SOME GENTLEMAN'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 165 



collar, don't let him stiffen his traces. Keep him in hand, so as to 

 ensure his getting over the stage at the average rate of the working 

 part of your team. 



The banker frequently cast his eyes on me over his shoulder, and 

 having been unfortunate the victim of circumstances and coinci- 

 dencesI felt infelicitous beneath his penetrating glance. But as 

 the sun rose above the eastern hills behind us, and cast his rosy efful- 

 gence on the broad brow of Ralph's particular friend, when it was 

 from time to time turned towards me, a new spirit animated me : in 

 the conscious majesty of innocence, I threw off the coachman's coat, 

 and fully revealed my features, for I could no longer submit to such 

 evident suspicions. The banker gazed at me long and critically I 

 met his glance with the adamantine apathy of a Stoic. He was 

 overwhelmed with confusion. " Sir," said he, after a pause, " I 

 have to beg your pardon. To be quite candid, ideas within the last 

 hour or so have entered my mind that you were identical with a cer- 

 tain scoundrel who some years since fleeced me and my banking 

 brethren on the western road, to an enormous amount. I see my 

 error, and gladly apologize. The fellow, as I this instant recollect, 

 squinted." (Now be it known, such is my infirmity, that sometimes 

 I squint, and sometimes I don't, just as it happens.) "As," continued 

 the banker, " squinting is perfectly incurable, except in infancy, it is 

 quite clear that I have mistaken you for another man ; and, as he was 

 one of the most consummate rascals in existence, of course I am in 

 duty bound to apologize for having laboured, even during a single 

 instant, under so gross a misapprehension." 



To have discouraged his advances not to have listened to his 

 story of the achievements of the gentleman with whom he had inno- 

 cently confounded me, however I might have felt, would have been 

 in bad taste. " The person I alluded to, sir," said he, (( came west- 

 ward, just after writs had been issued for a general election. He 

 travelled with his wife and child the former handsome, but aristo- 

 cratic, the latter beautiful and interesting but, mark me, dumb.. 

 After having breakfasted at the head inn of the town, where Mr. 

 I forget his name, but we'll call him Jones thought proper to com- 

 mence operations, he asked the landlord who were the principal 

 bankers of the place ? e There is but one firm, sir/ was the reply, 

 ' and their office is opposite.' ' So near; perhaps, then, as my gout 

 is so distressing (his left foot was bandaged, and he walked with a 

 crutch), one of the partners would favour me with a short visit, if 

 you would see him yourself, with my compliments.' ' Certainly, 

 sir/ ' And be so good as order the horses to be put to I shall be 

 off in five minutes.' In a brief space one of the partners was intro- 

 duced. * Sir,' said Mr. Jones, f I'm much obliged for your kind 

 consideration j my business is short : I am in this part of the country 

 on election matters, and it appears that Bank of England paper is 

 received with great reluctance hereabouts.' ' The people, sir, have 

 so long been accustomed to local notes, of which the circulation prin- 

 cipally consists, that' ' So I find ; and I will, therefore, beg you 

 to oblige me with your own paper for a couple of hundreds/ So 

 saying, Mr. Jones threw four fifty pound Bank of England notes on 



