that you had a thousand dollars, or -any large sum about you, and that you recklessly -exhibited it in the dining-room of a hotel, was -quite enough to excite my suspicions.”</p> - -<p>“If I had stolen the money, I think I should -not have been so stupid as to exhibit it. If I -know myself, I should not.”</p> - -<p>“But you did show it.”</p> - -<p>“I did show it; but it was not stolen.”</p> - -<p>“I think it was; and when I heard of the circumstances, -I spent my afternoon here in making -the investigation. Perhaps you can put me in the -way of verifying your statement that you borrowed -the money of your aunt?”</p> - -<p>“I shall be very glad to do so. My aunt lives -in Springhaven. She will show you my note.”</p> - -<p>“Even if she does show me your note, and it -is fully proved that you borrowed a thousand dollars -of her, that will not explain how your cash -happens to be twelve hundred dollars short.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps I can explain that myself, if you will -allow me to examine my drawer,” I replied.</p> - -<p>Just then a light flashed through my mind, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span> -I recalled an incident which had occurred just -after the closing of the bank on the preceding -day, which my private griefs had driven out of -my head. I understood it all then, and I was -satisfied that I should utterly confound Mr. Bristlebach, -though I was, at the same time, in danger -of confounding the cashier. But the clock -was striking nine, and it was time to open the -bank. There was not time to count the cash -again, and I did not care to expose a little irregularity -on the part of the cashier, by telling what -I knew.</p> - -<p>Mr. Bristlebach bit his lips and looked at the -clock. Through the glass windows of the directors’ -room, he saw a man come in with a check -in his hand. He was evidently deliberating upon -the propriety of permitting me to discharge my -duties for the forenoon. We were one hand short, -and there was no one to take my place.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Glasswood, you will not go out of the -bank, even for a moment, until this matter is settled. -Go to your place, and as soon as the bank -closes, we will count the cash again in your presence.”</p> - -<p>I went to my station, after taking my drawer -from the safe. I was now not quite willing to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span> -believe that the president considered me guilty. -If he did, he would not trust me with the funds -of the bank, though he had forbidden me to leave -the building. I proceeded in the discharge of my -duties as usual, but I soon discovered that the -eyes of my superiors were upon me, and if I had -been disposed to indulge in a <i>coup d’etat</i>, I was -too closely watched to permit it to be a success.</p> - -<p>Within half an hour after the opening of the -bank, the cashier handed me twelve hundred dollars -in payment for a draft, which had been placed -in my keeping, and which I had deposited in the -safe. Just after the bank closed the day before, -he had accommodated a friend from my department, -by giving him the cash for this draft on a -bank, which, for some reasons best known to its -officers, declined to pay it after bank hours. It is -not for me to discuss the propriety of this action -on the part of my superior. It was irregular, -and the cashier was personally responsible for his -conduct. The draft had been handed to me, and -I included it in my cash in balancing.</p> - -<p>I learned that the cashier had not been present -when the president counted my cash. The book-keeper -and receiving teller had assisted him, and -as the draft was not in my drawer, the amount<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span> -appeared to be a deficit on my part. It was very -strange to me that I did not think of this transaction -sooner.</p> - -<p>Perhaps if my family trouble had not perplexed -me, I should have done so. But it came to my -mind soon enough to correct the impression in the -mind of the president, if I had not chosen to suffer -rather than betray the irregularity of my superior.</p> - -<p>“That makes it all right,” said the cashier, as -he slipped the bills into my drawer, rather slyly.</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid not, Mr. Heavyside,” I replied, in -a low tone, for Mr. Bristlebach seemed to be all -eyes and ears on this forenoon.</p> - -<p>“What do you mean, Glasswood?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“What time did you leave the bank yesterday?”</p> - -<p>“About three. I went out to ride with my -wife.”</p> - -<p>“Where do you get your teams?”</p> - -<p>“Of Shaytop. Why do you ask?”</p> - -<p>“My cash was examined yesterday afternoon, -after both of us left; and I am charged with a -deficit of twelve hundred dollars.”</p> - -<p>“Whew!” whistled Heavyside, more alarmed -than I was.</p> - -<p>He stood by my side at the counter while I told -him that Shaytop “had put a flea into the ear of -the president” on my account.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span></p> - -<p>“The scoundrel! I will never drive another of -his teams!” exclaimed the cashier.</p> - -<p>Shaytop was not likely to make much by his -snivelling operation, which was too mean for any -gentleman to appreciate. There was no ground -for a charge against me, and I think the stable-keeper -made it out of pure malice.</p> - -<p>“I said nothing to Mr. Bristlebach about the -draft,” I continued; “and he still thinks the cash -is twelve hundred dollars short.”</p> - -<p>“This is bad,” said he, biting his lips with vexation.</p> - -<p>I paid a check, and the cashier walked away to -his desk. I saw that he was much disturbed. He -was an honest man, in the ordinary sense of the -word, and the worst which could be said of the -transaction in which he was implicated was that -it was simply irregular. He came to me again soon.</p> - -<p>“Although this affair amounts to nothing at all, -it will cost me my situation, and perhaps my reputation, -if the president knows of it,” said he.</p> - -<p>“He shall not know of it through me,” I replied.</p> - -<p>“Thank you, Glasswood,” he added, warmly; -but the conversation was interrupted so that nothing -more was said on the subject.</p> - -<p>Mr. Bristlebach was a very particular man, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span> -I do not complain of him on this account. It -was proper and right that he should be very exact, -and even very exacting, in his requirements. -Though Mr. Heavyside had no intention of defrauding -the bank of a single dollar, he was imprudent. -I believe he did not realize the nature of the act -when he obliged his friend out of the funds of -the institution. I was fully satisfied in regard to -his integrity, and I was more disposed to suffer -myself than to excite a suspicion against him.</p> - -<p>I am willing now to acknowledge that my position -was wrong. The truth should have been told -in the beginning. Mr. Heavyside might have been -censured, as doubtless he ought to have been, but -I do not think he would have been discharged. -If he had been, perhaps the tendency would have -been to make bank officers more circumspect, more -inflexible in the discharge of their duties. It is -not safe to step over the straight line of duty -even for a moment, for there is no knowing how -far one may wander on the wrong side of it.</p> - -<p>If this incident did not injure him, it paved the -way for me to take a long stride down the road -to ruin. When he consented to be sheltered from -the displeasure of the president by the cunning of -his subordinate, he placed himself, to some extent,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span> -in my power. A superior should never sacrifice -his dignity before a subordinate, and should never -place himself in the attitude of dependence upon -him.</p> - -<p>The business of the bank went on as usual. -My griefs at home had robbed me of my appetite, -and I had taken no breakfast. I was not permitted -to go out for a lunch, and when the doors were -closed my empty stomach and my sleepless night -had produced an effect upon me. I was pale and -faint, but I was too proud to say anything, and -my looks told against me. I could hardly stand -up, and doubtless Mr. Bristlebach thought he saw -in my wan features and trembling frame abundant -evidences of my guilt. He looked triumphant.</p> - -<p>The examination of my department was commenced -at once. The checks paid were called off, -and the bills counted. To the intense astonishment -of the president, and, I am sorry to add, to -his intense chagrin also, the balance came out all -right. There was not a dollar missing. Two -counts gave the same result. Mr. Bristlebach was -compelled to give it up. I persisted that my -account had been squared the day before, but I -suggested that some papers had been laid upon a -few odd bills which had probably escaped his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span> -notice in counting—if I had been present the -mistake could not have occurred.</p> - -<p>The president stumbled through something which -he intended for an apology; and while he was -doing so, I absolutely fainted away from sheer -exhaustion. Mr. Bristlebach was not a bad man, -and I am sure he regretted his inconsiderate accusation. -I told him I was not very well, and that -the satisfactory result of the investigation was all I -desired. I did not blame him. I thanked him -for his fairness, and all that sort of thing. From -that moment he had more confidence in me than -ever—and Shaytop lost another customer.</p> - -<p>A cup of coffee and a beefsteak set me right, -and I started for my miserable home. I was -thinking of meeting Lilian, when my uncle, Captain -Halliard, stopped me in the street.</p> - -<p>“By the way, didn’t I let you have three hundred -dollars some months ago?” said he.</p> - -<p>“I think you did,” I replied, blandly.</p> - -<p>He wanted to talk with me, and led the way -into an insurance office.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER VIII.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">COMING TO THE POINT.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap00">I WAS not pleased at the meeting, and ventured -to suggest that I had important business at -home; but my uncle gently dragged me into the -insurance office. It was not pleasant to see him just -then, and for several weeks I had avoided him, -so far as it was practicable to do so. Captain -Halliard was a rich man, and it could not possibly -make any difference to him whether or not I -paid the money I owed him. But I knew that he -was exacting.</p> - -<p>“I think you said you did borrow three hundred -dollars of me,” said my uncle, as he seated -himself at the long table and took out his pocket-book, -evidently for the purpose of finding the -note.</p> - -<p>“There is no doubt about it,” I replied, with -what self-possession I could command.</p> - -<p>“Just so; I had forgotten the particulars,” he -continued, as he took the note from the papers in -his pocket-book.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span></p> - -<p>He might as well have told me that I had forgotten -it, as that he had; but I am sorry to say -that both of us had a bad habit of pretending not -to remember what, from the nature of the case, -must have been uppermost in the mind. It was a -stupid and ridiculous affectation. My creditors -were often in my mind, and I am sure his debtors -were as faithfully remembered.</p> - -<p>“I am not prepared to pay the note just now,” -I began, with more candor than I generally used.</p> - -<p>“But, Paley, it is three or four months since I -lent you the money; and you promised to pay it -in a few weeks.”</p> - -<p>His memory was improving wonderfully.</p> - -<p>“I have just furnished my house, uncle, and -that cost me a good deal of money,” I pleaded.</p> - -<p>“But you got trusted for that,” said he, -sharply.</p> - -<p>“For only a small portion of it,” I answered, -wondering how he could know that I owed any -thing.</p> - -<p>“Paley, how much do you owe?” he demanded.</p> - -<p>“O, only a few hundred dollars! I don’t know -precisely how much, but not more than I can pay -in a short time.”</p> - -<p>“I’m glad to hear it,” replied he, rather dryly. -“In how short a time?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span></p> - -<p>“In a few weeks.”</p> - -<p>“That won’t do. When I lend money to any -one I expect him to pay me, whether friend or -foe, in the family or out of it. I’m afraid you -are getting along a little too fast.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think so.”</p> - -<p>“Your wife is rather extravagant, I’m told.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think so.”</p> - -<p>“Where have you taken a house.”</p> - -<p>“In Needham street.”</p> - -<p>“Humph! What do you pay for it?”</p> - -<p>“Six hundred dollars.”</p> - -<p>“Six hundred dollars!” exclaimed he, leaping -to his feet.</p> - -<p>“A very moderate rent for the house,” I added, -not at all pleased at what I considered the impudence -of my uncle.</p> - -<p>“That is more than I pay, Paley. I’m astonished!”</p> - -<p>“I think it is a fair rent.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think so. What did it cost you to -furnish it?” he continued, fixing a severe gaze -upon me.</p> - -<p>“About eight hundred dollars,” I answered, -not deeming it prudent to give more than half of -the actual cost.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span></p> - -<p>“You are crazy, Paley! You will run yourself -out in a couple of years, at this rate. Eight hundred -dollars! When I was married I didn’t spend -a hundred dollars on my house. Paley, I will -give you three days to pay this note. If you don’t -do it in that time, I shall do the next thing.”</p> - -<p>“What’s the next thing?” I asked, indignantly.</p> - -<p>“I’ll trustee your salary!”</p> - -<p>“You needn’t trouble yourself about the little -sum I owe you; I will pay you,” I replied, rising -and walking towards the door. “The next -time I have occasion to ask a favor, I shall not go -to a relation.”</p> - -<p>Doubtless he regarded this as a very savage -threat, though perhaps he did not think its execution -involved any great hardship on his own -part. I walked out of the insurance office with a -degree of dignity and self-possession which would -have been creditable in a bank president. My -uncle must be paid. There was no doubt of that. -I would not be thorned by him for all the money -in the world, for he was a very uncomfortable -sort of man to a debtor, and very obstinately -insisted on collecting his dues.</p> - -<p>It was patent to me that some one had been -talking to Captain Halliard. Perhaps that mischievous<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span> -stable-keeper had been in communication -with him; and it was possible that my friend -Buckleton had mentioned the trivial circumstance -that I owed him eight hundred dollars. It was -not impossible that Mr. Bristlebach and my uncle -had been discussing my affairs. They were intimate -acquaintances, and the captain did business -at the Forty-ninth.</p> - -<div class="floatleft"> - <img src="images/ill-120.jpg" width="250" height="259" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="cf"><p class="pc">Tom Flynn.</p> -</div></div> - -<p>I must pay Captain Halliard, or there would be -a tempest about me at once. Not that he would -trustee my salary, or anything of that kind; for -this was only a hint that he would mention the -matter to the president -of our bank. I -must pay him, but -how to do so, was a -matter about which -I could not venture -an opinion. I -had little money, and -I had already bled -my friends as much -as it was prudent to -bleed them. I must “raise the wind,” or go -under. I walked up State Street, trying to think -who should suffer next for my sins, when I met<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span> -Tom Flynn. We never passed each other without -stopping to speak, though we stood side by -side in the bank during business hours. I saw -that he looked embarrassed, and it flashed upon -my mind before he opened his mouth that he -wanted his money, and that he had made up his -mind to ask me for it. I did not regard it as -proper for him to do so.</p> - -<p>“Tom, I’m glad to see you,” I began. “I -wanted to meet you.”</p> - -<p>“That’s just my case. I was going down to -the bank to find you, after calling upon you at -Mr. Oliphant’s. I wanted to see you very badly;” -and the honest fellow looked more embarrassed -than ever.</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s a coincidence,” I replied, deeming -it my duty to spare him any unnecessary -embarrassment. “I have just had a call for a little -money I owe, and it was not convenient for -me to pay it. It was awkward, because I have a -habit of paying up all these little things at sight, -even if I have to borrow the money to do so. I -shall be flush in three or four days, but I dislike -to make this particular fellow wait. Could you -lend me a hundred dollars till Monday?”</p> - -<p>“I am very sorry, Paley,” replied the poor fellow,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span> -the wind all taken out of his sails. “The -fact is, I’m short myself.”</p> - -<p>“O, well, never mind it. I’m sorry I said any -thing,” I continued.</p> - -<p>“There was no harm in saying it to me,” -laughed he, apparently more troubled at my necessity -than his own. “I had a chance to buy some -stock at a low figure, if I could raise the money -to-day, so that the owner can leave to-night for -New York. I am one hundred short of the amount -required; but no matter; let it go.”</p> - -<p>“I’m sorry I haven’t the amount about me,” I -replied, with a troubled look. “Perhaps I can -raise it for you.”</p> - -<p>“O, no! I don’t want you to do that. You -said you should be flush in a few days.”</p> - -<p>“Yes; I shall have some money on Monday.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then, Paley, since you can’t help me -out, I can help you out,” said the noble fellow, -with a generous smile. “I can’t buy my stock, -and you may as well have the money as to let it -remain idle.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, Tom,” I replied, warmly.</p> - -<p>“You said a hundred dollars,” he continued, -stepping into a doorway and drawing out his -wallet.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I said a hundred dollars, but only because I -had not the cheek to mention more. I must raise -three hundred to-morrow—but only till Monday -you know.”</p> - -<p>“Three hundred,” said he musing. “I think I -can help you out.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, Tom. Next Monday I will pay -you this and the other hundred I owe you. And -by the way, I had quite forgotten that you held -my note.”</p> - -<p>“It’s of no consequence. I haven’t wanted it -very badly. But I have a chance to invest what -little I possess next week, and if I can get it then -it will suit me better than to receive it now.”</p> - -<p>“You shall have the whole next Monday, without -fail,” I replied, though I had no more idea -where the money was to come from than I had of -the source of the Nile.</p> - -<p>“That will fit my case exactly.”</p> - -<p>“We will step into the bank, and I will give -you a note.”</p> - -<p>Every body had left the bank except the messenger, -and I wrote the note. I had the three -hundred dollars in my fist. I was intent upon -taking the sting out of my uncle’s tongue. I -meant to overwhelm him by paying my note before<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span> -I slept. I parted with Tom in the street, and -hastened to the insurance office, where I had left -Captain Halliard. I found him tipped back in his -chair in the inner room, talking with Mr. Bristlebach. -I suspected that my case was the subject -of their discussion.</p> - -<p>“Is that you, Paley?” called my uncle, as I -made a movement to retire.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir; but I won’t trouble you now, if you -are engaged,” I replied.</p> - -<p>“Come in; we were talking about you, Mr. -Glasswood,” said the president. “I was just telling -your uncle how well satisfied I am with you.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, sir. I am very much obliged to -you for your good opinion, and I hope I shall -always merit it,” I added, with becoming modesty.</p> - -<p>“Do you wish to see me, Paley?” asked my -uncle.</p> - -<p>“Only for a moment, sir; but I will wait till -you are at leisure.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Bristlebach took his hat and left the office, -saying he had no particular business with my -uncle.</p> - -<p>“The president of the Forty-Ninth speaks well -of you, Paley,” said my uncle, good-naturedly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span> -“I was glad to hear it, for I had a hint that you -were going a little too fast. Bristlebach and I -talked the matter over yesterday.”</p> - -<p>“I’m glad you found it all right. Have you my -note in your pocket now?” I continued, rather -stiffly.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I have it.”</p> - -<p>I drew my wallet, and took out the three hundred -dollars I had just borrowed.</p> - -<p>“You needn’t trouble yourself about that just -now,” said he, laughing.</p> - -<p>“I don’t like to be driven into so close a corner -as you put me into a little while ago. Here is -the amount of the note, with the interest.”</p> - -<p>“What I said was spoken under a misapprehension. -You needn’t pay the note till you get -ready.”</p> - -<p>“I am ready now, uncle.”</p> - -<p>“Of course, I don’t object to taking the money; -but I didn’t mean to press you.”</p> - -<p>“Didn’t you, indeed? You gave me three days -to pay the note, and threatened to trustee my salary -if it was not paid in that time. If that was -not pressing me, I took it as a gentle hint. If I -don’t know any better than to borrow money of -my relations another time, I ought to be hung for -being a fool.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I am sorry now that I said any thing, Paley. -I will take it all back.”</p> - -<p>“Take principal and interest also, and I shall -be satisfied.”</p> - -<p>It was not in his nature to refuse money under -any circumstances. He gave up my note and -pocketed the amount. It is quite probable that -he wondered where I had obtained the funds so -readily, and he even hinted at a desire to be enlightened -on the subject. Perhaps he would suspect -that I had taken them from the vault of the -bank; but if he consulted Mr. Bristlebach on the -matter, the messenger could inform him that the -vault had not been opened during my last visit. -To remove any such disagreeable impression as -this from his mind, I said something about having -a sum of money due me from a friend which I -had kept in reserve for another purpose.</p> - -<p>After the excellent character which the president -had given me, I think my uncle was satisfied. -He apologized for the sharpness of his words -and declared that he had more regard for my moral -welfare than for any thing else. Perhaps he had, -but his ideas of morality were very indefinite, for -he had helped me into my situation by pulling -down Tom, though I must do him the justice to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span> -say that he helped my friend into his present situation, -by declaring that new light entirely convinced -him of the innocence of Tom.</p> - -<p>I left my uncle with the feeling that I had -completely overwhelmed him, and made him blush -for his conduct. I was satisfied that I could borrow -five hundred dollars of him within a reasonable -time, and with a reasonable explanation of -the necessity. The affairs of the day had improved -rather than injured my reputation. My -integrity and honesty stood at the highest point. -I had made a friend of the cashier, who had stupidly -placed himself in my power when open conduct -would have served him better in the end. -I owed no more than before, but I had hampered -myself with a promise to pay Tom Flynn four -hundred dollars the next Monday. I had said Monday, -because I had a faint hope that I might go -down to Springhaven on Saturday and get the -amount out of my aunt, who had at least another -thousand dollars salted down in her bureau.</p> - -<p>There was time enough to think of this matter -before the day of payment; but, if the worst -came, Tom could easily be cajoled, and even made -to insist upon my retaining the money another -week or another month. While all these events<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span> -were transpiring, the unfortunate relations which -I sustained to my beautiful wife were hardly out -of my mind for a moment. It was nearly six -o’clock when I started for home, and all my -thoughts were then of Lilian and the new house.</p> - -<p>I was tempted to recede from my hard and trying -situation, and I probably should have done so -if I had not been endowed with a certain obstinacy, -sometimes called firmness. It seemed to me -that my wife was not my wife while she remained -in the home of “dear ma.” Her mother had -more influence over her than I had, and I could -not be happy till I had redeemed her from this -bondage. My mother-in-law was swindling me for -the benefit of her unmarried daughters. I could -not endure it any longer, and come what would -come, I would not. I entered the house the -saddest and most miserable man in the whole -city.</p> - -<p>The hour for final action had come. I had -informed Lilian that I should move into the English -basement house that day. I had ordered an -express wagon to come for my luggage at seven -o’clock. We had nothing to move but our trunks, -in which, for the want of suitable closets, our -clothing was still kept. I had seen Biddy in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span> -morning, and told her to have supper for me at -half-past seven. I went up to our room. Lilian -was there. I saw that she had been crying, but -whether from grief or from anger I could not tell. -I put my arm around her neck and kissed her, as -I always did, when I came into the house.</p> - -<p>“You are late, Paley,” said she, in forced tones -of calmness.</p> - -<p>“I was detained at the bank by the president,” -I replied. “But the wagon will be here at seven, -Lilian.”</p> - -<p>“The wagon? What wagon?” she asked.</p> - -<p>“The wagon to take our trunks to Needham -Street, Lilian.”</p> - -<p>“You do not mean that, Paley?” said she, -looking up into my face, while her lips quivered -and her chest heaved with emotion.</p> - -<p>“Of course I mean it, Lilian.”</p> - -<p>“Do you mean to say that you intend to drag -me to that house, whether I am willing to go or -not?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly not. I have never hinted at any -thing of the kind. I only say that I am going; -and going at seven o’clock this evening.”</p> - -<p>“O, Paley! I did not think you would do such -a thing!” sobbed she.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I did not think, Lilian, after I had done all I -could to please you; after I had carried out the -arrangement we agreed upon when we came to -board at your mother’s; after I had nearly ruined -myself in fitting up the house, that you would -refuse to live in it,” I pleaded. “I acknowledge -that I have done wrong, but I cannot help it now. -If you will go to the new house with me, I will -promise to give it up in a reasonable time, if you -are not happy there.”</p> - -<p>“I will <i>not</i> go, Paley! I have said it, and I -mean it,” said she, spitefully.</p> - -<p>“Very well. I am going at seven o’clock,” I -replied, sadly enough.</p> - -<p>I began to pack my trunk, while she sobbed in -her chair.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER IX.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">A LONELY HOUSE.</p> - - -<p class="drop-cap06">“DO you mean to desert me, Paley?” asked -Lilian, sobbing bitterly.</p> - -<p>“Does it look as though I meant to desert you -when I have nearly ruined myself to provide a -house that would please you?” I replied, as -gently as I could speak, for I was not angry.</p> - -<p>“But you say you will go to that house without -me?” she added, looking up as if she had a gleam -of hope that I did not mean what I said.</p> - -<p>“I did say so, Lilian. I am going at seven -o’clock, when the express wagon comes.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you call that deserting me?”</p> - -<p>“No, Lilian; it will not be that I desert you, -but you desert me.”</p> - -<p>“But I never will go into that house,” said -she, sharply, as she dashed away the tears that -filled her eyes.</p> - -<p>“Very well; then we need say no more about -it,” I answered, placing the last of my wearing -apparel in the trunk, and locking it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span></p> - -<p>I did not think you would be so cruel, Paley.”</p> - -<p>“Cruel, Lilian! Do I ask anything unreasonable?”</p> - -<p>“I think you do. You come home, and wish -to pack me off at half an hour’s notice into a -strange house.”</p> - -<p>“I think I spoke of the matter last night, and -told you I intended to go. If the time is too -short, you may fix a day yourself to move. Name -the time you will go, three days, a week, a month -hence, and I will not object.”</p> - -<p>“I shall name no time. I will not live in that -house!”</p> - -<p>“Then we may as well settle the matter now -as at any other time,” I replied, with Spartan -firmness.</p> - -<p>“You will leave me, Paley?”</p> - -<p>“I will.”</p> - -<p>“O, Paley! Have I lost all influence over you?”</p> - -<p>“I do not believe in this sort of influence. I -repeat that I have done everything to please you; -and before I told you that the house was for you, -were you not delighted with it?”</p> - -<p>This was a sore subject to her. I knew very -well that she liked the house herself. Her mother -intended to keep us in our present quarters, for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span> -the sake of the income to be derived from us. -She could board us for ten dollars a week, and -make something even at that, for salt fish and -round steak form a cheap diet. I estimated that -it cost five hundred dollars a year apiece to clothe -the two younger daughters, and the profits on my -board more than paid the bills. This was the -whole matter in a nutshell. I do not think that -Lilian was a party directly to the conspiracy, but -she knew that it would upset all her mother’s -plans if we left. Unfortunately for me, I had -given the impression that I was made of money; -that I not only had a large salary, but that I was -the heir of Aunt Rachel, whose wealth was supposed -to equal the capital of the Bank of England.</p> - -<p>My wife was too proud to acknowledge that she -had any interest in her mother’s scheme; it was -safer to say that she did not like the house. I -knew that her family was reduced to the greatest -straits; that Mr. Oliphant’s income was utterly -insufficient to keep up the style of former years. -I knew that Mrs. Oliphant pinched herself in -every possible way, that the prospects of her two -unmarried daughters might not be injured. But I -felt that I had done enough for the family when -I relieved them of one mouth to feed, and one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span> -form to clothe. It certainly was not fair that I -should pay the extravagant expenses of making -the world believe that my wife’s two sisters were -fine ladies.</p> - -<p>I was fighting the battle for my own independence, -and not less for that of my wife. I know -that mothers-in-law are shamefully traduced, but -only because such a one as Mrs. Oliphant is taken -as a type of the whole class. I regard her as -the exception, not the rule. Her plan required -that she should hold my wife as a slave within -the maternal home. In little things, I found that -Lilian consulted the will of her strong-minded -mother, rather than my feelings. For example, I -once overheard Mrs. Oliphant tell my wife to -induce me to go to a certain concert, simply -because Miss Bertha desired to go. Lilian did -induce me to go, and I went. She came up to -the point by regular approaches. Not a word was -said about Miss Bertha till I was closing the door -behind me, as I went to the bank, when it was—“By -the way, Paley, don’t you think we had -better ask Bertha to go with us?” Of course I -thought so, and she went with us. Lilian did not -care a straw for the concert; neither did I.</p> - -<p>This is only a specimen of the manner in which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span> -I was victimized. I not only dressed the two -marriageable sisters, but I was to introduce them -into society, by paying their bills at concerts, -theatres, parties and balls. But this was not the -most objectionable part of the arrangement. I -could not endure the thought of having my wife -made the cat’s paw for the monkey to pull the -chestnuts out of the fire. She was not my wife, -in the just and proper sense of the word. She did -not think so much of my interests and my happiness -as she did of her mother’s will and wish. -Neither of us was to live for each other, but both -of us for the Oliphants’ ambitious schemes. So -thoroughly was I persuaded in my own mind of -the justness of my position, that I was determined -to stick to it, even if it resulted in a complete -separation.</p> - -<p>The door-bell rang, and we heard the sound of -it in our room. I looked out the window. An -express wagon stood before the door. The crisis -had come, but I was as resolute as ever, and I -expected to spend the night alone in the house in -Needham Street.</p> - -<p>“A man at the door wants to see you, Paley,” -said Mrs. Oliphant, who did not keep a servant.</p> - -<p>I went down to the door, and brought the man<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span> -up with me. Lilian and her mother stood aghast. -They appeared to be utterly confounded, and -neither of them spoke in the presence of the -stranger.</p> - -<p>“That trunk,” I said to the expressman.</p> - -<p>“Is that all?” asked he.</p> - -<p>“That is all,” I replied, giving him the number -of the house in Needham Street.</p> - -<p>The man picked up the trunk and I followed -him down stairs. I paid him, and he went off -with my baggage. I was not willing to leave -my wife without saying good-by to her, for I had -some hope that she would yet relent. When my -hand was on the door which I intended to close, -Lilian called me from the stairs above. She came -down, followed by Mrs. Oliphant. I hoped that -both of them would understand me by this time.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter, Paley?” asked “dear ma,” -trying to look pleasant.</p> - -<p>“Nothing is the matter,” I replied, not caring -to discuss the question with her.</p> - -<p>“Lilian tells me you are going to your new -house.”</p> - -<p>“Doubtless she told you that before.”</p> - -<p>“But I did not think you would go off and -leave her.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Such is my purpose, unless she decides to go -with me.”</p> - -<p>“Of course it is not for me to say any thing -about it,” she added, in her magnanimous way. -“But I must say I think you are a little unreasonable.”</p> - -<p>“Well, Mrs. Oliphant, I don’t care about discussing -the subject any more. If Lilian chooses -to desert me I can’t help myself.”</p> - -<p>“Desert you! Goodness gracious! I should -think it was just the other way, and you are -deserting her.”</p> - -<p>“I think not. If I provide a suitable home for -my wife, it seems to me that she ought to occupy -it with me,” I answered, meekly. “I do not wish -to be unreasonable, but I think Lilian will admit -that our plan discussed, and agreed to while we -were on our bridal tour, was to go to housekeeping. -I have provided a pleasant house, near yours, -and furnished it in a style much better than I can -afford. I have told her that, after occupying the -house for six months or a year, if it does not suit -her, I will conform to her wishes, whatever they -may be. I think my view is a reasonable one, -and I intend to adhere to it.”</p> - -<p>“Is she to go there whether she wants to or -not?” demanded Mrs. Oliphant.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Am I to stay here whether I want to or not?” -I replied. “In the matter of housekeeping, I consulted -her, and we were of the same mind.”