The Merry Past 



Eventually a police officer was sent for, but her 

 ladyship did not brook his rebuke, and refusing to 

 obey his injunctions, he was proceeding to hand her 

 out, which creating some disturbance in her box 

 attracted general observation. Her ladyship addressed 

 the audience, and complained to them, saying 

 she came from a land of liberty to a country, 

 as she supposed, of freedom, and that the proceedings 

 now against her were worse than if the Bastille still 

 existed. The audience took fire in a moment, 

 loudly applauded her, and espoused her cause so 

 warmly that she took her seat again in triumph. 



The idea that the enterprise of women in commerce 

 and speculation is entirely modern is untrue. Women 

 have often been exceedingly shrewd shopkeepers. As 

 far back even as 1807 female money-lenders existed 

 in England, one of whom, Betsy Bell by name, would 

 seem to have been a very sharp customer. ' 



A tradesman being somewhat embarrassed in his 

 circumstances, and in need of some temporary as- 

 sistance, unfortunately met with one of this lady's 

 money-lending advertisements in a daily paper. He 

 applied to the address given, and there found the 

 business was entirely transacted by ladies. There 

 were the lady clerk, the lady book-keeper, the lady 

 money-lender, everything, indeed, except the lady 

 solicitor. Lured by the terms held out in the public 

 advertisement, he repaired to the house in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Cavendish Square, where he hoped to 

 obtain an accommodation on advantageous terms. 

 He was introduced to a lady, who proposed that he 



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