weeks.

Four days elapsed without my collector making his appearance,
greatly to my surprise. On the fifth day I met him in the street.

"Well, how are you coming on?" said I.

"Oh, slowly," he replied.

"I expected to see you a day or two ago."

"I had nothing of consequence to return. But I will be in on
Saturday."

I felt a kind of choking in my throat as I turned away. On Saturday
the collector called--he opened his memorandum-book, and I my
cash-book, preparatory to making entries of money returned.

"Mr. A----," said the collector, "says he never pays in advance for
any thing."

"But the terms of the paper are in advance after the first three
months."

"I know."

"Did you call his attention to this?"

"Oh, yes! but he said he didn't care for your terms. He'd been
swindled once or twice by paying in advance, but never intended to