the money. You may have all the honour, if you like; I'll never bring you to book for that. But I'm not a-going to stand it, as it is now. If you should take it into your honourable head to go abroad with the bank, I don't see much to prevent you. Well! That won't do. I've had some very good dinners here, but they'd come too dear on such terms: and therefore that won't do.'

`I am unfortunate to find you in this humour,' said Tigg, with a remarkable kind of smile: `for I was going to propose to you -- for your own advantage; solely for your own advantage -- that you should venture a little more with us.'

`Was you, by G --?' said Jonas, with a short laugh.

`Yes. And to suggest,' pursued Montague, `that surely you have friends; indeed, I know you have; who would answer our purpose admirably, and whom we should be delighted to receive.'

`How kind of you! You'd be delighted to receive 'em, would you?' said Jonas, bantering.

`I give you my sacred honour, quite transported. As your friends, observe!'

`Exactly,' said Jonas; `as my friends, of course. You'll be very much delighted when you get 'em, I have no doubt. And it'll be all to my advantage, won't it?'

`It will be very much to your advantage,' answered Montague poising a brush in each hand, and looking steadily upon him. `It will be very much to your advantage, I assure you.'

`And you can tell me how,' said Jonas, `can't you?'

`Shall I tell you how?' returned the other.

`I think you had better,' said Jonas. `Strange things have been whatever thoughts came crowding on his mind even at that early time, of one terrible chance of escape, of one red glimmer in a sky of blackness; he no more thought that the slinking figure half-a-dozen stairs behind him was his pursuing Fate, than that the other figure at his side was his Good Angel.