</p> - -<p>“You will not leave me, Paley, will you?” -pleaded Lilian, satisfied that her mother was making -no headway in solving the problem.</p> - -<p>“No; but you will leave me, Lilian. I am -going now.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t go, Paley!”</p> - -<p>“Will you name a time when you will go with -me, Lilian?”</p> - -<p>“I cannot go, Paley! Indeed I cannot.”</p> - -<p>“Good-by then, Lilian,” I replied, kissing her, -while the tears gushed from my eyes.</p> - -<p>I rushed from the house, without stopping to -close the door behind me. I wiped away my -tears as I crossed the street at a furious pace. I -walked till I had subdued the emotions which -crowded upon me. It was half an hour before I -dared to present myself before the Biddy I had -engaged, lest she should fathom the secret that -worried me. I rang the bell at my house, and -the servant admitted me. She opened her eyes -wide when she saw me alone.</p> - -<p>“Where is the missus?” asked she.</p> - -<p>“She has concluded not to come, to-night,” I -replied, hanging up my hat in the hall.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span></p> - -<p>“The pretty crayture! Sure I’m dyin’ to have -her in the house wit me!” exclaimed Bridget. -“Is it sick she is?”</p> - -<div class="floatleft"> - <img src="images/ill-139.jpg" width="200" height="431" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="cf"><p class="pc">Biddy.</p> -</div></div> - -<p>“She don’t feel very well -this evening,” I replied evasively.</p> - -<p>“Sure the supper is all -ready for the two of ye’s. -The tay is drawn this half -hour, and the crame toast is -breakin’ in flitters wid -waitin’ for ye’s.”</p> - -<p>“Very well; I will have -my supper immediately.”</p> - -<p>The tea and the toast -were certainly good enough -even for Lilian; but it was -the most miserable supper -to which I ever sat down. -My heart seemed to be almost broken. I lighted the -gas in the little sitting-room, and threw myself -into the rocking-chair. I looked around the apartment. -Everything was neat, tasty and pleasant. -Was it possible that Lilian refused to share such -a palace with me? No; it was not her fault. -With her mother’s permission how gladly she would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span> -have taken her place by my side. Mrs. Oliphant -evidently had not given me credit for any considerable -amount of resolution. She was “the better -horse” in her own matrimonial relations, and she -found it difficult to comprehend any other than a -similar arrangement in her daughter’s family.</p> - -<p>I tried to read the newspaper I had brought -home with me, but my thoughts were with Lilian. -I turned over the leaves of the books I had laid -on the centre-table. I went into the dining-room -and smoked. I was almost worn out with fatigue -and excitement. I was miserable beyond description. -I went to bed at midnight, and I went to -sleep, but it was only to dream of Lilian, goading -and persecuting me, led on by a demon who -was always at her side.</p> - -<p>I rose in the morning, and found my breakfast -ready at the time I had ordered it. It was such a -breakfast as Lilian liked, but she was not there -to enjoy it, and I groaned in spirit. I must go to -the bank. I was not to see my wife, but I -decided to write her a line—it was only a line:</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“<i>Dearest Lilian</i>:—I shall <i>hope</i> to find you at -our new home when I come up from the bank.</p> - -<p class="pr2">“<span class="smcap">Paley.</span>”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">I sent Biddy to deliver it, and told her not to -wait for an answer.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span></p> - -<p>I went to the bank. Everything was “lovely” -there. Even Mr. Bristlebach was “lovely;” and -that was a most unusual attitude for him. Captain -Halliard dropped in to see me. He was -“lovely.” Tom Flynn was in excellent spirits; -but he took occasion to tell me something about -his business affairs, so that I could distinctly understand -what a sad mishap it would be to him if I -should fail to pay him the four hundred dollars I -owed him on Monday. I felt that I must pay -him, and I decided to visit Springhaven on Saturday, -and cajole Aunt Rachel into lending me -the amount.</p> - -<p>I went through my duties mechanically, but -that day I lived on hope. I had ordered my dinner -at home at half past three, which was the -hour I usually dined. Lilian knew my habits, and -I felt almost sure that I should find her in Needham -Street. I believed that she loved me, and I -could not believe that she would desert me. How -my heart beat when I went into the English basement -house! How it sank within me when Biddy -failed to tell me that the “missus” was there. -I dared not ask her any questions, lest she should -discover the anxiety under which I was laboring.</p> - -<p>I looked into the sitting-room. It was as empty<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span> -as the tomb of all I desired to see. I went into -the dining-room. The table was set for two, but -one of the plates seemed to mock me. Lilian was -not there. She was not in the kitchen. I went -up stairs, but the same oppressive vacancy haunted -every spot in the house. No Lilian was there, -and without her the house was not home. The -casket and all its appliances were there, but no -jewel flashed upon my waiting, longing eyes.</p> - -<p>There was no note in reply to mine. Biddy did -not deliver any message to me. It was plain -enough that she had not heard from the “missus.” -I was sure that Lilian loved me, and that if left -to herself she would come to me, even if I had -been lodged in a prison instead of the palace I -had provided for her. I ate my dinner alone and -in silence. The dinner was a good one, but it -would have been the same thing to me if the -roast beef and mashed potato had been chips and -shavings, so far as I had any interest in their -flavor.</p> - -<p>When the meal was finished I left the house, -and wandered about the streets till tea-time. I -kept walking without going anywhere; I kept thinking -without knowing what I was thinking about. -After I had been to supper, and Biddy had finished<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span> -her work, she came into the sitting-room where I -was looking at the blank sheets of the newspaper -I held in my hand. She begged my pardon for -coming. She wanted to know when the “missus” -was to be at the house. I evaded an answer. -She told me she couldn’t stay in a house with no -missus in it. She didn’t “spake to a sowl all -day long,” and she couldn’t “shtop in a house -wid only a man in it. She had a char<i>rack</i>ter, -and people would be talking if she shtopped in a -house wid only a man in it.” Of course I was -utterly confounded at this complication of the difficulty, -but I told her that if the “missus” was -not able to come by Monday she might go, and -I would pay her wages for an additional week.</p> - -<p>“God bless your honor! but is the missus sick?” -she asked.</p> - -<p>“She is not very well, and does not like to -leave her mother yet.”</p> - -<p>She appeared to be satisfied, and I was permitted -to spend another miserable night in the -loneliness of my new home. I heard nothing from -Lilian. I thought she might, at least, send me a -note in reply to mine; but I knew that she acted -upon the advice of “dear ma.” That strong -minded woman evidently intended to bring me to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span> -terms. If possible, I was more resolute than ever.</p> - -<p>Before I went to the bank the next morning I -decided to write one more note—one which could -not fail to bring the unpleasant matter to an issue -within twenty-four hours. It was in the form of -an advertisement, as follows:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“Whereas, my wife, Lilian O. Glasswood, has -left my bed and board, without justifiable cause, -I hereby give notice that I shall pay no debts of -her contracting, after this date.</p> - -<p>“<i>Boston, Aug.</i>—.</p> -<p class="pr2"><span class="smcap">Paley Glasswood.</span></p> - -<p>“Shall I insert the above in to-morrow’s papers?</p> - -<p class="pr2"><span class="smcap">P. G.</span>”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">I sent this epistle to Mr. Oliphant’s by Biddy. -Though it was directed to Lilian, it was intended -for her mother.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER X.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">MY WIFE AND I.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap00">I KNEW very well that this note would produce -a tremendous sensation in the Oliphant family, -and, as I walked down to the bank, I considered -whether so violent a demonstration was justifiable. -But I soon came to the conclusion that it was -not a mere feint, and that if my wife would not -live with me in Needham Street, she could not -live with me anywhere else. If she did not choose -to share my lot in the pretty residence I had -provided for her, I would not pay her board in -Tremont Street.</p> - -<p>I wanted my wife. I had not married Mrs. -Oliphant, and was willing to dispense with the -benefit of her advice. Perhaps it was reckless in -me to do so, but no man had ever made up his -mind on any point more decidedly than I had -made up mine on this one. I attended to my -duties as usual, but there was a sort of grimness -about everything I did which astonished me, if it -did not any one else.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span></p> - -<p>At my usual hour I rang the bell of my house -with a more intense anxiety than had before agitated -me. If the savage measure I had taken did -not bring Lilian and her mother to their senses, -nothing would, and the breach must be regarded -as permanent. I hoped and confidently expected -to find my wife in the house, and I braced my -nerves for the scene which must ensue. Biddy -opened the door, with a sweet smile on her face -which augured well for my anticipations.</p> - -<p>“There’s a bit of a letther on the table for ye’s, -sir,” said she, as I hung up my hat in the hall. -“Shtop! and I’ll bring it to ye’s.”</p> - -<p>“A bit of a letther!” Was that all? Of course -it was from Lilian. She did not intend to surrender -without conditions, Biddy handed me the -missive. It was in my wife’s pretty hand-writing, -but I was disappointed, and more than ever disposed -to be morose. I opened the envelope.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“Come and see me this afternoon, Paley.</p> - -<p class="pr2">“<span class="smcap">Lilian.</span>”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">That was all. The case did not look hopeful. -If I went I must fight the battle with “dear ma.” -I promptly decided that it would be worse than -folly for me to heed this request. It was only -an ingenious device of Mrs. Oliphant to carry her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span> -point by some new strategy. To go would be -to throw myself into the toils of the enemy.</p> - -<p>Biddy stood looking at me while I read the -“bit of a letther.” If she did not suspect the -trouble, she was more stupid than I supposed. She -was a good girl, though her manners needed some -improvement. If the wife was ill, the place of -the husband was at her side. My gem of the -Green Isle could reason out this proposition without -exploding her brain. She must understand -that a family tempest was gathering.</p> - -<p>“Av coorse the bit of a letther is from the -missus,” said she. “I hope she is betther.”</p> - -<p>“Is dinner ready, Biddy?” I replied, trying to -laugh.</p> - -<p>“All ready, sir. Sure the missus must be betther, -for she brought the letther herself.”</p> - -<p>“She is better, Biddy. There is trouble between -us.”</p> - -<p>“Faix, I knew it from the firsht!”</p> - -<p>“Let me have my dinner now, and we will talk -about it another time.”</p> - -<p>She seemed to be proud to have even so much -of my confidence, and she flew around with an -alacrity which was as creditable to her locomotive -powers as it was to her Irish heart. Even her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span> -looks were full of respectful sympathy. I sat -down to the table, and taking her place behind -my chair, she waited upon me with a zeal which -would have shamed the black coats of a fashionable -hotel.</p> - -<p>“In a word, Biddy, my wife refuses to live in -this house with me. That’s all the trouble we -have,” said I, as I began to eat my dinner.</p> - -<p>“Bad luck to her for that same!”</p> - -<p>It was very undignified for me to say anything -to my servant, or to any one, indeed, about a -matter of this kind, but I was absolutely hungry -for a confidant to whom I could pour out my -griefs. If the matter was to go any farther, I -intended to send for Tom Flynn, and talk over -the situation with him. It seemed as though my -brain would burst, if I could not relieve it by -exhibiting the cause of my sorrows. If Biddy had -not known so much I would not have told her -any more. I had informed her in the beginning -about the “pleasant surprise” I was preparing for -my wife. She had seen Lilian when she called, -and it was stupid in me to attempt to conceal anything -from her. I explained to her the difficulty -as far as I deemed it necessary. Biddy was my -strongest friend, then. She would not have left -me even to save her “char<i>rack</i>ter.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span></p> - -<p>She rehearsed the whole matter, declared that I -was an angel, and the house a palace. It was -not only unreasonable, but cruel and barbarous, -for my wife to refuse to share my lot. Thus -spake Biddy, and I endorsed her sentiments. -When I had finished my dinner I wrote a brief -note to Lilian, declining to see her again, until -we could meet in “our own house.” Biddy was -a zealous messenger. She was instructed to deliver -it without any words, and without answering any -questions, for I was afraid she would take the -matter into her own hands, and complicate the -difficulty by attempting to fight my battle for -me.</p> - -<p>An hour later came the reply to my note. Lilian -wrote that she was “quite indisposed,” and -unable to leave the house that day. She wished -to see me very much, and begged me not to deny -her this favor. Perhaps she was sick. So was I—sick -at heart. It would not be strange if the -intense excitement attending this affair had made -her ill; it had made me so. But I knew she was not -so ill that she could not leave the house. She had -delivered her own letter in the forenoon when she -knew I was at the bank. Yet, if I did not see her -when she was sick, it would make the story tell with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span> -damaging effect upon me. I decided to see her at -once—to see her as my sick wife, and not to -make terms in the quarrel.</p> - -<p>In five minutes I rang the bell at the door of -Mr. Oliphant’s house. It was opened as usual by -Mrs. Oliphant. A smile of triumph played upon -her face as she stood aside to permit me to pass -into the hall.</p> - -<p>“I am glad you have concluded to come, Paley,” -said she.</p> - -<p>This remark indicated that she was already in -possession of the contents of my last note; in fact -that she, and not Lilian, was fighting the battle.</p> - -<p>“Is Lilian sick?” I inquired.</p> - -<p>“She is not very well.”</p> - -<p>“I will go up and see her.”</p> - -<p>I went up.</p> - -<p>“O, Paley! how can you be so cruel?” exclaimed -she, with much nervous excitement.</p> - -<p>“Are you sick, Lilian?” I replied, taking her -hand, and kissing her as though nothing had happened.</p> - -<p>“I <i>am</i> sick, Paley.”</p> - -<p>“I am sorry, Lilian.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think I am made of iron?”</p> - -<p>“Shall I go for Dr. Ingoldson?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I do not need a doctor so much as I need -peace.”</p> - -<p>“We both need that.”</p> - -<p>“Are you going to drive me into that hateful -house?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly not, Lilian.”</p> - -<p>“Did you write that cruel note which came -this morning, Paley? I cannot believe it.”</p> - -<p>“I did write it, Lilian; but if you are sick we -will not talk about that,” I replied, tenderly, but -firmly.</p> - -<p>“But we must talk about it. Do you mean to -say that you will print that horrid advertisement?”</p> - -<p>“Most certainly I shall, if you persist in your -present course. It is not right for me to support -a wife who will not live with me. If you are -sick, we will defer all action until you are better.”</p> - -<p>“I am not well, but I wanted to see you about -this awful business. Have you ceased to love me, -Paley?”</p> - -<p>“No, Lilian.”</p> - -<p>Perhaps Mrs. Oliphant had tried to stay down -stairs, and permit her daughter to pour out her -griefs to me alone; but if she had tried, she had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span> -not succeeded; and at this stage of the interview -she entered the room, without the ceremony of -knocking.</p> - -<p>“I am glad you have come, Paley, for we want -to talk over this disagreeable business.”</p> - -<p>“Lilian’s note informed me that she was sick, -and I came to see her, but not to talk over any -matter. If she is ill—”</p> - -<p>“She isn’t very ill,” interposed Mrs. Oliphant.</p> - -<p>I thought not; at least not too ill to discuss -the exciting topic.</p> - -<p>“I am glad she is not very ill. If she is, -I will stay at her side and do all that a husband -should do for a sick wife.”</p> - -<p>“O, we can take care of her! But I wanted -to ask you if you really intended to put that -advertisement into the newspapers?”</p> - -<p>“You will excuse me, but I have nothing to -say on that subject beyond what I expressed in -my note. If Lilian does not need any assistance -from me, I will go. If Lilian is ill, I will defer -the insertion of the advertisement until Monday -morning.”</p> - -<p>“O, Paley!” gasped Lilian.</p> - -<p>“Are you such a monster!” exclaimed Mrs. -Oliphant, her lips compressed and her eyes flashing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span> -in such a way as to indicate in what manner -poor Oliphant had been conquered.</p> - -<p>“I have nothing more to say, madam,” I -replied, with all the dignity I could command.</p> - -<p>I moved towards the door. Mrs. Oliphant was -proceeding to rehearse the enormity of my offence, -when I clipped the wings of her rhetoric by -opening the door.</p> - -<p>“Good-by, Lilian, if we are to meet no more,” -I added. “On Monday it will be too late.”</p> - -<p>I retreated down the stairs, and fled from the -house, though Mrs. Oliphant made a lively pursuit -as far as the street door, calling upon me -with all her might to return.</p> - -<p>I know that my lady readers are branding me -as a barbarian, but I beg to remind them again -that I was not fighting the battle with my wife, -but with her mother. I was striking for my own -and for Lilian’s independence. If I could not -have her as my wife, I would not have her at all. -I did not go directly home. I called to see Tom -Flynn. He was not in, but I left a message for -him to see me in Needham Street as soon as he -returned.</p> - -<p>I was tolerably calm, considering the amount -of actual suffering I endured. Biddy was garrulous,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span> -and disposed to say harsh things of the -“missus.” I checked her, declaring that Lilian -was an angel herself, and that Mrs. Oliphant was -the fomenter of the strife. Fortunately I was -relieved from her comments by the arrival of Tom -Flynn. The noble fellow looked sad when he -entered, and I think he feared I intended to say -I could not pay him the four hundred dollars on -Monday, as I promised. He had not visited my -house before, and he was lavish in his praise of -the good taste displayed in the furniture. Perhaps -it suggested him a doubt in regard to the -safety of his money.</p> - -<p>“Where is Lilian?” he asked. “I have not -seen her for a month.”</p> - -<p>The question opened the subject nearest to my -heart. I began my story, and related it in the -most minute detail up to the interview which -had just taken place between my wife and myself. -The noble fellow was astonished at the recital, -and his countenance beamed with generous sympathy.</p> - -<p>“I am very sorry for all this, Paley. It is an -awkward and uncomfortable predicament,” said -he.</p> - -<p>“What can I do?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I don’t know. I think you are right in your -main position, though I am not quite so sure in -regard to your method of treatment,” he replied, -musing. “I should not quite like to advertise my -wife.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t like to do it; but as sure as my name -is Paley Glasswood, I will do it, if she does not -come to this house before Monday morning!” I -replied, quite excitedly.</p> - -<p>“However, I don’t think you will have occasion -to do it,” he added. “Oliphant has had the -reputation of being a hen-pecked husband ever since -I first heard of him. His wife is a strong-minded -woman, and I suppose he found it cheaper to -yield than to fight it out. He was a prosperous -man formerly, but they say his spirit was broken -by this domestic tyranny. I can’t advise you to -back out, though I wish you had consulted your -wife before you furnished the house.”</p> - -<p>“That would only have transferred the battleground -to another location. If I yield, I am lost.”</p> - -<p>It was fully settled with the advice of my friend, -that I should not yield. I explained that if Lilian -did not like the house or the furniture after a -reasonable trial, I would change either or both. -Tom Flynn stayed with me till midnight, and told<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span> -me a great many things in regard to the Oliphants -that I was glad to know. It is enough for me -to add that I had not misapprehended the character -of “dear ma.”</p> - -<p>The next day was Saturday. I went to the -bank at the usual hour, and stayed there till the -close of business. I wanted to go to Springhaven -that day to make my assault upon Aunt Rachel’s -purse-strings. The last train left at six o’clock. -I was going home, and if my wife did not appear, -I intended to spend Sunday at home with my -mother. It was the last day of grace, both for -Lilian and the money I was to pay Tom Flynn on -Monday.</p> - -<p>Biddy admitted me, but she had no tidings of -my wife. Lilian had not come to my house, and -had sent no message for me. Was it possible that -Mrs. Oliphant meant to let the affair take its -course—to make a “grass-widow” of her daughter -rather than allow her to submit? It looked so, -incredible as it seemed. After I had eaten my -dinner, I wrote a note to Lilian, informing her -that I intended to spend Sunday at my mother’s, -that I would call at our house in Needham Street -on Monday morning, and that, if I did not find -her there, I should insert the advertisement in all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span> -the newspapers. It was then after four o’clock, -and I sent the note by Biddy with the usual -instructions.</p> - -<p>I went up stairs to take a bath and dress for -my visit. It was after five when I came down. -Biddy had returned, and was busy with her work. -I began to tell her where I was going when the -door-bell rang.</p> - -<p>“Bedad! the missus has come, and brought her -mother with her!” exclaimed she, as she rushed -into the dining-room where I was smoking away -the half hour I had to spare before going to the -train.</p> - -<p>“Where are they?”</p> - -<p>“In the parlor.”</p> - -<p>It was not a very encouraging fact that Mrs. -Oliphant had come with her. I went into the -sitting-room where were seated my guests, for as -such only could I yet regard them.</p> - -<p>“I am glad you have come, Lilian,” said I, -entering the room.</p> - -<p>“But I have not come to stay,” she interposed, -promptly.</p> - -<p>“Then I am sorry you have come,” I added, -as promptly.</p> - -<p>“It is terrible, Paley, to think that my husband<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span> -is prepared to desert me, and to advertise me in -the newspapers,” said she.</p> - -<p>“It is just as terrible for me to be deserted as -for you, Lilian. I hope you will think well of it -before it is too late.”</p> - -<p>“I came over to see about this business, Mr. -Glasswood,” interposed Mrs. Oliphant, stiffly.</p> - -<p>“Nothing need be said, madam. I must add -that I decline to discuss the question at all.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a pretty way, sir!” continued she. -“You married my daughter, and you promised—”</p> - -<p>“I know I did, madam, and she promised, too. -If she does not choose to occupy the house I have -provided for her, that is the end of the whole -matter; and also the end of all argument. I am -going to Springhaven now. I have nothing more -to say, except to add that when my wife returns -to me I will treat her as tenderly as I know how, -bury the past, and seek only her happiness.”</p> - -<p>I moved towards the door. Lilian burst into -tears. I saw her glance at her mother, who sat in -dignified stiffness on the sofa.</p> - -<p>“Good-by, Lilian,” I said, glancing tenderly at -her.</p> - -<p>“No, no, Paley! You shall not go!” gasped<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span> -she, springing into my arms. “I will stay here!”</p> - -<p>“Lilian!” exclaimed her mother, springing to -her feet.</p> - -<p>She was my wife then.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER XI.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">OVER THE PRECIPICE.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap16">LILIAN was in my arms again, and all that I had -suffered was compensated for by the bliss of -the moment. I think she had been thoroughly aroused -by the peril of her situation, and it was only at -the last possible moment, as she understood the -case, that she yielded. Lilian was human, like -the rest of the world, and she was fond of her own -way. I was willing to let her have her own way, -but when it came to giving her mother the control -of my affairs, I was rebellious.</p> - -<p>My poor wife sobbed in my arms, and I could -hardly restrain my own tears. I would not have -repressed them if Mrs. Oliphant had not been -present. Lilian was conquered, but I was sure -she had only reached a point which she had desired -to attain before. I am not sure that this same -battle is not fought out by every man and wife, -however gentle and affectionate they may be. -Some husbands are brutes, some wives are head-strong, -but each is always jealous of individual -power and influence. I think Lilian was disposed -to adopt the tactics of her mother, and rule her -own household; but now she had suddenly -become a gentle and submissive wife, and had thus -placed herself in a position to be potential in regard -to her husband.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-160.jpg" width="400" height="595" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc"><span class="smcap">My Wife concludes to stay.</span> <span class="wn"><a href="#Page_160">Page 160</a>.</span></p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span></p> - -<p>Mrs. Oliphant was disgusted. She frowned savagely -upon both of us. She realized that her influence -was gone forever, if this state of feeling -existed. Her cherished plan fell through and was -a wreck beyond the possibility of redemption. I -do not wonder that she was disgusted, for it was -no trivial thing to be suddenly deprived of the -handsome income she derived from me, which I -should have been very glad to pay her, if I could -have done so, though not under the egregious -cheat of paying her thirty dollars a week for board -which was dear at ten.</p> - -<p>“Lilian,” said Mrs. Oliphant, sternly, “I did -not think you were so weak and childish.”</p> - -<p>“Weak and childish, mother? Shall I desert -my husband?” added my wife, gently.</p> - -<p>“It is not for me to say any thing, for I never -interfere between man and wife,” continued “dear -ma,” in the tone of a martyr. “But I can’t help -thinking that your husband is very unreasonable.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span> -It isn’t every child that has so good a home as you -have, and parents who are willing to slave themselves -to death for her! And this is all the thanks -they get for it!”</p> - -<p>“Why, dear ma, what have I done?” asked -Lilian, horrified at the implied charge of ingratitude.</p> - -<p>“Nothing, nothing! It is no matter!” replied -Mrs. Oliphant, with a vigorous effort to appear -like a much-abused person. “I suppose it is a -mother’s lot to be deserted by her children.”</p> - -<p>“Deserted, mother!” exclaimed my poor wife.</p> - -<p>“I would not say any thing, Lilian,” I whispered -to her.</p> - -<p>“After I had made all my arrangements to -board you, suddenly, and without a word of notice -you go off and leave me. What have I done to -merit this treatment?”</p> - -<p>Lilian followed my suggestion, and made no -reply.</p> - -<p>“Well, I suppose I am not wanted here, and I -may as well go,” she said, flouncing up, and aiming -for the door.</p> - -<p>“On the contrary, Mrs. Oliphant, we shall both -be very glad to have you come here as often and -stay as long as you can,” I added.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Yes, mother, my house shall be your house,” -said Lilian, warmly and with much feeling.</p> - -<p>“It is easier to talk than to do,” persisted Mrs. -Oliphant, who was determined to be an abused -person. “I’ll go home alone.”</p> - -<p>“I will go with you, mother if you desire it.” -interposed Lilian.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Oliphant did desire it. It is quite possible -she expected still to conquer our united forces.</p> - -<p>“Send the wagon for my trunks, Paley, as soon -as you please,” whispered Lilian, as she left the -house with her mother.</p> - -<p>I need not say that I lost no time in complying -with these stealthy instructions. I hastened -for the job wagon, but it was an hour before I -reached Mr. Oliphant’s with it, for I could not -readily find a team at that hour. The clock -struck six, and I lost my train to Springhaven; -but I hardly noticed the circumstance, so intent -was I upon healing the breach in my domestic -affairs.</p> - -<p>When I arrived at the house, I found Lilian in -tears, and a little inclined to yield again; but the -appearance of the expressman seemed to strengthen -her again. She permitted the trunks to be carried -down, and the man departed with them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I cannot go, Paley,” said she, as she dropped -into a chair.</p> - -<p>“Why not, Lilian?”</p> - -<p>“Mother is terribly incensed against me.”</p> - -<p>“She will get over it in a few days. What -does your father say?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing,” said she, looking up at me, as -though she thought I asked a curious question.</p> - -<p>“The sooner we go, Lilian, the better it will -be for all of us,” I suggested.</p> - -<p>“I will go, Paley, but I am afraid I shall never -be happy again,” said she, rising.</p> - -<p>“Yes, you will, my dear. Your mother will be -the same as ever by to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>We went down stairs, and found Mrs. Oliphant -in the parlor.</p> - -<p>“Good-by, mother. I shall come to see you -every day,” said Lilian, trying to be cheerful.</p> - -<p>“Good-by, Lilian,” replied Mrs. Oliphant, in a -tone which indicated the depth of her despair.</p> - -<p>Lilian said good-by to her sisters, and hoped both -of them would come to the house in Needham -Street every day, Sundays not excepted. Then -we went home. Blessed word! It meant more to -me than ever before. I need hardly add that we -talked of nothing during the evening but the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span> -exciting topic of the day, though I tried frequently -to change the subject.</p> - -<p>Biddy was the happiest girl outside of Ireland, -for though my wife was very sad, she was still -the “missus” in her own house. Lilian confessed -to me that she liked the house very much; that -she would not have had it any different if she had -been consulted, but her mother was so anxious to -have us remain at her house that she could not -think of such a thing as leaving her. If her -mother could only be satisfied with the new -arrangement, she should be as happy as any mortal -in existence.</p> - -<p>I hoped for the best. I did not count upon -any continued opposition from Mrs. Oliphant, as -it was so obviously for her interest to keep the -peace now that the Rubicon had been passed. If -I had not been so busily occupied in smoothing -the path for Lilian, I should have made myself -very miserable over my failure to visit Springhaven. -I had four hundred dollars to pay on Monday, -with nothing on hand to meet the demand. It was -an ugly subject, and I avoided it as much as possible -in my meditations, though it would often -flash upon me. I could not disappoint Tom -Flynn.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span></p> - -<p>I took an early walk on Sunday morning, and -invited Tom to drop in upon us to dinner that -day, which he did. He was delighted to see Lilian -in her new home, and congratulated me privately -upon the happy issue of the difficulty. In -the afternoon Mr. Oliphant called. We showed -him all over the house, and the old gentleman -appeared to be in raptures. Then Bertha and -Ellen came, and they visited every part of the -new mansion, expressing their entire satisfaction -with all the arrangements.</p> - -<p>After church, Tom called again, for he never -staid away from service for any reason, forenoon -or afternoon. We sang psalm tunes till nine -o’clock in the evening, and truly home was home -to me then, as it had never been before. Bertha -was a splendid singer, and I noticed that Tom, -who was very fond of music, appeared to be more -interested in her than I had ever before observed. -He went home with her, and I ventured to hope -that my example would not be without its influence -upon him.</p> - -<p>When I went to the bank the next morning, -Tom told me, in the most careless manner in the -world, that Bertha was a very pretty girl, and a -magnificent singer. Of course I agreed with him,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span> -but the sight of my friend thrust upon me, more -forcibly than any other consideration, the ugly -fact that I owed him four hundred dollars, due -that day. I had not the courage to ask him for -further time. My honor, and more than that, my -pride, were involved. What could I do?</p> - -<p>I might run down to Springhaven at night. No, -I could not leave, for, at church and elsewhere, -we had invited all our friends to call upon us, -and I expected to see company every evening -during the week. I must be at home. The -money must be paid. There was no possible way -by which I could honorably postpone it.</p> - -<p>“What time to-day do you want that little -matter of money I owe you, Tom?” I asked of -my friend.</p> - -<p>“As soon after bank hours as convenient.”</p> - -<p>“You shall have it at half-past two. I must -go up the street for it, and can’t leave very well -before the bank closes.”</p> - -<p>“All right; it will do at three,” added my -obliging friend.</p> - -<p>What odds would it make to me whether the -time was fixed at two or three? I was just as -unable to pay it at one time as the other. A lucky -thought occurred to me. I could call upon my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span> -uncle, Captain Halliard, who would no doubt be -glad to redeem his credit with me by lending me -any reasonable sum I wanted. In a week or so I -could find time to see Aunt Rachel, and as I -was her favorite, she would put me in funds.</p> - -<p>The bank closed. I was in a tremor of anxiety. -Before balancing my cash, I hastened out to find -my uncle. He was in the Insurance Office as usual -at this hour. I asked him a great many stupid -questions about indifferent matters, without daring -to put the main question. He actually appeared -to have forgotten that he had insulted and offended -me. He was rather patronizing and stiff in his -manner, and the result of the interview was that -I did not mention the matter nearest to my heart. -I was sure he would refuse if I did; and I could -not be humiliated for nothing.