robably might wait a long time before an opening would
present itself more attractive than this at the sugar-refinery.

Godfrey Sherwood was a schoolfellow of his, but some two or three years
older; much good feeling existed between them, their tastes and tempers
having just that difference in similarity which is the surest bond of
friendship. Judged by his talk, Sherwood was all vigour, energy, fire;
his personal habits, on the other hand, inclined to tranquillity and
ease--a great reader, he loved the literature of romance and adventure,
knew by heart authors such as Malory and Froissart, had on his shelves
all the books of travel and adventure he could procure. As a boy he
seemed destined to any life save that of humdrum commerce, of which he
spoke with contempt and abhorrence; and there was no reason why he
should not have gratified his desire of seeing the world, of leading
what he called "the life of a man." Yet here he was, sitting each day
in a counting-house in Whitechapel, with nothing behind him but a few
rambles on the continent, and certainly with no immediate intention of
going far afield. His father's death left him in sole command of the
business, and his reasonable course would have been to retire from it
as soon as possible, for foreign competition was making itself felt in
the English trade, and many firms more solidly established than that in
Little Ailie Street had either come to grief or withdrawn from the
struggle. But Godfrey's inertia kept him in the familiar routine, with
day-to-day postponement of practical decision. When Warburton came back
from St. Kitts, and their friendship was renewed, Godfrey's talk gave
full play to his imaginative energies. Yes, yes, the refining business
was at a bad pass just now, but this was only temporary; those firms
that could weather the storm for a year or two longer would enter upon
a time of brilliant prosperity. Was it to be supposed that the
Government would allow a great industry to perish out of mere regard
for the fetish of Free Trade? City men with first-hand information
declared that "measures" were being prepared; in one way or another,
the English trade would be rescued and made triumphant over those
bounty-fed foreigners.

"Hold on?" cried Sherwood. "Of course I mean to hold on. There's
pleasure and honour in the thing. I enjoy the fight. I've had thoughts
of getting into Parliament, to speak for sugar. One might do worse, you
know. There'll be a