celebrated, and the renewal of love which for a time gave such
pleasure to the young lady's father, had no other effect than that
of making them in their subsequent quarrels more bitter than ever to
each other.

It was about midwinter when the circumstances now about to be
narrated took place. Mr. Brown had gone down to the neighbourhood of
Manchester for the purpose of making certain bona fide purchases of
coloured prints, and had there come to terms with a dealer. At this
time there was a strike among the factories, and the goods became
somewhat more scarce in the market, and, therefore, a trifle dearer
than was ordinarily the case. From this arose the fact that the
agreement made with Mr. Brown was not kept by the Lancashire house,
and that the firm in Bishopsgate was really subjected to a certain
amount of commercial ill-treatment.

"It is a cruel shame," said Mr. Brown--"a very cruel shame; when a
party in trade has undertaken a transaction with another party, no
consideration should hinder that party from being as good as his
word. A tradesman's word should be his bond." This purchase down
among the factories had been his own special work, and he had been
proud of it. He was, moreover, a man who could ill tolerate any
ill-usage from others. "Can't we do anything to 'em, George? Can't we
make 'em bankrupts?"

"If we could, what good would that do us?" said Robinson. "We must
put up with it."

"I'd bring an action against them," said Jones.

"And spend thirty or forty pounds with the lawyers," said Robinson.
"No; we will not be such fools as that. But we might advertise the
injury."

"Advertise the injury," said Mr. Brown, with his eyes wide open. By
this time he had begun to understand that the depth of his partner's
finesse was not to be fathomed by his own unaided intelligence.

"And spend as much money in that as with the lawyers," said Jones.

"Probably more," said Robinson, very calmly. "We promised the public
in our last week's circular that we should have these goods."

"Of course we did," said Mr. Brown; "and now the public will be
deceived!" And he lifted up his hands in horror at the thought.

"We'll advertise it," said Robinson again; and then for some short
space he sat with his head resting on his hands. "Yes, we'll
advertise it. Leave me for awhile, that I may compose the notices."

Mr. Brown, after gazing at him for a moment with a countenance on
which wonder and admiration were strongl