582 City Sketches. 



> he thought that, did he ?" growled Blunt, " then he was 

 a fool for his pains. Now, I'll convince you of the contrary. His 

 debts, I perceive, are something less than 2,500/ he owes me 500/. 

 There, take that amongst you, it will give you a composition of twelve- 

 and-sixpence in the pound." 



Here a drumming on the table performed by the knuckles of the 

 creditors at large saluted old Blunt, and they severally arose and 

 shook hands with the insolvent. But Messrs. Eager, Grasp, and 

 Shark, maintained a profound silence. 



" What say you, gentlemen 1'> enquired Blunt. 



Messrs. Eager and Grasp now arose ; the former walking over 

 to Walton to sound him once more touching the Coventry connexion, 

 and the latter proceeding to insinuate to old Blunt the expediency 

 of Walton's exclusive preference of himself in his commercial transac- 

 tions. These several conferences were of short duration. Mr. Blunt 

 was overheard to say in answer to Grasp's pleadings, " What the 

 devil do you mean? sit down;'' whilst a shake of the head on the 

 part of Walton apprized the persevering Eager that his efforts were 

 jfruitless. 



But Shark had not been idle. He was waiting in the immediate 

 vicinity, and as soon as he saw that Walton had dismissed his man, 

 he pounced upon the insolvent, and drew him to the window. 



" Now, Walton, my good fellow, say the word : eighteen shillings 

 in the pound, and I sign the composition." 



"I cannot think of it : I am already overwhelmed by Mr. Blunt' s 

 goodness; but, if you like, I will communicate your proposition to 

 the creditors." 



" Not for the world not for the world," cried Shark, slinking 

 away. 



"Gentlemen," resumed Mr. Blunt, "I have great cause to be dis- 

 satisfied with Mr. Walton, but for nothing so much as for the con- 

 fidence he has placed in these three individuals," and he pointed to 

 Eager, Grasp, and Shark. 



" Would you believe it,'* he continued, " that Mr. Eager required 

 Walton, as a condition of his signing the composition, to relinquish 

 his best customer at Coventry that Mr. Grasp made it a sine qua non 

 that Walton should deal exclusively with him, and that Mr. Shark 

 could be satisfied with nothing less than eighteen shillings in the 

 pound, to be paid privately, and out of your pockets ?" 



A great sensation pervaded the meeting upon this announcement. 

 Mr. Shark, who looked like a tiger suddenly deprived of its prey, 

 rushed from the room ; Mr. Grasp, who seemed as though the floor 

 were giving way from under him, melted from their presence, and 

 Mr. Eager starting like a two-penny postman who discovers a letter 

 in his hand addressed to himself, suddenly bethought himself of some- 

 thing, and vanished. 



"And now, gentlemen," once more spoke Mr. Blunt, turning to 

 the body of creditors, " I am a man of few words. Come to me at my 

 house to-morrow, and you shall be paid in full, and so shall the rascals 

 who have just gone, although it's more than they deserve," and he 

 lugged the bewildered Walton into the street. 



