king away
instead of adding to my capital in trade, which is light enough in all
conscience."

"There will be no trouble about that. Only an instalment of twenty
cents in the dollar will be necessary to set the institution going. And
not more than ten cents in the dollar will be called in at a time.
After two or three instalments have been paid, you can draw out
two-thirds of the amount on stock notes."

"Indeed! That's the way it's done?"

"Yes. You ought to take about a hundred shares, which will make it easy
for us to have you put into the Board of Directors."

"I'll do it," was the prompt response to this.

"And take my word for it, you will not be many months a bank director,
if you improve the opportunities that will be thrown in your way,
without having a good deal more money at your command than at present."

The charter for the People's Bank was obtained, and when an election
was held, Lawrence went in as a director. He had not held that position
many months, before, by favouring certain paper that was presented from
certain quarters, he got paper favoured that came from certain other
quarters; and in this was individually benefited by getting the use of
about fifteen thousand dollars additional capital, which came to him
really but not apparently from the bank in which he held a hundred
shares of stock. For the sake of appearances, he did not borrow back
his instalments on stock notes. It was a little matter, and would have
looked as if he were pressed for money.

From this time Sidney Lawrence became a financier, and plunged deep
into all the mysteries of money-raising. His business operations became
daily more and more extended, and he never appeared to be much pressed
for money. At the end of a couple of years, he held the office of
director in two banking institutions, and was president of an insurance
company that issued post-notes on which three per cent. was charged.
These notes, as the institution was in good credit, could readily be
passed through almost any bank in the city. They were loaned pretty
freely on individual credit, and also freely on real estate and other
collateral security.

It is hard to serve two masters. The mind of man is so constituted, and
the influences bearing upon it are so peculiar in their orderly
arrangements, that the more it is concentered upon one object and
pursuit, the more perfection and certainty attend its action. But if it
be divided between two objects an