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"But I'm good for something," remonstrated the poor wretch, loth to be turned out into the street.

"You are good for nothing as a salesman, anyhow," retorted the principal, regarding him from his own selfish point of view.

"I am sure I can be useful," repeated the young man.

"How? tell me how."

"I don't know, sir; I don't know." "Nor do I ;" and the principal laughed as he saw the eagerness the lad displayed.

"Only don't put me away, sir; don't put me away. Try me at something besides selling; I cannot sell, I know I cannot sell."

"I know that, too; that is what is wrong."

"But I can make myself useful somehow. I know I can."

The blunt boy, who could not be turned into a salesman, and whose manner was so little captivating that he was nearly sent about his business, was accordingly tried at something else. He was placed in the counting-house, where his aptitude for figures soon showed itself, and in a few years he became, not only chief cashier in the concern, but eminent as an accountant throughout the country.

But the difficulty is to get into the right place. A man may waste the energies of a life-time before he finds himself in a proper sphere of action. A linen-draper, with whom we have the honour of a bowing acquaintance, began business on his own account in early life, but, so grievously did he lack the suaviter in modo, that customers but seldom darkened his door. A neighA neigh bour, equally idle as himself, was found; and the two hopefuls, from having nothing else to do, took to playing chess, at which game, through constant practice, our friend became an adept. The truth is, he had little trade, and he ate and drank such small profits as were made at it, and, in process of time, having exhausted his stock, he resorted to the general expedient of luckless. men and compounded with his creditors.

This little difficulty having been got over, he had a fair start once more, and, of course, he once more resumed his dolittle course. But circumstances brought an unlooked-for change. A younger brother of his, with not half the quantity of brains in his head, but with a large share of suavity, having borrowed a few hundred pounds from some confiding friend, opened a warehouse in the same city. From the outset, the attempt of this junior was a great success, and his time was so much taken up in general management, and in attending to sales and salesmen, that he found he really had no opportunity to go to the market to buy goods. In this dilemma he thought of his unemployed, idle, elder brother, and persuaded him to shut his profitless little boutique, and join him. He did so, and became buyer. Being a man of much sagacity and prudence, excellently adapted by natural shrewdness for a buyer, although he was unable to sell, he did his work to such purpose that the concern became noted for the excellency of its wares, and throve amazingly.

Perhaps it is not generally known that drapery establishments are conducted on such a scale of magnitude as they are in some large cities. In London, one house does business annually to the extent of two millions sterling in value. In one of the chief mercantile towns in Scotland, there is a concern that disposes of goods, yearly, amounting to a million sterling.

As a contrast to the unity that subsisted between the two brothers, whose fortunate career has just been touched upon, we shall state the case of another linen-drapery establishment in a provincial town, in which several brothers were interested, whose partnership was not equally happy. Differences having arisen between the brothers in the concern, the youngest, for reasons never well explained, seceded, and began an opposition business with a partner of his own choosing. They had not gone on long together when the partner, finding himself one day involved in a perplexed love-affair, took an unceremonious leave.

The credit of the house was shaken by such an untoward exposé. It became bankrupt; the effects belonging to the junior brother were all sold off by public auction; and, further, a certain day was fixed, on which his interest in the lease of the premises would also be sold. If he were permitted to retain the premises, the young man thought he could see his way to a possible redemption of his position; but, once deprived of them, he could only look forward to a life of poverty and humiliation. He had once been successful in his pursuits, although he was now overwhelmed with reverses, and he was a proud man-as proud as either of his rich brothers; yet he bent himself to write a note to the eldest, who was very rich, soliciting his aid and assistance to protect him from this final degradation. He added, it is said, a note at the bottom of his letter, to the effect that if his brother did not grant him what he asked he would most probably not further trouble him. To this note no answer was returned. It is alleged that the brother to whom it was addressed was out of town and did not receive it; and, on the other hand, it is said that the postscript had been regarded as savouring of a threat. The day so much dreaded at length arrived, and the property was duly knocked down by the auctioneer-sold. On the evening of the same day the unfortunate man shot himself through the heart. The family hushed up the tragic story.

The present mode of conducting the linen-drapery business is to have one price only, from which no deviation is made. But this is a modern innovation on the good old times, when higgling over a bargain was a common practice. The improvement was instituted by an eminent firm in the city, and from thence it naturally radiated to the outskirts, and thence to the provinces, where, however, it took many years to obtain a solid footing.

