d. Once I was his victim, but only once. I lent him 3 pounds, and,
strange to say, he returned it. Of course he approached me again, but I
had read and digested the _master's_ wisdom and determined to "neither a
borrower nor a lender be."

Prominent amongst the principal clerks was David Cooper. When I left
Glasgow he succeeded me as assistant to the general manager. Now he is
general manager of the company himself. Recently he celebrated his 50th
year of railway service. Like me, he entered railway life in 1867; but,
unlike me, has not been a rolling stone. One company only he has served
and served it well, and for nearly a quarter of a century has filled the
highest office it has to bestow. He and I have been more fortunate than
many of our old-time colleagues. In the list of officers of the Glasgow
and South-Western to-day I see the names of two only, besides David
Cooper, who were principal clerks in those days--F. H. Gillies, now
secretary of the company, and George Russell, Telegraph Superintendent.

In railways, as in other departments of life, ability and industry
usually have their reward; but alone they do not always command success.
Other factors there are in the equation of life and not least luck and
opportunity. In those distant days, in the pride of youth, I was too apt
to think that they who succeeded owed their success to themselves alone;
but the years have taught me that this is not always so, and I have
learned to sympathise more and more with those to whom opportunity has
never held out her hand and upon whom good luck has never smiled.

CHAPTER XII.
TOM

In the last few chapters I have made but little mention of Tom. The time
was drawing nearer when I was to lose him for ever. Until early in 1876
we lived together in the closest intimacy. We pooled our resources, and
when either ran short of money, which often happened, the common purse,
if it were not empty, was always available. Similar in height and in
figure, our clothes, except our hats, boots and gloves, in each of which
I took a larger size than he, were, when occasion required,
interchangeable. We standardised our wardrobe as far as we could. We
rose together, ate together, retired together, and, except during
business hours, were rarely apart. I being, he considered, the more
prudent in money matters, kept our lodging accounts and paid the bills.
He being more musical, and a greater lover of the drama than I, a