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106 my wife for drawing my attention to the advertisement, although it was equally my fault in purchasing Arethusa Villas. I had one satisfaction, it was my own and not my wife’s legacy, and she could not therefore blame me for spending her money.

I was serving in the shop the next day, when a shabby-genteel fellow, with a greasy hat, inquired if my name was John Fingudgeon.

I replied in the affirmative.

“I have to serve you with a writ of action for trespass in the matter of No. 4, Arethusa Villas,” said the shabby man. Almost immediately afterwards I received a letter from Mr. Dunderly to the following effect:

As it was now necessary that I should apply for legal assistance, I at once started off to Boswell Court to see Driver.

“I am glad you have called, Fingudgeon,” he began, “I was just going to write to you. How on earth came you to alter your insurance? I have received notice of action for ejectment from Old Marker, and, depend upon it, if we don’t make a compromise you will lose the property. The expenses are not much at present, but we had better come to terms with him at once.”

“He asked 50l.,” I said, “but I would not consent to that.”

“Leave it to me,” said Driver, “and I will make the best terms I can. He is a crotchety old gentleman.”

I was obliged to consent, for I knew nothing how to proceed to conciliate Mr. Marker. I then introduced the matters of Tenants 3 and 4.

“Here’s a nice kettle of fish, Fingudgeon,” said Driver. “You have no answer to Mr. Kankerdale, and the result is doubtful with Dunderly.”

“But is not Grinder responsible for the distraint?” I said.

“You will, of course, be made a party to the action, and Grinder is not worth a shot. His making the levy five minutes after sun-down is clearly illegal, and it is a question of some importance whether a landlord has a right to distrain upon a tenant who has not attorned to him. It will be better to compromise both cases.”

I need not trouble the reader with minute particulars of these transactions. Messrs. Driver and Tartar managed to conciliate all parties at a very considerable expense to me, so considerable indeed that I was compelled to borrow upon my stock and furniture, which had the effect of weakening my credit with the commercial world. I did fortunately get my rent of tenants Nos. 1 and 2, and after six months’ trouble, and a cost of 50l. for repairs, I got possession of Nos. 3 and 4, but without receiving any rent. They stood empty for six months, and just when I had let them at 50l. per annum, I received intimation from the executors of my mortgagee—who had died suddenly—to pay in the 1500l. Driver tried his best to get the mortgage transferred, but no one would let me have the money. I tried sale by auction, which cost me another thirty pounds, and, like Mr. Jollybold’s trial-sale on a former occasion, there were no bidders, and at last the houses fell into the mortgagee’s hands, and I lost my 500l.

The result of my speculation was as follows, for the twelve months I possessed the equity of redemption of that desirable property—Nos. 1 to 4, Arethusa Villas. My wife gave up keeping the accounts in disgust, but I have taken the amounts out of my cash-book; and, as I look over the items, I feel myself a sadder, although a wiser man.

From this experience I would advise ignorant persons to pause before they invest their savings in the purchase of “desirable household property to pay 27¾ per cent.”

2em

was about the end of August in the year 18— that my friend H and I passed by the good ship City of Hamburgh from the Thames to coaly Tyne, and landing at Wallsend, a place of fame wherever a sea-coal fire is appreciated, we trod Northumbrian ground, for the first time on the part of H, but not so on mine, for there are few portions of that picturesque and historic land with which I am unacquainted. The object of our journey was that of a sketching tour, H having in view the wild moorland scenery of Tynedale, I, the vestiges of antiquity in which the county abounds. With those objects in contemplation, we resolved to take the line of the Picts’ wall for our guidance, and accordingly commenced our walk at Wallsend, the eastern extremity of the wall, for it would appear that the Roman engineer did not hold it necessary to carry this great work to the German Ocean, which washes the rocky base of Tynemouth Priory, about