nity of revenging themselves
upon the libeler, for he could not obtain his certificate without their
signature, and without that he could not again commence business. But it
seemed to the bankrupt to be a hopeless case to expect that, they would
give their signature--they whom he had so wantonly held up to public
ridicule. The claims of a wife and children, however, at last forced him
to make the application. He presented himself at the counting-house
door, and found that "Billy Button" was in. He entered, and William
Grant, who was alone, rather sternly bid him, "shut the door, sir!" The
libeler trembled before the libeled. He told his tale, and produced his
certificate, which was instantly clutched by the injured merchant. "You
wrote a pamphlet against us once," exclaimed Mr. Grant. The supplicant
expected to see his parchment thrown into the fire; instead of which,
Mr. Grant took a pen, and writing something on the document, handed it
back to the supplicant, who expected to find "rogue,
scoundrel, libeler," instead of which, there was written only the
signature of the firm, completing the bankrupt's certificate. "We make
it a rule," said Mr. Grant, "never to refuse signing the certificate of
an honest tradesman, and we have never heard that you were any thing
else." The tears started into the poor man's eyes. "Ah!" continued Mr.
Grant, "my saying was true, I said you would live to repent writing
that pamphlet, I did not mean it as a threat, I only meant that some day
you would know us better, and repent that you had tried to injure us; I
see you repent it now." "I do, I do," said the grateful man, "I do,
indeed, bitterly repent it." "Well, well, my dear fellow, you know us
now. How do you get on? What are you going to do?" The poor man stated
that he had friends who could assist him when his certificate was
obtained. "But how are you off in the mean time?" and the answer was
that, having given up every farthing to his creditors, he had been
compelled to stint his family of even the common necessaries of life,
that he might be enabled to pay the cost of his certificate. "My dear
fellow, this will never do, your wife and family must not suffer; be
kind enough to take this ten-pound note to your wife from me--there,
there, my dear fellow--nay, don't cry--it will all be well with you yet;
keep up your spirits, set to work like a man, and you will raise your
head among us yet." The overpowered man endeavored in vain to exp