eption to the rule,
was one of the qualities which had not been included in the moral
composition of Mrs. Payson. She held firmly to her own narrowly
conscientious sense of her duty; stimulated by a natural indignation
against Amelius, who had bitterly disappointed her--against Rufus, who
had not scrupled to take up his defence. The two old friends parted in
coldness, for the first time in their lives.

Rufus returned to his hotel, to wait there for news from Amelius.

The day passed--and the one visitor who enlivened his solitude was
an American friend and correspondent, connected with the agency which
managed his affairs in England. The errand of this gentleman was to give
his client the soundest and speediest advice, relating to the investment
of money. Having indicated the safe and solid speculation, the
visitor added a warning word, relating to the plausible and dangerous
investments of the day. "For instance," he said, "there's that bank
started by Farnaby--"

"No need to warn me against Farnaby," Rufus interposed; "I wouldn't take
shares in his bank if he made me a present of them."

The American friend looked surprised. "Surely," he exclaimed, "you can't
have heard the news already! They don't even know it yet on the Stock
Exchange."

Rufus explained that he had only spoken under the influence of personal
prejudice against Mr. Farnaby.

"What's in the wind now?" he asked.

He was confidentially informed that a coming storm was in the wind: in
other words, that a serious discovery had been made at the bank. Some
time since, the directors had advanced a large sum of money to a man
in trade, under Mr. Farnaby's own guarantee. The man had just died;
and examination of his affairs showed that he had only received a few
hundred pounds, on condition of holding his tongue. The bulk of the
money had been traced to Mr. Farnaby himself, and had all been
swallowed up by his newspaper, his patent medicine, and his other rotten
speculations, apart from his own proper business. "You may not know it,"
the American friend concluded, "but the fact is, Farnaby rose from the
dregs. His bankruptcy is only a question of time--he will drop back to
the dregs; and, quite possibly, make his appearance to answer a criminal
charge in a court of law. I hear that Melton, whose credit has held up
the bank lately, is off to see his friend in Paris. They say Farnaby's
niece is a handsome girl, and Melton is sweet on her. Awkward for
Me