</p> - -<p>I was in despair. My heart was in my throat. -My pride revolted at the thought of telling Tom -Flynn that I could not pay him. I went back to -the bank and balanced my cash. I counted over -an immense sum of money. Four hundred dollars -would make me happy. Mr. Bristlebach had entire -confidence in me. Why could I not borrow four -hundred dollars of the bank as conveniently as of -Captain Halliard.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span></p> - -<p>I trembled at the bare thought of such a thing. -Thus far I had kept myself honest before God -and man. But then I did not mean to <i>steal</i> this -sum. I would even put a memorandum in the -drawer, to the effect that I was indebted to the -bank for this amount. What harm? Who would -be wronged by it? I intended to pay every penny -of it back in a few days, as soon as I could visit -my aunt. It was a little irregular, but even the -cashier had done a similar thing within my knowledge. -No one would ever know anything about -it, and certainly no one would ever lose anything.</p> - -<p>Why should I be tortured for the want of four -hundred dollars, when thousands were lying idle -in my drawer? Why should I humiliate myself -before Tom Flynn, when, without wronging any -body, I could pay my debt, make him happy, -and be happy myself? I was certain that I could -return the four hundred dollars. My aunt would -certainly let me have it. My uncle even would -lend it to me. I had property enough in my -house to pay it three times over.</p> - -<p>Why should I linger here at the brink of the -precipice over which I had determined to leap? -I thought, as hundreds of others have thought, in -the same trying situation. I comforted myself, as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span> -they have done, with fallacious reasoning. I persuaded -myself that, as I intended to pay back -what I borrowed, and convinced myself that I had -the means to do so, it was not dishonest for me -to take the money. I assured myself it was only -a slight irregularity that I meditated; that, even -in the sight of God, it was only a trivial error of -form. The Good Father judges us more by our -intentions than by our acts.</p> - -<p>Perhaps I had prepared myself for this step, as -every young man does who permits himself to run -in debt, who allows himself to be continually subjected -to a fearful temptation by the pressure -of obligations needlessly incurred. Certainly my -experience in furnishing my house had prepared -me for this temptation. It came when I least -expected it. It was but a trivial form that I -purposed to break through; not the law of honesty, -of moral rectitude.</p> - -<p>I took four one hundred dollar bills from my -drawer, and slipped them into my vest-pocket. -Everybody in the bank was minding his own business. -No one took any notice of me. I think I -must have been as pale as death when I did the -deed, trivial as I chose to regard it. I wrote the -amount in figures, on a slip of paper, and put it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span> -under the bills in the drawer. I convinced myself -that this was a suitable acknowledgement of what -I had done, which fully relieved me of every intention -of doing anything wrong. It is astonishing -how weak and silly we are when we are trying -to conceal our own errors from our own eyes. -The contents of my drawer were transferred to -the vault, and I prepared to go home.</p> - -<p>“Tom, I haven’t had time to get that money -yet, but I will meet you at three o’clock, at the -reading-room,” I remarked to my friend, as easily -as I could.</p> - -<p>“O, don’t put yourself out, Paley,” said the -generous fellow. “If it is not convenient, let it -go.”</p> - -<p>“No, but it shall be paid. The money is all -ready, only I have not had time to go for it.”</p> - -<p>“I hope the matter has not given you any -trouble, Paley,” he added; and perhaps I had not -been entirely successful in concealing the anxiety -which disturbed me.</p> - -<p>“O no, not a bit! You see my affairs at home -took up my time, and I neglected to attend to -the matter on Saturday. Be at the reading-room -at three, and I shall have the money for you, -without fail.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I will be there, Paley. But what makes you -look so pale?” he inquired.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know. I haven’t been very well, and -my difficulty at home has worn upon me. But I’m -all right now,” I replied, assuming a very cheerful -face, as I left the bank.</p> - -<p>At the appointed time Tom was at the reading-room, -and I gave him the four hundred dollars. -The bills passed out of my hands, and it was -forever too late to undo what I had done. I had -leaped over the precipice beneath which lie dishonor, -shame and disgrace. I was sorely troubled. -My irregularity vexed me, and I felt as one tormented -by a legion of devils.</p> - -<p>The fact that Tom had noticed my altered -appearance put me upon my guard. I tried to be -gay and even jovial. I laughed, cracked jokes, -rallied Tom on being in love with Bertha—any -thing to banish from my mind the corroding feeling -that I was a defaulter. I tore up my note -which Tom handed to me. I invited him to come -to my house in the evening. I invited him to -come every evening. I know that I must have -talked strangely. There seemed to be a twenty-four -pound cannon shot in the centre of my brain. -I wanted something to elevate my spirits. I went<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span> -into a bar-room, and drank a glass of whiskey—a -thing I had never before done, though I had -taken a glass of wine occasionally.</p> - -<p>The liquor inspired me. I drank a second glass, -at another bar-room, and found myself capable of -rising above my troubles. I went home. Buckleton -was there, waiting to see me.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER XII.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">A KEEPER IN THE HOUSE.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap16">LILIAN opened the door, and kissed me as -usual when I came home.</p> - -<p>“Why, Paley, you have been drinking,” whispered -she.</p> - -<p>“I had a severe pain, and took a glass of whiskey. -I feel fetter now,” I replied.</p> - -<p>“There’s a gentleman waiting for you in the -sitting-room,” she added.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I saw him. It is Buckleton, an old -friend of mine. I may ask him to dine with us.”</p> - -<p>I think Lilian suspected something was wrong -with me, though I am sure she had not the -remotest conception of the nature and extent of -the mischief which was gathering around us. -Probably the smell of my breath startled her, -with the added fact that I was a little flighty in -my manner, for I believe that nothing can be -more justly startling to a woman than the possibility -of her husband becoming a drunkard. She -knew nothing whatever of my financial affairs. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span> -had never made her my confidant; on the contrary, -I had weakly and foolishly assumed to be “full -of money,” and behaved with a liberality and -extravagance far beyond my means.</p> - -<p>Buckleton was waiting for me. I owed Buckleton -eight hundred dollars, for which he had no -security. What did Buckleton want with me? It -had been his own proposition to give me, under -a liberal interpretation of his own words, unlimited -credit as to time, if not amount. Why had -he come to my house? I had been at the bank -all the forenoon, and that was the proper place to -meet a man in relation to business. Of course if -I had not owed him eight hundred dollars, I should -not have troubled my head about this particular -visit of an old acquaintance.</p> - -<p>However, I had drank two glasses of whiskey, -and the circumstance of his coming did not trouble -me much. I still felt light-hearted, and was not -disposed to let anything trouble me much or long. -I smoothed down my hair, and after drinking a -glass of ice-water in the dining-room, which my -parched tongue required, I entered the room where -Buckleton was waiting for me. He was as cordial -as though he had come only as an old friend. -But exhilarated as I was, I could not fail to notice<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span> -a certain constraint on his part, as though his -cordiality was in a measure forced.</p> - -<p>He was glad to see me. He had business at -the South End, and thought he would call in upon -me as he was passing. The messenger at the bank -told me, the next day, he had been there to find -me ten minutes after I left. But his coming at -this particular time, he labored to represent, was -purely an accident. He was glad to see me so -well situated. He hoped I should call on him at -the West End with Mrs. Glasswood. He had not -had the pleasure of knowing my wife, but he -hoped to make her acquaintance. All these things -he said with the utmost suavity, and then rose -from the sofa to take his leave; but he did not -take it, and I knew he did not intend to do so -until he had said something about the little matter -of eight hundred dollars that I owed him. He had -his hat in his hand, and moved toward the door.</p> - -<p>“Stay and dine with me, Buckleton,” I interposed. -“Dinner is all ready, and I should be -delighted to have you.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you! Thank you! I should be glad -to do so, but I have to meet a gentleman at the -store in half an hour,” he replied, consulting his -watch.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Let him wait; you needn’t be over half an -hour behind time.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t do that, for the fact is he owes me -some money, and I am desperately short just now.”</p> - -<p>Bah! I had given him the opportunity to say -that, and it was now an easy step for him to dun -me.</p> - -<p>“Well, come up next Sunday, won’t you? -And bring your wife with you. We shall be -delighted to see you,” I continued, hoping to -throw him off the track.</p> - -<p>“I will, if possible; but I often find that Mrs. -Buckleton has made engagements for me, and, if -I remember rightly, her father and mother dine -with us next Sunday. Besides, I have been so -annoyed with business matters for a week, that I -have not felt much like going into company. I -expected a remittance of six thousand dollars from -Havana, and learned the other day that the party -had stopped payment. I don’t know what we -shall do to meet our own notes. By the way, -Glasswood, would it be perfectly convenient for -you to pay the amount you owe us in a few days?”</p> - -<p>“It would not be perfectly convenient,” I -replied, squarely.</p> - -<p>“I know very well that I proposed to wait for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span> -it, but, you see, this confounded Cuban affair -throws us all out of groove; and we are in hot -water up to the eyes. Isn’t it possible for you to -pay it?”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps it is possible, but it would be deused -inconvenient. You know I should not have bought -so largely if you had not suggested that I might -pay for the goods in my own time.”</p> - -<p>“We sold you, as you are aware, at the very -lowest cash prices,” he added.</p> - -<p>I was not aware of it, but I did not deem it -wise to open any controversy on a subject so -insignificant.</p> - -<p>“I don’t see how I can do a thing for you, -Buckleton, at present.”</p> - -<p>“It would be a very great accommodation if -you could. Half would be better than nothing, -though we want every dollar we can possibly -raise. I will discount five per cent. for cash.”</p> - -<p>“That’s liberal, but it won’t help me much.”</p> - -<p>“Think it over, and see what you can do for -me, Glasswood. I am in a tight place.”</p> - -<p>“I am sorry for it, but I haven’t got quite settled -yet. I shall be able to pay you in a couple -of months.”</p> - -<p>“I may be in bankruptcy before that time,” said<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span> -he, with a grim smile. “I will call and see you -to-morrow morning at the bank.”</p> - -<p>He went away. I thought I was inclined to -stretch the truth quite enough in making out a -case, but I could not equal him. He was in no -more danger of failing than our bank was. The -Cuban matter was a myth. I was satisfied that -he had been examining into the condition of -my credit. It was more than probable that he -had heard rumors of my little difficulty at the -bank, and had not heard of the triumphant conclusion -of the affair. Shaytop had been whispering -in his ear. Very likely my uncle had hinted -that I was living too fast. Certainly some persons -had been busy with matters which, in my estimation, -did not concern them. I was indignant, and -felt that I had been abused. Let me say to -young gentlemen that shrewd business men usually -know us better than we know ourselves, and -see sooner than we which way we are going.</p> - -<p>Lilian was waiting for me in the dining-room. -Of course she wished to know “what that man -wanted;” and I turned off the affair as best I -could. I sat down, and for a sick man who found -it necessary to take medicine, I ate a very hearty -dinner.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, my dear, how do you like the house, -and housekeeping?” I said, in order to turn the -subject from “that man.”</p> - -<p>“Very much, indeed, Paley. The only draw-back -is that mother feels so badly about it.”</p> - -<p>“O, well! she will get over it in a few days.”</p> - -<p>“Do you know, Paley, that I have been thinking -of something?” she continued, looking up to -me with that peculiar archness which indicated -that she had a plan to propose.</p> - -<p>“Have you, indeed? Well, that is not very -remarkable.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know that it is; but why don’t you -ask me what I have been thinking about?”</p> - -<p>“Well, my dear, what have you been thinking -about?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you, since you ask,” laughed she. -“We haven’t had anything like a house-warming -yet.”</p> - -<p>“We have not. That was a great oversight. We -will invite our friends, and have some nuts and -raisins.”</p> - -<p>“Nuts and raisins! And be called mean by -everybody!”</p> - -<p>“Well, what do you propose?” I inquired, -though I was rather appalled at the idea of paying -the bills for a large party.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I don’t know; but if we invite all our friends, -we must not be mean about it. Besides, I hope -mother will come, and then we shall be able to -make it all up.”</p> - -<p>“I hope she will.”</p> - -<p>We proceeded to discuss the details of the house-warming. -Lilian thought it would be cheaper and -more stylish to have Smith take charge of the -whole thing. He would provide all the eatables, -and place a cream-colored waiter in white cotton -gloves in the hall to open the door for the guests. -She thought it would be more “<i>re-church-y</i>,” and, -of course, I could not stand up against this tremendous -argument. As I was busy at the bank, -she would call and see Smith herself the next -forenoon.</p> - -<p>She had just been restored to me, and I could -not deny her anything. I think it would have -broken her heart to know that I was up to my -ears in debt; that I could not afford to pay Smith -for even a moderate thing in his line. I ought to -have told her the truth, the whole truth, but I had -not the courage to do so. I knew very well that -the life we had been living at her mother’s was -just as distasteful and disagreeable to her as to -me. She had consented to it for her mother’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span> -sake, and had been a martyr since the day we -returned from our bridal tour. I need not say -that she was fond of style and show, and she had -deprived herself of all these luxuries for the benefit -of her family. The chain was broken, and -the first thing was a party.</p> - -<p>I could not help myself without being a tyrant. -Smith’s bill at the outside could not be over a -hundred dollars, and that would not kill me for -once. It occurred to me that I would limit the -expenses to one hundred dollars, but I did not -see how they could exceed this sum; so I decided -to let Lilian manage the whole affair to suit herself. -I have no doubt she would have done very -well, and that the result would have been satisfactory -to me, but unfortunately my wife’s ideas -were different from mine. By an act of grace on -the part of a very wealthy gentleman to whom I -had been able to render some service, we were -invited to a great birthday party of his daughter, -shortly after our marriage. Lilian’s pretty face -and graceful figure made her a great favorite among -the gentlemen, and she made quite a sensation. -Of course I was proud of her and Lilian deemed -it the most fortunate thing in the world to obtain -the <i>entree</i> of such company.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span></p> - -<p>It never occurred to me that Lilian would -attempt to imitate the style of my wealthy friend, -or to invite any of the acquaintances she had -made there. She knew that I was a bank-teller, -on a salary of two thousand dollars, and of course -she could not think of competing with a <i>millionaire</i>. -I went to the bank the next day, and Lilian -went to Smith’s. While I was looking at the -morning paper, Buckleton appeared. He did not -seem to have the same suavity which had distinguished -him at my house. On the contrary, he -was rather stiff and decided in his manner. I told -him it was quite impossible for me to pay the -bill at present.</p> - -<p>“Glasswood, I must be square about this business. -Things were not exactly as I supposed, -when I sold you those goods. I must have the -money or security for the debt at once.”</p> - -<p>I was mad. Some one had been talking to him -about me, and he had listened to the foe rather -than to me.</p> - -<p>“You seem to be putting a different face upon -the affair. Yesterday you were short; to-day you -are afraid of losing the money,” I replied, coldly.</p> - -<p>“I only want to know what you are going to -do.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span></p> - -<p>“You told me to pay for the goods when it -was convenient. If you had not said so, I should -not have bought them.”</p> - -<p>“Give me a mortgage on the furniture in your -house, and I will wait any reasonable time.”</p> - -<p>“I won’t do it!” I replied, angrily.</p> - -<p>“Very well; we needn’t talk any more about -it.”</p> - -<p>“You professed to be my friend, and were willing -to accommodate me.”</p> - -<p>“Circumstances alter cases. I have different -information now.”</p> - -<p>“What information have you?” I demanded.</p> - -<p>“I am not at liberty to say. I never betray -any man’s confidence. You are living beyond your -means. I am willing to do anything that’s fair, -but I must have the money or the security.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll see you after bank hours to-day.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you will,” said he, leaving the bank -very abruptly.</p> - -<p>Who had been talking to this man? I never -knew, but I am forced to acknowledge now, what -I did not believe then, that his information was -correct. I was vexed and disconcerted, and as the -forenoon wore away, and my wrath abated, I -concluded to give him the mortgage on my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span> -household furniture. This matter was so absorbing -that I hardly thought of the four hundred -dollars I owed the bank till the memorandum I -had put in the drawer attracted my attention. I -do not know why I tore it up and threw it into -the waste-basket, but I did so.</p> - -<p>Mr. Bristlebach was very gentle towards me; so -was the cashier; and I was confident that no one -suspected my cash was four hundred short. The -late inquiry into the condition of my department, -instead of securing the bank, had opened the way -for my first irregularity. I went on with my -duties until about one o’clock, when I was not -a little astonished to see Biddy come into the -bank. My heart rose into my mouth. I was -afraid that something had happened to Lilian, and -that she was dead or very sick. But Biddy only -handed me a note, instead of making the scene I -had anticipated.</p> - -<p>The note appeared to have been very hastily -written, and was not in Lilian’s usually careful -style. My name was scrawled hastily on the envelope. -It occurred to me that Smith might have -disappointed her, but I feared something worse -than this. I tore open the note. The letter -covered two pages, and it was evidently written<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span> -under great excitement. I was alarmed, and -hardly dared to read it, lest it should inform me -that one of her family was dead.</p> - -<p>I did read it, and it went on to tell me that, -while she was away at Smith’s, a deputy sheriff -had come to the house and attached all the furniture, -and left a man there who called himself a -“keeper.” She had talked with this man, and he -had told her Mr. Buckleton was the person who -had caused the goods to be attached. These were -the material statements of the letter, to which -Lilian added that the matter was “horrid;” that -she never felt so strangely before in her life. -She wanted to know if I really owed Mr. Buckleton -a thousand dollars.</p> - -<p>I was almost stunned by this heavy blow. -Some observations I dropped in regard to Buckleton -were not complimentary to that individual. I -could not stop to think then. The first business -was to quiet Lilian, and I wrote her a note, saying -that Buckleton had taken offence at something -I had said; that the affair was a mere trifle, and -I would send the man away with a flea in his -ear when I went home to dinner. I sent Biddy -off with this note.</p> - -<p>A keeper in my house! What could I do?</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER XIII.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">THE SECOND STEP.</p> - -<div class="floatleft"> - <img src="images/ill-187.jpg" width="250" height="279" - alt="" - title="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap00">“I TOLD you -so!”</p> - -<p>It was not easy -for me to tell what -to do. Eight hundred -dollars and all -the expenses of the -attachment. The -keeper was in my -house at that moment -and poor Lilian -appeared to be frightened out of her wits. It -was easy enough for me to flourish and call it a -small matter, but I could not put my hand upon -the money which was to lift the load from my -shoulders.</p> - -<p>What a crash there would be if this keeper -was not driven from the house that very day! -What a text it would afford for “dear ma!” -How she would declare that it was a judgment<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span> -upon me for my wickedness in turning Lilian from -the maternal bosom! How poor Lilian would suffer -under this terrible infliction!</p> - -<p>It was galling to me even to think of exposing -myself to the fire of Mrs. Oliphant, and I was -willing to drown myself rather than suffer the -punishment she could inflict with her tongue. It -was horrible to anticipate her “I told you so!” -It would be the sum total of all miseries to be -pitied and advised by her. I must either run -away and leave Lilian to her fate, or pay this -debt; for I could not think of breasting the storm -which would follow an exposure of my financial -condition.</p> - -<p>The cold sweat stood on my brow as I thought -of the situation. But I was naturally hopeful and -sanguine. If I had not been so, I should never -have incurred the burden of debt which now -weighed me down. I began to devise expedients; -and Aunt Rachel was always the foremost of -expedients with me. The venerable spinster had -thirty thousand dollars according to the calculations -of Captain Halliard, which was one-third -more than I had ever supposed. It was currently -reported, and currently believed, that I was to be -her heir. It was true that the old lady had never<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span> -expressed herself to this effect in so many words, -but among our friends and relations this theory -was fully accepted.</p> - -<p>It could make no difference to her if she -advanced one or two thousand dollars before she -shuffled off her mortal coil. I had so easily persuaded -her to let me have a thousand dollars, that -I was confident the second thousand would come -without much difficulty. If I could only find time -to see her, I was satisfied my powers of persuasion -would do the rest. I wanted twelve hundred -dollars; but this sum would barely cover my pressing -liabilities, and I made up my mind that fifteen -hundred would come as easily as twelve hundred, -and the difference would enable me to meet -the cost of the attachment, Lilian’s house-warming, -and other little matters which would appear -before the next pay-day.</p> - -<p>I had entire confidence in my own powers. I -could put my hand on my heart, and say that I -had always treated Aunt Rachel with kindness -and consideration. I had always been a favorite -with her, and I was positive that the old lady -could not resist my eloquence. In fact, I was as -sure of the money as though it had already been -in my pocket; and as I considered the subject I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span> -became hopeful and happy. But I could not go -to Springhaven that night, and in a few hours -more that abominable keeper might reveal his -presence in my house to the whole neighborhood. -Lilian did not understand the matter, and if any -of her dear friends called, she might relate to -them the wretched story I had written in my -note.</p> - -<p>The keeper must be sent out of the house as -soon as I could get away from the bank. His -staying there any longer would certainly ruin me. -Whatever else was doubtful, this was plain. Tom -Flynn stood near me. He had money, though he -had just invested all he had in stocks; but I was -sure, if I told him the whole truth, he would help -me out of the difficulty even if he had to sell his -stocks, and sacrifice his dividends. But it was too -humiliating to think of telling him that I had -plunged into a sea of debt, and was already struggling -for life in the waves.</p> - -<p>I did think of calling upon my uncle, but I -rejected the suggestion on the instant, for I could -not listen to the storm of invectives he would -heap upon me; and, besides, he would tell my -Aunt Rachel, and thus give her a bad opinion of -me. The old lady might disinherit me as a “fast -boy.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span></p> - -<p>Buckleton had offered to take a mortgage on my -furniture for security. This seemed to be the -most practicable solution of the problem which had -yet presented itself. But what was the use of -mortgaging the property when I could pay the -debt as soon as I had seen Aunt Rachel? Besides, -if there was a man on the face of the footstool -whom I hated with all my mind, heart and soul, -that man was Buckleton. He had induced me to -purchase more extensively than I intended by -holding out to me the most liberal terms of credit. -Now, in less than a month, he was putting the -twisters upon me. I regarded him as a treacherous -and unfeeling man; one without a soul; one -who would sell his friend for sixpence. I despised -him from the deepest depths of my heart, -and the idea of asking a favor of him, or even of -having a word to say to him, was utterly repulsive -to me. I could not see him; I could only -treat him with cold and dignified contempt.</p> - -<p>Perhaps it was not becoming in one situated as -I was to put on such airs, or to attempt to save -my dignity. I could not help it. I was proud—I -wish I had been too proud to do a wrong deed. -There appeared to be no resource to which I -could turn for immediate relief. Of the fifteen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span> -hundred dollars for which I had decided to ask -my aunt, I was perfectly sure. If the old lady -hesitated, I could tell her that ruin stared me in -the face, that I should be compelled to run away, -and never show my face about Boston again, if I -did not obtain this money. I was satisfied this -threat would bring the money, if nothing else -did. I could assure her it would be all the same -with her. I would pay her the highest rate of -interest, and return the principal in a short time. -If she wished it, I could give her security on my -furniture for the amount.</p> - -<p>I was sure of the money from her. Why should -I be distressed for the want of it during the few -days that must elapse before I could see her? -There was no reason, in my estimation. I need not -inform the reader that by this time I meditated taking -another loan from the bank funds in my keeping. -I could borrow eleven hundred more, thus -making my total indebtedness to the bank fifteen -hundred. A few days, or even a week hence, I -should receive the loan from Aunt Rachel, and I -could slip the whole amount in the drawer. Then -I should be square with the bank. Then no one -would have the power to distress me.</p> - -<p>Two o’clock came, and the bank closed. With<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span> -far less compunction than I had experienced on -the former occasion, I took eleven hundred dollars -from my drawer as I transferred the cash to -the safe. I did not go through with the idle formality -of depositing a memorandum in my trunk -with the money. It was a loan for a few days, -which Aunt Rachel would enable me to pay. I -will not say that I did not tremble—I did. I -did not persuade myself that the act was right, -only that I intended no wrong. I called the deed -simply an “irregularity.” It was not stealing, -embezzlement, or any other ugly thing with a -savage name. I had the money in my pocket, -and I think this fact was the basis of all the -arguments I used in persuading myself that I had -not done a very wicked act.</p> - -<p>As soon as I had balanced my cash I left the -bank and hastened home. I need not say that -Lilian was in a tempest of excitement, in spite of -my consoling note. The horrible keeper sat in -the dining-room, reading the morning paper, and -apparently unconscious of the misery he had brought -to my house. He was polite and gentlemanly, and -I was magnanimous enough to treat him with -consideration. I inquired into the particulars of -the case, and proposed to settle the claim at once.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span> -He had no authority to settle it, and referred me -to Messrs. Shiver & Sharp, attorneys, in Court -Street, who had procured the writ.</p> - -<p>Dinner was nearly ready, and I invited the -keeper to dine with me. He was condescending -enough to accept, and while we sat at the table -I did some large talking, in which I was particularly -severe upon Buckleton, and particularly -complimentary to Glasswood, the latter of whom -was a highly honorable man, who had been grossly -wronged by the former. Buckleton had put on -the attachment out of spite. Glasswood had -always paid his debts fairly and squarely, but -would not be imposed upon.</p> - -<p>After dinner I rushed down to the office of -Messrs. Shiver & Sharp. I was indignant and -savage, but I was magnificent. I rolled out the -hundred-dollar bills with a perfect looseness. I -did not even dispute the costs. I paid all, to the -utmost penny demanded. Then I talked about the -insult, the stain upon my honor, and dilated upon -kindred topics, but I fear I failed to make any -strong impression upon the astute Mr. Sharp, who -conducted the business. He was polite, but he -was cold. He gave me a note to the keeper, -which I delivered on my return to Needham<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span> -Street, and which caused his immediate departure, -after he had carefully examined the well-known -signature of the legal firm.</p> - -<p>“Such things are unpleasant, Lilian, but I suppose -they have happened to almost all men at one -time or another,” I remarked, as soon as the door -had closed upon our unwelcome guest.</p> - -<p>“I never was so frightened before in my life,” -she replied with a deep sigh, indicative of the -relief she felt.</p> - -<p>“It was a miserable trick! It was too mean -for any decent man to be guilty of.”</p> - -<p>“But did you really owe this Buckleton?”</p> - -<p>“I did really owe him about eight hundred -dollars, but he told me at the time I bought the -furniture to pay him whenever it was convenient. -It was not convenient to pay him to-day, and -he sued me. You know, my dear, that when one -has money comfortably invested, drawing large -interest, one does not like to disturb it, at least, -just before dividends are payable.”</p> - -<p>“It’s too bad!” exclaimed Lilian, warmly, her -pretty face beaming with sympathy; and she actually -believed that the indefinite pronoun I had -used in my description represented myself.</p> - -<p>“Well, Lilian, what have you done about the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span> -party?” I inquired, rather anxious to change the -topic, lest she should desire to know more of my -financial affairs.</p> - -<p>“I have seen Smith, and made all the arrangements -for next Friday evening. As it is to be a -house-warming, we must not put it off too long. -But, dear me, when I came home, and found this -awful man here, I was so alarmed that I was on -the point of countermanding the order I had given.”</p> - -<p>“It’s all right now. But you must hurry up -your invitations.”</p> - -<p>“There is time enough for them. We will prepare -the list this evening. But, Paley, what shall -we do for a piano? It will be very awkward to -be without a piano on such an occasion. Besides, -people will think we are nobody if we don’t have -one.”</p> - -<p>“That’s very true, Lilian,” I replied, somewhat -startled by the proposition. “But I’m afraid we -can hardly afford to buy one just yet. Such a -one as I want would cost five hundred dollars.”</p> - -<p>“A cheaper one will do.”</p> - -<p>“But it is bad economy to buy a cheap one. -In the course of six months or a year I shall be -able to buy a good one.”</p> - -<p>“We must have one for this party.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I will see what can be done before Friday.”</p> - -<p>“And, Paley, you furnished the house beautifully, -but there is just one thing for the parlor -that you forgot,” continued Lilian, bestowing upon -me her most winning smile.</p> - -<p>“What is that?”</p> - -<p>“An <i>étagère</i>. It would set off the parlor more -than all the rest of the furniture.”</p> - -<p>“But it would cost about a hundred dollars.”</p> - -<p>“I would rather do without many other things -than not have an <i>étagère</i>,” replied Lilian, beginning -to look very sad.</p> - -<p>“Will you go down town and look at some of -them?” said I, looking as amiable as though I -had not borrowed fifteen hundred dollars of the -bank.</p> - -<p>“Dear me! I can’t go this afternoon. I have -everything to do. But your taste is so good, -Paley, that you can buy one just as well without -me.”</p> - -<p>I left the house for the purpose of obtaining a -piano and an <i>étagère</i>. Buckleton had showed me -the latter article, and insisted that my house -would not be furnished without it. I had positively -refused to buy it, for two reasons. First, -because I could not afford it; and, second, because<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span> -no one could pronounce the name of the thing. -I confess that it seemed to be a greater sin to -place such a piece of furniture where plain Yankees -would be tempted to utter its name, than it -was to indulge in criminal extravagance. Lilian’s -French had been neglected, and she made a bad -botch of the word, but I decided to instruct her -in the difficult task of pronouncing the word.</p> - -<p>I went to a pianoforte house. The book-keeper -made his deposits and drew his checks over our -counter. I knew him. He showed me a five -hundred dollar instrument. It suited me—the -piano, not the price. A lower-priced one did not -meet my views. I proposed an arrangement with -the concern, that I would hire the instrument -with the intention of purchasing if it suited me. -One of the firm was consulted. Perhaps he knew -that persons who once indulged in a luxury would -not willingly give it up. He consented to let it -for three months, with the privilege of purchasing -at the end of that time. It was ordered to my -house. The piano was provided for at an expense -of twenty-five dollars, if not bought, for three -months.