120 THE BANK ACCOUNTANT. 



her. But such a personification of David the King, at a 

 like mournful time, it is impossible to imagine. All the 

 strong man was bowed down. He wept, he mourned, 

 he fasted, he prayed. He entreated God for her life. 

 Yet when she was taken away, a calm and implicit sub- 

 mission to the Divine will succeeded, although still his 

 eyes were fountains of tears. Never again in the course 

 of his life was he thus affected. He was an affectionate 

 father, and some of his children were at times near death, 

 but he never again lost thus the calmness and dignity, 

 the natural equipoise, as it were, of his manhood.' This 

 was the first and the last poignant domestic sorrow 

 Miller experienced. He cut the little headstone for his 

 darling, and never again put chisel to stone. 



It contributed not a little to his happiness at this 

 period that his relations with Mr Ross, his superior in 

 the bank, were amicable and harmonious in the highest 

 degree. Several years after Hugh had terminated 

 his connection with the bank, he took occasion to bear 

 witness to the ' unvarying kindness ' he had experienced 

 from Mr Ross. During the five years when they worked 

 together he had not once heard from Mr R. l the slight- 

 est word of censure or of difference/ and this though his 

 place had been one of ' great trust and occasional difficulty/ 

 Nay, his acquaintance with the character of Mr Ross 

 heightened his appreciation of that of mercantile men as 

 a class. ' During the not inconsiderable period/ he says in 

 the dedication of a pamphlet to Mr Ross, ' in which I en- 

 joyed your confidence, I was conversant with the inner 

 details of your conduct in the various branches of trade 

 which you have prosecuted so long and so successfully, and 

 the effect has been to heighten my estimate of the important 

 class our men of merchandise and traffic to which you 

 belong. Of the many thousand transactions in which I 



