w! Had a letter of advice to write; instead
of that, goes and draws pictures! Five hundred pounds gone!--pht!'--he
blew through his fingers; and then repeated, in a weeping tone,
'Five--hundred--pounds!'

"'Don't distress yourself, Herr Roos,' said, at last, the elder of the
two strangers; 'the post is gone, certainly, but I am sending a courier
off to Hamburg in an hour's time. He can take your letter of advice,
and it will reach your correspondent sooner that it would have done by
the regular mail.'

"'Most incomparable of men!' cried Herr Elias, with full sunshine
restored to his face.

"Traugott had recovered from his astonishment, and was hastening to the
table to write the advice; but Herr Elias shoved him away, saying,
through his teeth, with most diabolical looks:

"Don't trouble yourself, my lad!'

"While Herr Elias was writing busily, the elder of the strangers went
up to Traugott, who was standing silent and abashed, and said:

"'You seem to be a little out of your element here, my dear sir! It
would never have occurred to a real man of business to sketch figures
when he ought to have been writing a letter of advice.'

"This Traugott could not gainsay. Much astonished, himself, at what had
occurred, he said:

"'I can't quite make it out. I've written plenty of letters of advice.
It's only now and then that I make one of these mistakes.'

"'My dear sir,' said the stranger, with a smile, 'I must say I don't
think it seems to be a mistake at all. I should rather be inclined to
suppose that very few of your letters of advice are worth as much as
this admirable, accurate, and powerful outline sketch. There is true
genius in it!'

"With which he took the paper from Traugott, folded it carefully up,
and put it in his pocket. This convinced Traugott firmly that he had
done something much better than writing a letter of advice. A new
spirit awoke within him; and when Elias Roos, who had finished his
letter, and was still very much out of temper, cried, 'That nonsense of
yours very nearly cost me L500,' Traugott answered him, louder and more
firmly than usual, 'Don't go on making such a fuss, or I shall have to
bid you good-morning, and write no more of your damned letters of
advice.'

"Herr Elias set his wig straight with both hands, stared at Traugott,
and said:

"What nonsense you're talking, partner; you can't be serious,
son-in-law?'

"The elder of the strangers intervened, and it required very f