at large, must, in the
very nature of the case, lie wide open to the attack of any man bold
enough to doubt its impregnability and resolute to attack.

What a figment of the imagination this boasted impregnability of the
Bank of England was the sequel will show. And as for those masters of
finance, those earthly Joves of the financial world who sat serene above
the clouds, "the Governor and Company of the Bank of England," they
soon had the whole money world shaking with laughter when they stood
revealed the Simple Simons they proved to be.

We wanted a hundred thousand apiece now, and had resolved to get it from
the Bank of England. Such was our confidence that we never thought
failure possible. Truly, if there ever was a plan laid in ignorant
enthusiasm this was one. Here we were, absolutely without any knowledge
of the inner workings of the institution, strangers in London, being
under assumed names, without business of any kind, and not only unable
to give any references, but unable to stand any investigation.

Exactly how we were to manipulate the bank we did not know. We were
inclined, now we had some fifty thousand dollars capital, to avoid so
serious a thing as forgery, but had an idea for one of us to obtain in
some way an introduction to the bank and to use all the money of the
party to establish a credit. In the mean time all were to get in the
swim in or around the exchange, and use the one who had the account in
the bank for reference for the others. If some good chance offered to go
into a straightforward business we could drop forever all thoughts of
breaking the law again. This was the theory; in practice, we were almost
certain to try on the game we had of late played so successfully.

In conference it was determined an account should be opened with the
bank, anyway; after that was done we could decide what use to put it to.

As I had not yet shown up in the previous transactions, I volunteered to
go to the front in this; so, telling my two friends to go to the
Continent--Italy, if they liked--I would remain in London and manage to
get the account started. They took me at my word, and a day or two after
sailed from Liverpool to Lisbon, and passed through Portugal to Spain,
visiting the chief cities of that country.

I was left alone in London and began prospecting at once, setting all
my wits at work to see how I could manage to get an introduction to the
bank. I had only $20,000 to start the thin