JOHN JAMES AUDTJBON 107 

 respectfully in our hands. I stepped 

 forward, and with a bow tendered my 

 credentials. 'Pray, sir, 7 said the man 

 of golden consequence, ' is this a letter of 

 business, or is it a mere letter of intro- 

 duction f ' This I could not well answer, 

 for I had not read the contents of it, and 

 I was forced to answer rather awkwardly, 

 that I could not tell. The banker then 

 opened the letter, read it with the man- 

 ner of one who was looking only at the 

 temporal side of things, and after reading 

 it said, * This is only a letter of intro- 

 duction, and I expect from its contents 

 that you are the publisher of some book 

 or other and need my subscription. J 



u Had a man the size of a mountain 

 spoken to me in that arrogant style in 

 America, I should have indignantly re- 

 sented it ; but where I then was it 

 seemed best to swallow and digest it as 

 well as I could. So in reply to the of- 

 fensive arrogance of the banker, I said I 

 should be honoured by his subscription to 



