After All;

CHAPTER XVII . Bash-embraced despair . —THE MERCHANT or VENICE . LET US take a peep behind the scenes and fortunes of the unfortunate Phane family . There was something unde rmining their happiness and welfare , of Avhich only one person was fully aware . That one was a veritable demonwhose

, devilish machinations had already accomplished the ruin of more than one innocent victim . With all the fiendish insinuating power of an Iago , combined with the cringing servility of a Uriah Heep , this foul fiend encompassed the downfall of his unsuspecting prey . Gifted with a minimum of the milk of human kindness , a generous act was an unknown quantity to him ; and , possessed of a most spiteful nature , he gloated over the misery of his dupes ,

while he greedil y grasped his ill-gotten spoil . Not that he needed wealth , except to satisfy his miserably morbid craving for hoarding the yellow coin . More , more , more , that was his inward cry , while the meanest parsimony characterised his every action . No matter by what vile means , money must be his ; money was power—power over his enemies ; power over the gilded son of follywho sneered at or itied his shabbhabiliments over the virtuous

, p y ; power and sharp-sighted , who despised his petty meanness ; power over any who were fool enough to trust him . He pulled the wires of society ; he , the unpretentious , the humble ; he , the honest servant , worked out the damnation of all who came in contact with him . What short-sighted fools ! He was the master of them all ; they played into his hands , and he was ever victorious . He paid them back tenfold for their sneersand was still in pocket .

, "Ha ! ha ! " he chucked to himself , " Carlyle was right , 'Most men are fools . ' With a little ingenuity and convenient servility I have it all my own way . Ho ! ho ! " he cried , while he rubbed his skinny hands with glee at the thought .

Perhaps the reader has already guessed the name of this blackened specimen of humanity—no , libel on humanity , type of the foul fiend himself , who had thus honeycombed the fair fame and hopes of those surrounding him , so that it needed but a touch to cause their complete collapse . The crisis was impending , and the climax close at hand ; it could not long be averted , and the vile worker of these execrable plots was—let us anathematize him Avith the vehemence of an indignant Othelloor let us blurt it out with the

, repugnance of an exasperated Micawber—Bulliker ! Yes , James Bulliker , the trusted servant of the credulous Robert Phane , was as black as he is painted above . He it Avas who compassed the disgrace of the unfortunate Humberton , a mystery never yet fully solved . A strange state of things now existed , ancl curious circumstances had came to pass . Some time before the extraordinary marriage-scene in the church , Merrisslope and

Bulliker had been much together ; in fact , the former was fast getting into the power of the latter , mortgaging his property with him to a fri ghtful extent . Where he procured the money from he knew not , but he treated him as au old Jew , only Bulliker pretended to be doing it more out of kindness to him . ^ Still Merrisslope was not so blind as not to know that the virtuous cashier did nothing without a motive . Mr . Phane ' s business lately had been bad

very , and his books showed only a very poor account . The merchant felt he must either make some bold successful stroke to recoup his losses or fail altogether . He hardly comprehended his position , or understood bow it had been brought about , but he was obliged to accept the stubborn facts . He needed money , and Merrisslope had been foremost to lend it to him . Merrisslope had been in the office , and in his time the profits accruing to the business were large , and he was not aware of the state of things when he lent the money . He thought Mr . Phane simply required more capital to extend his business , and Bulliker , from whom he raised the ready money , did not inform