y, feel in their pockets, and see how much money they
can bring together in the world. "Well," says I, "with all my heart;"
and so we ended our talk for that time.

As this was in the morning, my spouse went out after dinner to his
goldsmith's, as he said, and about three hours after returns with a
porter and two large boxes with him; and his servant brought another
box, which I observed was almost as heavy as the two that the porter
brought, and made the poor fellow sweat heartily; he dismissed the
porter, and in a little while after went out again with his man, and
returning at night, brought another porter with more boxes and bundles,
and all was carried up, and put into a chamber, next to our bedchamber;
and in the morning he called for a pretty large round table, and began
to unpack.

When the boxes were opened, I found they were chiefly full of books, and
papers, and parchments, I mean books of accounts, and writings, and such
things as were in themselves of no moment to me, because I understood
them not; but I perceived he took them all out, and spread them about
him upon the table and chairs, and began to be very busy with them; so I
withdrew and left him; and he was indeed so busy among them, that he
never missed me till I had been gone a good while; but when he had gone
through all his papers, and come to open a little box, he called for me
again. "Now," says he, and called me his countess, "I am ready to answer
your first question; if you will sit down till I have opened this box,
we will see how it stands."

So we opened the box; there was in it indeed what I did not expect, for
I thought he had sunk his estate rather than raised it; but he produced
me in goldsmiths' bills, and stock in the English East India Company,
about sixteen thousand pounds sterling; then he gave into my hands nine
assignments upon the Bank of Lyons in France, and two upon the rents of
the town-house in Paris, amounting in the whole to 5800 crowns per
annum, or annual rent, as it is called there; and lastly, the sum of
30,000 rixdollars in the Bank of Amsterdam; besides some jewels and gold
in the box to the value of about L1500 or L1600, among which was a very
good necklace of pearl of about L200 value; and that he pulled out and
tied about my neck, telling me that should not be reckoned into the
account.

I was equally pleased and surprised, and it was with an inexpressible
joy that I saw him so rich.

"You might well tell me,