26 THE COMPLETE SPORTSMAN 



he had a business appointment with old Lord 

 Guelderstein (better known, perhaps, to a former 

 generation as Sir Isaac Guelderstein, who made 

 that celebrated corner in Peruvian Guano, which 

 nearly caused an international European war). 



I must explain that Sir Noel was at this time 

 deeply interested in the flotation of a commercial 

 enterprise in which it was proposed by some 

 subtle process (which I have never pretended to 

 understand) to combine the advantages of a 

 Mutual Trust Society with the security of an 

 Insurance Company, and thus to appeal to that 

 large section of the public which has long grown 

 weary of seeing its speculations unwillingly con- 

 verted into investments. 



The main idea of the scheme was, I believe — 

 though I am singularly ignorant upon such 

 matters — to induce the widow and the orphan to 

 entrust the Company with their savings, and 

 thus to ensure themselves in their old age against 

 those burdens and responsibilities which are 

 proverbially attached to the possession of 

 wealth. It was my uncle's hope that in this way 

 the undertaking might prove financially pros- 

 perous, while the widow and the orphan should 

 enjoy a sufficient pittance to keep them alive 

 and contented, but not enough to make them 

 critical or exacting. 



He had already discussed the subject with 



