so difficult to move by
mere suasion, but so prone to follow blindly in the wake of a senseless
rush, when once the rush takes place--began to move in the direction of
the toyshop, and shortly before Christmas the demand for toys was so
great, that Boone had to engage two assistants to carry on the business,
and even the lane itself began to feel the benefit of the sudden
increase of traffic.

All this was patent to the eyes of David Boone, but he was so
overwhelmed with a sense of the guilt he was about to incur, and the
deception he was even then practising, that he regarded the whole affair
as a hollow bubble, which would soon burst and leave nothing behind.
Even the rapid increase of the credit-balance in his bank-book did not
affect his opinion, for he was not much of a financier, and, knowing
that his transactions were founded on deception, he looked on the
balance as being deceptive also.

Not so thought Gorman. That wily individual perceived, to his
amazement, that things were taking a turn which had never been
contemplated, so he silently looked on and wondered, and chuckled and
resolved to abide his time.

As prosperity flowed in upon him, David Boone became more insane--for
his condition of mind was little, if at all, short of temporary
insanity--and his proceedings became more eccentric than ever. Among
other things, he became suddenly smitten with a desire to advertise, and
immediately in the columns of the tapers appeared advertisements to the
effect that "The Celebrated Toy Emporium" was to be found in Poorthing
Lane. Finding that this increased his business considerably, he hit
upon a plan of advertising which has been practised rather extensively
of late years in London. He sent out an army of boys with pots of
whitewash and brushes, with directions to print in rough but large
legible letters the words, "Who's Boone?" on all the blank walls of the
metropolis, and in the papers he answered the question by having printed
under the same title, "Why, the manager of the Toy Emporium, to be sure,
in Poorthing Lane." He also advertised specially that he had in stock,
"an assortment of 500 golden-haired dolls from Germany, full-dressed,
half-dressed, and naked."

This last was irresistible. Thousands of young hearts beat high at the
mere thought of such numbers--"with _golden_ hair too!" and dozens of
mammas, and papas too, visited Poorthing Lane in consequence.

In course of time David Boone's eyes