that tenderness, which looks so strange and so
discreditable in your eyes. It is rather a curious anecdote, sir, and
has an interest, I think, for all observers of human nature quite apart
from its connection with the unhappy man of whom we have been talking.
You young gentlemen," continued Mr. Trowbridge, addressing himself to us
juniors, "have heard of Fauntleroy, though he sinned and suffered, and
shocked all England long before your time?"

We answered that we had certainly heard of him as one of the famous
criminals of his day. We knew that he had been a partner in a great
London banking-house; that he had not led a very virtuous life; that he
had possessed himself, by forgery, of trust-moneys which he was doubly
bound to respect; and that he had been hanged for his offense, in the
year eighteen hundred and twenty-four, when the gallows was still set up
for other crimes than murder, and when Jack Ketch was in fashion as one
of the hard-working reformers of the age.

"Very good," said Mr. Trowbridge. "You both of you know quite enough
of Fauntleroy to be interested in what I am going to tell you. When the
bottles have been round the table, I will start with my story."

The bottles went round--claret for the degenerate youngsters; port
for the sterling, steady-headed, middle-aged gentlemen. Mr. Trowbridge
sipped his wine--meditated a little--sipped again--and started with the
promised anecdote in these terms:

CHAPTER II.

WHAT I am going to tell you, gentlemen, happened when I was a very young
man, and when I was just setting up in business on my own account.

My father had been well acquainted for many years with Mr. Fauntleroy,
of the famous London banking firm of Marsh, Stracey, Fauntleroy &
Graham. Thinking it might be of some future service to me to make
my position known to a great man in the commercial world, my father
mentioned to his highly-respected friend that I was about to start in
business for myself in a very small way, and with very little money. Mr.
Fauntleroy received the intimation with a kind appearance of interest,
and said that he would have his eye on me. I expected from this that he
would wait to see if I could keep on my legs at starting, and that, if
he found I succeeded pretty well, he would then help me forward if it
lay in his power. As events turned out, he proved to be a far better
friend than that, and he soon showed me that I had very much underrated
the hearty and generous