</p> - -<p>The <i>étagère</i> was a more difficult matter. I could -not hire one, and I did not like to pay a hundred<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span> -dollars for such a useless piece of furniture; but -there was no alternative. Lilian had said she -must have one. I had nearly three hundred dollars -in my pocket, but with this sum I intended to -pay Smith, and get rid of my “floating debt,” so -that I should owe no one but Aunt Rachel. But -Smith’s bill could not be over a hundred dollars, -at the most extravagant figure, and I thought I -could spare enough for the <i>étagère</i>.</p> - -<p>I went to a store near Buckleton’s. While I -was looking at the <i>étagère</i> my late creditor came -into the store. I was just closing the bargain at -ninety-five dollars. Buckleton had heard from his -lawyer, and was glad to meet me. I was glad to -have him see me purchase this piece of furniture. -He spoke to me. I did not answer him. He -attempted to apologize. I did not look at him. -I closed my bargain, and asked for the bill. -Buckleton was evidently vexed, and felt as any -man does when he has lost a customer. I enjoyed -it.</p> - -<p>“I will sell you that same article for seventy-five -dollars,” he whispered in my ear, just before -I closed the bargain.</p> - -<p>“I would not take it, if you would give it to -me,” I replied.</p> - -<p>“I think I made a mistake to-day.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span></p> - -<p>“The mistake of your lifetime,” I retorted. -“Don’t speak to me again. I despise you.”</p> - -<p>I stalked out of his reach, paid my bill, and went -home. In the evening Lilian and I made out the -list of invitations. Of course I could not overrule -Lilian’s decisions, and not less than fifty -were invited—all our house would hold. It -included my rich friend’s family, and I began to -tremble for the result.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2><i>CHAPTER XIV.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">THE HOUSE-WARMING.</p> - -<div class="floatleft"> - <img src="images/ill-201.jpg" width="250" height="370" - alt="" - title="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap04">THE next day the -piano and the <i>étagère</i> -came, and were duly -disposed of in our -pretty parlor. I could -not help agreeing -with Lilian that both -of them were absolutely -necessary to -the proper appointment -of the room. -After she had covered -the <i>étagère</i> with -a variety of articles, -most of which had -to be purchased for the purpose, the effect was -pleasing.</p> - -<p>The piano filled a waiting space; and really -there seemed to be nothing more to wish for in -this world. Lilian played a few tunes on the new<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span> -instrument, and my home seemed to be invested -with a new charm. Beyond the party, I looked -forward to pleasant hours when our friends should -gather in this room on Sunday evening to sing -sacred music, for which Tom Flynn had a decided -partiality.</p> - -<p>On Friday morning I went to the bank as usual. -When I returned, Smith had taken possession of -the house, and was making his arrangements for the -grand occasion in the evening. I am bound to say -that he made but little fuss for so great an affair. -When the evening came, a colored gentleman in -white cotton gloves was stationed at the door, -and more waiters were disposed of in other parts -of the house. People came—every body Lilian -had invited, except those she wanted most, viz: -my wealthy friend from Beacon Street, with his -family. They did not come, and I had not supposed -they would.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Oliphant came, and certainly this was a -triumph. Lilian felt that she had outgeneralled -her mother, and conquered a peace. I am afraid -it required a desperate struggle on the part of -“dear ma” to yield the point, and I could only -guess at the consideration which induced her to -come down from the “high horse.” But she was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span> -stiff and magnificent at first. She did not seem -to enjoy the affair, and looked upon me as an -ogre who had defeated all her cherished plans.</p> - -<p>Miss Bertha came, and so did Tom; and early -in the evening I was not a little surprised to hear -the piano giving out the solemn notes of Peterboro -and Hebron, sung by a large portion of the company. -The instrument was pronounced excellent. -Bertha sang like a nightingale, and I am not sure -that the piano did not cement a regard which -ultimately transformed the fair pianist into Mrs. -Tom Flynn.</p> - -<p>Everything went well, and at eleven o’clock -Smith’s supper was uncovered. When I saw the -stores with which the table was loaded, I was -afraid that the expense would spoil the face of a -hundred dollar bill. A little later, when champagne, -Madeira and sherry were produced, I was -somewhat troubled. Reading the dates on the -bottles, I was absolutely alarmed.</p> - -<p>“I did not think you intended to have wine, -Lilian,” I remarked, rather seriously.</p> - -<p>“Not have wine!” exclaimed she, after she had -imbibed a glass of champagne. “Why, it would -be no party at all without wine. I told Smith to -bring the best, and plenty of it.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span></p> - -<p>He had evidently done so, and I groaned in -spirit.</p> - -<p>“Tom Flynn don’t drink wine,” I added.</p> - -<p>“Let him drink coffee, then. We can suit his -taste.”</p> - -<p>“He thinks it is wicked to furnish wine.”</p> - -<p>“Well, he can have the full benefit of his -opinion,” laughed Lilian, whose tongue flew merrily -under the stimulus of the wine she had drank.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Oliphant took champagne, and warmed up -under its influence. She became quite sociable, -and even forgiving. I was very glad to see that -Miss Bertha, for some reason best known to herself, -did not partake of the generous beverage. I -am not sure that it was not the prospect of disposing -of another of her incumbrances quite as -much as the influence of the champagne which -melted Mrs. Oliphant. Certainly Miss Bertha’s -chances were very flattering. Psalmody seemed -to have done its perfect work.</p> - -<p>Tom looked very serious when the wine began -to flow in rivers of profusion. He did not like it, -and he seemed to be out of his element. While -most of the party were eating and drinking -in the hall, dining and sitting-rooms, I heard the -voices of Bertha and Tom mingling with the notes -of the piano in a sacred song. They were alone -in the parlor, preferring to be away from the noisy -revel over the wine cup.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-204.jpg" width="400" height="608" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc"><span class="smcap">The House Warming.</span> <span class="wn"><a href="#Page_204">Page 204</a>.</span></p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span></p> - -<p>Smith’s stores of champagne and Madeira seemed -to be inexhaustible, and when the clock struck one, -some of the party, not excluding a few of the -ladies, were in an exceedingly happy frame of -mind. Then a dance was proposed, and Tom and -Bertha were driven from the parlor. A gentleman -played and called the changes. My good friend -was actually scandalized by the orgies of the revellers. -He never danced; he did not believe in -it. Bertha appeared to sympathize with him, though -this was not in accordance with her antecedents.</p> - -<p>Wine was brought up to the parlor, and the -dance went on, though some of my guests were -slightly unsteady in their movements. I was -shocked to see how wild Lilian was, and I mentally -decided that no wine should ever be brought -into my house again, for the occasion was now -nothing but a revel. Some of the older of the -party proposed to go home, and Tom joined them. -Miss Bertha was attended to her house by him. -When everybody was worn out, the party broke -up, and all went away. Lilian dropped into her bed -exhausted, and in a measure stupefied. As the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span> -hostess, she had been compelled to imbibe oftener -than she desired, and really I was grieved to see -her in this condition. After all was still, I went -through the rooms to see that the windows were -secure and the lights put out. I was shocked -when I saw what damage had been done to the -furniture. The carpets were stained with wine, -ice cream and cake; the new piano was scratched -and discolored, and the cloth greased. Besides the -cost of this house-warming, whatever it might be, -the damages could not be less than three hundred -dollars.</p> - -<p>At daylight I went to bed, sick at heart. I -doubted whether the hundred and fifty dollars in -my pocket would pay the bills, and I was miserable. -I was in debt at least twenty-five hundred -dollars. Lilian slept heavily after the night’s -debauch. But I could not sleep. What if the -bank should discover what I had done? What -would the world say the next day, when the particulars -of my party were known? for I was -satisfied they could not be concealed.</p> - -<p>At seven o’clock I got up, my head aching -fearfully, for I had not wholly spared the champagne. -I was positively miserable. I intended to -visit Springhaven that day, and secure the loan<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span> -from Aunt Rachel. It was not safe to let the -matter stand any longer. I went to the bank, -and with a throbbing brow attended to my duties. -Tom looked very serious, but he did not say any -thing to me. Probably he thought I was going -to ruin rapidly, not because I had appropriated -the funds of the bank, but because I furnished -wine to my guests.</p> - -<p>The news of my party had not yet been circulated, -and I was spared any allusion to it. When -I went home I found Lilian had not risen from -her bed. She was quite sick. Biddy had done -what she could to restore the house to its wonted -order, but it was still in confusion. I could not -go to Springhaven that day. By Monday morning -Lilian was able to get up, and was herself again. -She was even willing to acknowledge that such -parties “do not pay.” I am sure I enjoyed our -little Sunday evening gatherings, when Tom and -Bertha sang sacred music, much better.</p> - -<p>When I went to the bank on Monday, I found -Smith’s bill enclosed in an envelope. I was afraid -to open it at first, but when I did so my worst -fears were more than confirmed. The total was -three hundred and fifty dollars, of which two-thirds -was for champagne, Madeira and sherry. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span> -was appalled and terrified. It must be promptly -paid, or Smith would be dunning me. I was -short two hundred dollars.</p> - -<p>I read the bill a second time, and I was absolutely -in despair. My month’s salary, when paid, -would not make up the deficiency; and I had all -my house bills to provide for, which would take -up the whole sum. I was running blindly before -the wind to destruction. My extravagance would -ruin me in a short time. But it was no use to -cry. I was in the scrape, and I must get out of -it.</p> - -<p>My hopeful tendencies came to my aid. With -careful economy I could soon pay my debts. A -bright idea flashed through my excited brain. -Would it not be just as easy to induce Aunt -Rachel to lend me two thousand dollars as fifteen -hundred? It was a brilliant thought, in my estimation. -Five hundred dollars could make no difference -to her, if the interest was punctually paid. -It was a plain case. If the old lady did not -promptly meet my views, I could frighten her into -acquiescence. All right! The two thousand was -sure enough.</p> - -<p>I did not think I should be able to go to -Springhaven before Saturday, and I did not care<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span> -to receive a dunning visit from Smith. I might -as well “be hung for an old sheep as a lamb.” -I could borrow five hundred more from the bank, -with no greater risk than I had already incurred—and -I did so! My cash was then two thousand -short; but before another week had passed, I -should get the money from Aunt Rachel, and -make good the deficit.</p> - -<p>I called upon Smith, and paid the bill. I did -not venture to suggest that it was more than I -had expected it would be. With so much money -in my pocket I felt rich again, and did not bother -my head to consider how I had obtained it. I -went home in better spirits than for a week. -I talked pleasantly and magnificently to Lilian. I -had even forgotten my good resolution to practise -a rigid economy, for with three hundred dollars -in cash in my pocket, it no longer seemed -necessary.</p> - -<p>Lilian, too, was in excellent spirits. She was -very affectionate, and when I sat down on the -sofa after supper, she seated herself beside me, and -told me how happy she was in her new home, -and how glad she was that I had compelled her -to move into it. With my head upon her shoulder -and her arm around my neck she told me<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span> -how kind and indulgent, how tender and affectionate -I had always been, and then—added that -she had not had a new dress since we were married! -Mrs. Gordon Grahame had just come out in -a splendid black silk; Lilian had never had a -black silk, and she wanted one just like it.</p> - -<p>“How much will it cost, Lilian?” I asked, -rather startled by this ultra-affectionate turn in -the conversation.</p> - -<p>“You won’t be angry with me, Paley—will -you?”</p> - -<p>“Of course I won’t be angry with you, Lilian,” -I laughed.</p> - -<p>“But I have been very economical with clothes.”</p> - -<p>“I know you have, my dear; and I haven’t a -word of fault to find. I only asked how much -the black silk would cost.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t tell exactly what it will cost,” she -answered, biting her finger nails, as though she -feared even to express an opinion.</p> - -<p>“Will it cost fifty dollars?” I asked, thinking -I was placing it high.</p> - -<p>“Fifty dollars! Why, what an ignoramus you -are, Paley!” tinkled she, in the most silvery of -tones. “You don’t think I can buy a black silk -such as a lady would wear for fifty dollars, do -you?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t know any thing about it,” I -replied, abashed at my own ignorance. “Will a -hundred do it?”</p> - -<p>“Hardly. I can’t tell precisely what it will -cost, but I think Mrs. Gordon Grahame’s did -not cost less than a hundred and twenty. Don’t -be angry with me, Paley. Don’t look so cold!”</p> - -<p>“I am neither angry nor cold, dearest,” I answered, -pulling out my portmonnaie, and taking -therefrom one hundred and fifty dollars, which I -handed to her.</p> - -<p>It was the half I had left of what I had stolen -that day—for, in the light of after days, I may as -well call the act by its true name. I could not bear -to have her accuse me of being angry, or of being -cold, or of grudging her any thing I had, or any -thing I could get.</p> - -<p>“O, thank you, Paley! How generous you -are!” she exclaimed, giving me a rapturous kiss.</p> - -<p>She was satisfied, and so was I. We talked -and read and played backgammon till ten o’clock.</p> - -<p>“Paley, won’t you take a glass of wine?” she -asked. “We had some left the other night.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t care, Lilian. Did I tell you how much -that party cost?”</p> - -<p>“No.”</p> - -<p>I told her.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I think that was quite reasonable, considering -what we had. The champagne was splendid, and -the Madeira had been to India three times—so -Smith said.”</p> - -<p>She brought a bottle of sherry. It was old and -strong. I was rather startled to see her take two -glasses within a few minutes of each other, and -I wished there was no wine in the house. We -went to bed happy, and no thought of the future -disturbed me.</p> - -<p>The following Saturday was the last day of -the month, and I was detained at the bank so -late that I could not go to Springhaven. I did -not like to leave while others remained, for I did -not know but Mr. Bristlebach might take it into -his head to overhaul my cash again. The next -Monday I learned that Aunt Rachel was very sick, -had been attacked with paralysis. I went down -to see her that night. She was almost senseless, -and I could not talk with her. But she might die -in a few days, and then her money would all be -mine—I hoped; for it did not yet appear that -she had made a will.</p> - -<p>Two or three days later, my uncle, Captain -Halliard, came into the bank just as we were -closing. He looked particularly grim and savage.</p> - -<p>“Paley, your aunt is very sick,” said he.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I know she is, but I hope she will get better,” -I replied, perhaps stretching the truth no more -than many people do under such circumstances.</p> - -<p>“I am attending to her affairs, as usual.”</p> - -<p>I bowed, and wondered what was coming.</p> - -<p>“I found among her papers a note for a thousand -dollars, signed by you,” he added, taking -the document from his pocket.</p> - -<p>My heart came up into my throat. What was -he driving at?</p> - -<p>“If you can afford to give parties and fill your -guests with champagne, you can afford to pay -this note,” he continued, sternly.</p> - -<p>My plan was set at naught.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2><i>CHAPTER XV.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">MY UNCLE IS SAVAGE.</p> - -<div class="floatleft"> - <img src="images/ill-214.jpg" width="250" height="299" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="cf"><p class="pc">Captain Halliard.</p> -</div></div> - -<p class="drop-cap06">CAPTAIN Halliard -was as grim -as an ogre, and evidently -intended to -make me pay the thousand -dollars I owed -my Aunt Rachel. Of -course he did not care -half so much about the -money as he did to -bring me to a realizing -sense of the peril -of living too fast. He had worked hard for me, -and used his influence in obtaining the situation -I then held. He was fond of power and influence, -and a failure to consult him in regard to any important -movement was a mortal insult.</p> - -<p>His views of life and living were different from -mine, and I found it necessary to steer clear of -him. I do not say that this was not a mistake<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span> -on my part—it was. If I had followed his prudent -counsels, I should have kept out of trouble. -I had sinned against my uncle, and was no more -worthy to be called a <i>protégé</i> of his. I had married, -I had taken a house, I had furnished it, I -had given a party, without consulting him, and -even without inviting him to any of the later festive -occasions. I knew that they were not to his -taste, and it was almost a cause of offence to ask -him to attend a merry-making of any kind.</p> - -<p>He had lent me three hundred dollars for my -bridal tour, though he did not know what it was -for—if he had he would not have loaned it to me. -He made me pay him when it was the least convenient -for me to do so. Now he crossed my -path again in the same disagreeable manner. Aunt -Rachel was very sick. Probably Captain Halliard -had deemed it his duty to look over her papers -while she lay insensible on her bed. Notes or -interest might fall due. Perhaps it was proper -enough that he should do so, but it was deused -unfortunate for me.</p> - -<p>It was equally unfortunate that I had written -this note “On demand, with interest.” I had -done so because I did not wish to fix a time when -Aunt Rachel would feel compelled to ask me for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span> -the money. In avoiding a dun in this direction, -I had courted one in an other. As sharp people -are apt to do, I had overreached myself.</p> - -<p>The captain was in bad humor. I had once -been his favorite. If I was so now, I was under -a shadow. But the case was a very simple one. -I had been acting without his advice, and contrary -to his well known opinions, which was perhaps -very imprudent in me. He was a man of -the world, with no fine feelings to interfere with -what he regarded as his duty. Of course I could -not think of such a thing as paying him. He -looked ugly, and my pride was touched by the -attitude in which he placed himself.</p> - -<p>“Paley, you are going too fast!” said my uncle, -sternly.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think so, sir.”</p> - -<p>“I think so!” he added, in a tone which -was intended to indicate that he regarded the -question as settled, and that it would be useless -for me to attempt to argue the matter with him.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what you mean by too fast,” I -replied.</p> - -<p>“Champagne suppers!”</p> - -<p>“Only one, and probably I shall never have -another as long as I live.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span></p> - -<p>“You had a party at your house, and the -champagne flowed as free as water. Two or three -hundred dollars for wine in one evening, as I am -informed by one who knows!”</p> - -<p>“Who was he?”</p> - -<p>“No matter who he was. Deny it if you -dare.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I dare!”</p> - -<p>“Show me the bill, then!” said he, fiercely.</p> - -<p>I was vexed and indignant at this rude treatment. -I forgot that this man had labored to procure -my situation; that he was my mother’s brother; -that he had always taken a deep interest in -me. I could not bear to be regarded as a child, -and be taken to task as such by any one. My pride -revolted.</p> - -<p>“I don’t understand that you are my guardian,” -I answered.</p> - -<p>“I’m not your guardian! If I were, I would -send you a hundred miles from the city, and make -you work on a farm. I’m the guardian of this -note, though; and it must be paid, or I’ll trustee -your salary. When you owe your aunt a thousand -dollars, you shall not fool away your money -on champagne suppers. Pay the note!”</p> - -<p>“The note don’t belong to you,” I added, doggedly,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span> -as I beat about me for the means of escaping -from the uncomfortable dilemma.</p> - -<p>“Don’t belong to me!” growled my uncle. -“What do you mean by that?”</p> - -<p>“How did the note come into your possession?”</p> - -<p>“None of your business how it came into my -possession, you puppy! Do you mean to insult -me?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir; but I think you mean to insult me.”</p> - -<p>“Insult you!” sneered he. “Why, you young -cub, I am your uncle, and old enough to be your -grandfather!”</p> - -<p>“You are not old enough to insult me.”</p> - -<p>“You have said enough! Will you pay the -note?” demanded he, impatiently.</p> - -<p>He talked to me as though he were on the -quarter-deck, while I belonged in the forecastle. -He was not in the habit of permitting his positions -to be disputed by those whom he regarded -as his dependents or inferiors.</p> - -<p>“Not till you have shown me by what authority -you hold the note.”</p> - -<p>“As the agent of the promisee!” snapped he.</p> - -<p>“Did she authorize you to collect it?” I inquired.</p> - -<p>He drew his out pocket-book, and trembling<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span> -with rage and impatience took a document from -it, which he thrust into my face. It was a -general power of attorney, authorizing him to -transact any and all business for my aunt, and -ratifying all his proceedings under it. Of course -it was dated before Aunt Rachel’s present sickness, -but I could not deny his power to act under -it.</p> - -<p>“Are you satisfied?” said he, in a triumphant -tone, and he folded up the paper and restored it -to his pocket-book.</p> - -<p>“I am,” I answered.</p> - -<p>“Pay then!”</p> - -<p>“When do you want the money?” I asked, in -a tone of easy indifference, for I saw that I could -make nothing by attempting to bluff the old -fellow.</p> - -<p>“Now!”</p> - -<p>“Of course I don’t carry a thousand dollars -around with me, in my pocket, and I did not expect -to be called upon to pay this note to-day. -It is not convenient for me to do so.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose not,” sneered my uncle. “But you -seem to have money enough to pay for champagne -suppers, and better furniture than I can afford to -have in my house.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span></p> - -<p>Buckleton was the villain who had been talking -to my uncle! “Better furniture” meant the -<i>étagère</i>. But I must not quarrel with my uncle. -He had the power to throw me out of my situation -in the bank. As my mother’s brother he -would not be likely to do that. I was even willing -to believe that he was acting for my good, -but certainly he was doing so in a very clumsy -and ungainly manner. He evidently wished to -get me into a tight place, where he could control -me, and thus compel me to forego my habits -of extravagance.</p> - -<p>“Uncle, the champagne supper was a mistake. -I did not know there was to be any wine until I -saw it. My wife ordered it without my knowledge. -I did not suspect she intended to have it, -or I should have spoken in season to prevent it.”</p> - -<p>“Very well; let that pass,” said he, considerably -mollified. “You have fifteen hundred dollars’ -worth of furniture in your house. I will sell you -all mine for half that sum.”</p> - -<p>“Buckleton cheated me into taking twice as -much as I wanted.”</p> - -<p>“Humph! Did he?”</p> - -<p>“He did.”</p> - -<p>“Did you pay cash for all these things?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Of course I did; though I did not intend to -pay Buckleton for a month or two. But he is a -scoundrel, and I was glad to get rid of him, even -at the expense of sacrificing some stocks I had.”</p> - -<p>“Stocks?” said my uncle.</p> - -<p>“I haven’t been so reckless as you think I -have,” I replied. “I saved two-thirds of my salary -till I was married, and doubled it by speculation -every year.”</p> - -<p>“What did you borrow a thousand dollars of -your aunt for?”</p> - -<p>“Because I didn’t wish to sell a thousand dollars’ -worth of ‘coppers’ I had, and still have,” I -continued, knowing very well what would satisfy -my uncle. “Somebody was ‘bearing’ them then; -but they are all right now, and I shall make a -pretty thing on them by-and-by.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all very well; but you are living too -fast.”</p> - -<p>I was afraid he would ask me what “coppers” -I had been dickering in, but he did not, probably -reserving an inquiry into the details of my financial -operations till we were on better terms.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think I am living beyond my means.”</p> - -<p>“I do think so. You must give up that house -in Needham Street, and live within your means,” -he added, sternly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span></p> - -<p>I actually began to think that he was in league -with Mrs. Oliphant.</p> - -<p>“I think I can live as cheaply there as anywhere -else.”</p> - -<p>“You can board for half the money it will cost -you.”</p> - -<p>“I differ from you there, uncle, I replied, -mildly. “I paid—”</p> - -<p>“You differ from me!” exclaimed he, angrily. -“Do you think I don’t know what I am talking -about. I am older than you, and I have seen -more of the world. I know what it costs a man -to live.”</p> - -<p>“I think I know something about it.”</p> - -<p>“No, you don’t!” replied he, as arbitrarily as -ever. “You can dispose of your lease, and sell -your furniture for all it cost you, for houses are -scarce.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t wish to do so; the house and furniture -are worth as much to me as to any one.”</p> - -<p>“Paley, you are a fool!” said he, impatiently.</p> - -<p>“I came of your stock, then,” I retorted, rashly, -for my blood was warm again.</p> - -<p>“None of your impudence to me!”</p> - -<p>“None of yours to me!”</p> - -<p>“I am an older man than you are.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span></p> - -<p>“That gives you no right to call me a fool.”</p> - -<p>“Will you listen to reason?”</p> - -<p>“I will, but not to abuse.”</p> - -<p>“Do you know Brentbone?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir.”</p> - -<p>“He would have taken the house where you -live if you had not. While he went to consult -his wife you took it.”</p> - -<p>“I was told that another man would take the -house in half an hour if I did not.”</p> - -<p>“Brentbone was the man. He was terribly disappointed, -for he had set his heart upon having -the house. He is an old friend of mine, and still -wants it. He is willing to give you a hundred -dollars bonus for the house, and pay all the bills -for the furniture.”</p> - -<p>“I am much obliged to him for his liberal offer, -but I must decline it,” I replied, firmly, for I -could not think of leaving the English basement -house, when I was just beginning to realize the -joys of home.</p> - -<p>“Are you mad, Paley?”</p> - -<p>“Not just now.”</p> - -<p>“You can’t afford to live there. Your mother-in-law -will board you at half the rate it will cost -you to live in this house.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span></p> - -<p>Upon my word, it looked more and more as if -Captain Halliard was in league with “dear ma.”</p> - -<p>I hate mysteries, and I may as well explain the -facts as I afterwards discovered them. Mr. Brentbone -was a man of considerable means, who had -just married a second wife. The house in Needham -Street pleased him, and, too late, he found -that it pleased his wife even more. He was -acquainted with Mr. Oliphant and with my uncle. -When he ascertained who had taken the house, -he went to see Mrs. Oliphant, but this was about -the time I moved in, and “dear ma” was too -indignant to mention the subject to me, though I -remembered that she had suggested the idea of -selling out the furniture and giving up the lease.</p> - -<p>As we had moved in, Brentbone gave up his -purpose, and tried to find a house elsewhere. -Failing to suit himself, he again turned his attention -to the house in Needham Street, and spoke -to my uncle about it. Captain Halliard was -probably startled to find I was living in a house -which would satisfy a person of Brentbone’s -means. The matter was left in my uncle’s hands -for negotiation. He assured the would-be purchaser -that there would be no difficulty in completing -the arrangement. All this Brentbone told me<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span> -himself in self-defence, a few weeks later, when -I made his acquaintance.</p> - -<p>As my uncle had in a measure pledged himself -to complete the arrangement, he felt a pride in -doing so. He honestly and sincerely believed that -I was living beyond my means, and here was an -opportunity for me to change my style, and make -something by it at the same time. He might have -succeeded better if he had not begun by attempting -to drive me into compliance.</p> - -<p>“I have no idea of boarding with my mother-in-law -again, and paying her thirty dollars a week -for accommodations I can procure for ten,” I -replied, to my uncle’s proposition.</p> - -<p>“Then board somewhere else. I don’t care -where you board; but it will cost you three thousand -dollars a year to live in that house.”</p> - -<p>“I think not.”</p> - -<p>“I know it will,” responded my uncle, sharply.</p> - -<p>“Time will tell.”</p> - -<p>“Leave a fool to his folly,” snarled the captain -out of patience with me.</p> - -<p>“I will leave you to yours,” I replied.</p> - -<p>“Will you pay the note?”</p> - -<p>“When?”</p> - -<p>“Now.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span></p> - -<p>“No, sir; I will not.”</p> - -<p>“When will you pay it?”</p> - -<p>“To-morrow,” I replied, willing to gain even -a day’s’ delay.</p> - -<p>“Very well; if it isn’t paid to-morrow, I’ll -trustee your salary, and keep doing it till the note -is paid!” exclaimed he, darting out the ante-room -where we had gone to talk over the matter.</p> - -<p>I felt very much like sinking through the floor. -Not only was I cut off from obtaining the two -thousand dollars from Aunt Rachel, but I was -called upon to pay the thousand I already owed -her. The means of making my account good with -the bank were gone, for Aunt Rachel was too -sick even to speak to me. What could I -do?</p> - -<p>I went into the banking-room, and balanced my -cash-two thousand short! No one knew it but -myself. Mr. Bristlebach was a careful man. He -made frequent forays into all the departments of -the institution, and the fact could not long be -concealed from him. It was about time for the -directors to make an examination of the funds. -I should be ruined in a few days, or weeks, at -most. I could only study how to defer rather -than avoid the catastrophe. I put my cash into<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span> -the safe, and left the building. My face was like -a sheet as I saw it in the glass before I left the -bank. My heart was in my throat. I could not -see any thing or any body as I walked along -State Street.</p> - -<p>“Glasswood, how are you?”</p> - -<p>I turned to the speaker. It was Cormorin, paying-teller -of the Forty-third. I was well acquainted -with him, and he lived near my house. He had -been present at our party, and had drank more -champagne than any other five persons present.</p> - -<p>“How are you, Cormorin?” I replied.</p> - -<p>“In a hurry, Glasswood?”</p> - -<p>“No, not specially.”</p> - -<p>“Come into Young’s with me and drink a bottle -of wine.”</p> - -<p>That was just what I wanted in my misery—something -to enliven my spirits. I went, and found -that Cormorin had a mission with me.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER XVI.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 lmid">CORMORIN AND I.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap06">CORMORIN was not a man for whom I had ever -entertained any great respect, and I wondered -how he contrived to retain his position in the -bank, for he was rather dissolute and dissipated -in his habits. We went to a private room in the -hotel, and he sent for champagne. He talked -about indifferent matters for a time, but I was -soon satisfied that he had something more than -these to bring forward. I was not mistaken.</p> - -<p>We finished the first bottle of champagne before -the plan of my companion began to be developed. -He ordered another; but I ought to add, in justice -to myself, that he drank three glasses to my -one. His frequent potations, however, seemed to -have but little effect upon him, for he was accustomed -to drink stronger fluids than champagne.</p> - -<p>“Glasswood, what salary do you get now?” -asked Cormorin, after we had begun upon the -second bottle.</p> - -<p>“Two thousand,” I replied.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span></p> - -<p>“The same as mine. But can you live upon -it?”</p> - -<p>“I think I can, though I have not had much -experience since I was married.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t live on mine.”</p> - -<p>“You drink expensive wines.”</p> - -<p>“’Pon my soul, I don’t!” he protested. “I -haven’t tasted champagne, except at your house-warming, -for a year, until this afternoon. I can’t -afford to drink champagne more than once a year; -and I have to stimulate on cheap whiskey. Well, -even on this camphene, I can’t make the ends -meet. I’m as economical as a London Jew. I -don’t spend a cent on luxuries. I don’t go to the -opera above a dozen times a year. I don’t own -a horse. I don’t average hiring one more than -once a week. I have been in the same fix these -two years.”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean—that you run in debt?” -I inquired, willing to help him reach the point at -which he was evidently aiming.</p> - -<p>“Just that; and nothing less, nothing more. -I’ve tried every way in the world to eke out my -income; and, just now, I’m in a fair way to put -about ten thousand dollars into my pocket.”</p> - -<p>“I congratulate you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span></p> - -<p>“If I had sold my stock to-day, I should have -put five thousand into my exchequer.”</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you do it, then?”