in the course of the next six months; for before that
time I must raise money somehow, even if I have to sell every farthing I
expect to come into to the Jews, in order to do it."

"Won't do," was the reply; "the ready isn't enough; I must leave this
country in a day or two, and I must have money to take with me; come,
one hundred and fifty pounds down, and I'll let you off the other
fifty."

"It's impossible, I can get no other money yet, excepting the sum
Oaklands is to pay me."

"Yes! and how the devil am I to be sure he will pay you directly; I'm
pretty certain the fool's hard up himself; he hasn't paid cash for a
month past."

"If that's all you're afraid of, I can soon convince you to the
contrary; here's a letter to his father's banker, which I am going to
put into the post directly, with a cheque for three hundred pounds
in it; there, hold it up to the light, and you can see the figures
yourself."

"By Jove! so it is," exclaimed Spicer: "I say, Cumberland," he
continued, and then the voices almost sunk into a whisper, so that
I could not catch more than a word here and there, but by the tone I
judged that the Captain was making some proposition, to which Cumberland
refused to agree.

At length I heard the former say, "Fifty pounds down, and a receipt in
full ".

Cumberland's reply was inaudible, but when the Captain spoke again I
caught the following words: "Not the slightest risk, only you do as I
say, and----"

At this moment the outer door of the room in which I was sitting opened,
while the one communicating with the other apartment was violently
slammed to from the farther side, and I heard no more.

The newcomer was a little slipshod girl in dirty curlpapers, who
informed me that her master was sorry he could not see me that day as
he was particularly engaged, but if I would do him the favour of calling
to-morrow, at the same hour, he should be at leisure, etc. To this I
answered something, I scarcely knew what, and, seizing ~85~~my
hat, rushed out at the front door, to the great astonishment of the
curl-papered damsel, who cast an anxious glance at the pegs in the hall,
ere she could convince herself that I had not departed with more hats
and coats than legitimately belonged to me.

It was not until I had proceeded the length of two or three streets,
that I could collect my ideas sufficiently to form anything like a
just estimate of the extraordinary disclosures with which I had so
unexpec