otions as to truthfulness occasionally carried him over difficulties
which would have been insurmountable by a man of more acute moral
sense.

His memory was very tenacious. I had once a very remarkable instance
of this. I was dining at the "Acorn" one Monday, and Smith was there.
He came to me after the cloth was cleared, and said, "Didn't I see you
at Vince's Chapel last night?" On my replying in the affirmative, he
began to eulogise the sermon, which he said he had repeated the night
before, word for word, to some friends at his house, after he got
home. Knowing his failing, I smiled incredulously, but he began
immediately to recite the sermon _verbatim_, and I verily believe that
he could have gone through the whole without a mistake of a single
word.

It is well known that he was often short of money. On one occasion he
wrote to George Edmonds, asking for a loan of seven pounds, adding,
"on Wednesday I will faithfully promise to repay you." Edmonds sent
the money, and on Wednesday called at Smith's office, expecting to be
repaid. After the usual civilities, Edmonds asked for the cash. Smith
affected to be ignorant, but on Edmonds saying, "Well, I've got your
note promising to repay me to-day," said, "Let's look at it, old
fellow; there must be some mistake." The note was produced, and after
reading it, Smith said, "I thought you must be wrong, and I find it
is so; this note says that 'on Wednesday I will'--what? Pay? No.
'Faithfully promise.' Well, I do now faithfully promise to repay you,
but Heaven knows when you'll get the money."

Some years ago one of the Banks brought an action against some one
who owed them money, and Smith was retained for the defence. He first
attempted to compromise the action, but he found that his client had
in some way so annoyed the directors and the manager, that they would
not entertain any proposition; the case therefore stood for trial
at Warwick Assizes. Smith hit upon a very novel expedient. He caused
subpoenas to be served upon every clerk in the bank and upon the
manager. The latter had what is technically called a _subpoena duces
tecum_, in virtue of which he was under an obligation to produce at
Warwick the whole of the books of the establishment. This caused great
dismay, it being seen that if the trial were to go on, the business of
the bank must be entirely suspended. The result was that Smith's terms
were accepted, and the action was settled.

During the "railway ma