</p> - -<p>“Because I would rather have ten thousand -dollars than five,” he replied, gulping down a -full glass of the generous fluid before us.</p> - -<p>“When a man can make a good thing by selling, -I believe in realizing.”</p> - -<p>“Isn’t it better to wait when a man is sure of -making twice as much a week hence?”</p> - -<p>“Are you sure?”</p> - -<p>“I wish I was as sure of living a week as I -am of making this money, if I can hold on for a -week.”</p> - -<p>“If I were reasonably certain, I should hold on; -by all means.”</p> - -<p>“O, I’m dead sure! I wouldn’t give the president -of our bank sixpence to insure me.”</p> - -<p>“Of course you will hold on, then,” I added.</p> - -<p>“That’s the trouble,” said he, slapping his fist -upon the table, and then swallowing another -potion.</p> - -<p>“What’s the trouble?” I inquired, kindly asking -the questions he suggested.</p> - -<p>“Why, the holding on.”</p> - -<p>“But if you are sure of the result, you cannot -be in doubt in regard to your course.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Well, I’m in no doubt about that.”</p> - -<p>“What are you in doubt about?”</p> - -<p>He looked at me steadily, and appeared to be -uncertain whether to say anything more or not. -He was struggling to reach some point, though I -could not imagine what it was. I began to suspect -that he wanted to borrow some money of -me. If he did, he had come to the wrong man. -He labored heavily, like a ship in a storm, and I -was beginning to be rather impatient at the slowness -with which he proceeded.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-231.jpg" width="400" height="266" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">Cormorin and I.</p> -</div></div> - -<p>“Glasswood, give me your hand,” said he, after -a long pause, as he extended his own to me across -the table.</p> - -<p>I took his hand, for I could not refuse to do<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span> -as much as that for a man who was paying for -the champagne.</p> - -<p>“We are friends—are we not?” he continued.</p> - -<p>“Certainly we are.”</p> - -<p>“Do you mean so?”</p> - -<p>“Of course I do. I don’t say one thing and -mean another. If you want to say any thing, -Cormorin, say it.”</p> - -<p>“As a friend, I will,” said he, with compressed -lips, as though he had made up his mind to do a -desperate deed. “This is between us, you know?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly,” I replied.</p> - -<p>The champagne I had drank had somewhat -muddled my brain; and I was in that reckless -frame of mind which is so often induced by stimulating -draughts. If I had drank nothing, I should -have been cautious how I permitted myself to be -dragged into the counsels of such a man as Cormorin. -As it was, I was becoming rapidly prepared -for any desperate step. I was very curious -to know what my companion was driving at.</p> - -<p>“I’m in a tight place, then!” said he, filling -the glass again.</p> - -<p>“A tight place! Why, I thought you were -on the high road to wealth!” I replied, rather to -help him forward in his statement, than because I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span> -experienced any astonishment at his apparent contradictions.</p> - -<p>“Exactly so! Both propositions are equally -true, and equally susceptible of demonstration. -You are dull, Glasswood. You don’t drink enough -to sharpen your wits. Don’t you see that while -I am waiting for a further rise in my stocks I am -kept out of my capital?”</p> - -<p>“Precisely so; that is not a difficult problem to -comprehend,” I replied.</p> - -<p>“Well, you don’t seem to get along as fast as -I do.”</p> - -<p>“I understand you now. Go on.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s go home, then,” I added, rising from -the table.</p> - -<p>“Not yet. Hold on! Don’t you understand -my position?”</p> - -<p>“Very clearly; you are short. So am I. If I -could help you, I would do so with the greatest -pleasure.”</p> - -<p>“You can help me. We are both honest fellows, -and don’t mean to wrong or injure any -one.”</p> - -<p>“That’s myself for one,” I replied, warmly.</p> - -<p>He seemed to be using the very arguments<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span> -which. I had applied to my own case while borrowing -the funds of the bank that employed me. -What did he mean by it? Could it be possible -that he even suspected me of taking the money -of the bank? Had he by any means obtained a -hint of my financial operations? He was in -another establishment. He could not suspect what -none in our bank suspected. I was excited with -champagne, and I dismissed the fear as preposterous.</p> - -<p>“That’s myself for another!” exclaimed he, -with more emphasis than the subject matter seemed -to require. “My coppers have doubled on my -hands.”</p> - -<p>“What are your coppers?” I inquired.</p> - -<p>“The Ballyhack,” he answered promptly. “Do -you think I haven’t any?”</p> - -<p>He pulled from his breast-pocket a bundle of -papers, and exhibited certificates of shares for a -very large amount of stock. Just at this time -there was a fever of speculation in these copper -stocks. While some were substantial companies, -many were mere fancies, run up to high figures -by unscrupulous and dishonest men. In the particular -one he mentioned, the upward progress of -the stock had been tremendous. Men had made<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span> -five or ten thousand dollars in them as easily as -they could turn their hands. It was patent to -me that the Ballyhack had doubled in a week, -and was gaining rapidly every day.</p> - -<p>Cormorin had “gone in for a big thing,” for he -exhibited two hundred shares, for which he had -paid twenty-five, and which was now quoted at -fifty. Shrewd men were buying it at this rate, -confident that the stock would touch a hundred -in a week or two. Cormorin’s statements, therefore, -were reasonable, and I began to be deeply -interested in the operation. If this reckless and -semi-dissipated fellow could make five or ten -thousand dollars in a fortnight, why might not I -do the same. It flashed upon my mind that I -could redeem myself from my own financial difficulties -by this exciting process—if I only had the -capital to make the investment. My companion had -gone deeply into the business, and could advise me -in regard to some safe and profitable speculation -in coppers. It would be even less troublesome -than borrowing money of Aunt Rachel.</p> - -<p>“You see it now,” continued Cormorin, folding -up his papers, and restoring them to his pocket.</p> - -<p>“I do; that’s a good operation.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so! What’s the use for a man to be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span> -contented with a paltry salary of two thousand -a year, when he can make five times that sum in -a week or two? That’s the question,” said he, -vehemently.</p> - -<p>“It is all very well for a fellow that has the -capital to go into these operations,” I added.</p> - -<p>“The capital! Yes; that’s so! There’s the -rub. But you see I didn’t have any capital.”</p> - -<p>He paused to fill the glasses again, though -mine was not empty. He was laboring with the -next step in his revelation, and, reckless as he -was, he appeared to halt on the verge of further -developments. I could not see how he purchased -his stock, if he had no capital; and I was rather -anxious to have the problem solved.</p> - -<p>“Nary red,” he added, as I did not ask the -question which would suggest the revelation he -evidently wished to make. “Not a cent—up to -my eyes in debt beside—one, two or three thousand -dollars. O, well! When a man understands -himself, these things are easy enough. By the -way, Glasswood, don’t you want to try your hand -in this business? I know of a new company, -which is going to be the cock of the walk on -State Street. You can buy it for twenty to-day. -It will be twenty-five to-morrow, for it is going<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span> -like hot cakes. Everybody is after it. I have -been tempted to sell my Ballyhack and invest in -it.”</p> - -<p>“What’s the company?”</p> - -<p>“The Bustumup—Indian name, you know. It’s -going up like a rocket, now.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps it will come down like one.”</p> - -<p>“No fear of that. If I had ten thousand dollars -to-day, I would put every cent of it into -Bustumups. If you want two, three or five hundred -shares of it, I will get them for you at the -lowest figure. Your name, you know, would help -the thing along.”</p> - -<p>My name! Of course I was flattered. If I -could have raised four or five thousand dollars, I -should have been glad to give the company the -benefit of my name!</p> - -<p>“I should like to go in, but I have no capital,” -I replied, with the modesty of a man without -means.</p> - -<p>“Do as I did!” exclaimed Cormorin, in whom -the champagne had now banished every thing like -caution.</p> - -<p>“How did you do?”</p> - -<p>“I used the bank funds!” he replied, hitting -the table a tremendous rap. “But I don’t mean<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span> -that the bank shall ever lose a single cent by me. -I mean to be honest. I mean to pay every cent -I borrow. I don’t see why money should lie idle -in my drawer in the bank, when I can make -something out of it, without wronging, cheating -or defrauding man, woman or child. Glasswood, -give me your hand. I have spoken frankly to -you. If you betray me, of course I shall have to -take the next steamer for foreign parts, and I’m -afraid the bank would then be the loser by the -operation.”</p> - -<p>“I will never betray you,” I replied, clasping -his offered hand.</p> - -<p>“Thank you, Glasswood! You are a noble fellow. -To-morrow those infernal directors will -examine into the condition of our bank. My cash -is five thousand short—just the sum I paid for -the Ballyhacks. You understand me?”</p> - -<p>I had drank so much champagne that I not -only understood, but sympathized with him. He -had done just what I had, though I was not -stupid enough to betray myself to him.</p> - -<p>“I understand you, Cormorin,” I replied. “Go -on and tell me what you are driving at just as -though I were your own brother.”</p> - -<p>“Exactly so; just as though you were my own<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span> -brother. I borrowed five thousand dollars from -the bank. It will be missed to-morrow. Lend -me five one thousand dollar bills, or the same -amount in some other form, for two hours to-morrow, -and I shall be all right. You shall hold -my stock as collateral. It is worth double the -amount; and I will do the same thing for you -when your cash is counted, if you want to make -something on your own account.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll do it,” I replied, without a moment of -reflection.</p> - -<p>“You are a good fellow, Glasswood. Your fortune -is made, and so is mine.”</p> - -<p>I should not have been so prompt in acceding -to his request without the aid of the champagne. -Though I knew what I was about well enough, -I was reckless. I was fascinated with the idea -of making five or ten thousand dollars in “coppers,” -and thus discharging my obligation to the -bank.</p> - -<p>“We don’t always know when our directors -intend to make an examination,” I suggested.</p> - -<p>“I can always tell by the looks of them. No -matter; there is time enough after they begin. -Our banks are near enough to each other to -enable us to make a connection,” laughed Cormorin.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span></p> - -<p>We discussed the matter still further, but we -were perfectly agreed. We separated with an -arrangement to meet in the forenoon of the next -day, to carry out the plan we had devised. I did -not deem it prudent to go directly home, and I -spent an hour on the Common, waiting for the -fumes of the wine I had drank to work off. When -I went to Needham Street, I found that Lilian -was still out, probably purchasing her new black -silk dress. She came at last, and we ate a dried-up -dinner at five o’clock. She had purchased her -dress, and was in the best of spirits.</p> - -<p>The next day, when I went to the bank, I -quietly transferred six thousand dollars from my -drawer to my pocket, with hardly a tithe of the -compunction with which I had appropriated my -first loan. O, I intended to be honest! The bank -was not to lose a penny by me. For five thousand -of the money, Cormorin was to give me collateral -worth ten thousand in the market. With -the other thousand I intended to pay my uncle, -and silence his carping for all time.</p> - -<p>Cormorin was punctual in his call for his share -of the funds. He handed me the certificates and -I gave him the money. In the course of the forenoon -Captain Halliard, faithful to his threat, paid<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span> -me a visit. I was not ready for him then, but I -showed him one-half of Cormorin’s certificates. -They did not abate his persistency for payment of -the note, and I promised to pay him at three -o’clock in the afternoon, without fail. As I had -the money in my pocket, I could safely make the -promise.</p> - -<p>At the appointed time he presented himself -before me.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER XVII.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">PROVIDING FOR THE WORST.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap04">“THERE is your money, principal and interest,” -said I to my uncle, carelessly tossing -him the bills. “You have compelled me to -sacrifice my coppers, but I am rid of you now.”</p> - -<p>“Rid of me! It isn’t necessary for you to be -impudent, Paley,” replied the Captain.</p> - -<p>“I assure you, it is a very great satisfaction -for me to feel that there is now no possible way -in which you can annoy me.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to annoy you.”</p> - -<p>“I thought you did. You have been crowding -me pretty hard. You have compelled me to pay -this note, for no other purpose than to annoy me. -You have done your worst, and I hope you are -satisfied.”</p> - -<p>“You may have the money again, if you want -it,” said he; for, like other bullies, when he felt -that his power was gone, he was disposed to -make peace.</p> - -<p>“I don’t want it now. I have sold out my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span> -stock at a loss to gratify your malice. If you -can do anything more to crush me, I hope you -will do it.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to crush you. What are you -talking about?” added my uncle, impatiently.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what you mean by crowding -me so hard, then.”</p> - -<p>“Paley, you are living too fast. All I have -done has been for your good.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see it; and I don’t exactly know by -what right you purpose to take the management -of my affairs into your own hands. You have an -offer for my house, and you have attempted to -drive me out of it. Let me say that I would go -into bankruptcy, or into the State Prison, before I -would submit to any such dictation. I am of age -and I think I am able to take care of myself. I -hear that Aunt Rachel is better to-day, and is -steadily improving. I shall take the first occasion -to tell her how you have used me.”</p> - -<p>“Do you want to make trouble in the family?” -asked he, evidently startled by my threat; for the -handling of the invalid’s property was of some -importance even to a gentleman of Captain Halliard’s -wealth.</p> - -<p>“I want justice done, though the heavens fall.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span> -Aunt Rachel never intended that I should be -driven up to pay this thousand dollars, as you -have done the business.”</p> - -<p>“I did what I thought was best for you and -for her.”</p> - -<p>“All right; if you are satisfied, I am.”</p> - -<p>I think my uncle was rather sorry he had -crowded me so hard. He had failed to accomplish -his purpose of driving me out of my house, -and he knew that I had some influence with -my aunt. He was disposed to back out, but I -was not willing that he should do so. I did not -like the idea of having him around me in the -capacity of a guardian, prying into my affairs, and -listening to every breath of scandal that related -to me.</p> - -<p>The sharp words I had spoken produced some -effect upon him. But it occurred to me that -his malice would be dangerous, and I did not -deem it prudent to provoke him any farther. He -was intimate with Mr. Bristlebach, and his influence -might imperil my situation. It would be -utter ruin for me to be discharged before I had -replaced the sums I had “borrowed.” I moderated -my wrath, therefore, and refrained from enforcing -my threat. My uncle left me, and I was -willing to wait until he made the next move.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span></p> - -<p>I remained at the bank until half-past three -o’clock, at which time I had agreed to meet Cormorin, -at Young’s. He was nearly half an hour -late, but he came, and I saw by his countenance -that every thing had gone well with him. I should -say, in the light of subsequent experience, that -every thing had gone ill with him, for the successful -concealment of guilt, whatever consequences -might follow its exposure, is the greatest -misfortune that can befall a man, inasmuch as it -leads him farther and deeper into crime.</p> - -<p>“Five thousand; there are the identical bills -you lent me,” said Cormorin, as he laid the -money upon the table before me. “I’m all right -now, and I hope I shall not have occasion to -repeat this folly.”</p> - -<p>“You will make enough by your operation in -Ballyhacks to afford you a sufficient capital for -future operations.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so. I shall be worth ten or fifteen -thousand dollars next week, as sure as I live. I -am going to pay what I owe the bank, and then -keep square with the world. You have done me -a good turn to-day, Glasswood, and I am not one -of the kind that forget such things.”</p> - -<p>“Here are your certificates. I am glad to have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span> -been able to serve you,” I replied, as I handed -him the papers. “You said something about -another company in which a fellow might make a -good thing.”</p> - -<p>“I did—the Bustumup. Its stock’s going up -just as that of the Ballyhack did.”</p> - -<p>“What can I have it for?”</p> - -<p>“I am interested in this company, and if you -take the stock at once you shall have it for -twenty, though it went at twenty-two to-day.”</p> - -<p>“I will take two hundred and fifty shares of -it.”</p> - -<p>“You are sensible,” replied Cormorin. “You -have the money in your fist, and you can return -it in a week or two, and put ten thousand dollars -into your pocket.”</p> - -<p>I had not told Cormorin my secret, and I think -he was anxious to have me invest the five thousand -dollars, I had taken from the bank, that we -might stand on an equal footing. He desired to -possess as strong a hold upon me as I had upon -him. I was satisfied of the truth of what he had -told me in regard to his own “coppers.” I had -inquired for myself, and I realized that he was -making ten if not fifteen thousand dollars by his -operation.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span></p> - -<p>I felt compelled to take the step he suggested. -I owed my bank three thousand dollars, and while -Aunt Rachel was so feeble, I had no hope of -obtaining the amount from her. I must do something -to save myself from possible exposure. The -brilliant example of Cormorin loomed up before -me. If he had made a large sum in “coppers,” -there was no reason why I should not do the -same. It was necessary that I should make the -effort, and I gave him the five thousand dollars -he had just returned to me, to be invested in -Bustumups.</p> - -<p>“It will be a safe operation, Glasswood,” continued -Cormorin. “Bustumups are sure to go -up.”</p> - -<p>I did not regard this last expression as one to -be taken in the metaphorical sense.</p> - -<p>“You have looked into this matter, Cormorin, -and of course you understand it. As things now -stand, you and I must hang together.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so; count on me for anything you -want.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you. Now won’t you have a bottle of -champagne with me?”</p> - -<p>“I am much obliged to you, Glasswood, but I -can’t stop any longer now. I must get your stock<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span> -for you before four, or it will cost you twenty-five -to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>“You are confident that this is a safe thing for -me—are you not?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, perfectly confident!” exclaimed he. “If -you don’t believe in it, don’t do it.”</p> - -<p>“I rely upon your statements, and go in upon -the assurance of what you say.”</p> - -<p>“Of course you must run your own risk. I can -only advise you to do what I would do myself.”</p> - -<p>“That’s enough.”</p> - -<p>He left me to procure the certificates of stock -in the Bustumup Company. I was to wait in the -private room I had taken until his return. I was -alone, and when I began to think what I was -doing, I was appalled at the possibility of failure. -I was in debt to the bank in the sum of eight -thousand dollars. If my investment should go -wrong I could not hope to make good the loss. -I should be obliged to flee from my wife and -my home, and end my days in exile, if I should be so -fortunate as to escape without detection. A cold -sweat stood on my forehead as I thought of the -possibility of discovery, of being arrested even -before I supposed any one suspected me, and of -being condemned to the State Prison for ten -years or more.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span></p> - -<p>I rang the bell, and ordered a bottle of champagne. -I drank several glasses of it, and the -fumes went to my brain. I felt better. My -thoughts began to flow in another direction under -the influence of the sparkling fluid. Bustumups -would advance every day. In a week or two -they would go up to a hundred dollars a share. -If they did this, I should make twenty thousand -dollars, besides having my capital returned to me. -I should be able to pay off the bank, and have -seventeen thousand dollars left. My dream of -future success was colored with the pinkiest tint -of the wine I drank.</p> - -<p>I intended to be cautious. If, after my stock -had gone up to fifty, there were any signs of a -reaction, I would sell, and still make ten thousand -dollars. Cormorin was sure the stock would be -twenty-five the next day. If it was, I should -clear twelve hundred and fifty dollars. But if it -only went up to thirty-five in a week, it would -enable me to pay off what I owed the bank, and -I should be content even with that.</p> - -<p>My new friend brought me the coveted shares, -and helped me finish the bottle of champagne -before me. For some reason or other he declined -to punish a second one with me, and we separated.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250]</a></span> -I went home with my shares in my pocket. -When the fumes of the champagne passed off, I -was uneasy again. I felt that I stood upon the -brink of a precipice. If Bustumups went down -instead of going up, I was ruined. There was no -possible way for me to redeem myself.</p> - -<p>Though my uncle knew I was dealing in stocks—or -rather took my word for it—and was -plunging into a sea of speculation, he did not -warn me against it. He had not a word of caution -to utter, and probably had no suspicion -that I might be tempted to meddle with the -funds of the bank. If he had been as solicitous -as he pretended to be for my welfare, he would -have warned me of the perils of my course. For -my own part, my uncle was a mystery to me.</p> - -<p>Lilian with the black silk in prospect, was as -happy as a queen. In the evening Tom Flynn -called. He was hardly seated before Mrs. Oliphant -and Bertha made us a call. “Dear ma” -appeared to be cured of her evil propensity, probably -because another daughter, through my indirect -agency, was in a fair way of being disposed -of. We had sacred music, and a lively time generally. -I was quite satisfied that Tom would, at -no distant day, make my wife’s sister his bride.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[251]</a></span> -This prospect was quite enough to appease Mrs. -Oliphant, and she really looked quite amiable -under the indications of this happy event.</p> - -<p>Tom escorted Bertha and her mother home at ten -o’clock, and the next day the noble fellow told me -with a blush, that he did not leave the house on -Tremont Street till the clock struck twelve. A -question or two from me brought out the fact that -they were engaged. I envied Tom—he was so -happy. Why should he not be? He owed the -bank nothing. He had not soiled his soul by -taking what did not belong to him. He was a -strictly moral and religious young man. He would -have gone without his dinner rather than stay -away from the evening prayer-meeting. I say I -envied him. I did; and I would have given all -the world, had it been mine to give, for his peace -of mind.</p> - -<p>I could not sleep that night when I went to -bed. I got up and drank nearly half a bottle of -Smith’s old sherry, which stupefied my brain, and -gave me the needed rest from the goadings of -conscience and the terrors of the future. My fate -depended upon the success of the Bustumup Company. -If that went down, I might be called at -any time to flee from my wife, and wander in fear<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[252]</a></span> -and trembling as an exile in some strange land. -If I was in peril of exposure I could not remain -to face the blast of popular condemnation. My -pride would not permit me to live where any -man could look down upon me with either pity -or contempt.</p> - -<p>At twelve o’clock, when I run out for a lunch, -I found that Bustumups were quoted at twenty-five. -This fact assured me, for already I had -practically paid off more than one-third of my -debt. The stock went a little higher before two -o’clock, and my courage was correspondingly -increased. I was rather disturbed, however, at -the close of the bank, to see my uncle in close -conversation with Mr. Bristlebach. I fancied that -I was the subject of their remarks, especially as -the president cast frequent glances at me. Captain -Halliard looked ugly.</p> - -<p>I had shown him a portion of the certificates -which Cormorin had lent me. He was a shrewd -business man, and though he had not objected to -the statement that I had saved half my salary, -and invested it in stocks, he might well have -doubted the truth of it. Perhaps he had been -thinking over my affairs, and had come to the -conclusion that my assertions were doubtful. On<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[253]</a></span> -two occasions he had driven me up to the payment -of money, and both times I had met the -demand.</p> - -<p>Cormorin told me that he always ascertained -when the directors intended to make an examination. -Captain Halliard meant mischief. He -intended, at least, to put me in condition to let -Aunt Rachel alone. I am confident he did not -really believe that I had borrowed any thing of -the bank; but probably he wanted to satisfy himself -that I did not obtain my ready money from -the drawer. As the conversation continued I -became alarmed. The President almost invariably -left the bank soon after two o’clock. To-day he -remained. As he had done once before since I -occupied my position, he might examine the condition -of the cash department.</p> - -<p>I meant to be on the sure side. I ran into the -bank where Cormorin was, and told him what I -suspected. He promptly offered to help me out, -on the same terms that I had performed a similar -service for him.</p> - -<p>“I want eight thousand,” I whispered. “I will -return it to-morrow morning.”</p> - -<p>“Eight thousand!” exclaimed he. “Why, you -are only five thousand short.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[254]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Eight,” I replied, firmly.</p> - -<p>“How’s that?”</p> - -<p>“I was three thousand short when I made the -little arrangement.”</p> - -<p>“Thunder!” ejaculated he, impatiently. “Then -you are the eagle and I am the lamb.”</p> - -<p>“We are both honest fellows, and mean to pay -all we owe,” I replied. “Do you suppose I would -have accommodated you, the other day, if I had -not been in hot water myself? Of course if I go -down, you go with me.”</p> - -<p>“But the security?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Two hundred and fifty shares of Bustumups.”</p> - -<p>“They are worth only six thousand or so.”</p> - -<p>“But will be worth more than eight in a few -days; you shall have your bills back to-morrow -morning, without fail.”</p> - -<p>I gave him my certificates and he handed me the -money; but he gnashed his teeth as he did so. -If I fell, I should drag him down with me.</p> - -<p>“Is everything right in your drawer?” asked -Heavyside, the cashier, slyly, of me, when I -returned.</p> - -<p>“Certainly it is,” I replied. “Why do you -ask?”</p> - -<p>“Bristlebach is going to look over our accounts -and cash this afternoon.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[255]</a></span></p> - -<p>“All right,” I answered, carelessly.</p> - -<p>I deposited the eight thousand in my drawer, -balanced my cash, and put the trunk into the -safe. Paying no attention to any one, and especially -not to my uncle, I sauntered leisurely out of -the bank.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[256]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER XVIII.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">BUSTUMUPS AT FIFTY.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap08">BY the ruse in which Cormorin had instructed -me, and for which he had furnished the -funds, I had provided against any exposure. By -this time I was fully satisfied that my uncle was -working against me; not that he intended to ruin -me, but only to maintain his own power and influence -over me. There are men of this stamp in -the world, who will punish their best friends -when they refuse to be guided by them. Captain -Halliard was as jealous of his influence as he -was of his money.</p> - -<p>As my account with the bank was now square, -I had no fear of the investigation which was in -progress. Mr. Heavyside, who had never been -suspected of even an irregularity, had been so -kind as to inform me of the proposed examination. -I had in him a good friend, and a mortgage on -his future fidelity to me. I should defeat my -uncle this time, as I had before, but it was -annoying to be subjected to his espionage, though<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[257]</a></span> -I could not afford to have a serious quarrel with -him.</p> - -<p>I went home at about the usual hour. My -Bustumups had done so well that I was tolerably -light-hearted. Lilian was as joyous as a dream -in June. Bertha had been with her all the forenoon, -and I heard much in praise of Tom Flynn. -We dined, and then I proposed to Lilian that we -should ride out into the country. She was glad -to go, and we went. On my return home at six -o’clock, Biddy handed me a note from Mr. Bristlebach. -I recognized his heavy hand-writing, and -my blood ceased to flow in its channels. I tore -open the envelope. It was simply a request to -appear at the bank immediately.</p> - -<p>What could it mean? My cash was all right. -They could not have discovered the truth. That -was simply impossible. If there was any trouble -at the present time, Cormorin, and not myself, -would be the sufferer. If there had been a discovery -of the whole truth, Mr. Bristlebach was -not the man to have sent a note to me; he would -have sent a constable. I decided to go at once -to the bank, for I was satisfied, from the manner -in which the message had come, and by the assurance -that my cash was all right, that nothing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[258]</a></span> -very serious could be charged upon me. I told -Lilian I was going down town for an hour, and -she did not bother me with any troublesome questions.</p> - -<p>On my arrival at the bank I found the president -and my uncle in the directors’ room. Both -of them looked severe, but Captain Halliard did -not seem to be so much at his ease as usual. I -knew him well enough to be able to read his -thoughts, and whatever mischief was brewing he -was at the bottom of it.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Glasswood, of course you are aware that -There is a deficiency in your account?” said Mr. -Bristlebach.</p> - -<p>“No, sir, I am not aware of it,” I replied; -and as I spoke the literal truth, I answered with -confidence.</p> - -<p>“You are not?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Did you balance your cash to-day?”</p> - -<p>“I did, sir; and at half-past two it was all -right.”</p> - -<p>“You put a bold face on the matter.”</p> - -<p>“Certainly I do, sir. I am innocent of the -charge, and I can afford to speak the truth.”</p> - -<p>“Nevertheless, your cash is short.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[259]</a></span></p> - -<p>“It was not short at half-past two to-day,” I -replied, glancing at my uncle.</p> - -<p>He was uneasy, and did not confront me when -I gazed at him.</p> - -<p>“It is not a large deficiency,” added Mr. Bristlebach, -“but large enough to demand inquiry.”</p> - -<p>“May I ask how much you found it short,” I -inquired.</p> - -<p>“Only three hundred dollars.”</p> - -<p>“There may be some mistake—I hope there is,” -suggested my uncle.</p> - -<p>“Who counted the cash?” I asked.</p> - -<p>“We counted it together,” replied the president. -“I wish to add that I do not regard you -as a defaulter or any thing of that sort. I sent -for you to enable you to explain the matter.”</p> - -<p>“I have no further explanation to make. I -left my cash all right to-day,” I added, confidently.</p> - -<p>“He is so sure, that I rather think some mistake -has been made,” added Captain Halliard.</p> - -<p>“Probably there has been. Mr. Glasswood, I -have had the utmost confidence in you. When I -suspected you before, a second examination convinced -me of your integrity. I have no doubt it -will be so this time.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[260]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I cannot undertake to keep my cash right, if -other persons are allowed to go to my drawer,” -I continued, rather savagely.</p> - -<p>“What!” exclaimed my uncle, springing to his -feet.</p> - -<p>“I said what I meant to say,” I replied.</p> - -<p>The remark hit just where I intended it should. -Mr. Bristlebach and my uncle had been counting -my cash. I had left it all right. If the deficiency -was insignificant, it was still enough to ruin me. -I had already made up my mind how my cash -happened to be short. If the president had made -the examination himself there would have been -no deficiency. Of course I mean to say that Captain -Halliard himself had been the author of the -mischief. In other words, he had either taken -three hundred dollars from my cash, or had falsely -reported his count.</p> - -<p>Before I ventured to make this violent statement, -I put my uncle fairly on trial, and called -up all the circumstances of our present relations -to testify against him. He was determined to -maintain his influence over me, and to prevent -me from saying any thing to Aunt Rachel about -him. I had refused to give up my house at his -bidding, and prevented him from obliging his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[261]</a></span> -friend, Mr. Brentbone. I had roundly reproached -him for his conduct to me, and used language -which he could not tolerate in any one. I was -satisfied that he had a strong motive for desiring -to obtain a hold upon me.</p> - -<p>A strong motive, however, is not sufficient to -explain so dastardly an act as that in which I had -dared to implicate my uncle. A man of integrity, -simply an honest man, would not be guilty of so -vile a deed. Was my uncle capable of such an -act? He had procured my situation for me by -bringing up a charge against Tom Flynn which -both he and I knew was false—one which he -himself had disproved as soon as his purpose was -accomplished. If he would do one mean thing, -he would not halt at another.