People asked what could
be the cause. I knew well enough, but I did not tell.
"The Bank made a gallant fight, but the hand of fate was upon it. At the
end of another nine months the crash came.
"(Nitrates, it need hardly be said, had all this time been going up by
leaps and bounds. My grandmother died worth a million dollars, and left
the whole of it to a charity. Had she known how I had saved her from
ruin, she might have been more grateful.)
"A few days after the failure of the Bank, Josiah arrived on my doorstep;
and, this time, he brought his families with him. There were sixteen of
them in all.
"What was I to do? I had brought these people step by step to the verge
of starvation. I had laid waste alike their happiness and their
prospects in life. The least amends I could make was to see that at all
events they did not want for the necessities of existence.
"That was seventeen years ago. I am still seeing that they do not want
for the necessities of existence; and my conscience is growing easier by
noticing that they seem contented with their lot. There are twenty-two
of them now, and we have hopes of another in the spring.
"That is my story," he said. "Perhaps you will now understand my sudden
emotion when you asked for my advice. As a matter of fact, I do not give
advice now on any subject.
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