until they had disengaged themselves from the group round the coach. He and the young man came, though there was nothing to show this, from different grades of society, and the one was thirty years older than the other and some inches shorter. Yet there was a likeness. The lower part of the face in each was strong, and a certain brightness in the eyes, that was alertness in the younger man and keenness in the elder, told of a sanguine temperament; and they were both good-looking. “Swimmingly?” the traveller repeated when they had freed themselves from their immediate neighbors. “Well, if you choose to put it that way, yes. But, it’s wonderful, wonderful,” in a lower tone, as he paused an instant to acknowledge an acquaintance, “the state of things up there, my boy.” “Still rising?” “Rising as if things would never fall. And upon my word I don’t know why, with the marvellous progress everything is making—but I’ll tell you all that later. It’s a full market. Is Acherley at the bank?” “Yes, and Sir Charles. They came a little before time.” “Clement is with them, I suppose?” “Well, no, sir.” “Don’t say he’s away to-day!” in a tone of vexation. “I’m afraid he is,” Arthur admitted. “But they are all right. I offered Sir Charles the paper, but they preferred to wait outside.” “D——n!” muttered the other, nodding right and left. “Too bad of the boy! Too bad! No,” to the person who had lain in wait for Bourdillon and now put himself in their way, “I can’t stop now, Mr. Broadway.” “But, Mr. Ovington! Just a——” “Not now!” Ovington answered curtly. “Call to-morrow.” And when they had left the man behind, “What does he want?” “What they all want,” Arthur answered, smiling. “A good thing, sir.” “But he isn’t a customer.” “No, but he will be to-morrow,” the young man rejoined. “They are all agog. They’ve got it that you can make a man’s fortune by a word, and of course they want their fortunes made.” “Ah!” the other ejaculated drily. “But seriously, look about you, Arthur. Did you ever see a greater
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