</p> - -<p>He had compelled me to pay the thousand dollars -I owed Aunt Rachel, out of sheer malice, and -only to put me in a position where he could control -me. The mild speech of the president of the -bank assured me that I was not to be harshly -dealt with; and my uncle gently suggested that -there might be a mistake.</p> - -<p>“Be careful what you say, Mr. Glasswood,” -said the president. “Now I’m going out to get -a cup of tea; when I come back we will ascertain -whether there is a mistake or not.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[262]</a></span></p> - -<p>Mr. Bristlebach left the room. My uncle looked -embarrassed, thrust his fingers into his vest -pockets, and seemed to be feeling for something. -I was tempted to spring upon him, and throw -out the contents of those pockets, for I was satisfied -that the deficiency in my cash could be -accounted for only in that way.</p> - -<p>“Paley, you have been speculating in coppers,” -said he.</p> - -<p>“I have; but that is my business,” I replied, -roughly.</p> - -<p>“I propose to pay the bank the amount your -cash is short, and to hush the matter up where -it is.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t ask you to do any thing of the sort.”</p> - -<p>“I am on your bond, and I must do it. No -matter about that. I expected, after you told me -what you were doing in coppers, to find a deficit -of thousands. I was prepared to pay even that, -for you are of my own flesh and blood.”</p> - -<p>“You are very affectionate!”</p> - -<p>“I have succeeded in quieting Mr. Bristlebach.”</p> - -<p>“I see you have.”</p> - -<p>“You talk to me as though I had done you an -injury instead of a kindness,” added he, reproachfully.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[263]</a></span></p> - -<p>“That is what you have done.”</p> - -<p>“Your cash is three hundred short,” said he, -putting his hands into his vest pockets again.</p> - -<p>Perhaps I was insane under the pressure of his -implied charge; at any rate, under the impulse of -the moment, without consciously determining to -do it, I sprung upon him like a tiger; and having -no warning of my purpose myself, I gave him -none. I thrust my hands into his vest pockets, -and drew from them whatever they contained. I -retreated into the farther corner of the room to -examine my capture. The deed was done so quick -that Captain Halliard had no time to resist, though -he seized me by the shoulders. I was furious, -and shook him off like a child.</p> - -<p>“What do you mean, you villain?” gasped he.</p> - -<p>I paid no attention to him, but proceeded to -examine my prize. Among other things I found -three bills, of one hundred dollars each.</p> - -<p>“Do you mean to rob me, Paley?” demanded -he; but, like Hamlet’s ghost, he appeared to be -“more in sorrow than in anger;” and more in -fear than in sorrow.</p> - -<p>“Do you carry your money in your vest pockets, -sir?” I demanded.</p> - -<p>“Sometimes I do.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[264]</a></span></p> - -<p>“You took these bills from my trunk when you -counted my cash.”</p> - -<p>“Nonsense, Paley!”</p> - -<p>“I can swear to one of them, at least,” I replied, -holding up one of the bills, on the face of -which some clown had written a sentence about -depreciated currency, that had attracted my attention. -“I left this bill in my trunk in the vault -at half-past two to-day; at half-past six I find it -in your pocket.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think—”</p> - -<p>“I know!” I interrupted, him, in the most -savage manner. “If I can find a policeman, I -will put you on the track to the State Prison.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be absurd, Paley,” interposed my uncle; -but I saw that there was no heart in the remark. -“There must have been a mistake in the counting.”</p> - -<p>“You stole this money from my trunk to get -me into trouble.”</p> - -<p>“Didn’t I tell the president that I would pay -the deficit?” asked my uncle. “Hush up! There -comes Mr. Bristlebach! Not a word of this to -him.”</p> - -<p>“You confess, then, that you took this money -from my trunk?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[265]</a></span></p> - -<p>“By-and-by we will talk about it,” he replied, -with much agitation.</p> - -<p>I had proved my case. My uncle was a villain. -He had taken three hundred dollars from my -cash—not enough to make me look like a defaulter—for -the purpose of maintaining his influence -over me, and to keep me from telling bad -stories about him to Aunt Rachel. Guilty as I -was, I made myself believe that I was an innocent -man, because I was not guilty in the direction -he accused me. Mr. Bristlebach returned to -the room.</p> - -<p>“I am satisfied, from what Mr. Glasswood says, -that there must have been a mistake in our -count,” said my uncle. “As I told you, I was -confident my nephew was honest, but I was fearful, -when I learned that he had been speculating -in coppers. I thought, as I was on his bond, we -had better look into the matter. I am perfectly -satisfied now.”</p> - -<p>This very consistent statement was assented to -by the president, but my cash was counted again, -at the request of Captain Halliard. I was in -doubt whether to restore the three hundred I had -wrested from the conspirator, but I concluded -that I could not afford to expose him. We counted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[266]</a></span> -the cash, which was mostly in large bills, and of -course I was fully vindicated. The president was -profuse in his apologies, and my uncle was kind -enough to take the burden of the blunder on -himself. He could even see where he had made -the mistake. I left the bank with him, and we -walked up the street together.</p> - -<p>“That was an awkward mistake of mine,” said -he.</p> - -<p>“Very,” I replied, with a sneer.</p> - -<p>“But I think I can explain it.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think you can.”</p> - -<p>“You seem to have taken it into your head -that I mean to injure you.”</p> - -<p>“I have.”</p> - -<p>“You are mistaken. I am on your bond. -Money is so plenty with you, that I was afraid I -might be called upon to pay the bond. Bristlebach -is so intimate with me that I could satisfy -myself without doing you any harm. That was -all I intended.”</p> - -<p>“And that’s the reason why you took three -hundred dollars out of my trunk, I suppose?”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Bristlebach handed me that money himself. -I wanted to pay out that amount to-night, -and I drew a check for it. I entirely forgot it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[267]</a></span> -when we counted the cash, and that was the -deficit. Here is the check; as you put the money -back, I took the check from your drawer. That’s -the whole story.”</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you explain it to Mr. Bristlebach, -then?” I asked, believing not a word he said.</p> - -<p>“Because it was so stupid of me to forget that -the check had been paid out of your cash.”</p> - -<p>“Very stupid, indeed!”</p> - -<p>“I will tell him about it to-morrow,” added -my uncle.</p> - -<p>As I have said before, a man in my situation -could not afford to quarrel with one so powerful -as Captain Halliard. I kept my own counsel, not -wholly certain that he would not yet be called -upon to pay the amount of his bond on my account. -We parted in peace, and I was abundantly -pleased that I had been able to fight off -the charge.</p> - -<p>The next morning, when I went to the bank, -I took the eight thousand from the cash, which -Cormorin had lent me, and returned it to him. -He was a happy man then. I doubt whether -he slept a wink the night before, for the idea of -being responsible for my deficit, as well as his -own, could not have been very comforting to -him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[268]</a></span></p> - -<p>I was all right at the bank, and my uncle -treated me with “distinguished consideration.” -On several occasions he assured me he should use -his influence in my favor with Aunt Rachel. If -I wished for the money he had compelled me to -pay—solely for my own good—he would let me -have it again. Indeed, if I was short at any time, -he would lend me a thousand dollars. I thought -I might have occasion to avail myself of his offer, -and I was pleasant and pliable. I said nothing -more about the three hundred dollars.</p> - -<p>For a week all was well with me. Ballyhacks -went up to seventy-five; but Bustumups were -slower, and had only touched forty in the same -time. This figure satisfied me, inasmuch as it -enabled me to pay my debt at the bank. Yet I -believed, with the utmost confidence, that there -was five or ten thousand more in the stock for -me, and as long as things were easy at the bank, -I did not think of realizing.</p> - -<p>Then I was sick for ten days, and was obliged -to stay in the house, but even while my brain was -on fire with fever I went down town one day. -I dared not leave my deficit to be discovered by -my substitute. I compelled poor Cormorin to lend -me the eight thousand again, on the security of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[269]</a></span> -my Bustumups. They were worth nearly this sum -in the market by this time, and he did not object -very strenuously.</p> - -<p>As soon as I was able to get out, I hastened -back to the bank, and took my place at the counter. -Cormorin had sold his stock at eighty. Bustumups -were quoted at fifty, with a prospect of -a further advance. My friend had made thirteen -thousand dollars. When I had made him whole, he -instantly resigned his place, fearful, I think, of -getting into trouble through my agency. He went -to New York, to go into business there. I did -not care. My stocks at fifty paid my debt, and -left me forty-five hundred surplus. I was excited -over the prospect. I should be a rich man in a -few weeks.</p> - -<p>But everything did not turn out just as I anticipated.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[270]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER XIX.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">A CRASH IN COPPERS.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap00">I WAS worth forty-five hundred dollars while -Bustumups were quoted at fifty. Every day, -while they hung at about this figure, I debated -with myself the policy of selling, paying my debt, -and investing my surplus in some other concern. -Perhaps I should have done so, if I had known -of a company in which I could place entire confidence. -I missed Cormorin very much, for I -needed his advice; and I had come to regard him -as an oracle in the matter of coppers.</p> - -<p>It looked like madness to sacrifice a stock -which might go up to eighty or a hundred, as the -Ballyhack had, and though my debt worried me, -I could not make up my mind to let it go. If I -could put ten thousand dollars in my pocket, my -fortune would be made, for with this sum I could -operate on a large scale. There was no danger -of another examination of my cash at present, and -I was secure. But Bustumups did not advance -as rapidly as I wished. They hung at about fifty.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[271]</a></span> -I was told that parties were investigating the -condition of the mine, and that as soon as -they reported, the stock would go up as rapidly -as Ballyhack had done. I was willing to wait -patiently for a week or two, while the stock about -held its own. Its trifling fluctuations up and -down troubled me, but the parties who worked it -convinced me that these were only accidental -changes.</p> - -<p>Though I saw my uncle every day, he did not -allude to his own villainy, and I was prudent -enough to wait until I was out of the woods before -I did so. In the course of a couple of weeks, -when I had made my ten thousand dollars, I -intended to resign my position, and then I could -afford to express my mind very freely to Captain -Halliard. With ten thousand dollars in my exchequer, -I could go into any business that suited -me, and make money enough to support me in -a style becoming my abilities.</p> - -<p>I still had strong hopes that the fortune of -Aunt Rachel would be mine. She was now apparently -rapidly regaining her health, and I determined -to improve my chances as soon as I could. -On the following Saturday afternoon I took Lilian -down to Springhaven with me, and we both used<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[272]</a></span> -our best efforts to win her regard. I took her -out to ride, I read to her, and the old lady seemed -as fond of me as when I was a boy. I was her -only nephew, and it had been often reported that -I was to be her heir, though on what authority -I did not know. I invited her to spend a week -or a month at my house in Boston, and she promised -to do so as soon as she was able.</p> - -<p>A rumor that the parties who were investigating -the condition of the mine intended to make a -favorable report sent Bustumups to fifty-five, and -I was very happy. I was worth nearly six thousand -dollars. At the end of another week the -stock went up to sixty, and the balance of worldly -wealth in my favor was seven thousand dollars. -The game was becoming intensely exciting. Another -week or so would realize all my hopes. I should -be free and safe.</p> - -<p>While every thing was in this cheerful condition -Aunt Rachel sent for me, and I hastened to -Springhaven, for I could not afford to neglect her -summons. She was ready to go home with me, -and she accompanied me to my house in Needham -street. The old lady was a little surprised -to find that I lived in elegant style, as she was -pleased to express it; but then she regarded the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[273]</a></span> -salary I received, which was double what her -minister had, as princely in itself. Simple as -were her views of social economy, she did not -accuse me of extravagance. Lilian understood -the matter perfectly, and was all tenderness and -devotion.</p> - -<p>One morning, after she had been at our house -three days, Aunt Rachel asked me if I knew a -certain Squire Townsend, a lawyer, whom the old -lady had been acquainted with in the early years -of her life. I had heard of him. He was an -attorney of the old school, and I hoped she intended -to make her will while she was thus -kindly disposed towards me. She begged me to -see the old gentleman, and ask him to call upon -her during the forenoon.</p> - -<p>“Do you see much of Captain Halliard, Paley?” -asked my aunt, as I was going out.</p> - -<p>“I see him nearly every day.”</p> - -<p>“I wonder he has not been up to see me yet,” -added the old lady.</p> - -<p>I did not wonder. I had not taken the trouble -to tell him that Aunt Rachel was at my house.</p> - -<p>“Do you wish to see him?” I asked.</p> - -<p>“Not particularly. He has done considerable -business for me.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[274]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I know it. He did some for you while you -were sick.”</p> - -<p>“Did he?”</p> - -<p>“He made me pay the thousand dollars I borrowed -of you.”</p> - -<p>“What, Captain Halliard!” exclaimed the old -lady.</p> - -<p>“He did.”</p> - -<p>“Why, I didn’t tell him to do that.”</p> - -<p>“I know you didn’t, but he showed me a power -of attorney from you, and I couldn’t have helped -myself if I had wished to do so; but I paid it, -and it’s of no consequence now.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t mean you should pay that money. -I shouldn’t have cried if you had never paid it. -I’ll talk with Squire Townsend about it. Couldn’t -you take care of my property for me just as well -as your uncle?”</p> - -<p>“Well, I suppose I could,” I replied, rather -indifferently.</p> - -<p>“I never liked your uncle very well. He is -too sharp for me. I’ll see what can be done.”</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t say anything about meddling with -Captain Halliard, at present,” I suggested, for I -was somewhat afraid of him myself.</p> - -<p>“I’ll see about it; but I didn’t mean he should<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[275]</a></span> -trouble you about that money. He’d no business -to do it, and I shall tell him so when I see him.”</p> - -<p>I did not intend she should see him at present. -I went to the office of Squire Townsend, on my -way down town, and left a message for him to -call upon my aunt. I was fully persuaded in my -own mind that she intended to make a will, and -that she had come up to Boston in order to have -the instrument drawn up by her old friend. Every -thing looked rosy to me, for the old lady would -certainly leave me the larger portion, if not the -whole, of her worldly wealth.</p> - -<p>When I went home in the afternoon I learned -that Squire Townsend had spent a couple of -hours with Aunt Rachel, but Lilian had not -heard a word that passed between them. Then -the squire had called a carriage, and they had -gone off together. I was not very anxious to -know where they had gone, though I concluded -that it was only to the office of her old friend for -the purpose of having the will properly signed -and witnessed. Now, as always before, Aunt -Rachel kept her own counsel. She never told -how much she was worth, or what she intended -to do with her property. She was true to her -antecedents, and during the remainder of her stay<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[276]</a></span> -she never mentioned the nature of her business -with Squire Townsend, as she invariably called -him. She said a good deal about the worthy lawyer’s -history, and told stories about him at school. -She was glad to meet him once more before she -left the world, but she did not hint that she had -special business with him.</p> - -<p>The old lady staid her week out, and then said -she must go home. She did not think the city -agreed with her. She did not sleep as well nights -as at Springhaven. Both Lilian and I pressed -her to remain longer, and promised to do every -thing we could to make her happy, but she was -resolute, and I attended her home, a week to a -day from the time she arrived.</p> - -<p>I never saw her again.</p> - -<p>During the week that Aunt Rachel was with -me, Bustumups began to look a little shaky. From -sixty the stock went down to fifty-five in one day, -but it immediately rallied, and those who managed -it assured me it was only because money was a -little tight, and a considerable portion of the stock -had been forced upon the market. I proposed to -sell, as I had promised myself that I would on -the first appearance of a decline.</p> - -<p>“Don’t do it,” said the operator. “Wait three<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[277]</a></span> -days, and you can take sixty, if not sixty-five, -for your stock. If you crowd it upon the market -at once, you will drive it down, and cheat yourself -out of twelve hundred dollars.”</p> - -<p>But it looks shaky,” I pleaded.</p> - -<p>“The best stocks on the street go up and down -by turns. Wait till day after to-morrow, at least.”</p> - -<p>I did wait, because I did not like to have -twenty-five hundred dollars taken out of my pocket -at one swoop. Two days after, I was in a fever -of anxiety about my Bustumups. They had gone -up and down under the influence of various -rumors, good and bad, and no one could foresee the -end. At noon Tom Flynn went out for his lunch.</p> - -<p>“The coppers are in a bad way,” said he, taking -his place at the counter on his return.</p> - -<p>“What is the matter with them?” I inquired, -with my heart in my throat, for my very reputation -rested upon the prosperity of the coppers.</p> - -<p>“Ballyhacks have dropped down from eighty -to fifty,” added Tom.</p> - -<p>“What?” I exclaimed.</p> - -<p>“That’s what they say. Did you own any?”</p> - -<p>“No, no; no Ballyhacks,” I replied, struggling -to conceal my emotion.</p> - -<p>I had not told Tom I was speculating in coppers,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[278]</a></span> -and I think he knew nothing about it, -though he might have heard something of the -kind.</p> - -<p>“Did you own any coppers?” he inquired, with -a tone and look that indicated the sympathy he -felt for me.</p> - -<p>“None of any consequence,” I replied.</p> - -<p>I dared not talk with him about the matter lest -I should expose my emotion. With the stunning -intelligence he had communicated to me on my -mind, it was simply impossible for me to discharge -my duties in the bank. I could hardly tell a -hundred-dollar bill from a thousand. I told the -cashier that I was sick, and was fearful that I -should faint again if I did not get out in the air. -He took my place, and I staggered out into the -street. There were people on the sidewalk, but I -could not see them. Every thing seemed to be -without form or shape. I was in a fearful agony -of mind, and dreaded lest I should drop senseless -upon the pavement.</p> - -<p>I went into a saloon and drank a glass of brandy. -I sat down at one of the little tables to gather -up my shattered senses. Ruin stared me in the -face. If Ballyhacks had fallen from eighty to fifty, -what hope could there be for Bustumups? After<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[279]</a></span> -all, the mischief might be confined to this particular -stock, and mine might be still on the top of -the wave. The brandy I had drank seemed to -have no effect upon me. I took another glass, -and my courage began to rise a little. The -saloon was nearly filled with people, and there -was a confused jabber of tongues all around me. -Men spoke to me, and called me by name. I -replied mechanically, but I could not have told a -minute later who had spoken to me.</p> - -<p>“But they are a fraud,” said a gentleman, -seating himself at the table next to mine.</p> - -<p>“Certainly they are,” replied the other. “The -Ballyhack mine has produced some copper; but -they say there is not a particle of metal on the -Bustumup track—not an ounce! The managers of -this affair ought to be indicted and sent to the -State Prison.”</p> - -<p>“Merciful Heavens!” I ejaculated to myself, -“I am ruined!”</p> - -<p>“Ballyhack has gone down to forty within half -an hour,” added one of the gentlemen.</p> - -<p>“I heard a man offer Bustumups just now for -twenty, and people laughed at him,” added the -other. “I don’t believe they will bring ten.”</p> - -<p>“Probably not. There is not a dollar of value<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[280]</a></span> -in them. The thing is an unmitigated swindle.”</p> - -<p>The whole of the savage truth was poured into -my ears. A moment later, I heard some one say -that the managers of the Bustumup Company had -found it convenient to disappear. I was almost a -maniac. I cursed my folly because I had not sold -my stock when it began to look shaky. The villains -who had comforted me and made promises -that I should sell at sixty were simply designing -knaves, who had fraudulently worked this stock -up to sixty, while there was not a penny of real -value in it.</p> - -<p>The first shock bore heavily upon me, but I -soon recovered in some measure from its effect. -I went into the street, and inquired for myself, in -regard to the coppers. There were two or three -substantial companies which were actually producing -metal and paying handsome dividends. The -other companies were swindles; and Bustumup -was the most egregious humbug of the whole. I -tried to get an offer for my stock, and found it -would not bring a dollar a share. Indeed, it could -not be sold at any price. In a word, the five -thousand dollars I had borrowed from the bank -was a total loss.</p> - -<p>I will not attempt to describe the misery into<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[281]</a></span> -which I was so suddenly plunged. If I had sold -my stock a week before, I might have paid my -debt and had five thousand dollars left. Now I -was a defaulter in the sum of eight thousand dollars. -It was horrible to think of. There was no -possible way, that I could see, to escape the consequences. -What should I do?</p> - -<p>I went back to the bank and told Mr. Heavyside -that I was better. I resumed my place at -the counter, and did my work till the bank closed, -sustained by the brandy I had drank. I tried to -devise some plan by which I could conceal my -deficit for a time. I could think of nothing satisfactory. -An examination of the affairs of the -bank was sure to betray me. I was tempted to -commit suicide, as others have done under the -same pressure of guilt.</p> - -<p>I thought of my wife, and my eyes filled with -tears, as I pictured the fall to which she would -be subjected. It was ruin to her as well as to -me. What would she do, while I was thinking of -her in my narrow cell in the State Prison? The -thought was madness to me. I swore that this -should never be. She should not be the widow -of a living man, who could not support her, -who could give her nothing but a legacy of disgrace.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[282]</a></span></p> - -<p>My pride rebelled as I thought of being confined -in the prisoners’ dock, with all my former -friends and enemies staring at me. I thought of -facing my uncle after he had been called upon to -pay the bond; of meeting Buckleton, Shaytop, -and others to whom I had talked so magnificently. -I could not survive the crash. I could not live in -dread of the calamity that impended. While I -was thinking what to do, my uncle came into the -bank. He was a cold-blooded wretch, but he was -afraid of me.</p> - -<p>He began to talk of coppers, as, of course, I -expected he would.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[283]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER XX.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">THE LAST STEP.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap00">“I HOPE you are not in very deep, Paley,” -said Captain Halliard, after he had stated -the question in regard to the copper stocks.</p> - -<p>“Not very, but I am bitten somewhat,” I replied, -trying to look cheerful, for I could not -think of exhibiting to the enemy the state of my -affairs. “Did you own any coppers, uncle?”</p> - -<p>“No; not a copper. I had some, but I got rid -of them,” replied the wily man of the world, rubbing -his hands to indicate that he was too shrewd to -be involved in any speculation that could possibly -miscarry.</p> - -<p>“You are fortunate.”</p> - -<p>“Speculation is just as much a trade as any -other branch of human industry. It requires -brains, forethought, coolness. Novices should be -cautious how they venture beyond their depth, for -they are almost sure to be bitten. I am sorry you -have been trapped, Paley.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not badly hurt, though of course the small<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[284]</a></span> -loss I have experienced must make some difference -in my future arrangements. And, by the way, I -should like to avail myself of your kind offer.”</p> - -<p>“What was that?” he asked, rather blankly.</p> - -<p>“You offered to lend me money if I was short.”</p> - -<p>“Just so.”</p> - -<p>“I want a thousand dollars.”</p> - -<p>“Of course you mean of your aunt’s money?”</p> - -<p>“It won’t make much difference to me whose -money it is, if I only get it.”</p> - -<p>“You shall have the thousand you paid me on -her account.”</p> - -<p>“Very well, sir.”</p> - -<p>He gave me his check for the amount, and I -wrote a note for it, payable to my aunt. The -captain wished to ascertain how much I had lost -by the copper explosion, but I evaded a definite -answer, and intimated that I was bitten to the -extent of only a few hundred dollars. I had now a -thousand dollars in my pocket, besides about a -hundred in my possession before. I felt a little -easier, though the terrible pressure of my load -still rested heavily upon me. I am not disposed to -moralize in this place upon the guilt of my conduct, -for really the guilt at that time did not -trouble me half so much as the fear of detection.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[285]</a></span></p> - -<p>I owed the bank eight thousand dollars. I had -“tinkered” the books so as to account for the -deficiency, but the record would not bear a very -close examination. The fact that I was mixed up -in these miserable copper stock speculations was -quite enough to excite suspicion, for I could not -hope that the fact was unknown to the directors, -as long as my uncle knew it. I felt as though I -was living on a powder magazine which might -explode at any instant. The slightest accident -might reveal the whole truth to Mr. Bristlebach.</p> - -<p>If I should happen to be sick a day, so that I -could not go to the bank, my false entries might -be detected. Even while I was in the daily discharge -of my duties, the president or the cashier -might be tempted to examine my accounts. On -the other hand, I might go a year or more without -discovery, though the chances were apparently -all against me. If I ran the risk of the future, -I should live in constant terror of an explosion. -The death of Aunt Rachel, I confidently believed, -would enable me to pay off my debt; and the -question was whether or not I should take the -chances of detection until the possession of her -money enabled me to set myself right with the -bank.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[286]</a></span></p> - -<p>My aunt’s health was so much improved that I -could not reasonably expect to have her money -for some time. In a week, a month, a year—but -be it sooner or later, it was sure to come—my -deficit would be exposed. It might be discovered -while I was at home, or at least before I had any -suspicion that I was in peril. I should have no -time to provide for my own safety. I was liable -to be arrested in my own house, without any -warning, and then nothing could save me from a -term in the State Prison.</p> - -<p>The cold sweat dropped from my brow as I -thought of this fearful contingency. I should not -have a moment for preparation; an opportunity to -take the first train departing from the city; or -even to hide myself in the dark places of the -city. Cold irons on my wrists, a gloomy dungeon -for, my resting-place, with the loathing -and contempt of my fellow-men, were all that -would be left to me then. Lilian, whom I loved -with all my soul, would be reduced to despair. -My savage mother-in-law would not cease to -reproach her, as long as my wife was a burden in -the maternal home.</p> - -<p>I could not face the emergency. I was determined -to place myself beyond the possibility of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[287]</a></span> -such an awful crash. I was resolved that Lilian, -whatever she might think of me, should never be -compelled to look in upon her husband through -the bars of a prison cell. Before the discovery of -the deficit, I could make such arrangements as I -pleased. Afterwards, I could do nothing. It -seemed to me then that I had not a day or an -hour to spare. I had decided to save myself from -the consequences of one tremendous error, by -plunging into another. Of course I could not flee -from Boston with only a thousand dollars in my -pocket. I am surprised now when I consider how -easy it was for me to think of taking from the -bank no less a sum than thirty thousand dollars. -I did not now flatter myself that I intended only -to borrow the money, though it did occur to me -that Aunt Rachel’s fortune would in part pay my -debt. Before I left the bank that day, I put in -my pocket ten thousand dollars, so that if my -errors were immediately discovered, I should not -be wholly unprovided for.</p> - -<p>I went to a broker where I was not known, -and bought a thousand pounds in gold, which I -carried home in a small valise I purchased for -future use. I concealed the gold in my chamber -ready for the final move when I should be required<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[288]</a></span> -to make it. I was intensely excited by the resolution -I had taken, and my thoughts seemed to -move with tremendous rapidity. I had decided -upon the precise plan I intended to follow; but -of course it was necessary for me to move with -the utmost circumspection.</p> - -<p>I had only a day to spare, for we must leave -Boston the next evening. I must prepare Lilian -for a great change in her future. I must lay -my plans so as not to excite a breath of suspicion -in any one, especially at the bank. I had hardly -twenty-four hours left to complete my arrangements. -I composed myself as well as I could, -and went down to dinner. Lilian was as cheerful -as she always was when I came into the house, -and it almost started the tears in my eyes when -I thought what she would be if the world knew -the whole truth in regard to my affairs.</p> - -<p>“Lilian, I have been unfortunate to-day,” I -began, as a suitable introduction to the plan I -had to propose.</p> - -<p>“Unfortunate! Dear me! What has happened?” -she asked, dropping her pretty chin and her knife -and fork at the same time.</p> - -<p>“I have lost a good deal of money.”</p> - -<p>“Lost a good deal of money?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[289]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Yes, a large amount.”</p> - -<p>“Why, Paley!”</p> - -<p>“Don’t look so sad, Lilian. It won’t kill me; -and while I have you, I need not complain.”</p> - -<p>“But how did you lose it, Paley?”</p> - -<p>“By the fall of stocks.”</p> - -<p>I showed her one of the evening papers, in -which the bursting of the copper bubble was fully -detailed. She looked at the article, but she could -not understand it, and I explained the matter to -her.</p> - -<p>“You haven’t lost all—have you, Paley?”</p> - -<p>“No, not all, my dear. But I have something -else to tell you. How would you like to live in -Paris for a year or two?”</p> - -<p>“In Paris!” exclaimed she, her face lighting -up with pleasure.</p> - -<p>“In Paris, Lilian; and perhaps we may go to -other parts of Europe.”</p> - -<p>“O, I should like it above all things! I have -always thought if I could ever go to Europe, I -should be the happiest woman in the world. But -what do you mean, Paley? You surely do not -intend to go to Paris?”</p> - -<p>“I am thinking of it.”</p> - -<p>“Are you, really?” she continued, opening her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[290]</a></span> -bright eyes so wide that her whole soul seemed -to shine out through them.</p> - -<p>“I am, truly; but I was thinking you would -not be able to go so soon as I should be obliged -to leave.”</p> - -<p>“O, I would go to-night, if I could only go!” -she replied, with enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>“I have an offer, or a partial offer, from a concern -in New York to act as its financial agent in -Paris.”</p> - -<p>“Accept it, Paley—do accept it. I shall be -so happy if I can only go to Paris!”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know certainly that I can have the -position, but I am pretty confident that I can.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t refuse it, Paley. As you love me, -don’t!”</p> - -<p>“But there are a great many difficulties in the -way,” I suggested.</p> - -<p>“O, never mind the difficulties!”</p> - -<p>“But we must mind them.”</p> - -<p>“Well, what are they?”</p> - -<p>“In the first place we must go to New York -to-morrow night.”</p> - -<p>“We can do that well enough. I am ready to -go to-night.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t go and leave this house, and all the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[291]</a></span> -furniture, paying the rent while I am gone.”</p> - -<p>“Leave it in the hands of Tom Flynn. He will -sell the furniture and let the house. There are -enough who will want it.”</p> - -<p>“That is not even the principal trouble. The -bank will not let me off without my giving some -notice, so that the officers can get another person -in my place.”</p> - -<p>“It would be mean in them to keep you when -you have a good chance to better your condition.”</p> - -<p>“I think I can manage it somehow, Lilian; and -I feel almost sure that we shall go.”</p> - -<p>“O, I am so glad!”</p> - -<p>“But, Lilian, you must not tell a single soul -where you are going, or, indeed, that you are -going at all.”</p> - -<p>“Not tell any one! Why not?” she asked, as -if it would be a great hardship to deprive herself -of the pleasure of telling her friends that she was -going to Paris.