MR. HENRY PAD WICK. 



heard of ' A horse kicking, a dog biting, and a 

 gentleman's word without his handwriting ;' and I 

 should no doubt have had a proper stamped agree- 

 ment, attested by an independent witness. The 

 lesson, at all events, saved me £500 shortly after- 

 wards in another transaction I had with him, an 

 account of which will fitly find a place here. 



In my dealings with Mr. Padwick, I have been both 

 a borrower and a lender. His charge to strangers 

 was 50 per cent., rising sometimes, as in the case of 

 poor Starkey, to 500 per cent. ; but to friends he would 

 charge the not very unreasonable rate of 20 per cent. 

 He was willing himself to pay 10 per cent, for the 

 use of the needful funds, and at this rate I once lent 

 him £2,000 on his own bill of exchange. It was just 

 after Weatherbound had won the Cambridgeshire, 

 when I was of course in funds ; although I mention 

 the fact merely to show the method of repayment, and 

 that whilst it was easy enough to part with the money 

 in one sum, it was only recoverable in driblets, and 

 after considerable trouble in gaining repossession of it 

 at all. 



The last instalment of the loan, now represented 

 by his acceptance for £500, was falling due, when he 

 came all the way to Woodyates to settle it. As he 

 could just as readily have concluded the matter by 

 sending me, through the post, his own cheque crossed 

 to my banker, the method adopted somewhat excited 

 my suspicion, as in the end it served to create con- 



