turn, he passed him over, and gave it to Mr.
Nelson. It is very, very harsh."

Mr. Norbury entered now, pulling on his
coat. " You heard, Tilney?" he said. " That's
a nice successor of the Apostles! I should like
to have the preaching of a sermon at him. I'd
make him know his catechism. There's that
Nelson has been here only a couple of years,
and I have been here sixteen. Twenty pounds
a year," he added, looking, with a sudden
wistfulness that was almost painful, on the little
heads that were about him, " would have come
in very nicely— made a great difference. By the
way," and his tone became cheerful, " we had a
great match of billiards last night. Why weren't
you there? One of the officers. I gave him a
beating. I'm to give him his revenge to-night;
so be down, will you? I'm going with you,
Tilney. Run up, Jack, for my hat. Is my tie
clean, Jane? No? No matter; it'll do. I
hope we shall meet Topham. Come, Tilney."

When they got out, he said, earnestly, " Now
that you are in the bank, Tilney, I hope you'll
give a lift to a poor devil. This has cut me up
awfully, and poor Jenny too. It's very cruel;
for, to tell you the truth, I thought Topham
was more of a Christian, and would do what he
thought his duty, although he did dislike me.
I don't know where to turn to. Unless, I was
thinking, that you might like ——"

"What, what, my poor Norbury?" said Mr.
Tilney, kindly. " Tell me. My heart bleeds for
you!"

"I mean, you could get me a bit of paper
' done' among your banking people. Only sixty
pounds; that would give me breathing-time, and
help us to get a leg of mutton for the children."

"Is that all?" said Mr. Tilney. " To be sure.
I'll speak to Smiles, and make him do it. We
are anxious to get business, and everything
comes in nicely."

"No, will you?" said the other, in deep
gratitude. " You see, I only want room to stretch
my arms a little. This fellow is annoying
me so. Poor Jenny is for my going on my
knees and crying peccavi; but the parish
before that. No, no; let him keep out of my
way, or I won't answer for myself— as regards
my tongue, I mean. I am so dry about the
throat; aren't you?"

"I declare," said Mr. Tilney, with surprise,
"if this isn't Hiscoke's. He has really the finest
Brown Particular." And the two gentlemen
went in.

At Mr. Tilney's own home, the same idea as
of having come into a great fortune prevailed;
except, indeed, as in respect to the instance of
Ada Millwood, for whose judgment only, when,
in a difficulty, Mr. Tilney had a sort of respect.

When the board met in the new board-room,
where there were new safes all round, and new
chairs, and a long new table — in which every
director could see his own face and arrange his
hair if he liked, and had a sheet of virgin pink
blotting-paper before him, to draw figures and
faces on — it was pleasant to hear Mr. Tilney
expatiating pleasantly on the agreeable duties
before them. " We have only now to open our
hands and let the money drop into them. Eh,
now? A scratch of a quill pen from you or I,
and what a deal we can do. I recollect old
Coutts telling me ——"

But Mr, Smiles came in, hard, cold, and dry,
with his hands full of papers.

"I recollect old Coutts, Mr. Smiles ——"

"Now, gentlemen, just one word," said the
secretary — "just one word. There is work to
be done here, and very hard work. So any
gentleman who is not prepared for real work,
had better go. Now, here are some bills just
sent in, which we must consider."

A little taken aback by this austere reproof —
and Mr. Smiles kept his eye mainly on Mr.
Tilney — the latter drew in his chair nervously,
and with a " God bless me!"

By the end of the sitting he had recovered
himself. The secretary was hurrying by him
again with a sheaf of long slips in his hand
spread out like a fan, when Mr. Tilney tapped
him mysteriously on the shoulder. " A word in
your ear, Smiles," he said; " a word."

"I am greatly hurried, Mr. Tilney. Really,
you shouldn't —— Well, what is it?"

"Look here, Smiles. A little matter. You
and I understand each other, and, as one man
of business to another man of business ——"

The secretary almost smiled at this notion.

"Now," continued Mr. Tilney, tapping him
on the shirt-front, " I just want you to consider
me like one of the bumpkins and graziers in the
office below — not as an awful director. Let me
be a grazier — ha! ha!"

"Really," said Mr. Smiles, " this is going
too far, I don't think you seem sensible of the
position we are in, or, give me leave to tell you,
of the position you are in. Our time is too
precious ——"

"My goodness! how you take a man up,"
said poor Mr. Tilney. " It was only my little
jocular way."

"Ah, then," said Mr. Smiles, calmly, " it
would be far better to leave the jocular way
outside, you know. Well?"

"I merely wanted — indeed, as a director, I
believe I am entitled — I mean — I suppose I can
draw — pretty freely — on the bank. My bill.
Not to any great extent, of course, but ——"

"Just step in here, Mr. Tilney," said the
other, calmly. " There! Now, I think it is
quite time, and will save a world of misapprehension
afterwards, to let you know how we
stand and you stand. I don't think you quite
see what your position is, to which, I confess
freely, you were named in defiance of my
advice. What you propose is quite out of the
question — more, it would be indecent!"

"Indecent!" said Mr. Tilney, aghast.

"A nice story to get through the town, that
the directors were ' doing bills' on each other in
the very first week. It must have occurred to
you yourself, so do try and keep up the
respectability of the concern. It can't be thought of."

"Sir," said Mr. Tilney, warmly, " I want no
man to tell me to be respectable and decent.