replies to such advice, and I have attributed his
silence to his nervousness; but I begin to suspect he has'nt quite
understood me on such occasions. Then again, when Twigsmith declared he
was a ruined man, in consequence of my refusal of further advances, and
that he should be unable to provide for his family, I said: 'Why,
Twigsmith, retire to one of your country seats, and live on the interest
of some canal or other, or discount bonds and mortgages for the country
banks.' Actually, I heard Twigsmith mutter as he went out, that it
wasn't right to insult a man's poverty. Now I hadn't the remotest idea
of injuring Twigsmith's feelings, for he was a very clever fellow, and
we made a good thing out of him in his time, but it seems that my advice
might not have been properly grounded.

It begins to occur to me that there _may_ be such a case as that a man
may want something, and not be able to get it; and again, that at such a
time a weak mind may complain, and grow discouraged, and make itself
disagreeable to others.

There is a set of old fellows who call themselves family men, and apply
for discounts as if they had a right to them, by reason of their having
families to provide for. I have never yet been able to see the logical
sequence of their conclusions, and so I tell them. What right does it
give anybody to my money that he has a wife, six children, and lives in
a large house with three nursery-maids, a cook, and a boy to clean the
knives? 'Limit your expenses,' I say to these respectable gentlemen, 'do
as I do. When Jennings comes to me on Monday morning, and reports that
the receipts of the week will be eighty millions, exclusive of the
Labrador coupons, which, if paid, will be eighty millions more, I say,
'Jennings, discount seventy, and don't encroach upon the reserves; you
may however let Boscobello have ten on call.' This is true philosophy;
adapt your outlay to your income, and you will never be in trouble, or
go begging for loans. If the Bank of England had always managed in this
way, they wouldn't have been obliged to call on our house for assistance
during the Irish famine.'

These family men invite me to their wives' parties, constantly,
unremittingly. The billets sometimes reach my desk, although I have
given orders to put them all into the waste basket unopened. I went to
one of these parties, only one, I give you my honor as a gentleman, and
after Twigsmith and his horrid wife had almost wrung my han