An Eye to Business. 103 



sympathies have proved to be perfectly well matched, 

 and the choice so rapidly made has turned out a 

 long success in the many years of happiness they 

 have enjoyed together. 



Some little time after their marriage Robertson, 

 having to make a business excursion to London, first 

 took his wife to pay a visit to her father in the Isle of 

 Man. When in London he went into a shop to 

 purchase a few things to take home for presents, but 

 was induced to buy more than he had intended, 

 including amongst his purchases a musical box, a 

 barometer, and a glass chandelier. On his return 

 home a customer came in and took a fancy to the 

 musical box and the barometer, and purchased them 

 both, as well as one or two of the other things, and 

 the presents were disposed of before they could be 

 given to the persons for whom they were intended. 

 Indeed, it seems to have become a joke against Mr. 

 Robertson, that no present, even after it had been 

 bestowed, was safe, if it happened to attract the eye 

 of a customer willing to purchase it. However that 

 may be, what happened in the instance above men- 

 tioned gave occasion for another order larger than 

 the first, and the orders were repeated several times, 

 becoming larger and larger and more varied, till at 

 last, as most of the goods were not in keeping with 

 the glass and china, a small separate department was 

 made for their reception. This increased so much, 

 that at length an independent warehouse was provided 

 for this branch of trade. At first the goods were 

 mostly from London, and were chiefly of a fancy 

 character, but they soon drifted into supplying 



