It seemed that he had been on the Stock Exchange of the city for many
years and had amassed enormous wealth, without exceeding the limits of
what was generally considered justifiable, or at any rate, permissible
dealing; but at length on several occasions he had become aware of a
desire to make money by fraudulent representations, and had actually
dealt with two or three sums in a way which had made him rather
uncomfortable. He had unfortunately made light of it and pooh-poohed the
ailment, until circumstances eventually presented themselves which
enabled him to cheat upon a very considerable scale;--he told me what
they were, and they were about as bad as anything could be, but I need
not detail them;--he seized the opportunity, and became aware, when it
was too late, that he must be seriously out of order. He had neglected
himself too long.
He drove home at once, broke the news to his wife and daughters as gently
as he could, and sent off for one of the most celebrated straighteners of
the kingdom to a consultation with the family practitioner, for the case
was plainly serious. On the arrival of the straightener he told his
story, and expressed his fear that his morals must be permanently
impaired.
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