s, and went out, as I have
said. Some minutes passed before I heard the rustle of Mrs. Dewey's
garments. There was the air of one disturbed and ill at ease about her,
when she entered; and though she made an effort to seem pleased, all was
forced work. Poor woman! The path she selected to walk in through the
world has proved rough and thorny, I fear, beyond any thing dreamed of
in her young imagination."

CHAPTER XXI.

Weeks passed after this second visit to the Allen House, but the call
was not returned by Mrs. Dewey. We talked the matter over, occasionally,
and concluded that, for some reason best known to herself, the friendly
overtures of Constance were not agreeable to the lady. She was not often
seen abroad, and when she did appear, the closed windows of her carriage
usually hid her face from careful observation.

Of late, Mr. Dewey was away from S----more than usual, business
connected with the firm of which he was a member requiring his frequent
presence in New York. He did not remain absent over two or three days at
a time.

Nearly opposite to where I resided lived Mr. Joshua Kling, the Cashier
of the new Clinton Bank. He and Mr. Dewey seemed to be on particularly
friendly terms. Often I noticed the visits of Mr. Dewey to the Cashier's
house after bank hours, and many times in paying evening calls would I
meet the two gentlemen, arm in arm, engaged in close conversation.

It was pretty generally understood in S----that the Clinton Bank was
in the hands or parties in New York, and that a large proportion of the
discounts made were of paper bearing the endorsement of Floyd, Lawson,
Lee, & Co., which was passed by the directors as the legitimate business
paper received by that house in its extensive business operations; or of
paper drawn to the order of John Floyd & Co., given in payment of goods
manufactured at the mills in S----. It was also generally conceded that
as, through their partner, Mr. Dewey, this firm of Floyd, Lawson, Lee,
& Co., had invested a large amount of capital in S----, and by their
liberality and enterprise greatly benefited the town, they were
entitled to all the favors it was in the power of the bank to give; more
particularly as the firm was one of great wealth--"solid as gold"--and
the interests of the stockholders would, therefore, be best served by
keeping the line of discount mainly in so safe a channel.

Now and then a disappointed storekeeper, whose small offerings wer