ces, get partners for all the disengaged young
ladies, and stand up herself, if necessary, to complete the quadrille.
Finally, she must be above feeling any affront or mortification, and
learn to consider herself in the light in which she is commonly
regarded--a sort of machine pertaining to the bank: just as much a
part of the establishment, in fact, as the iron money-chest which
stands in the office, and created solely for the advantage and
convenience of her travelling country-people.

When the continental banker happens to have no wife, in his own person
must be united the attributes I have described; and with a beaming
face, and frank shake of the hand, must he advance from his desk to
greet every visitor who breaks in upon his hours of business. Let us
take a peep, for instance, one July morning, into the bank.

Two or three old _habitues_ are reading the newspapers; before them is
a table on which are army and navy lists; notices of the arrivals and
departures of the French and Peninsular Steam-Navigation Company's
packets from Leghorn; itineraries of the baths; cards of professors of
various languages, &c. The banker is writing. Enter a lady; a boy,
with turn-down collar and very red ears; a little girl in a nice hat;
a Swiss _bonne_; and a baby, with a blue sash and feather.

_Banker._ (_Advancing cordially._) Ah, Mrs Worryemwell, how do you do?
(_Pats the boy on the head._) And how are you, my fine fellow? (_Gives
the baby an amicable poke in the ribs, whereat it laughs and crows
uproariously._) Take a seat on the sofa, will you, Mrs Worryemwell;
and now, tell me, when did you leave Florence?

_Mrs Worryemwell._ The day before yesterday. We should have been here
sooner, but we missed the train for Lucca, because one of the trunks
was left behind at the Pisa station, and I would not move till it was
found.

_Banker._ (_Anxiously._) But you recovered it, I trust?

_Mrs W._ Yes; but we are in sad trouble now: a canister of arrow-root
must have remained on the Lucca Railway, and baby will get ill without
it. We had a good many small packages, and this one was overlooked in
the confusion; but--

_Banker._ (_Promptly._) I'll write to the clerk in charge at the
station about it at once.

_Mrs W._ Oh! thank you. I was going to ask you to do so. A brown,
japanned canister, fastened down with some strong twine.

_Banker._ Very good, very good. How do you like your house at the
Villa? I gave orders that the be