</p> - -<p>“I will tell you why, Lilian. It is difficult and -dangerous business. I am not sure of the position -yet. Suppose I should go to New York, and -then, after I had thrown up my situation in the -bank, find that the firm who made the partial<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[292]</a></span> -offer did not want me? I should have lost my -present place without having obtained another.”</p> - -<p>“That’s very true. I understand you, perfectly.”</p> - -<p>“If I find in New York that I can have the -position, it will be time enough for me to resign -my place in the bank. If I am disappointed, I -have only to return to my present place. If it -should get to the ears of Mr. Bristlebach that I -am doing anything of this kind, he might fill my -place in my absence—don’t you see?”</p> - -<p>“I do; it is plain enough.”</p> - -<p>“You can tell your mother that you are going -away to-morrow night, and that possibly I may -accept a position in New Orleans.”</p> - -<p>“In New Orleans?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; it won’t do to say any thing about -Paris yet.”</p> - -<p>“I am sorry we have to go off in this way; -but I would rather do it than not go at all.”</p> - -<p>I am willing to confess that my conscience -reproached me for thus deceiving my loving wife; -but I believed that I was doing it for her good—to -save her from a fate so terrible that -neither of us could comprehend it. We discussed -the details of the plan in full, and she promised<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[293]</a></span> -to be as circumspect as I could desire. We had -two traveling trunks which we had used upon -our bridal tour, and these were immediately brought -into requisition. Leaving Lilian to commence -packing, I left the house with the intention of -seeing Mr. Brentbone, who had so long been -anxious to have my house. I found him at his -lodgings. I stated my business, and inquired if -he still wished to obtain the dwelling.</p> - -<p>“I am still open to a trade. I offered your -uncle three hundred bonus for the house,” said -he.</p> - -<p>“But I wish to sell my furniture.”</p> - -<p>“Very well; if it suits my wife, I will buy -it.”</p> - -<p>“I lost a good deal of money to-day by the -coppers, and I must change my plans.”</p> - -<p>“Ah! I am sorry for you; but I see you are -a prudent young man.”</p> - -<p>“I am in a hurry to dispose of the matter, for -I have a good chance to board now. If you and -Mrs. Brentbone will walk over to the house, we -can show you what there is in it.”</p> - -<p>The gentleman and the lady were willing, and I -accompanied them to Needham Street. Mrs. -Brentbone found some fault with the furniture,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[294]</a></span> -and rather objected to purchasing it. I intimated -that I should not dispose of my lease unless I -could sell the furniture.</p> - -<p>“What do you ask for the furniture?” he -inquired.</p> - -<p>“Twenty-two hundred dollars, including the -piano, or seventeen hundred without. I can show -you bills for fifteen hundred; and a hundred -small things not included in them.”</p> - -<p>“You ask too much. I must pay twenty-five -hundred to get possession, at this rate,” said Mr. -Brentbone. He made me various offers, but I was -satisfied that he would give my price, and I did -not abate a dollar. The trade was closed, and he -agreed to see me at the bank the next day, where -we were to pass the papers. My landlord consented -to endorse the lease over to the new tenant. -Mrs. Brentbone had a talk with Bridget, -and engaged her to remain in the place. Everything -was going as well as I could expect. Lilian -and I staid up till midnight packing our clothes, -and preparing for our abrupt departure.</p> - -<p>I went to the bank as usual, the next morning. -On my way I stopped at the pianoforte warerooms, -and bought the piano in my house which -I had only hired, for however guilty I had been,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[295]</a></span> -and intended to be, I still had a certain sense of -worldly honor, which would not permit me to do -what I regarded as a mean action, though I -acknowledge that I did not discriminate very -nicely in some portions of my conduct. But I -settled the bill for four hundred dollars.</p> - -<p>Mr. Brentbone came according to his promise. -I gave him the lease, and the bill of sale of the -furniture for his check. My uncle happened to -come in while we were doing the business. I told -him that my losses the day before had induced -me to accept Mr. Brentbone’s offer for my house. -He commended me for my prudence. Mr. Bristlebach -also expressed his approbation of the -economical step I had taken, and declared that -he had more confidence in me than before. He -liked to see a young man take counsel of prudence.</p> - -<p>I took advantage of his good-nature to put in -my request for leave of absence for a single day, -to enable me to visit a friend in Albany who was -sick. The permission was promptly granted. I -balanced my cash for the last time, leaving it -thirty-eight thousand dollars short, to account for -which I altered various charges and credits, and -made several fictitious entries. The account was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[296]</a></span> -left square, and if no particular investigation was -instituted, my deficit might remain concealed for -some time. With the twenty thousand dollars -which I had just appropriated I left the bank—for -the last time.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[297]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER XXI.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">AN EXILE FROM HOME.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap00">I WAS astonished to find that I could commit -a crime of such magnitude with so little -remorse. It is true, the sin had become, in a -measure, necessary to my salvation, and that of my -wife; but I was only excited, not burdened with -guilt, when I did the deed. I had been traveling -very rapidly on the downward road, and in a few -weeks I had acquired a facility in crime which -enabled me to rob the bank of thirty thousand -dollars without considering any thing but the -peril of being discovered. Fatal facility, which -can only be avoided by those who refrain from -taking the first step!</p> - -<p>I had deluded myself into the belief that -principle was only a worldly sense of honor. -Tom Flynn was a man of genuine principle, for -his actions were based upon a religious foundation, -which alone can vitalize principle. A man may -be honest because it is safer or more reputable -to be so; but then he would steal if it were not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[298]</a></span> -for being found out, and will be as dishonest as -fashion or custom will tolerate. When I had leisure -to think of the matter, I marvelled that I had -fallen so easily; and this was the explanation I -made to myself.</p> - -<p>Tom Flynn had said as much as this to me, in -the way of argument, assuring me it was quite -impossible for a man without the love of God and -the love of man in his heart—which is the epitome -of the whole gospel—to have any genuine principle -in his soul. Any thing short of this is mere -sentiment, which is blown aside by the rude blast -of temptation. The hymn he used to sing so -much seemed to tell the whole story:—</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">“I want a principle within</p> -<p class="pp7">Of jealous, godly fear;</p> -<p class="pp6">A sensibility to sin,</p> -<p class="pp7">A pain to find it near.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Worldly honor, the fear of discovery, the bubble -of reputation, are not enough to keep a man in -the path of rectitude. But I will not anticipate -the reflections which were forced upon me afterwards. -I did not believe I was much worse than -the majority of young men. I certainly did not -mean to steal when I began to take money from -the bank; and even when I found it necessary to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[299]</a></span> -flee from the anticipated consequences of my -errors, I had a certain undefined expectation of -being able to restore all I had taken. The fortune -of Aunt Rachel still flitted through my mind -as the solution of the difficult problem.</p> - -<p>I left the bank struggling to look cool and indifferent. -I bowed and spoke to my acquaintances -as naturally as possible. In two or three -hours more I should be out of the city, perhaps -never to see it again. I could not even go down -to Springhaven to see my mother—probably I -had seen her for the last time on earth. My -blood seemed like ice as the thought came to my -mind. I reflected upon all she had been to me, -all she had done for me. The prayers and the -hymns she had taught me in my childhood came -back to me as though I had learned them but -yesterday. I was amazed at my own folly and -wickedness. What a blow I was dealing to that -mother! When she heard that her only son had -fled from his home, steeped in crime, and covered -with shame how she would weep! For days -months and years she would groan in bitterness -of spirit.</p> - -<p>What a wretch, what a villain, what an ingrate -I was to strike her in this cruel manner! My<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[300]</a></span> -sense of worldly honor would have revolted at -the thought of giving her even the slightest blow -with my hand; but how inconceivably more cruel -was the blow I was giving her by my conduct! -Could I have sooner realized the anguish which -the thought of my mother would cause me, I -think it might have saved me.</p> - -<p>I could not make up my mind to doom her -who had given me being, who had watched over -me in my childhood, who had loved me as none -else but God could love me, to such awful agony -as the revelation of my crime would cause her. -Was there no way to escape? I could restore -the thirty thousand dollars. With the proceeds -of my house and furniture I could make up three -thousand more. I was really, then, only five -thousand dollars in debt—the sum which I had -lost in copper stocks. The case seemed not so -desperate, after all. I could go to Aunt Rachel, -tell her, with the genuine penitence I then felt -what a wicked deed I had done. She would lend -me five thousand dollars, and I could pay all I -owed.</p> - -<p>My heart leaped with delight as I thought of -this remedy. But then there might be some delay. -Lilian was all ready to start for New York.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[301]</a></span> -It was possible that the deficit might be discovered -before I had raised the money. If it were, I was -lost. Still farther, if I paid the three thousand -dollars in my possession into the bank, I should -not have any thing to furnish another house. I -should be compelled to board, and very likely the -circumstances would drive me back to Mrs. Oliphant’s. -I shuddered as I considered it.</p> - -<p>I thought of my mother again, and had almost -resolved to adopt the suggestion of my better -nature, when I was tempted to enter a bar-room. -I drank a glass of whiskey. The effect of strong -drink upon me was to stupefy my faculties and -make me reckless. I drank a second and then a -third glass, in as many different saloons. I forgot -my mother then. I was excited, and pictured -to myself the delights of foreign travel.</p> - -<p>I am almost sure now, so strong was the tendency -upon me, that I should have carried out -the suggestion of my higher impulses, if I had -not entered the bar-room. The devil of whiskey -drove the good resolution, still in its formative -state, out of my mind. If the thought of my -mother came back to me, I drove it from me. In -this frame of mind, I could not think of humiliating -myself by confessing my errors even to Aunt -Rachel, the most indulgent of women.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[302]</a></span></p> - -<p>I walked up Tremont Street, thinking of the -future. The die was cast, and I refused to avail -myself of the means of escape which were open -to me. It was a sorry day for me when I turned -from the road which might have restored me to -honor and integrity. As the events proved, it -would have been better, and I should have realized -more than I anticipated. I had long dreamed -of seeing the wonders of the old world, and the -prospect of doing so at once had a powerful influence -upon me. Within twenty-four hours I should -be on board of a steamer bound to Europe; -but at the same time I should be an exile from -home, from honor and integrity, leaving a ruined -name and a blasted reputation behind me.</p> - -<p>“How are you, Paley?”</p> - -<p>It was Tom Flynn. His voice startled me. I -would rather have met any other one than him, -for his very looks seemed to reproach me.</p> - -<p>“Ah, how do you do, Tom?” I replied, in -some confusion.</p> - -<p>“So you are going to Albany to-night?” he -added.</p> - -<p>“Yes; poor Whiting is quite sick?”</p> - -<p>“Who?”</p> - -<p>“Whiting; don’t you know him?”</p> - -<p>“No; who is he?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[303]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I knew him in the city here, and we were -cronies.”</p> - -<p>Whiting was a myth, but I had a facility for -lying which helped me through in an emergency.</p> - -<p>“I hope you will find him better.”</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid it’s all up with him; he is probably -in consumption.”</p> - -<p>“I am sorry for him.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose you knew I had sold my furniture -and lease?”</p> - -<p>“No!” exclaimed he, opening his eyes.</p> - -<p>“Yes. Brentbone takes possession to-night.”</p> - -<p>“I am sorry for that, for I liked to go there.”</p> - -<p>“The fact is, I lost heavily for me in coppers, -and I can’t afford to keep that house any longer.”</p> - -<p>“One must be prudent,” said he, musing. “I -was afraid you were going a little too fast. Did -you lose much?”</p> - -<p>“Considerable, for me.”</p> - -<p>“If I can do any thing to help you out, Paley, -I will, with the greatest pleasure. I never had -anything to do with fancy stocks.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, Tom. You are fortunate. But I -must go along.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose you are in a hurry, so I will walk -along with you. I don’t know but you will think<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[304]</a></span> -me impertinent, Paley, but I don’t want to meddle -with your business, in a bad sense. I have been -thinking that something was going wrong with -you.”</p> - -<p>“With me?” I demanded, not a little startled -by this candid revelation. “Going wrong?”</p> - -<p>“I had an idea that you were losing money, or -that something serious troubled you.”</p> - -<p>“What makes you think so?” I asked.</p> - -<p>“I hardly know; but you seem to act strangely; -to be excited or absent-minded. Perhaps you have -lost more on coppers than you care to acknowledge?”</p> - -<p>“Well, I have lost more than I ought to lose.”</p> - -<p>“And—excuse me, Paley—but you have been -drinking.”</p> - -<p>“Only a nipper or two for a pain which often -vexes me.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a dangerous practice—don’t do it, Paley. -Better suffer the pain than fall into a bad habit. -I’m impudent, I know, but I can’t help it. I -wouldn’t have things go wrong with you for all -the world. Are you in debt?”</p> - -<p>“Somewhat.”</p> - -<p>“Let me help you out. With what I have saved -myself, and with what came to me from my father’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[305]</a></span> -estate, I have about eight thousand dollars. Promise -me that you won’t drink any more, and I will -let you have money enough to help you out of -debt.”</p> - -<p>“What has the drinking to do with it?” I -asked, rather vexed at the manner in which he -put the question.</p> - -<p>“I am always afraid that any man who drinks -will become a drunkard. Perhaps it is a superstition; -but I can’t help it, and you know that the -theory is backed up by common experience.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think I’m in any danger; but I am -not exactly willing to be bought up to total abstinence.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t mean that, Paley. You know how -much wine was drank at your party. Never mind -that now; we will talk of it at another time. -How much do you owe?”</p> - -<p>“Five or six thousand.”</p> - -<p>“So much!” exclaimed he.</p> - -<p>“All of that. I lost just five thousand on -Bustumups,” I replied, desperately.</p> - -<p>“I had no idea you were in so deep as that,” -he added, looking very serious. “But I will not -go back on myself. I will lend you every dollar -I have rather than permit the world to go<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[306]</a></span> -wrong with you. We will talk it over when you -return from Albany.”</p> - -<p>We parted at the corner of Needham Street, -for he was going to the Oliphants to see Miss -Bertha. What could Tom mean? He had observed -that something was wrong with me. I was troubled. -If he had noticed it, perhaps others had, and it -was time for me to be gone. He was a noble -fellow, and I knew that he was deeply concerned -about me. From his standpoint, I had -been gambling in fancy stocks, had lost, and was -in imminent peril of becoming a drunkard under -the influence of my financial troubles. He wanted -to be a brother to me, but I felt humiliated by -the view he took of my case. Why should he -think I was in danger of becoming a drunkard? -It was fanaticism.</p> - -<p>He offered to lend me money enough to pay -my debts. I could not borrow it of him. I could -not place myself under so great an obligation to -him. He tendered me the means of making myself -square with the bank; but then I should be a -beggar, five thousand in debt, instead of travelling -like a lord in Europe, with over thirty thousand -dollars at my disposal. My pride resented his offer -and I did not give it another thought.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[307]</a></span></p> - -<p>Dinner was ready when I went into the house. -Lilian had almost worn herself out in getting -ready for her departure. She told me she had -been at her mother’s, and that the whole family -were astonished when she told them I had sold -out the English basement house. She had informed -them that I had an offer in New Orleans, as I had -directed her to do; in a word, she had been faithful -to my instructions. Before the carriage came -for us, Mrs. Oliphant and her two daughters appeared -to bid us good-by. I must say that “dear ma” -behaved with great propriety on this trying occasion, -for it must be remembered that she expected -to see no more of Lilian for months, if not for -years.</p> - -<p>We drove to the railroad station with our two -heavy trunks. It was fortunate that neither Tom -Flynn nor any one but the Oliphants took it into -his head to “see us off,” or the quantity of baggage -we carried might have provoked inquiry. -The train moved out of the station-house, and I -felt that I had bade farewell to Boston forever. -I had my wife, but I had sundered all ties with -every body else.</p> - -<p>“I hope we shall not have to come back here -again next week,” said Lilian, as the train began -to increase its speed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[308]</a></span></p> - -<p>“There is little danger of that,” I replied.</p> - -<p>I was obliged to admit to myself that I might -possibly be brought back by an officer, with irons -on my wrists, within a week. I had committed a -crime which would condemn me to the State Prison -for a long term of years, if discovered—and it -could not be long concealed.</p> - -<p>“Do you really think we shall go to Europe, -Paley?”</p> - -<p>“I have hardly a doubt of it.”</p> - -<p>“Then why didn’t you let me tell mother, and -not make her think I was going to New Orleans?”</p> - -<p>“I told you the reasons, my dear, and I hope -you will be satisfied with them,” I answered, rather -petulantly.</p> - -<p>“Don’t be cross, Paley.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not cross.”</p> - -<p>But the fumes of the whiskey I had drank -were nearly evaporated, and I did not feel right. -I could not help dreading something which I tried -to define. If Tom Flynn had suspected that -something was going wrong with me, it was -not impossible that Mr. Bristlebach, or Mr. Heavyside, -had been equally penetrating in their observations. -It was possible that, at this moment, the -bank officers were engaged in examining my accounts<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[309]</a></span> -and my cash. Any attempt to verify some of my -entries must infallibly expose me.</p> - -<p>Even without any suspicions of me, they might, -in looking over my accounts, discover the altered -figures, or the fictitious items. An accident might -betray me. Perhaps the detectives were already -on my track. Telegraphic dispatches to New -York might place officers at the station in that -city ready to arrest me when I arrived. If my -deficit was exposed, it would be impossible for me -to take a foreign-bound steamer. My photograph, -or at least my description, would be in the hands -of all the detectives.</p> - -<p>All these reflections, all these fears and misgivings, -are the penalty of crime. I was called to -endure them, as thousands of others have been; -and those who commit crimes must remember that -these things are “nominated in the bond.” But -no telegram preceded me; no detectives dogged -my steps; and the bank had no suspicion that -anything was wrong with me. We went to the -Fifth Avenue Hotel on our arrival in the city.</p> - -<p>I hastened down town after breakfast, engaged -a state-room in the steamer which sailed at one -o’clock, and procured a letter of credit on London -for three thousand five hundred pounds, payable<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[310]</a></span> -to Charles Gaspiller, whose signature I left to be -forwarded to the banker. I then went to a barber, -and had my beard, except the moustache, shaved -off. When I entered the parlor of the hotel, -Lilian did not at first recognize me. She was -talking to a lady and gentleman—a young married -couple—whose acquaintance we had made at -breakfast. They intended to sail in the afternoon -for Havana. The husband was about my size, and -not unlike me. He wore only a moustache, and -for this reason I had sacrificed my beard. If any -detectives, after a few days, should be disposed to -ascertain what had become of me, they would be -as likely to follow him to Havana as me to Liverpool. -It was well to be prudent and take advantage -of circumstances.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[311]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER XXII.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">CHARLES GASPILLER.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap00">I HAD avoided writing my name in the register -of the hotel, for I did not wish to leave any -recorded traces of my presence in the city. It -occurred to me that perhaps Lilian had told her -name to her new-made friends, but they would -soon be in the tropics, and out of the reach of -detectives. I regarded myself as very shrewd, and -I could not exactly see how it was possible for -any one to obtain a trace of me, after the steamer -had departed.</p> - -<p>I had given my name at the steamer office as -Charles Gaspiller, and the money for my bill of exchange -was to be drawn in London under this appellation. -I don’t know how I happened to select this -name. It was a French word which probably came -back to my memory from my studies at the high -school; but I had forgotten its meaning, though I -could read French tolerably well. When I came to -ascertain its signification, I was not a little surprised -to find that it exactly fitted my case, for it means<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[312]</a></span> -“to waste, to squander, to lavish.” It was entirely -by accident that I chose this word, and I certainly -should not have done so had I been aware that it -covered my case so exactly.</p> - -<p>But if I succeeded in concealing my identity -from others, I could not hide it from my wife. -If I was Mr. Gaspiller, she must of necessity be -Mrs. Gaspiller. We were not at all fitted to pass -ourselves off as French people, for my pronunciation -had been so neglected at school, that I could -hardly speak a word of the language with which -I was tolerably familiar by the eye. Lilian knew -still less of it. I knew that double <i>l</i> in French -had a liquid sound, and I called the word Gas-pee-ay. -It would be singular that I should have -a French name, pronounced with a French accent, -and yet not be able to speak the language. I -was afraid I had made an unpleasant bed for -myself. But I determined as soon as I reached -Paris to master the language.</p> - -<p>How could I have the assurance to tell Lilian -that her name was Gaspiller, and not Glasswood. -I might convince her that the latter was too commonplace -to travel in Europe upon—indeed she -was already convinced of that, for she often, in -her lively manner, made fun of the cognomen. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[313]</a></span> -could assure her that, while I was not to blame -for my name, the word was so inconsistent, absurd -and contradictory, that it would subject me to -ridicule. It was no part of my purpose to tell -her I was a defaulter, an exile from home, a fugitive -from justice. It would break her gentle heart. -Yet I was not sure that it would not come to -this.</p> - -<p>After I had completed all my preparations, I -was in her presence with my bill of exchange and -my passage receipt in my pocket. She was talking -with the lady who was going to Havana when -I entered. She looked at me, and as soon as she -recognized me, she commented merrily upon the -change which the loss of my whiskers made in -my appearance. She rose from her chair, but her -friend talked so fast that she could not at once -leave her. I knew how anxious she was to know -the final answer of the great banking-house to -which I had alluded. Upon that depended the -voyage to Europe. As soon as she could decently -do so, she tore herself away from her companion, -and sat down on the sofa at my side.</p> - -<p>“Are you going, Paley, or not?” she asked, -with breathless eagerness.</p> - -<p>In answer to this inquiry I inadvertently pulled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[314]</a></span> -out the receipt for the passage money, which -constituted the ticket. I did not at the moment -think that it ran in favor of “Charles Gaspiller,” -for I was not quite ready to tell her that I had -changed my name.</p> - -<p>“What is this, Paley?” she asked, blankly. “I -don’t understand it.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you, my dear? Why, it is our ticket -for a passage in the steamer to Liverpool,” I -replied, cheerfully.</p> - -<p>“This? ‘Received of Charles Gas-pill-er!’” said -she, reading just what the letters of my new -name spelled.</p> - -<p>How stupid I was! Why had I not told her -in so many words, that we were to go, instead of -doing the thing in this sensational way?</p> - -<p>“Precisely so; that is the French for Glasswood,” -I replied, laughing as gaily as my confusion -would permit. “I don’t want Frenchmen in Paris -to call me <i>Bois de Verre</i>, which means wood made -of glass, or anything of that sort. The name is -Gas-pee-ay, and not Gas-pill-er.”</p> - -<p>“But how does it happen that the receipt is -given to you under this name?”</p> - -<p>“Because I don’t want to be called Glasswood -in Europe. But, my dear, we have no time to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[315]</a></span> -spare now, and we shall have ten days of idleness -as soon as the steamer sails. So we must -not stop to discuss this matter at the present time. -We must be on board at half-past twelve, and it -is after eleven now,” I continued, with sufficient -excitement in my manner to change the current -of her thoughts.</p> - -<p>“Then we are really going!” exclaimed she, -opening her bright eyes.</p> - -<p>“Certainly we are; and going immediately.”</p> - -<p>“Why, I wanted to go shopping in New York, -if we were really going.”</p> - -<p>“Shopping! That’s absurd! Ladies never go -shopping in New York, when they are on their way -to Paris.”</p> - -<p>“But I must write a letter to mother.”</p> - -<p>“Certainly; you have time to do that while I -speak for a carriage and pay the bill.”</p> - -<p>I procured note paper and envelopes for her, -and went down to settle my account at the office. -The polite book-keeper asked me to indicate the -name on the register. I told him I had not written -it. I had wound my handkerchief around my right -hand, which I held up to him, and declared that -I was unable to use a pen. He was kind enough -to offer to render me the service himself.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[316]</a></span></p> - -<p>“C. Gaspiller,” I added, when he was ready to -write.</p> - -<p>“What is it, sir?”</p> - -<p>“C. Gaspiller.”</p> - -<p>He wrote “C. Caspeare,” and I was entirely -satisfied.</p> - -<p>“Three dollars, Mr. Caspeare,” said he; and I -gave him the amount, though it was one dollar -more than the regular charge.</p> - -<p>I was confident that I was leaving no trace of -myself here. A carriage was ordered for me, and -my trunks were loaded. I went up for Lilian, -and found that she had finished her letter. She -gave it to me to be stamped and mailed. I took -a stamp from my porte-monnaie, carefully adjusted -it upon the envelope, and put the letter in my -pocket. Of course I was not stupid enough to -mail it, since it would betray my secret to those -who could not see the necessity of keeping it.</p> - -<p>“This is very sudden, Paley,” said Lilian, as -the carriage drove off.</p> - -<p>“Sudden? Why, I told you this was the way -it would have to be done, if it was done at all,” -I replied.</p> - -<p>“I know you did. Won’t dear ma be astonished -when she reads my letter?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[317]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Probably she will be,” I answered; but I -thought she would be astonished, long before she -read it.</p> - -<p>I confess that my conscience reproached me -when I thought of the letter in my pocket, and -of the deception towards my wife, of which I was -guilty. Her father, mother and sisters would -wonder, and be permitted to wonder, for weeks if -not for months, that they did not hear from her. -It was cruel for me to deceive Lilian, and to subject -her family to all the anxiety to which I thus -doomed them, but I believed that it was a stern -necessity, and I silenced the upbraidings of the -inward monitor. With thirty thousand dollars of -stolen money in my pocket, it may be supposed -that I did not trouble myself much upon such an -insignificant matter as the peace of my wife’s -friends.</p> - -<p>We went on board of the steamer and I found -our state-room. Being one of the last engaged, it -was not the best on board, though it was a very -comfortable one. Lilian was delighted with it, -and declared that she should be as happy as a -queen in it. I was afraid she was mistaken. She -had never traveled any except on our bridal tour, -and I expected she would be sea-sick all the way.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[318]</a></span> -But now she was excited by the prospect before -her, and by the busy scene which surrounded us. -The steamer was crowded with those who were -going, and with their friends who had come to -see them off. There was no one to say adieu to -Lilian or to me.</p> - -<p>If, of the multitude on the wharf, there was -any one who felt an interest in me, it could only -be a detective. I was a fugitive, and I felt like -one. While Lilian was full of life and animated -by the scene, I could not help feeling depressed. -I was bidding farewell to my native land, perhaps -forever. It might never be safe for me to return. -I could not get rid of a certain sense of insecurity. -It seemed to me, after I saw the men casting off -the huge hawsers that held the ship to the pier, -that those infernal detectives must come on board -and hurry me back to a prison cell in the city -from which I had fled.</p> - -<p>Any flurry in the crowd, the arrival of a belated -passenger, gave me a pang of anxiety which I -cannot describe. It was only when the huge -steamer was clear of the dock, and the great -wheels began to turn, that I dared to breathe in -a natural manner. Even then I was thrown into -a fresh agony, when a steam-tug came out to us<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[319]</a></span> -to put the mails on board. I was sure, until it -was alongside, that it had been specially chartered -by the detectives to arrest me. I was determined -to jump overboard and perish in the waves, in -sight of my wife, rather than be borne back -to a long term of imprisonment in a dungeon. It -was better to die than confront my friends in -Boston.</p> - -<p>I asked one of the officers what the tug was, -as she came alongside, that I need not be tempted -to do a deed for which there was no real necessity. -He assured me it contained only the mails, -and I breathed easier; but I was not entirely satisfied -that the officers had not availed themselves -of this last opportunity to arrest their victim, -until the tug had cast off, and the steamer started -on her long voyage. I was safe then. My throbbing -heart returned to its natural pulsations.</p> - -<p>But I could not forget the ruin and disgrace -which would soon cover my name and fame in -Boston. I could not shut out from my view the -horror of my mother when she learned that I -was a fugitive from justice, and that I had mocked -her fondest hopes. I was miserable for the time, -and Lilian rallied me upon my gloomy appearance. -There was a remedy which I had tried before for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[320]</a></span> -this mental suffering. Leaving my wife for a -moment, I went down to the steward’s room, and -drank a glass of whiskey. I found that lunch -was on the table, and I conducted Lilian to the -saloon. I ordered a bottle of sherry, and a few -glasses of this, in addition to what I had already -taken, soon gave my reproaches of conscience to -the winds for the time.</p> - -<p>I do not intend to describe our voyage. It was -an unusually pleasant one, and Lilian suffered but -very little from sea-sickness. In a few days, as -the distance from my native land increased, I felt -tolerably secure from the consequences of my -crime; but I found it impossible to get rid of the -thought of my mother and other friends at home. -Even whiskey and wine soon failed to stupefy me -unless I partook of them in inordinate quantities. -Lilian told me I drank too much, and begged me -not to do so any more. She was so gentle and -so tender that I could not refuse, for I had not -acquired a decided appetite for the intoxicating -cup. I only drank it for the solace it afforded -me, and I was fully convinced that the severe headaches -and the disordered stomach which troubled -me were the effects of this excess. I would gladly -refrain, but there was “no peace for the -wicked.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[321]</a></span></p> - -<p>I will not attempt to describe my sufferings, -though I appeared cheerful and happy to my -wife. I could not wholly conceal them from her, -and she worried me with her questions, anxious -to know what ailed me. We arrived at Liverpool -and hastened on to London, for I wished to cash -my bill before it was possible for anything to go -wrong. I had no trouble in doing so. My signature -had already reached the bankers, having -come out in the same steamer with me. With -the gold which I had brought, I had four thousand -five hundred pounds. To prevent any trace -being had of me, I went to another banker and -purchased a circular letter of credit for a thousand -pounds, investing the rest in securities which paid -me about five per cent.