orrow
money on the bond, but, of course, I made short work of it; and "Jimmy"
was more than delighted when within the ten minutes I walked in with ten
one hundreds in my hand. A trifle like this made a great impression upon
Irving, and from that time on I had his entire confidence. Tuesday
evening I said good-bye to my mother, merely remarking in explanation of
my journey that I had a commission given me to execute in Europe.

Leaving her, I went to our rendezvous, near Broadway and Astor place,
where I found Irving, who handed me over his "boodle" (as he termed
it), remarking confidentially that I was to give him on my return his
share into his own hands; and, singularly enough, each of the others did
precisely the same thing. About 11 o'clock the other two came in, and
after some parley White handed over his bonds, and Stanley informed me
he would give me his on board before the steamer sailed the next
morning. I had already paid my bill and sent my baggage over to Jersey
City, so about midnight I set out, they accompanying me as far as the
ferry, and there, after shaking hands a half dozen times, we said
good-bye. Having bought my ticket and engaged my cabin, I went direct to
the steamer and went to bed. In the morning Stanley appeared and gave me
his bonds. Ten minutes later the hawsers were cast off and we were
steaming down the bay. Two hours later Fire Island sank beneath the
horizon, and we were alone on the sea.

Alone on the sea! and a fitting place to tell the story of a famous New
York bank robbery.

In the good old days when Bill Tweed was New York's owner, when Jim Fisk
was the proprietor of our judges and Kelso sat in Mulberry street, the
king of those good men, the police, who defend our lives and property,
this city became a spectacle to gods and men such as we thought then
could never be equaled. We thought so then, but we were not endowed with
second sight, nor with the gift of prophecy, or we might, perhaps, have
reserved our judgment. Still, our masters were a unique collection, and
if they have been equaled or surpassed since, they held with easy grasp
the pre-eminence among all American rulers who had shone and flourished
up to the time when those great men gave us new ideas upon the science
of government. The average and quiet citizen, shocked as he might be and
grumble as he did at the impudent plundering by our masters, their
contempt of public opinion and the cynical display of their luxury,