"As for my part," said the one, "fifty guineas would enable me to discharge my debts, and restore me to that credit which, by misfortunes, added to the burthen of a numerous family, I have unhappily forfeited."

"Fifty guineas," exclaimed the other-alas! such a sum as that would be far

from satisfying the demands of my creditors; and notwithstanding the many encomiums I have heard bestowed upon Sir Frederic's liberality, I could never expect him to lend me five hundred guineas: without which it is in vain for me to look for happiness."

Sir Frederic advanced, and spoke to them:

"My friends," said he, " I have heard your conversation, and I grieve for your distresses. I know Sir Frederic Rutledge, of whom you seem to entertain so high an opinion; and perhaps it may lie in my power,

power, by interceding with him, to be of some service to you. But Sir Frederic has a thousand different matters to attend to; and I cannot promise that he will inimediately undertake to oblige you. At the same time you ought not to consider him as the only gentleman in the neighbour hood who loves to extend his bounty to deserving objects. I am willing, my friends, to re-establish your circumstances myself; previous to which, however, I require on your parts two conditions: the one, that you will never attempt to discover who T am-and the other, that you will bring me to-morrow, at this hour, and to this place, a certificate from the minister of your parish, bearing testimony to the integrity of your respective characters."

The honest tradesmen knew not what to make of this speech. At first they considered it merely as a banter, or rather, (to adopt the more modern expression), as a humbug;

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humbug; but, after more mature deliberation, they determined to try the issue of the adventure.

The next day they accordingly repaired, at the appointed hour, to the appointed place of rendezvous. Sir Frederic, as if eager to anticipate his promise, was there before them, with cash and notes to the amount of five hundred and fifty guineas. -Let us not attempt to describe the joy of the two tradesmen-it was exquisiteit was boundless.-They produced the testimonial which had been required of them; and the generous baronet with pleasure received it as the only security for his money; for, in order to prevent a discovery, he instantly withdrew.

Whether it was his intention that this sum should be a present, or a simple loan, it was impossible for them to determine. But the two worthy men, who, in receiving it, never imagined that it could be betowed

bestowed upon them as a gift, and who had meant to give him their notes for it, were astonished to find their benefactor so suddenly disappear. Impressed with the most exalted sentiments of veneration and gratitude for the stranger who had thus nobly and unexpectedly rescued them from want, and its consequent attendants, despair and misery; they instantly formed a resolution equally laudable, equally extraordinary, as the conduct of Sir Frederick himself.

On the very morning of the day following, they caused a printed notice to be fixed up, in the market-place of the town they lived in, of all the circumstances attending their adventure, with a declaration, by which they entered into an engagement, in the face of the public, to restore, at certain periods, the sum which they acknowledged they had received. In order to remove every appearance of doubt, they farther engaged to deposit it in the hands of a magistrate,

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gistrate, with an authority for him to deliver it to the person who should produce the indentical cerificates which they had given to the generous stranger.

A conduct so noble could not but attract universal admiration. This was not a little encreased the next day, when another printed notice appeared, with the declara tion on the part of the benefactor. He protested, that overjoyed at the thoughts of having so happily employed his bounty, he required no other return for it than the sensibility of two hearts, which seemed to him to have displayed such exalted proofs of gratitude; and taking the public to witness that he relinquished to his two worthy friends all property in the sum he had given to them; he added, that, in order to deprive him of the smallest title, ever to claim it again, he had already forwarded the certificates alluded to, to the magistrate.

It was not till a considerable time after,

that