Long after the people of England had adopted the one-price system, the Scotch and Irish adhered to their old ways. In either Scotland or Ireland whatever

price was asked, an offer of less money was invariably made; a talkee followed; and sometimes, and sometimes not, a bargain was struck. A remarkable feature of difference might here be observed between the Scottish and the Irish character. If an Irishman offered a price in a shop for an article he wished to buy, and the linen-draper happened to accept the price he offered sharp off, the Milesian, although perhaps staggered in his judg ment, and doubting that he had gone wrong, and made a mistake in offering too much, nevertheless, from a chivalrous feeling of honour, held firm to the offer he had made, like a man; but the canny Scot, in the like circumstances, under the apprehension that he had committed a blunder, would button up his pocket carefully, take up the debateable article and submit it to another minute scrutiny, and, as if a new light had dawned upon him, would quietly say as he walked away, that he "would call to-morrow."

It is no easy task to introduce an improvement in any trade. A certain linen-drapery establishment, on an extensive scale in a large city, having been opened on the principle of having a fixed price, from which no abatement whatever would be given, had nearly proved a failure from its novelty. The custom was a new one, and the people, among whom it was introduced for the first time, could not be reconciled to it. Like the young lady who consented to be married on a summary notice, but who still insisted on having her proper allowance of courtship, many ladies insist that they shall be allowed the privilege, which is theirs prescriptively, of higgling over every purchase they make at the linen-draper's. But when at length the price of goods purchased at the no-second-price establishment was compared with that of others in the same trade, in the same city, and found to be lower-which it could afford to be, because the whole was based on a sound calculation-business flowed upon the concern, and it became ultimately the most flourshing in the city. Yet, before the public found out that they could be

well and cheaply served, the proprietors, despairing of the success of their plan, had had part of their stock packed up in bales, with the intention of abandoning the enterprise.

Vidocq did not institute a keener system of espionage over the gamins of Paris than is brought to bear upon the linen-draper's assistant to keep him honest. He is the best-watched man in her Majesty's dominions. Not even Thieves' Corner or a ticket-of-leave man is held under such strict and neverslackening surveillance. Art and science have been exhausted to keep his fingers out of the till. Check upon check has been invented to prevent his robbing his employer. The mode at present followed in large houses is not to let him touch money at all. When he makes a sale he calls aloud the word "cash," and presto an imp of a boy emerges, who seizes the money, and, along with it, certain check papers which have been prepared by the assistant, and which he has filled up, and carries all off to a central cashier, who receives them, retains the money, stamps the bill in token that it has passed the ordeal of his desk, and gives it back to the boy, who delivers it to the customer.

That no peculation goes on in defiance of this spy system, it would be hard to say; but there can be no doubt that the difficulty of taking money is vastly increased by it, and it is certain that we hear of comparatively few cases of linendrapers' assistants being up at the metropolitan police-courts for this offence. Let us hope that improved habits and rectitude of principle have the larger influence in preserving them from crime. Their remuneration, as a general rule, is not large, and the temptation is strong. Salaries for ordinary country hands, besides food and lodging, range from 20l. to 50l. per annum. Greater remuneration is only given to hands of some standing, who have proved themselves useful, and whom it may be the wish of the employer to retain in the establishment. With such scanty means to maintain some outward appearance of respectability, unless a young man is

assisted by his friends at home, or is exceedingly careful, his sources of outof-door enjoyment must be very limited indeed. As a body, linen-drapers' assistants are, perhaps, the most numerous in any calling having pretensions to a genteel garb; yet they are far from being notorious as breakers of the public peace, or scandalous as the perpetrators of crime.

If linen-drapers' assistants, like the renowned Whittington, by assiduity and well-directed industry have raised themselves from a humble origin to be mayors, and aldermen, and members of parliament, and occasionally to have the honour of knighthood conferred upon them, they have only reached those points of human elevation in common with many other tradesmen, and therefore there is little room for vanity on this head. Yet the thorough-bred assistant does feel proud of the distinction attained by his brethren of the craft, and sometimes boasts of it too.

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Linen-drapers' assistants have arrived at the acme of earthly greatness when they are promoted from behind the counter to the enviable dignity of traveller. guinea a day as travelling expenses, and a horse and gig, were something to boast of, and accordingly the traveller par excellence, proud of his well-appointed turn-out, usually held himself to be a man of consideration. He lived well at the hotels in the town, through which he passed; had his pint of sherry to dinner; and, on special occasions, when he invited a customer to dine with him, a bottle of port was indulged in. as he must not pass beyond his guinea, this luxury was a rare one. No doubt he was obliged to labour diligently to obtain large orders; otherwise, on his return to head-quarters things might not be made quite comfortable to him. Railways, however, have very much altered the character of the commercial traveller. He is a less important personage now than he was thirty years ago. Besides, country merchants prefer going up to town to select goods for themselves to trusting the execution of their orders to him.