</p> - -<p>We spent a month in London, seeing the sights, -and Lilian was as happy as a woman could be. -I had satisfied her that the change of name was -purely a matter of convenience, and she soon -became accustomed to it. She wrote letters to -her mother and other friends, and gave them to -me to be mailed. I lighted my cigar with them. -We had rooms at Morley’s, but we saw no one, -knew no one in the house, except the servants. -One day, after dinner, I went out to obtain some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[322]</a></span> -tickets to visit Windsor castle, leaving Lilian in the -room. When I came back I found her in terrible -excitement. She had a Boston newspaper in her -hand, which the landlord, as a special favor, had -sent up to our apartments.</p> - -<p>“O Charles—Paley!” said she; and I saw -that she had been weeping. “What does this -mean?”</p> - -<p>“What, my dear?” I asked, appalled at the -tempest which was rising.</p> - -<p>“This paper says there is a rumor of a defalcation -in the Forty-Ninth National Bank, and -that the paying teller has disappeared. Were not -you the paying teller, Paley?”</p> - -<p>She suddenly ceased to call me Charles, as I -had instructed her to do. Evidently she knew -more than I wished her to know. I took the -newspaper. It was dated about a week after our -departure from Boston. The paragraph said it -was rumored that there was a heavy defalcation -in the Forty-Ninth. The paying teller had been -missing for a week. That was all. It was merely -an item which some industrious reporter had -picked up; and the particulars had not yet been -published. Doubtless the detectives were looking -for me.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[323]</a></span></p> - -<p>With tears in her eyes Lilian again demanded -an explanation of the paragraph. What could I -say?</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[324]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER XXIII.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">MY CONFESSION.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap00">I HAD apparently deceived my wife as far as -it was possible for me to do so. If I told -her the truth, would she not spurn me, cast me -out and despise me? How could she do less? -She was innocent, she was true, she was beautiful; -and I was afraid of her. Many and many a -time had I cursed my folly and wickedness in -departing, even for a moment, from the straight -path of rectitude. I wondered that I had been -able to delude myself into the belief that taking -even a few hundred dollars for a brief period was -not a crime.</p> - -<p>Be warned, O young man, against the <i>first</i> -wrong step. While you cheat others, you are the -greatest dupe yourself.</p> - -<p>In the excitement of seeing the wonders of -London I had found some relief from the goadings -of conscience, and from the terrors of the -future. Almost every day I met some Americans, -seeing the sights which attracted strangers. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[325]</a></span> -avoided them, for I feared that I should be recognized -by some one from Boston. Lilian desired -to see these Americans, but I was obliged to lead -her away from them. I was not only an exile -from home, but I felt like a leper among my own -countrymen.</p> - -<p>I was now to face a genuine trial, not a fear, -but a reality. After reading the paragraph in the -newspaper, my wife had evidently measured my -conduct by the suspicions she entertained. By -this time she was satisfied that I had not resorted -to so much concealment in leaving Boston for the -reasons I had alleged. My course was inconsistent -from beginning to end. I could easily imagine -what had passed through her mind since she read -that paragraph.</p> - -<p>Possibly I might succeed in lulling her suspicions -for the time. I might even argue her out -of them. She was innocence and simplicity, like -her father, rather than her mother, and would try -to believe what I told her. But what was the -use to attempt to deceive her any longer? The -truth would soon dawn upon her. Yet I had not -the courage to be candid with her.</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you tell me about it, Paley?” -repeated she, anxiously, as I turned over the -newspaper.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">[326]</a></span></p> - -<p>“What shall I tell you, Lilian?”</p> - -<p>“Tell me that you are not a defaulter.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m not, then,” I replied, with a smile, -which I am sure was a very grim one.</p> - -<p>She looked at me, and I saw her eyes fill with -tears after she had gazed at me in silence for a -moment. I think that my tone and my looks -belied my speech, and without heeding the value -of the words I used, they conveyed to her the -impression that I was guilty.</p> - -<p>“Why do you cry, Lilian?” I asked, moved by -her tears.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know. I can’t help it. I feel just as -though something was going wrong,” she replied, -covering her face with her handkerchief.</p> - -<p>“Why, what do you mean, Lilian?”</p> - -<p>“Every thing looks very strange to me.”</p> - -<p>“What looks strange?”</p> - -<p>“That we should have left so suddenly; that I -could not even tell dear ma where we were going; -that you were in such a hurry to reach your new -place in Paris, though we have stopped a whole -month in London. What is the reason I have -no letters from home?”</p> - -<p>“Because none have come, I suppose. I have -not received any,” I answered, struggling to be -funny.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">[327]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Paley, you told me, if you left for Paris, that -you should write to the bank officers, and resign -your situation. You did not do so. This paper -says you have been missing for a week, and there -is a suspicion that your accounts are not all right. -Tell me the worst, Paley. I will try to bear it,” -she continued, wiping away the tears which filled -her eyes.</p> - -<p>I was tempted to do so. She had been worrying -for weeks about her letters, and she would -continue to do so as long as we remained in -Europe. No letters would come; none could come. -Her parents and her sisters were as anxious about -her as she was about them. I could never make -peace on the plan which I had laid out at home. -My wife would become more and more unhappy, -and after the facts of my defalcation had been -fully published, I should be still more in dread of -meeting some American who would recognize me. -As a teller in the bank I was well known to -many of the wealthiest men of Boston. Under -existing treaties, I could be arrested in most of the -European nations, and sent back to the scene of -my crime. There was no place of safety for me. -I could not flee from the wrath to come.</p> - -<p>“What do you suspect, Lilian?” I inquired.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">[328]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I should not suspect anything, if this paper -did not say that your accounts were supposed to -be wrong. I don’t know any thing about such -things, but this paragraph set me to thinking how -strange your movements were when you left Boston. -I wish I could believe it is all right. Why -don’t you go to your place in Paris? We had -to leave home at twenty-four hours’ notice, because -there must be no delay.”</p> - -<p>“We are going next week.”</p> - -<p>“But you have laid your plans to travel in -Europe for the next year, at least.”</p> - -<p>What was the use for me to attempt to explain? -It was worse than folly. I had told Lilian so many -stories, without regard to their consistency, that -she knew not what to believe. I was disgusted -with myself.</p> - -<p>“I don’t see where you got so much money, -either, Paley,” she added.</p> - -<p>“Do you think I stole it?” I asked, somewhat -severely.</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid you did,” she answered, with a -shudder.</p> - -<p>“You are?”</p> - -<p>“When I think of it, I am really afraid you -did. Here we are in London under an assumed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">[329]</a></span> -name. All your papers call you Charles Gaspiller. -You told me you had over thirty thousand dollars -too.”</p> - -<p>“I should have had more if I had not lost any,” -I replied, in rather a surly tone.</p> - -<p>“Tell me the whole truth, Paley. Let me -know the worst. If my husband is a—”</p> - -<p>“A what?”</p> - -<p>“A defaulter, a thief. Let me know it,” said -she, with a burst of agony.</p> - -<p>“A thief!” I exclaimed, springing to my feet.</p> - -<p>“Don’t be angry, Paley.”</p> - -<p>“When my wife calls me a thief, we have been -together long enough,” I added, sternly.</p> - -<p>I took my hat, and rushed out of the room. I -was angry, but my wrath was of only a moment’s -duration. I went out into the Strand, and walked -at a furious pace till I reached the American -Agency. I wished to know the worst. If I had -been published as a defaulter in Boston, I was no -longer safe in London. I wished to see a file of -Boston papers. I had not thought of looking at -them before, because I desired to banish my native -land from my mind.</p> - -<p>I turned the folios till I came to the one which -Lilian had seen. I read the paragraph again. It<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">[330]</a></span> -was very vague. It did not say that the missing -teller was a defaulter; it only hinted at something -of the kind, for the inference always is, when a -bank officer disappears, that his cash is short. -I turned over the sheet to find something more -about the matter. There was nothing else about -me or the bank; but as I examined the paper, my -eyes rested for a moment on the list of deaths.</p> - -<p>“In Springhaven, 15th inst., Miss Rachel Glasswood, -67 years.”</p> - -<p>My aunt had passed away on the very day that -I sailed from New York! How I cursed myself -again and again! If I had not fled I should certainly -have been able to pay my debt to the bank -in a short time, for I was confident she had left -me enough for this. I had banished myself from -home for nothing. I had suffered tortures which -no innocent man can understand or conceive of, -and years of misery were still before me. I had -made up my mind long before, that honesty was -the best policy; and I even had a glimmering -conception of something higher than this. I was -sure I should have been happier with poverty and -hard labor for my lot, if I could only have been -honest.</p> - -<p>How I envied Tom Flynn! His piety, which I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">[331]</a></span> -had derided, seemed to me now to be the sum -total of earthly joy. I do not believe in cant of -any kind, but if ever a man was convicted of sin, -I was, though I had not yet the courage to -attempt to retrace my steps. My wife virtually -called me a thief. It was only the truth; I -deserved the epithet, and more than that.</p> - -<p>I turned to the next paper. There was nothing -about me or the bank in it, and I continued -my search till, in a subsequent issue, I found -another paragraph. The writer was happy to -assure the public that the bank would not lose a -dollar by the missing teller. I was surprised at -this announcement, for I was indebted to the bank -in the sum of thirty-eight thousand dollars. I -could not understand it. I turned to the stock -lists in the several papers. The shares in the -Forty-Ninth had been affected by the first paragraph, -but the quotations showed that they had -been restored by the information contained in the -second.</p> - -<p>I concluded that the bank had determined to -conceal my deficit to avoid the loss of public confidence. -But while I was trying to satisfy myself -with this theory, a better one was suggested to -me. My aunt died on the day of my departure.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">[332]</a></span> -Within the week the substance of her will was -known to Captain Halliard. She had left her -whole fortune to me, and it was to be used in -making good the deficiency in my cash. Of -course I had no idea how much she had left, but -I supposed it was enough to satisfy the bank, or -to pay the loss with the sums for which my bondsmen -were liable. One thing was plain, that, if -the bank acknowledged no loss, it would not proceed -against me; and I realized that I was safe -from arrest while in Europe.</p> - -<p>I could find no further allusion to the missing -teller in any of the papers. If the deficit was -made good, doubtless my friends would labor to -cover up my errors. As the matter now stood, -the money in my possession belonged to me. I -tried to make myself believe that it was Aunt -Rachel’s fortune. But I could not wink out of -sight my blasted reputation, for, whatever the -papers said, or failed to say, people would have -their own opinions about my sudden departure. -I was far from satisfied. If my financial record -were explained away, I could not get rid of the -consciousness of my own guilt, which was positive -suffering to me. I was convicted of my sin, and -I had even prayed to God for mercy under my -misery.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">[333]</a></span></p> - -<p>Poor Lilian was suffering quite as severely. I -had left her in anger, and the tears came to my -eyes when I thought of her. I hastened back to -the hotel. I found her lying upon the sofa, sobbing -like a child. I raised her in my arms, kissed -her tenderly, and begged her to forgive my harsh -conduct.</p> - -<p>“O, Paley! how miserable I am! Only tell -me that you are not guilty, and I shall be happy,” -she said.</p> - -<p>“You would hate and despise me if I told you -the truth, Lilian,” I replied.</p> - -<p>“Then it is the truth!” she exclaimed, springing -up, and looking at me with something like -horror in her expression.</p> - -<p>I did not know what had come over me, unless -it was the conscious conviction of my sin, but -without definitely resolving to tell the truth, I -found it impossible to utter any more lies. Life -seemed to me a more solemn thing than ever -before.</p> - -<p>“I deserve the worst you can say of me, -Lilian.”</p> - -<p>“Then you are a defaulter, Paley?”</p> - -<p>“I am; but no one knows it.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I know it.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">[334]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I wish I could hide it from myself. You shall -know all, Lilian.”</p> - -<p>“But give back the money. I would rather be -a beggar and sweep the crossings of the streets, -than live in luxury on stolen money.”</p> - -<p>“Do not be too severe, Lilian. The bank will -not lose a dollar by me. On the very day that -we sailed from New York, Aunt Rachel died. I -have no doubt that she left most of her property -to me; and the bank has by this time been paid -every dollar I owed it.”</p> - -<p>“That is some comfort, but not much. You -have ruined your reputation. Poor Aunt Rachel! -I wish I had seen more of her. What could -tempt you to go astray, Paley?” continued my -wife, the tears coming to her eyes again.</p> - -<p>“I was extravagant, and lived beyond my -means. I borrowed the money to furnish our -house, and I was otherwise in debt.”</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you tell me, Paley? We all -thought you were made of money.”</p> - -<p>“I had not the courage to tell you.”</p> - -<p>“I know I am giddy, and fond of dress and -show, but I would rather have lived in an attic, -and dressed in calico, than had you run in debt. -You always said you had plenty of money, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335">[335]</a></span> -your salary seemed to be more than enough to -supply all our wants.”</p> - -<p>“I was weak and foolish, Lilian. I can see it -now; I could not see it then.”</p> - -<p>I told her the whole story from the beginning -to the end—how I had been thorned by my uncle -and by other creditors, and how I had been -tempted to take the money from the bank. I -told the truth, as I understood it at the time, -when I declared that I had not, at first, intended -to rob my employers. She listened to me with -the deepest interest, occasionally interrupting me -with questions. I told her the whole truth. I -did not even conceal from her the fact that I had -destroyed her letters. She wept bitterly as she -rehearsed the sufferings of her parents and -sisters.</p> - -<p>“Let us go home, Paley,” said she, when I had -finished the loathsome confession. “I don’t want -to see Europe till you have atoned for your -fault.”</p> - -<p>“I may be thrown into prison if I go to Boston -again,” I suggested.</p> - -<p>She clasped me in her arms and wept upon my -neck. If her heart was bursting, mine was hardly -less affected. The afternoon, the evening, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336">[336]</a></span> -night passed away, and still we wept and groaned -in bitterness of spirit in each other’s arms. The -clock struck four in the morning before we could -decide what to do. She could not advise me to -go home if a prison cell awaited me. I never -realized the pressure of guilt so heavily before. I -never knew my wife till then. Guilty as I was -she still clung to me, and was willing to share -my lot of shame and disgrace.</p> - -<p>In the morning hours I told her what I would -do. I would write to Tom Flynn. I would confess -my error to him, assure him of the sincere -penitence I felt, and be governed by his advice. -I did write, page after page, and, sheet after sheet, -till I had told the whole story. I assured him -every penny the bank or my bondsmen had lost -should be paid. I would give up everything I -had.</p> - -<p>I sent my long letter, with another from Lilian -to her friends, by the next mail, and anxiously -waited a reply, which could not reach me under -three weeks.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">[337]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><i>CHAPTER XXIV.</i></h2> - -<p class="pc1 mid">AUNT RACHEL’S WILL.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap08">BOTH Lilian and myself were miserable while -we waited for an answer from Tom Flynn. -I pictured to myself the surprise of the noble fellow -when he read my letter. I was not worthy -of the disinterested friendship he had extended to -me, but I did not believe that he would spurn -me, as I deserved, in my guilt and shame.</p> - -<p>We were tired of London, and rather to seek -relief from the misery that preyed upon us than -to see the sights, we went over to Paris. There -was no peace for me in the gay capital, any more -than in England, and at the end of a fortnight -we returned to London. I had written to Tom -that his answer would find me there. I wished -him to inform me whether I could safely return to -Boston, for I wished to go there, settle up my -business, and then begin life anew in some part -of the country where I was not known. The -future, therefore, was still a problem to me. My -first duty was to pay all that I owed the bank.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">[338]</a></span> -With the ill-gotten wealth I had with me, and -with what Aunt Rachel had left me, if she had -left me anything, I should be able to discharge -all my obligations.</p> - -<p>I felt that I deserved a term in the State Prison, -but I was not willing to endure the penalty of -my crime. I hoped that I might be permitted to -escape if I saved the bank from loss. This settlement -was now the question above all others with -me, and I looked more earnestly for an opportunity -to restore my stolen plunder than I ever had -to obtain it. Perhaps if Lilian had not been possessed -of my secret I should have felt differently. -As it was, she suffered not so much from the fear -of what the world would say, as from actual consciousness -of my guilt. She had vastly more of -real principle than I ever gave her credit for. I -had measured her by the standard of her mother, -rather than her father. I could not persist in a -crime which she so sincerely condemned.</p> - -<p>My wife saved me.</p> - -<p>The misery which I had suffered before she -knew of my guilt was the fear of consequences, -the fear of discovery. Her anguish rebuked me. -She loved me, even while she despised me for my -sin. Day after day we talked of the matter, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">[339]</a></span> -I was more and more impressed with the folly -and wickedness of my past conduct. A man is a -fool to commit a crime.</p> - -<p>The three weeks expired, and I looked for my -letter from Tom Flynn. It did not come, but I -was willing to believe that there was some unavoidable -delay. Tom would certainly write. -Another week elapsed. I saw by the morning -paper that the steamer had passed Cape Clear, -and I waited with intense anxiety for the arrival -of the mail, which was due in the evening. Lilian -and I sat in the parlor awaiting the postman. -There was a knock at the door. The letter had -come at last, and I hastened to open the door.</p> - -<p>Instead of a servant with the letter, at the -door stood Tom Flynn!</p> - -<p>“Paley, how are you?” exclaimed he, grasping -both my hands.</p> - -<p>The tears stood in my eyes, for it seemed like -the days of innocence to be thus warmly greeted -by him. I could not speak. I threw myself on -the sofa and wept like a child.</p> - -<p>“Lilian, how do you do?” cried Tom, entering -the room, and grasping the hand of my wife.</p> - -<p>Poor Lilian! It was more than she could bear. -She had no burden of guilt on her pure soul, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340">[340]</a></span> -she bore mine as though it had been her own. -She burst into tears, dropped into her chair, and -covered her face with her hands. She sobbed like -an infant.</p> - -<p>“Come, Paley, don’t take it too hardly,” said -the generous Tom, clapping me on the shoulder. -“I received your letter, and of course I know all -about it.”</p> - -<p>“Tom, I’m the most miserable fellow in the -world,” I said, venturing to look up at him.</p> - -<p>“To be candid, Paley, I don’t wonder at it. -You deserve it. But I rejoice to know that you -have come to take a right view of your past conduct,” -replied he, with the candor which always -distinguished him.</p> - -<p>“I deserve all the reproaches you can heap -upon me. You need not spare me, Tom.”</p> - -<p>“It is not for me to reproach you, Paley; and -I will not. I know how much you must have -suffered since you came to yourself.”</p> - -<p>“You are pure-minded and innocent, Tom; and -you can form no idea of it.”</p> - -<p>“If you repent of your error, Paley—”</p> - -<p>“I do repent, and I have asked my God to -forgive me.”</p> - -<p>“Give me your hand, Paley. Let us not say<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">[341]</a></span> -another word about it. All shall yet be well with -you, if you have made your peace with God,” -said Tom, as he took my hand and pressed it -warmly.</p> - -<p>“You are too kind, Tom.”</p> - -<p>“But I am talking here while my wife is waiting -for me,” added he.</p> - -<p>“Your wife!”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” replied he, with a smile which expressed -the pleasure he felt at being able to use the -endearing term.</p> - -<p>“Where is she?” asked Lilian.</p> - -<p>“Down stairs; I will bring her up at once.”</p> - -<p>“But stop, Tom,” interposed Lilian, with no -little embarrassment in her manner.</p> - -<p>“What, Lilian?”</p> - -<p>“Who is she?” asked my wife, timidly.</p> - -<p>“Who is she?” exclaimed Tom, opening his -eyes, and then laughing merrily.</p> - -<p>“It seems like an age since I left Boston, and -I did not know but you had changed your mind.”</p> - -<p>“An age! Why, it is only three months. My -wife, of course, is no other than Bertha. We -were talking seriously of marriage before you came -away. We had fixed the time when I received -your letter, but we made it two weeks earlier, so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">[342]</a></span> -that we could take our bridal tour across the -Atlantic. I desired to see you because I could -not write you what I wanted to say.”</p> - -<p>“You are more than a brother to me.”</p> - -<p>“Wait till I bring Bertha up, before you say -anything more. O, by the way, she knows nothing -at all about this affair with the bank. Don’t -say anything to her about it. It would only make -her miserable for nothing. Besides, everything is -all right with you, Paley. It is, upon my word.”</p> - -<p>“How can we conceal it from her?” asked -Lilian, as Tom left the room.</p> - -<p>“We must do it, since he desires it,” I replied. -“He says it is all right with me, and if Bertha -don’t know any thing about my conduct, I suppose -others do not.”</p> - -<p>In a moment Tom appeared with his wife, who -rushed into Lilian’s arms. They kissed each other, -and I think Bertha was the happiest being I ever -saw. My wife had not written anything about -my crime to her friends, because she feared to -compromise me.</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you write to us before, Lilian?” -demanded Bertha.</p> - -<p>“I did, but my letters did not reach you, it -seems,” replied my wife; and I saw that she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">[343]</a></span> -shuddered at the deception she was compelled to -use.</p> - -<p>“We thought you had gone to New Orleans.”</p> - -<p>“No, we did not; but how is dear ma, and -father and Ellen?”</p> - -<p>“All very well; and very happy, after they had -heard from you. You are a rich man’s wife now, -Lilian, and I hope—”</p> - -<p>“Come, Paley, I must look after my luggage,” -interposed Tom, who evidently did not care to -have me hear what his wife had to say.</p> - -<p>I was somewhat astonished to hear Bertha call -Lilian a rich man’s wife. I could not fully comprehend -it. I suppose from this that Aunt Rachel -had actually left me her property, as I had anticipated -she would, but the most that I had ever -heard her rated at was thirty thousand dollars, -and according to the city standard, this would not -make a very rich man. I was willing to wait for -an explanation, however, and I followed Tom -out of the room. We went down to the office, -where rooms for the newly married couple were -secured near mine. The baggage was sent up, and -Tom and I took the parlor for a conference.</p> - -<p>“I suppose you are anxious to know how your -affairs stand in Boston, Paley,” said my friend.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">[344]</a></span></p> - -<p>“I am only anxious to make my peace with -God and man,” I replied, earnestly. “I have sinned -against God and man. I am a wretch.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a fact, Paley; I can’t deny it. But -repent and sin no more.”</p> - -<p>“Tom, if it were not for my wife, I feel that I -should be willing to serve out my term in the -State Prison. I feel that I have no right to be -exempted from the consequences of my crime; but -Lilian would suffer more than I should, if the law -were to take its course.”</p> - -<p>“Never mind the law. You must suffer the -penalty of God’s law—you need not fear man’s. -When you left, Paley, I took your place. I soon -discovered what you had done to your books. I -had nearly fainted away when I found what you -had been doing. There was a deficit of something -like twenty thousand dollars.”</p> - -<p>“Just thirty-eight thousand, Tom,” I interposed.</p> - -<p>“Then you were more ingenious than I took -you to be,” added he, with evident disgust.</p> - -<p>“I am going to tell the truth.”</p> - -<p>“Well, no one has investigated the matter very -closely. Indeed, no one knows anything about it -but your uncle, Mr. Bristlebach, and myself; not -even the cashier.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">[345]</a></span></p> - -<p>“That’s very strange,” I replied, wondering at -the secrecy with which the affair had been managed.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know that it is. You wrote me that -you had learned of your aunt’s death. She died -on the day after you left home. Your uncle telegraphed -to you in Albany, but was unable to -ascertain where you were. The funeral was deferred -as long as possible for you, but you did not return. -Before your aunt was buried, I discovered what -you had been doing, and realized that you did not -intend to return. I told your uncle, and the president -what I had ascertained, and we examined the -books. Captain Halliard cursed and swore like a -madman, but after a while he cooled off, and -declared that the news would kill your mother.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Bristlebach only added that the news would -injure the bank, and it would take a year to convince -the public that it had lost only twenty -thousand dollars; for that was what the deficit -appeared to be then, though the rest of it would -have soon become apparent, as the foreign accounts -were settled. It was therefore decided to say -nothing about it. After your aunt’s funeral, Squire—an -old lawyer in Court Street, I forget his -name—”</p> - -<p>“Squire Townsend.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346">[346]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Squire Townsend came to the bank and told -your uncle he had your aunt’s will, and that, after -paying out a few small legacies, her property was -all left to you. This information settled the matter. -If you had property enough, the bank would lose -nothing by you. Your disappearance called forth -a paragraph or two in the papers, but Mr. Bristlebach -caused others to be inserted to the effect -that the bank would not lose a dollar by your -absence.”</p> - -<p>“I saw all these items.”</p> - -<p>“So you wrote me. Now, Paley, how much do -you suppose your aunt left?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know. People used to say she was -worth about twenty thousand dollars, but finally -the sum got up to thirty thousand,” I replied.</p> - -<p>“Both were below the fact. Her inventory -amounts to over fifty thousand. They say she had -twenty thousand more than fifteen years ago. She -has never spent much of anything, and her stocks -paid her from six to twenty per cent. In a word, -Paley, you are a rich man.”</p> - -<p>I was astonished at this information, and more -than ever conscious of the folly of my past conduct.</p> - -<p>“You can return to Boston, and if any body<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_347" id="Page_347">[347]</a></span> -ever suspected that you were a defaulter, your -money will cover up the error.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t deserve this good fortune, Tom.”</p> - -<p>“That’s very true,” replied Tom, drily. “If you -are honest and true, you may enjoy it. I hope it -will not undo your reformation.”</p> - -<p>“It will not, Tom,” I added, solemnly. “I am -grateful to God for His mercy in sparing me from -the consequences of my errors; and I promise you -that I will try to be faithful to Him and to -my fellow-creatures.”</p> - -<p>Before I could fully comprehend his purpose, -Tom had gently drawn me upon my knees at his -side, on the floor, and there he prayed for me more -earnestly than I could have uttered the petition for -myself. I felt better. The prayer did me good. -We talked for half an hour of the religious aspect -of my case, and I came to believe that I was a -true convert.</p> - -<p>“How did they explain my absence?” I asked, -as we rose to join our wives.</p> - -<p>“Your wife’s mother said you had gone to -New Orleans to take a situation in a banking -office. Your uncle sent a messenger there to find -you. We all supposed you were there till I -received your letter. I showed it to Captain Halliard,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_348" id="Page_348">[348]</a></span> -and explained my plan to him. He approved -it, for the executor is waiting for you to claim -your aunt’s property.”</p> - -<p>“I must return immediately.”</p> - -<p>“No; I am going to stay over here two or -three months, for I have given up my place in -the bank.”</p> - -<p>“What is that for?”</p> - -<p>“I have a chance to go into business in the -spring. My old employer in the dry goods business -wants to sell out to me for forty thousand -dollars. If you will go in with me, with a part -of your capital, we can make a good thing of it.”</p> - -<p>“Will you trust me, Tom?” I inquired, wondering -at the confidence he proposed to give me, -after what I had done.</p> - -<p>“Paley, I believe your repentance is sincere; -and believing so, I think you are not so likely to -go astray as you would be if you had had no -bitter experience to remind you that the way of -the transgressor is hard.”</p> - -<p>“I hope to prove worthy of your confidence -and regard, Tom.” I replied, clasping his hand. -“I shall be glad to go into business with you.”</p> - -<p>“In the spring, then, we will do so. Now I -am over here, I mean to see something of Europe.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_349" id="Page_349">[349]</a></span> -You must write to your uncle, stating the amount -of the deficit. Give him a draft on Mr. Townsend, -who is your aunt’s executor, for the whole sum. -Write to the executor yourself, also, directing him -to take care of the balance till your return.”</p> - -<p>“I have about the value of thirty thousand -dollars with me,” I added, with a blush, as I -thought of the means by which I had obtained it.</p> - -<p>After this conference I felt more cheerful than -for months before. I realized that Tom’s earnest -prayer for me had been heard, and that God had -forgiven my great sin. I pledged myself anew to -be faithful. I trembled when I thought that, if -my aunt’s dying bounty had not been interposed -to save me, I might have spent a portion of my -life in prison. Truly, I had every thing to be -grateful for. When, after Tom and Bertha had -retired, I told Lilian what had passed between -my friend and myself, she wept tears of joy and -gratitude.</p> - -<p>My story is told. We travelled in Europe till -the end of February, and then sailed from Cadiz -to Havana, and thence proceeded to New Orleans. -I wrote to my uncle, and sent him the requisite -papers to adjust my accounts. He replied to me -in a very good-natured strain, for to him crime<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_350" id="Page_350">[350]</a></span> -undiscovered was no crime at all. I wrote to my -mother, also. I could not wound her with the -terrible truth, and therefore did not allude to the -reasons for my leaving Boston.</p> - -<p>When we got home, we were warmly welcomed -by all our friends. I was regarded as a rich man, -for a young one, and people were not disposed to -ask hard questions. I do not think my mother -was ever fully satisfied as to the reason of my -leaving Boston so suddenly, but she did not press -me for an explanation.</p> - -<p>Tom and I went into business in the spring. -After paying every dollar I owed, I had about -forty thousand dollars. My partner put in twenty -thousand dollars, and I the same. We are doing -well, and both of us stand well in the community. -Mr. Bristlebach is dead, and my uncle still keeps -my secret.</p> - -<p>I bought a house similar to the one I had occupied -for so brief a period in Needham Street, and -our home was all that peace, plenty and grateful -hearts could make it.</p> - -<p>I do not yet feel like an innocent man; I can -never feel so. I shall regret and repent my sin -to the end of my life. But I appreciate all my -blessings, not the least of which is my wife, who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_351" id="Page_351">[351]</a></span> -has been my guardian angel since the day that -her horror of my crime assured me of the reality -of truth and goodness.</p> - -<p>I am trying, by every means in my power, to -atone for my error, for which a lifetime is no -more than sufficient. I was not inclined to evil -by nature or by education, and, I still feel that -my crime was the legitimate result of <span class="smcap">Living too -Fast</span>.</p></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="transnote p4"> -<p class="pc large">TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE:</p> -<p class="ptn">—Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.</p> -</div></div> - -</div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Living Too Fast, by Oliver Optic - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIVING TOO FAST *** - -***** This file should be named 51067-h.htm or 51067-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/0/6/51067/ - -Produced by Giovanni Fini, David Edwards and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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