Alfred; or, The Adventures of a French Gentleman — page 25: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

16 ALFRED; OR ADVENTURES eight o’clock to-morrow morning! Here is work enough for at least three hours; and I am unable to share m the labour. What is to be done ?”’ ‘‘ How capital !”’ exclaimed De Rosann; “ the wine has overtaken you, La Motte, at last—you who boasted at dimner that nothing could affect your brain—you who offered to drink glass for glass with any man for a wager—ha! ha! ha!” And Alfred, affecting sobriety—a circumstance so common to a person under the influence of liquor—seized the pen, placed the stamps before him, and began writing to his companion’s dictation, with a courage that would have deceived an eye-witness as to his real state. La Motte furnished him with a verbal description for the first bill— and then sate by to encourage him in his task. Often and often did De Rosann nod over the paper, and find himself aroused by the voice of his partner, who occasionally supplied him witha glass of lemonade or sugar-and-water to refresh his parched tongue. ‘Two or three times the unsuspicious youth laid down the pen, declaring his inability to proceed, and the need in which he stood of repose; but La Motte en- couraged him with such exclamations as, “‘ Why, my dear fellow, “you are not beaten yet! Recollect that our punctuality and exactitude in business are at stake; remember that every word you write creates fresh revenues for yourself and your future wife; and do not give up, now that you have done so much.” A drunken man is easily persuaded; and De Rosann continued his labours. Bill after bill was fabricated, each drawn upon Messieurs Delisle, Guerin, and Company, of Marseilles, and accepted by De . Rosann for them, according to the procuration which La Motte de- clared to have received from that firm. The grey dawn of morning found him still at his labours, and La Motte still by his side. At length the task was completed—De Rosann rose from the chair on which he had sate for hours, and hurried to his bed, where a deep sleep soon overtook him. La Motte retired as silently as he was able, and regained his own dwelling with a fiendish satisfaction pictured on his countenance, There is in Paris a discounter for almost every respective trade or profession. The same money-broker, who negotiates the bills of general merchants, will not look at paper bearing the name of a book- seller or a goldsmith; and he that cashes the acceptances of the latter, does not trouble himself with the affairs of the former. The usurers and bankers only, with very few exceptions, undertake general dis- counts; thus the grocer, the baker, the printer, the tailor, &c., have ~each his separate man of business for all bill transactions. But the proprietors of great mercantile establishments do not give themselves the trouble to go or send to the office of the broker; they are waited upon by their discounters every morning at an early hour. It was therefore with the greatest facility that La Motte obtained cash for the bills of exchange fabricated by De Rosann at his instigation; and as he was cautious enough to discount them in separate sums with at least half a dozen agents, the large amount did not excite the slightest sus- iclon. ‘ At a late hour De Rosann awoke with a sick head-ache. He had but a faint impression of the transactions of the preceding evening ; CONNICLOOOKSaEO) =)