apable of telling any
monstrous falsehood to support his party, is surely capable of stealing
a ream of paper."

"Well, well, we have all our weaknesses," sighs Robinson. "Seen that
article, Thompson, in the Observer about Lord Clyde and the Club paper?
You'll find it up stairs. In the third column of the fifth page towards
the bottom of the page. I suppose he was so poor he couldn't afford to
buy a quire of paper. Hadn't fourpence in the world. Oh, no!"

"And they want to get up a testimonial to this man's memory--a statue or
something!" cries Jawkins. "A man who wallows in wealth and takes paper
away from his Club! I don't say he is not brave. Brutal courage most men
have. I don't say he was not a good officer: a man with such experience
MUST have been a good officer unless he was a born fool. But to think
of this man loaded with honors--though of a low origin--so lost to
self-respect as actually to take away the 'Athenaeum' paper! These
parvenus, sir, betray their origin--betray their origin. I said to my
wife this very morning, 'Mrs. Jawkins,' I said, 'there is talk of a
testimonial to this man. I will not give one shilling. I have no idea
of raising statues to fellows who take away Club paper. No, by George, I
have not. Why, they will be raising statues to men who take Club spoons
next! Not one penny of MY money shall they have!'"

And now, if you please, we will tell the real story which has furnished
this scandal to a newspaper, this tattle to Club gossips and loungers.
The Field-Marshal, wishing to make a further provision for a friend,
informed his lawyer what he desired to do. The lawyer, a member of the
"Athenaeum Club," there wrote the draft of such a codicil as he would
advise, and sent the paper by the post to Lord Clyde at Chatham. Lord
Clyde finding the paper perfectly satisfactory, signed it and sent it
back: and hence we have the story of "the codicil bearing the signature
of Clyde, F. M., and written, strange to say, upon paper bearing the
'Athenaeum Club' mark."

Here I have been imagining a dialogue between a half-dozen gossips such
as congregate round a Club fireplace of an afternoon. I wonder how many
people besides--whether any chance reader of this very page has read
and believed this story about the good old lord? Have the country papers
copied the anecdote, and our "own correspondents" made their remarks on
it? If, my good sir, or madam, you have read it and credited it, don't
you own to a