throwing it upon the table. "Give me the full amount in cash, and you may do what you like with it."

To his great surprise, Mr. Strafford, who had remained in the background hitherto, stepped forward, and taking up the paper, put it in his pocket, and then drawing forth a packet of banknotes, with which he had come provided, placed the money on the table, and bade Mr. Chaffin count it.

"I'll buy your shares," he said to Dean; "you can transfer them to me. I'll give you par for them."

Mr. Trimmer was very much shocked at the summary way in which the business had been settled. It would not do at all, he said; there must be a proper deed, with stamps, and duly executed. Conveyances could not be made and unmade in that summary manner. He would see that everything was properly done; and in the meantime the money should not have been paid; a deposit would have been sufficient. Mr. Chaffin also seemed to be rather taken aback. He wanted to know who Mr. Strafford was, and why he had interfered; but upon being satisfied that he had not himself any design upon the property, and that he had only acted out of friendship to Dean, he agreed to let the matter be as arranged. He had made his offer, and it had been accepted in the presence of witnesses, and he could not have retracted if he would. On the whole, he was not sorry to see the money back again, and looked upon Mr. Strafford as the latest instance of an old proverb, which was often upon his own lips, "A fool and his money are soon parted."

Joshua Dean could scarcely believe his good fortune as he left Chaffin's office and followed Mr. Strafford and his solicitor through the streets. His heart was swelling with gratitude, which he longed to express by word of mouth to his benefactor. As soon as they were alone in Mr. Trimmer's room he stepped up to the old squire and said:

"I'll redeem those bonds from you, sir, if you'll give me time.

What you have paid for them I'll pay again, sooner or later. I can never pay my debt, though, for your help to-day, and I don't want to. I shall remember it all my life, Mr. Strafford. You have made me an honest man again. Thank God for it! I must thank Him first for putting it into your heart to do it. Thank God, then; and thank you, too, sir. An honest man again I am before the wor-r-ld!"

"Shake hands, then, Dean!" said the squire; and they did so. It was a very hearty grip on both sides. Mr. Strafford's thin old hand shrivelled up in the pressure of the shipbuilder's broad palm, and he could not help wincing; but he did not complain.

CHAPTER XLVI.

A STORMY MEETING.

Fortune... turn thy wheel!-Shakespeare.

HE meeting of the Sandy Frith Improvement and Investment Society, Limited, to which Louis Darville and many other shareholders were looking forward with anxiety, was called, as it happened, for the day following that on which Mr. Strafford concluded his bargain with Chaffin in the summary and unprofessional manner described in our last chapter. It was held in a large new room or hall built upon the site of what had once been known as Walebone's. Walebone had been, it was supposed, the original proprietor of the coffee-house called after his name, but that was not in the recollection of any of those who frequented the new building. Speculation had assumed a wider range, bolder proportions, and a more elastic form altogether since the days of Walebone, and a coffee-house, however spacious, was quite inadequate to receive a body of shareholders, or to represent the interests concerned.

Wat Nay's had been purchased, therefore, by a company formed ir pus and a palatial edifice was rising in its place paint the mushaves of Mr. Chaffin. The great hall was at the luk of the praises, with committee-rooms adjoining, and walk diy de approached through a narrow passage, protected by banking evahead, the frontage, with its range of chambers a kung yet unfinished.

In one of those committee-rooms a meeting of directors is bing Held preliminary to the meeting of shareholders. Mr. Haller the chairman, Mr. Stride, the secretary, Mr. Oakenshore, Mr. Glimmers, and others are in attendance, looking nervous and our of sorts, for they have not a good report to give, and they want to make a further call, which they know Very well will not be agreeable to the shareholders. It has to be done, however, or the company must bring its operations to an end. They are used to this sort of thing, most of them being directors of two or three other companies. They are described in the prospectuses, as if that were a great recommendation, and an inducement to the public to trust them. Their hands being so full of business, they must of course, know what business is. Having a million or two of public money to look after already, they must be the better able to look after the subscriptions invited to a new company. Of course the several companies with whose concerns these gentlemen are credited are supposed to be in a flourishing state, or they would not be paraded in the advertisements. There may be others in the background in which they have a hand which have not done justice to the skill and care of their promoters, but these are, equally of course, not mentioned.

There is a great deal of excitement among the directors, as their number is increased from time to time by fresh arrivals, and they walk about the committee-room talking and gesticulating to each other.

"How is it," Mr. Oakenshore asks, "that water is to be had in abundance upon that particular little bit of freehold which Mr. Chaffin has managed to purchase, and nowhere else on the whole estate?"

"How is it," Mr. Oram inquires, "that Mr. Chaffin was allowed to become the owner of that property, which undoubtedly ought to have been secured to the company?"

"How does it happen," Mr. Glimmers wants to know, "that the question of water supply was not inquired into before the company expended so much money upon the estate?"

Everybody wants to know something, and nobody seems to be able or inclined to gratify the general curiosity. Everybody can ask questions, and nobody can answer them. They do not know how it is, or why it is, or where it is, or what will be the end of it. One thing they all know, and that is that there are some long bills to pay and no money to pay them with. There are plenty of shares which might be issued, but the public will not take them up; and they have extensive "borrowing powers," which is rather a misnomer in the present instance, because they are not able to make anybody lend, and two parties at least are necessary for a loan or a quarrel. The chairman at length takes his place at the head of a long table, and the directors draw their heavy, well-stuffed chairs to the board, and wait to hear what he is going to say. There is a liberal supply of paper-foolscap chiefly-placed before each chair, with foolscap envelopes to match: substantial inkglasses, goose-quills of the largest " barrels," heavy ivory paperknives, sealing-wax, red tape-everything, in fact, that it can be convenient for a director to use or for a stationer to supply, and everything of the most respectable kind; everything sound and substantial-more so, a great deal, than the company by and for whom they are provided.

The chairman commenced proceedings with some formalities essential to the occasion, and the secretary was invited to run over the heads of the report which was to be read at full length to the meeting.

"I want to know-" cried Mr. Oakenshore, before many sentences had been read.

"Order, gentlemen; order!"

"I wish to be informed-" cried Mr. Oram.

"Order, gentlemen; order!"

"I beg to suggest" said Mr. Glimmers.

"One at a time, gentlemen, if you please; and if you will allow our secretary to give you the heads of the report before offering any remarks it will be much more satisfactory."

They waited with evident impatience while Mr. Stride went on, but the result was not such as the chairman had predicted. Instead of being more satisfactory it seemed to be less so; and when at the conclusion the necessity of a further call was announced, there was a general expression of dissent. All their talking, however, came to nothing. The hour arrived at length at which they must appear in the great hall and give account of their doings before the shareholders, and, with a general conviction that they must make the best of it, the chairman led the way, and the other directors followed him.

It was not a large meeting; but in noise and excitement it made up for what was wanting in numbers. All went well until the report was nearly concluded. Several "oh's" were heard as it went on, and many grunts and other signals of discontent; and as soon as the concluding words, in which the necessity for a further call was announced, had been uttered, a storm of questions and remarks arose, as in the committee-room, two or three or more indignant shareholders speaking at the

same moment.

"It's all going out and no coming in," cried one.