once, and who was to be responsible for the
advertising expenses, &c. The first was decided
in the affirmative; but as regards the latter
there was much difference of opinion. One
thing was very clear, that, although all the
gentlemen present looked upon the affair as a very
certain success, not above two—Lord Dunstraw
and Mr. Wood, the latter agreeing to everything
the former proposed—would either put
down, or be responsible for, a shilling of the
preliminary expenses. This was rather a stopper;
but nothing could be better or kinder than Lord
Dunstraw's behaviour. He offered to give his
cheque for two hundred pounds towards the
preliminary expenses, if his brother directors would
put down half that amount each. Although
backed up by Mr. Wood, who at once offered the
same amount as our chairman, as well as by Mr.
Wood's two friends, Mr. End and Mr. Rester,
not another director would put his hand in
his pocket; and the majority of them, headed
by Mr. Grass, strongly urged that, in order to
make our success a certainty, we should have
the company brought out under the auspices of
one of the financial associations. After a long
discussion, this was agreed to.

As the promoter of the undertaking, and as
not having yet made over the company to the
directors, I reserved to myself the right of
doing whatever seemed to me best in the
matter. The meeting broke up, all the
directors leaving except Mr. Grass, who asked
leave to write a letter in my chambers. When
his colleagues had taken their departure, this
gentleman reminded me that I had promised
if the undertaking had to be brought out by
any of the financial companies, the preference
would be given to that of which he was a
director, the " Universal Financial Association,"
and that he had my undertaking to this effect
in writing. Of course I replied that he need be
in no fear of my not standing by my words. At
the same time I saw why he had been so anxious
to hinder the other directors putting down their
names as responsible for the preliminary
expenses. No doubt he had an interest in getting
us into the hands of his financial association.
However, I said nothing, but with seeming
thankfulness accepted the letter of introduction
which he gave me to the general manager of the
Universal Finance, and the following morning I
proceeded to present it.

Mr. Scoften, who was at the head of the
office, was a very great man in his own
estimation. He kept me waiting at least an hour
before he could, or would see me; and even
then proceeded to "haw, haw" the whole affair
in a way which I could not understand, and
would not put up with. I left him abruptly,
and going home wrote an angry letter to Mr.
Grass, saying I had been so slighted by his
friend that I should the next day put myself
in communication with another office, and make
what arrangements I could with them. This very
decided note was the means of bringing the
great man to his senses. Before I was dressed
next morning, Mr. Grass was at my chambers,
and begged I would leave all negotiations with
the Universal Finance in his hands. To this I
consented; saying that if in three clear days I
did not get a decided answer, I should consider
the whole affair as at an end, and would apply
to some other finance office to take up the
business, and bring out the Rio Grande and
Mexico Grand Junction Railway Company.

Twenty-four hours saw Mr. Grass back at my
chambers with the reply of the Finance Association.
My astonishment at the quickness of his
movements was nothing compared with the
amazement with which I listened to what he
called "the excellent terms" he had made for me
with the Finance Company. In the first place, I
was privately to give to Mr. Scoften, the general
manager, a trifle of one thousand pounds, in shares
of the Rio Grande, just to make matters pleasant
for all parties. This was for himself. I was then
to pay the Universal Finance Company the sum
of five thousand pounds for bringing out the
company. For this fee they so far ensured our
success, that if the undertaking did not float,
they would pay all the preliminary expenses out
of their own funds. But if it did come out, and
we did proceed to an allotment of shares, they
were to get their five thousand pounds clear,
and it was to be the first charge paid out of the
deposit money. As a rider, the Finance
Association promised not only to float the Rio Grande
Railway, but to bring it out at not less than
two premium, and raise it by degrees to four
premium, when they would, at the proper time,
leave it to fall again. How we thus Worked
the Rio Grande Railway shall be shown next
week.

EVERY MAN'S POISON.

HE was a pale fat man, in whose face self-
sufficiency and querulousness struggled for
mastery. Self-sufficient when dwelling upon his
own merits, he became querulous directly we
questioned him as to the conduct of the poor.
He was the owner of small house property in
this fever-stricken district; and our party
comprised the late resident physician of the Fever
Hospital, the parochial medical officer of St.
Dragon-in-the-South, and their friend—myself.
We had been up decayed and rotting stairs, down
close and fœtid passages, over cellar kitchens
where men and women slept, and into sleeping
garrets where they worked, and lived, and ate,
and we were now pursuing our researches in
Cummin-street—a locality well known to the officers
of the Fever Hospital as furnishing them a
constant and fertile crop of patients—when in the
back yard of one of its miserable houses we
came upon the pale fat man.

The air of injured innocence with which he
vaunted the purity and abundance of the water
supply, made the delicate suggestion that perhaps
he was the landlord, appropriate enough. Yes,
seven of these houses were his—he was now
collecting the weekly rent—and a nice expensive job
he'd had with them! Taps to turn the water on.