We shall close these remarks by

relating the following incident of a commercial traveller. He had been receiving an order of some extent, and which had taken a considerable time to note down, from a linen-draper who unfortunately was remarkably deaf. During the progress of the transaction he had necessarily to shout to the utmost extent of his voice in the ear of his customer. The business, however, being at length. at an end, the traveller buckled up his traps, and went away. His next place of call was at the shop of an elderly gentleman only a few doors off. The

patterns were again opened out, and the process of examination and the usual colloquy on such occasions went on comfortably in all respects, until the

old draper stooped over one of the patterns, and, without lifting his head, while he was examining the quality of a piece of goods exhibited to him, put some simple question. Our commercial friend, forgetting for the moment where he was, and thinking he was still dealing with his former deaf customer, put his lips close to the ear of the inquirer, and roared out an answer with the voice of a stentor. The old gentleman was astounded; he was horror-stricken. He raised his head, and staggered back. He supposed the traveller had gone mad, and he was only convinced by slow degrees that he was not absolutely insane, when he received an explanation of the cause that had led to the mistake.

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Twine round her trellis, make a bower for my Love!
Clinging tendrils, court her sight,
Whispering leaves, her ear invite;
If she mark not, boldly clamber,
Favoured envoy, to her chamber;
Plead until she rise and light
The world's long night.

42

VINCENZO; OR, SUNKEN ROCKS.

BY JOHN RUFFINI, AUTHOR OF

CHAPTER XV.

LORENZO BENONI," แ DOCTOR ANTONIO," ETC.

THE STRAY LAMB IN THE FOLD AGAIN.

FEW but friendly were the words which passed next morning between father and son. The father began by stating most peremptorily that, as for any proposal which had reference to volunteering, it might as well not be mentioned, as he did not mean to listen to any. We have already had occasion to make the remark that men above fifty were at that period unconquerably averse to the volunteer force. If Ambrogio felt a real desire to be a soldier, he had nothing to do but to wait his turn of the conscription, which would be within two years. Then, and then only, could Ambrogio's wish, if it lasted so long, be indulged; but he must be a soldier in earnest, knowing what he was about, and doing it according to rule.

Ambrogio readily agreed to the terms, and for three principal reasons: first, because he was unwilling to thwart his father, whom he sincerely respected and loved; secondly, that he considered himself fairly beaten, and therefore in honour bound to submit to the fair conditions offered; and thirdly, that he believed the victory of Goito and the surrender of Peschiera would bring the war of independence to a close. Nor was the conversation which took place between Vincenzo and Barnaby less satisfactory. Indeed, it mainly turned upon the way in which the news of Vincenzo's escapade had been received at the palace, and the consequent sort of humour he was likely to find there. Barnaby's unalterable optimism, restricted though it was to this one particular, did not belie itself. According to his version, the Signor Avvocato had been rather agreeably tickled than otherwise by his godson's spirited freak, and was ready to

back him up well against the seminary; and in support of this assertion Barnaby quoted the few phrases he had retained of his master's letter to the principal, unwittingly deepening their colour. As for the signorina, ah, poor thing! her eyes were sadly swollen with crying, which was no sign of anger; only to have seen her when she first heard that Vincenzo had enlisted, only to have heard her begging her father to send after him, was sufficient to satisfy any one that all was safe in that quarter; Vincenzo might take Barnaby's word for that. Vincenzo did not, however, take it without some mental reservations and abatement; still there was a good portion of comfort left, even allowing for such subtractions. After a hasty breakfast taken together, the two couples got into their respective gigs, and separated for the nonce, to meet again by special agreement at the mayor's house, which lay in Barnaby's road. The mayor's roan horse being a much faster trotter than Barnaby's black mare, as had been ascertained by a careful comparison of notes, the respective owners had chosen rather to part company for a time than for the one to be a drag on the other. This arrangement also effectually saved the old fire-eater's amour-propre, for the roan had been already an hour in his stable when Blackie stopped at the mayor's door.

The mayor and his son were of course there to receive their guests; but a third person was with them, at sight of whom Barnaby's features screwed themselves up into a curious grimace, expressive of alarm and pugnaciousness. This third person was Giuseppe, the young man, if you remember, whose growing favour with the Signor Avvocato gave the greatest umbrage to Barnaby. Giuseppe, seeing the storm gathering on the wrinkled brow of his elder, hastened to

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