er. "The
wide-awake ones will have the best seat on the coach."

Conway made no reply; but the increased energy with which he puffed his
cigar bespoke the impatience he was suffering under.

"What became of the daughter?" asked Beecher, abruptly; and then, not
awaiting the answer, went on: "A deuced good-looking girl, if properly
togged out, but she had n't the slightest notion of dressing herself."

"Their narrow fortune may have had something to say to that," said
Conway, gravely.

"Where there's a will, there's a way,--that 's my idea. I was never so
hard up in life but I could make my tailor torn me out like a gentleman.
I take it," added he, returning to the former theme, "she was a proud
one. Old Kellett was awfully afraid of doing many a thing from the dread
of her knowing it. He told me so himself."

"Indeed!" exclaimed Conway, with evident pleasure in the tone.

"I could have helped him fifty ways. I knew fellows who would have
'done' his bills,--small sums, of course,--and have shoved him along
pleasantly enough, but _she_ would n't have it at any price."

"I was not aware of that," remarked Conway, inviting, by his manner,
further revelations.

Beecher, however, mistaking the source of the interest he had thus
excited, and believing that his own craft and shrewdness were the
qualities that awakened respect, went on to show how conversant he was
with all financial operations amongst Jews and money-lenders, proudly
declaring that there was not a "man on town" knew the cent per centers
as he did.

"I've had my little dealings with them," said he, with some vanity in
the manner. "I 've had my paper done when there was n't a fellow on the
'turf' could raise a guinea. You see," added he, lowering his voice to a
whisper that implied secrecy, "I could do them a service no money could
repay. I was up to all that went on in life and at the clubs. When
Etheridge got it so heavy at the 'Rag,' I warned Fordyce not to advance
him beyond a hundred or two. I was the only gentleman knew Brookdale's
horse could win 'the Ripsley.' The legs, of course, knew it well before
the race came off. Jemmy could have had ten thousand down for his
'book.' Ah! if you and I had only known each other six years ago, what
a stroke of work we might have done together! Even now," said he, with
increased warmth of voice, "there's a deuced deal to be done abroad.
Brussels and Florence are far from worked out; not among the foreigners,
of