they were of my ability to
dispose of the bonds successfully, and also of my good faith; and,
furthermore, told me I was the only man they would have trusted. Of
course, they had no security save my word, for under the circumstances
they could hardly ask me for a receipt, and even had I given one it
would have been valueless had I chosen to retain the proceeds of the
bonds. Thus, becoming the important member of the firm, I told them to
produce the securities and I would sail immediately. It was finally
settled that I should go by the steamer Russia of the Cunard line, which
was down for sailing at 7 a.m. Wednesday, and they were to deliver the
bonds to me on Tuesday night. Upon my demanding cash to pay expenses,
their faces fell, but quickly brightened when I told them to give me a
thousand-dollar bond and I would borrow that amount from a friend, using
it for security. There was no danger of the number of the bond being
inspected, and, of course, I would pay the note upon my return and
receive the bond again.

[Illustration: WALL STREET AND SOME OF ITS CHARACTERS IN MY TIME.--Page
26.]

They told me many amusing lies as to how the securities came into their
possession, and as to who were the rightful owners. The truth was, as I
afterward learned, they were a part of the stolen Lord bonds.

Bonds issued by our Government and held in Europe, chiefly in Holland
and Germany, were so enormous in volume and passed so freely from hand
to hand, that it was easy for a well-dressed, business-appearing man to
sell any quantity, even if stolen, as by law the innocent holder could
not be deprived of them. One great advantage a dishonest man had at that
date in Europe, especially an American, was that if he dressed well they
considered he must be a gentleman, and if he had money that was a proof
of respectability--one they never thought of questioning, nor how he
came by it; then, again, it was an article of their creed that all
Americans are rich.

The next morning (Tuesday), Irving met me near the Exchange, and, with
some trepidation, drew from an inner pocket an envelope containing the
thousand-dollar bond. Without waiting to examine it, I walked off,
saying: "I'll be back in ten minutes." He was evidently alarmed, and,
like all rogues, suspicious of every one. He probably had some wild idea
that I was laying a trap for him. In his ignorance of money methods he
thought it would be a long, perhaps difficult, negotiation to b