aware (we knew our neighbours' affairs
so well about innocent Enderley), there was not a single household of
that merry little company upon whom, near or remote, the blow would not
fall--except ours.

No polite disguise could gloss over the general consternation. Few
thought of Jessop--only of themselves. Many a father turned pale; many
a mother melted into smothered tears. More than one honest countenance
that five minutes before had beamed like the rising sun, all
friendliness and jocularity, I saw shrink into a wizened, worldly face
with greedy selfishness peering out of the corners of its eyes, eager
to conceal its own alarms and dive as far as possible into the terrors
of its neighbours.

"There will be a run on Jessop's bank to-morrow," I heard one person
saying; glancing to where the poor old banker still sat, with a vacant,
stupefied smile, assuring all around him that "nothing had happened;
really, nothing."

"A run? I suppose so. Then it will be 'Sauve qui peut,' and the devil
take the hindmost."

"What say you to all this, Mr. Halifax?"

John still kept his place. He sat perfectly quiet, and had never
spoken a syllable.

When Sir Herbert, who was the first to recover from the shock of these
ill-tidings, called him by his name, Mr. Halifax looked quickly up. It
was to see, instead of those two lines of happy faces, faces already
gathering in troubled groups, faces angry, sullen, or miserable, all of
which, with a vague distrust, seemed instinctively turned upon him.

"Mr. Halifax," said the baronet, and one could see how, in spite of his
steadfast politeness, he too was not without his anxieties--"this is an
unpleasant breaking-in upon your kindly hospitalities. I suppose,
through this unpropitious event, each of us must make up our minds to
some loss. Let me hope yours will be trifling."

John made no answer.

"Or, perhaps--though I can hardly hope anything so fortunate--perhaps
this failure will not affect you at all?"

He waited--as did many others, for Mr. Halifax's reply; which was long
in coming. However, since all seemed to expect it, it did come at
last; but grave and sad as if it were the announcement of some great
misfortune.

"No, Sir Herbert; it will not affect me at all."

Sir Herbert, and not he alone--looked surprised--uneasily surprised.
Some mutters there were of "congratulation." Then arose a troubled
murmur of talking, in which the master of the house was forgotte