Brown had a profound idea of my powers of pen. He would even say, contented mortal that he was, that this was one thing about which he grievously envied me. Consequently, I was to engage to do all the writing. But as I knew the fellow to be a shrewd common-sense observer of things in general, and in a business way in particular, I reckoned on Brown for endless padding to our projected volume. Thus I bribed him for his very acceptable company, reckoning the while that as much as I gave I would get out of him somehow in return.
Passing the Stock Exchange vicinities one day during my preparations, I just contrived to get once more a sight of Bullings. Fain would I have interviewed the great man of the place and the day; but surrounded as he was by many others bent on the like mission, and in face of the wary old fellow's practised adroitness in not wasting his time over the smaller to the sacrifice of the larger orders, a mere casual in that line like myself had no chance. The boldness and luck of the man were astounding, and filled people's minds with admiring awe. He was said to be at that very moment deep in a huge speculation, to buoy up still further the already extraordinary premium of the Great Consols Sub stock, and to have everywhere routed his ever-dogging enemies the Bears, His contangoes and carry-overs, and his borrowings, in general on the smallest margins, were upon a scale as unprecedented as was the fortune
