which time I treated them as well as I could; and I explained my circumstances to them. The times were so ticklish, and the town magistrates shored so decided an inclination to put difficulties in my way, that I thought I had better examine into my affairs, pay my debts, and withdraw from all large transactions for the present. I was occupied during the day teaching French and Latin, so that I was obliged to steal many hours of the night from sleep, to find time to make an exact inventory of all that I possessed. I put down every thing at a low valuation, and I was pleased to find that there was enough to pay all that I owed, and a little to spare. I sent some of the stuffs of my own making to the wholesale dealers, from whom I had made purchases on credit, and I begged they would sell them as opportunity offered, repay themselves with the proceeds first, and then return to me any balance that should remain. This arrangement was equally satisfactory to both parties; I was able to pay my debts by it, and those from whom I had bought on credit, were very glad, in these hard times, to find themselves secured against possible loss.
As soon as it became known that I wished to dispose of my shop, and stock in trade, a young man came forward to be the purchaser, who expected to do wonders; he had heard such exaggerated accounts of the money I had made by the business. He took every thing as it stood, paying me the actual cost, as appeared from the entries in my books. The whole amounted to four hundred pounds, which sum he paid to me in cash, and I made use of it at once to pay the wholesale dealers; so that, after the sale of my manufactured stuffs, which I had already sent to them, they found themselves indebted to me. I requested them to keep the money in their
