twelve days left me in which to find one
hundred pounds, or else make up my mind to be
lodged in Whitecross-street, unless I preferred
an execution being put in my house, and
perhaps three hundred pounds' worth of furniture
being taken to pay a debt of one hundred
pounds.

Here, then, commenced my troubles—not
that I thought at first there would be any difficulty
in the matter. For did I not, in common
with all the hundreds of thousands who read the
Times, Post, Daily Telegraph, and other papers,
see announced every morning, in some half-dozen
advertisements, that money can be had almost
for the asking? I took the first of these
advertisements that came to hand, and learnt "THAT
MERCHANTS, TRADESMEN, AND GENTLEMEN, IN
POSITIVE EMPLOYMENT, CAN HAVE CASH
ADVANCED UPON THEIR PROMISSORY NOTE ALONE,
WITHOUT SURETIES, BILLS OF SALE, OR SECURITY
OF ANY DESCRIPTION. ALL INQUIRIES AND
REFERENCES ENTIRELY DISPENSED WITH, AND THE
GREATEST CONFIDENCE OBSERVED. NO CHARGE
WHATEVER UNTIL THE MONEY BE ADVANCED.
APPLY PERSONALLY, &C. &C."

Here, thought I, is the very thing for me.
I believe I am "a gentleman," I know that I
am "in positive employment," and so it will
follow, as a matter of course, that I can have
"cash advanced upon my promissory note
alone." But I was doomed to be soon
undeceived.

I proceeded to the place named, which was at
the office of a Loan Society in the City. Upon
entering, I was shown in to the secretary, who
in his manner was politeness itself, and at once
proceeded to business.

"What sum did I require?" "Was I a
householder?" "Was my furniture my own?"
"Was it paid for?" "What did I require the
money for?" "Had I any other debts, and of
what amount?" "What was the amount of my
income?" "From what source was it paid?"
"Had I any property independent of my salary?"
All these questions were asked me, and my
replies written down there and then. Having
done this, the polite secretary informed me that
a "gentleman from their office would wait upon
me next morning at my house, and that if his
report was favourable, I could have a cheque
for the money on the following day, if I would
call again about noon." Our interview was all
over in ten minutes or less, and I was politely
bowed out of the office.

Early on the following morning, at my own
house, a gentleman was announced as wishing
to see me. He introduced himself as Mr.
So-and-so, sent by the Secretary of the Loan
Society. Like the chief of his office, no one
could be more gentlemanlike in his manners, or
more prompt in his way of doing business, than
was this young man. As regards the furniture,
he merely glanced at what he saw in the
drawing-room, but did not ask to be shown any other
apartment in the house. He requested me to
show him my agreement with my landlord, and
my receipts for rent, taxes, and rates, of all of
which he made notes, and took his leave, begging
me to call at the office the next day about noon,
when I believed that I would "find no difficulty"
in obtaining the loan I required. He was not
more than a quarter of an hour in the house
altogether.

Accordingly at twelve o'clock on the following
day I presented myself at the Loan Office,
and was at once shown in to the very civil
secretary, who on this occasion was more polite
than ever, and, according to his excellent habit,
at once proceeded to business.

"We have no objection, Mr. Jones," said
he, "to advance you the money you require,
but our terms are high, for we do a very
risky business. Moreover, in addition to your
own note of hand, we shall require a Bill of
Sale over your furniture. If you agree to our
terms, all the necessary papers can be signed
and witnessed here at once, and you can have a
cheque for the money in ten minutes' time."

To a man with a writ hanging over him, the
prospect of a cheque "in ten minutes' time"
was both pleasant and tempting, but being born
north of the Tweed, I desired to look more
closely into the business before I committed
myself further. Moreover, I objected to the
Bill of Sale upon my furniture for two reasons.
In the first place, although partially, the furniture
was not wholly paid for. In the next place,
I knew that all Bills of Sale must be registered,
and that most registrations, being published
weekly in certain mercantile journals, tend very
greatly to damage the character of those on
whose property, or goods, the Bills of Sale are
made. To this the very civil secretary replied
that as, although not entirely paid for, the
furniture was to all intents and purposes my
own, there would be nothing dishonest or
dishonourable in giving a Bill of Sale upon it.
I could not quite see the logic of this argument,
but did not make any reply for the present.
As for the registration of the Bill of Sale, he
assured me that nothing of the kind was intended.
The Bill of Sale would be kept by the Loan
Society, and only registered in the event of my
failing to make the payments I had entered into
at the required time. Being so far satisfied—
although by no means altogether so—I then
looked closer into the other terms propounded to
me for the proposed loan.

I was to give four notes of hand of twenty-five
pounds each, payable at one, two, three, and
four months respectively, in addition to the Bill
of Sale. Should I fail in any one of my
payments, the Loan Society would have full power
to sweep down upon my house, and take everything
out of it. For these four notes of hand
I was to receive a cheque for eighty-four pounds
—sixteen pounds being deducted for interest
and expenses. I was thus to pay at the rate of
forty-eight per cent per annum for the loan of
one hundred pounds; but, as after one month I
was to pay back twenty-five pounds, I should
then be paying interest at the rate of forty-eight
pounds for seventy-five; and as after two
months supposing my instalments to be duly