rled at the mustachioed strangers, calling
out, at the same time, for additional physical force. The astonished
Italians, however, were not long, after that, in finding the important
documents they looked for, which explained all. The Baron begged the
strangers' pardon for the unintentional insult, and was heard to
articulate to himself, "Poor unhappy me! a victim to nervousness and
fancy's terrors! and all because of my money!"

Rothschild's mode of doing business when engaging in large transactions
(says Mr. Grant) was this. Supposing he possessed exclusively, which he
often did, a day or two before it could be generally known, intelligence
of some event, which had occurred in any part of the Continent,
sufficiently important to cause a rise in the French funds, and through
them on the English funds, he would empower the brokers he usually
employed to sell out stock, say to the amount of L500,000. The news
spread in a moment that Rothschild was selling out, and a general alarm
followed. Every one apprehended that he had received intelligence from
some foreign part of some important event which would produce a fall in
prices. As might, under such circumstances, be expected, all became
sellers at once. This, of necessity, caused the funds, to use Stock
Exchange phraseology, "to tumble down at a fearful rate." Next day, when
they had fallen, perhaps, one or two per cent., he would make purchases,
say to the amount of L1,500,000, taking care, however, to employ a
number of brokers whom he was not in the habit of employing, and
commissioning each to purchase to a certain extent, and giving all of
them strict orders to preserve secrecy in the matter. Each of the
persons so employed was, by this means, ignorant of the commission given
to the others. Had it been known the purchases were made by him, there
would have been as great and sudden a rise in the prices as there had
been in the fall, so that he could not purchase to the intended extent
on such advantageous terms. On the third day, perhaps, the intelligence
which had been expected by the jobbers to be unfavourable arrived, and,
instead of being so, turned out to be highly favourable. Prices
instantaneously rise again, and possibly they may get one and a-half or
even two per cent. higher than they were when he sold out his L500,000.
He now sells out, at the advanced price, the entire L1,500,000 he had
purchased at the reduced prices. The gains by such extensive
transact