"I must tell you," he said, in a voice and with a manner that strove to be indifferent, yet with a face flushed with pride, "that the money hath been subscribed to His Majesty." Portland drew a great breath of relief. "Promised," continued Montague, "in gold and silver, which will be ready to be packed up and taken to Flanders to-morrow." "How was this accomplished?" asked Devonshire. "I hardly thought, this cruel year, they could do it." "Thank God they have," murmured Shrewsbury; "for if this had failed I know not what we should have done." "Your Grace," answered Mr. Montague, "when I lent my support to this Bank I did not think it was likely to be a failure. Yet I must confess that I had some misgivings to-day when I entered the General Court—there was my Lord Mayor in the chair, looking as gloomy as need be, and six hundred or more of the company, all thrifty merchants. Sir John got up and read the speech composed by the Directors and sat down again in none too easy a frame of mind, it seemed, and a great hum went up from the subscribers, and you might see them turning to each other and whispering, but making no kind of public response; then up sprang Sir John again, and implored them stand by the King—at which one rose and said, ’We desire nothing more than to oblige His Majesty, but it is a hard thing to ask for gold these times, and our notes of hand should be good enough.’ ’Nothing but gold is any use to His Majesty in Flanders,’ declared Sir John. ’I am asking you for this sacrifice for nothing less than the preservation of the kingdoms, otherwise I could not in conscience do it.’ At last, after some murmuring, it was put to the vote, and all held up their hands for sending the money, and Sir John came to me all in a tremble, and hoped I would remember that the Bank had saved the Government—he said it had been as anxious an hour as he was ever like to have in his life. At hearing the resolution of the Bank, several gentlemen, who had been waiting without, came in to buy shares, and several thousand pounds’ worth were subscribed before I left." At the conclusion of this speech Mr. Montague looked round his company with an air of conscious satisfaction. Portland had gone to write this news off to the King, caring indeed for nothing but the sheer fact that he could return to Attere immediately with the money, but the others, including even the feeble, disgraced Leeds, had listened with eager interest. "Well done," cried Lady Orkney. "Mr. Montague, you are a miracle of wit—and I am going to follow the example of these same gentlemen and purchase stock in this Bank of yours." "So am I," declared Devonshire. "I will send my agent down there to-night, sir, the service it hath done cannot be overestimated."