his pocket to spare is
hardly ever seen. They all bank at Brown's. I daresay such of them as
are able overdraw. Private bankers who are anxious to do business offer
great facilities in this respect; but still there are many, chiefly poor
widows and sailors who make a little money in the summer, and they bank
it all. We have a church that is about to be enlarged, and the money
that has been raised for the purpose was placed in the bank, and we have
a few retired officers and tradesmen who have their money there. "They
ha' got 300 pounds of my money," said an angry farmer, as he banged away
at the closed door, on which a notice was suspended that, in consequence
of temporary difficulties, the bank had stopped payment for a few days.
"You might ha' given a fellow the hint to take out his money," said
another irritated individual to the manager, whom persistent knocking had
brought to the door. I was sorry for the manager; he always wore a smile
on his face. That smile had vanished as the last rose of summer. No one
in B--- was more upset than he was when the catastrophe occurred. Some
of the knowing ones in town had smelt a rat; one or two depositors had
drawn out very heavily. Our smiling manager had no conception of what
was to happen till, just as he was sitting down to his breakfast, with
his smiling wife and ruddy, fat-cheeked little ones, there came to him a
telegram from headquarters to the effect that he was not to open,
followed by a messenger with despatches of which he was as ignorant as
the merest ploughboy. I must say that in the headquarters the secret was
well kept, whatever the leakage elsewhere.

Coming back to B---, the bright little town seemed sitting in the shadow
of death. "Any news?" said I to the station-master as I got out of the
train. "Only that the bank is broke," was the reply. "Ah! that won't
matter to you," said one to me, "your friends will help you." In vain I
repeated that I had no friends. "Ah, well," said another, "you can work;
it is the old, the infirm, the sick, who are past work, for whom I am
sorry." And thus I am left to sleep off my losses as best I may, trying
to believe that the difficulty is only temporary, and positively assured
in some quarters that the bank will open all right next day. Alas! hope
tells a flattering tale. Next morning, after a decent interval, to show
that, like Dogberry, I am used to losses, I take my morning walk and
casually pass the ban