ot throw much
light on the matter, as the baby might easily have been kept below or
removed at night.

At last, after spending a week or ten days in fruitless inquiries, the
baron and his friend returned to France, the baron convinced in his own
mind that some hope of his child being safe still existed, a hope which
he dared not communicate to the baroness, but which, nevertheless,
lingered in his breast for many a long day.

(_To be continued._)

THE ROMANCE OF THE BANK OF ENGLAND;

OR,

THE OLD LADY OF THREADNEEDLE STREET.

BY EMMA BREWER.

INTRODUCTION.

A gentleman asked me the other day upon what subject I intended next to
write, and on telling him that the Editor had kindly permitted me to
deal with the Bank of England and the National Debt, he said, "Nonsense!
what do girls want to know about the Bank of England and the National
Debt? Let them be content to leave all such knowledge to men, and rest
satisfied if they get their dividends all right and know how to spend
them properly and keep out of debt."

He seemed to forget that to do even the little he permitted us would
require knowledge and education of a liberal character, and that without
these our desires might outrun our income, and getting into debt might
prove our normal condition.

A thorough knowledge of our circumstances is better than partial
blindness, and to see things all round and weigh them justly is better
than sitting with hands folded while men see and judge for us.

The subjects of the Bank of England and the National Debt are well worth
a study, and will not fail to afford us both varied and interesting
information.

Among other things they will tell us how the Bank of England came into
existence; what the nation did previous to its existence; how our
country came to have a debt which it has never been able to pay off, and
how it would prove a calamity if it were possible to pay it off
suddenly.

Again, we shall learn the meaning of "selling out" and "buying in"
money, and what is understood by "consols," "reduced threes," "stocks
going up and down," "a run upon the Bank," "panic," and many other such
terms.

There is no reason why girls should not be able to give answers to all
of these, and every reason why they should, seeing that an intimate
knowledge of these subjects is as much a part of our nation's history as
is the history of our kings and queens, our wars, and our institutions.

And even beyond this,