ge."

"And so you like it, Planner--eh?"

"Like it, sir"----

It was exactly a quarter to four o'clock when Planner put out his
bedroom candle, and Wedge tucked himself up as well as he could on the
hard horsehair sofa in Planner's sitting-room. Having enlarged upon the
_Pantamorphica_ speculation until the above unreasonable hour, it was
not deemed respectable for Mr Wedge to quit the banking-house on the
dark side of sunrise. The latter gentleman had worked himself up to such
a pitch of excitement in blowing out his bubble, that it was very nearly
six o'clock before he could be pronounced in a condition to say his
prayers like a rational being, and go to sleep. As for Planner, he had
heard too much to be quiet. He tossed his head on his pillow--turned
from side to side--sat up and lay down again at intervals, until the
break of day. He had resolved to take an active interest in this
glorious undertaking. Nothing should hinder him. Its returns must
necessarily be immense. He had promised Allcraft to enter into no
business foreign to the banking-house. But what of that? He should be
without an excuse for his blindness if he closed his eyes to the
advantages which stared him in the face. He would not be selfish.
Allcraft should share in the reward. He, who had acted so friendly a
part to him, should be repaid for his noble conduct. "Share and share
alike," should be his motto. And he would not hesitate or postpone his
intentions. He would look thoroughly into the affair at once, and go
boldly forward. It should be his pleasure and his pride to greet and
surprise his partner with the unexpected news the instant he returned.
Sweet are the visions of life, sleeping or waking. It is the substance
and the truth that pass like iron to the soul, and kill it. Poor
Planner!

CHAPTER V.

A LANDED PROPRIETOR.

After Michael had spent a month in France, he discovered that he must
still travel on, and still sacrifice time and exertion, if he hoped to
bring his unfortunate parent's affairs to a satisfactory issue. Many
things had happened since his arrival to give him great pain and
annoyance. In the first place, he had learned, with a sickening heart,
that the private debts of his father considerably exceeded in amount
those which had appeared in the testamentary memorandum. He had seen
with his own eyes his father's acknowledgment of liabilities, the
existence of which was thus revealed to him for the first time. In his
i