I PROMISE TO PAY.” 
come to a crisis so very suddenly that B has 
heard nothing about it, has never heard that he has 
been declared, or declared himself, insolvent, has 
passed through the court, and come out whitewashed, 
paying all his creditors a dividend of one shilling in 
the pound. B not having been aware of this state 
of matters, in fact, having heard nothing about it until 
too late, of course had made no claim and had of 
course not even received his twenty shillings, in 
place of twenty pounds. However he writes C, com- 
plaining bitterly of this treatment, and gets no reply 
at all, or, if he does, a very stiff formal one, stating 
that he (C) was not to blame ; B should have made 
liis claim. He is clear, and started afresh, and can- 
not take any notice of these old trifling affairs, 
B now considers the affair quite hopeless, and puts 
the note away in a back drawer, out of sight, but 
he cannot get it out of mind : in the instance it is 
not -a case “out of sight out of mind,” for, whemver 
he opens that drawer on any business whatever, that 
promissory note is sure to present itself to his sight, 
taunting him with the falsehood, “ I promise to pay.” 
He is “hard up,” his creditors bother and threaten 
him, and all for a paltry twenty pounds. Yet there 
is a X)aper within his grasp most candidly stating 
that twen y pounds is his due, even promising to 
pay ]}im the amount, notwithstanding which it is 
seemingly worth no more of no more use than just 
light Ins pipe with. He can’t stand this any longer, 
lie tears it up, and consigns it to the flames. “Now,” 
says he, “you’ll torment me no more.” Years pass 
away, when a name is mentioned that makes him 
start. A’s name is mentioned as a fellow who did 
no good in (’eylon, but he seems to have been suc- 
cessful else who 10, for they say, “He has made a lot 
of money at the Straits of Belleisle, where he had 
been a wliile.” B now thinks he has been rather 
rasli in the matter of the note, and wished be had 
kept it, but wishes won’t bring bring back its ashes 
and restore time to the state of a protested promis- 
sory note ! If wishes could redeem the results or every, 
or any, rash or foolish action, what a fine thing it 
would be, to be always in possession of a good stock 
of wi-hes, bottled up for all and every sundry re- 
quirements ! But as wishes cannot do this, it is no 
use mourning and lamenting, making one’s seif miser- 
able and unhappy by indulging in the very common 
lament. “If I Lad only known ! Oh ! I wish I had 
net done this or that ! ” Dry your tears, and act, 
for all the tears ever shed in the world will never 
compensate you, but a good sober matter-of-fact 
action may. Write, and explain the whole circum- 
