endeavours to fasten upon all whom he comes
near. I, for instance, have just been appointed over the heads of our
gents, to a much better place than I held. I am asked down here, and
entertained royally: and why? Because my aunt has three thousand pounds
which Mr. Brough wants her to invest with us."

"That looks awkward, Mr. Titmarsh."

"Not a whit, sir: he makes no disguise of the matter. When the question
is settled one way or the other, I don't believe Mr. Brough will take any
further notice of me. But he wants me now. This place happened to fall
in just at the very moment when he had need of me; and he hopes to gain
over my family through me. He told me as much as we drove down. 'You
are a man of the world, Titmarsh,' said he; 'you know that I don't give
you this place because you are an honest fellow, and write a good hand.
If I had a lesser bribe to offer you at the moment, I should only have
given you that; but I had no choice, and gave you what was in my power.'"

"That's fair enough; but what can make Brough so eager for such a small
sum as three thousand pounds?"

"If it had been ten, sir, he would have been not a bit more eager. You
don't know the city of London, and the passion which our great men in the
share-market have for increasing their connection. Mr. Brough, sir,
would canvass and wheedle a chimney-sweep in the way of business. See,
here is poor Tidd and his twenty thousand pounds. Our Director has taken
possession of him just in the same way. He wants all the capital he can
lay his hands on."

"Yes, and suppose he runs off with the capital?"

"Mr. Brough, of the firm of Brough and Hoff, sir? Suppose the Bank of
England runs off! But here we are at the lodge-gate. Let's ask Gates,
another of Mr. Brough's victims." And we went in and spoke to old Gates.

"Well, Mr. Gates," says I, beginning the matter cleverly, "you are one of
my masters, you know, at the West Diddlesex yonder?"

"Yees, sure," says old Gates, grinning. He was a retired servant, with a
large family come to him in his old age.

"May I ask you what your wages are, Mr. Gates, that you can lay by so
much money, and purchase shares in our Company?"

Gates told us his wages; and when we inquired whether they were paid
regularly, swore that his master was the kindest gentleman in the world:
that he had put two of his daughters into service, two of his sons to
charity schools, made one apprentice, and narrated a hu