aved, and success become a surety.
But Mr. Wiles's functions as an advocate did not include murder; at
least, he was doubtful if it could be taxed as costs.

"We need have no fears, sir," resumed Mr. Gashwiler; "The matter is now
in the hands of the highest tribunal of appeal in the country. It
will meet, sir, with inflexible justice. I have already prepared some
remarks--"

"By the way," interrupted Wiles infelicitously, "where's your young
man,--your private secretary,--Dobbs?"

The Congressman for a moment looked confused. "He is not here. And I
must correct your error in applying that term to him. I have never put
my confidence in the hands of any one."

"But you introduced him to me as your secretary?"

"A mere honorary title, sir. A brevet rank. I might, it is true, have
thought to repose such a trust in him. But I was deceived, sir, as I
fear I am too apt to be when I permit my feelings as a man to overcome
my duty as an American legislator. Mr. Dobbs enjoyed my patronage and
the opportunity it gave me to introduce him into public life only to
abuse it. He became, I fear, deeply indebted. His extravagance was
unlimited, his ambition unbounded, but without, sir, a cash basis. I
advanced money to him from time to time upon the little property you
so generously extended to him for his services. But it was quickly
dissipated. Yet, sir, such is the ingratitude of man that his family
lately appealed to me for assistance. I felt it was necessary to
be stern, and I refused. I would not for the sake of his family say
anything, but I have missed, sir, books from my library. On the day
after he left, two volumes of Patent Office reports and a Blue Book of
Congress, purchased that day by me at a store on Pennsylvania avenue,
were MISSING,--missing! I had difficulty, sir, great difficulty in
keeping it from the papers!"

As Mr. Wiles had heard the story already from Gashwiler's acquaintances,
with more or less free comment on the gifted legislator's economy, he
could not help thinking that the difficulty had been great indeed. But
he only fixed his malevolent eye on Gashwiler and said:

"So he is gone, eh?"

"Yes."

"And you've made an enemy of him? That's bad."

Mr. Gashwiler tried to look dignifiedly unconcerned; but something in
his visitor's manner made him uneasy.

"I say it is bad, if you have. Listen. Before I left here, I found at a
boardinghouse where he had boarded, and still owed a bill, a trunk which