re being discounted by banks and moneyed
corporations for enormous sums, but by no bank in the world in such huge
amounts as by the Bank of England. Their daily discounts run into the
millions.

What our plan was will be made clear later.

[Illustration: A BILL OF EXCHANGE.]

The evening of the day of my arrival in Paris found me on the express
speeding to Paris. Two hours past midnight I was on the miserable little
passenger steamer that plies across the chopping channel, and which I
suppose has seen more of human misery than all the fleets that sail the
Atlantic, for the channel has stronger counter currents, and wind,
tide and currents seem ever to be in violent opposition, and here

"E'er across the main doth float
A sad and solemn swell,
The wild, fantastic, fitful note
Of Triton's breathing shell."

And Triton (old Neptune's t'other name) makes all passers over this part
of his realm pay ample tribute for "his fantastic, fitful notes."

The Paris night express lands one at early dawn in London, nearly always
weak on the legs, however. I breakfasted with Mac, and after that took
the bills to the various banks on which they were drawn, and leaving
them for their acceptance, I called again the next day and received them
back, bearing across the face, the magic words:

"London, Aug. 14, 1872.

"Accepted for the Union Bank of London.

"E. Barclay, Manager.

"J. Wayland, Assistant Manager."

Then I hurried to the Grosvenor, and we all looked at them with
curiosity, for it was upon the imitation of just such acceptances that
our whole plan was based. I intended to present this and many more
batches of genuine bills for discount at the bank until the officials
should become accustomed to discounting for me. In the mean time, as
fast as I got genuine acceptances and bills, we kept on making
imitations of them for future use, only leaving out the date until such
time as we should be ready to put them in for discount. Of course, the
success or failure of our whole plan turned upon this point. Is it the
custom of the Bank of England (in 1873) to send acceptances offered for
discount to the acceptors for verification of signatures?

This is always done in America, and had this very requisite precaution
been used by the Bank of England our plan would have been fruitless and
we should have been a few thousands out of pocket; but, if not, then we
could throw into the hopper enough acceptances o