They certainly were as good as the Gibsons, they thought; and when the grand party came to the front and the Gibsons were invited and they were not, their jealousy was at once excited, but did not reach the boiling point, which meant mischief, until a report reached them that Mrs. White had been heard to say that, aside from the Gibsons, she drew the line on all country bumpkins, and especially the Sheldons. This, of course, was an exaggeration of what she did say, but, passing through the many lips it did, it is strange it had not assumed greater proportions by the time it reached and fired the Sheldon household. The girls were furious, and their father was not far behind them. For him, an Honorable, to be classed with country bumpkins was an insult not to be borne meekly; and, like most small natures, revenge of some sort was his first thought. But how should he take it? What could he do that a man like Judge White would feel? Suddenly he remembered his money, which he had always kept in the White Bank, and as he was needing a small part of it soon, he would take it all out and deposit it with Tom Grey. There was a man who did not feel so all-fired big, and whose daughter was nice to his girls and had once spent a day at his house and had Sarah and May at a musicale the winter before. Yes, he’d withdraw his money from Bob White and give it to Tom Grey, he decided, without any thought of creating a panic which might result in a run; nor had he any such idea when he spoke to two or three of his neighbors and told them what he was going to do, giving no reason, when asked for one, except that he knew what he was about and accompanying the words with a gesture which was more suggestive than words. Some people are always suspicious of the soundness of a bank, and the few to whom Mr. Sheldon told his intentions were of this class, and all had money in White’s Bank. If Godfrey Sheldon, who was hand in glove with the judge, was going to take out his money, there must be something wrong. They would go to the village and see. Accordingly, that night there was quite a number of people from the country in town, talking low and confidentially to others; and before bedtime there was scarcely a depositor who had not heard it hinted that the White Bank was shaky. A few disbelieved it, while others thought it well to be on the safe side and take out what money they had before it was too late. The country depositors were specially cautious, and on hand early. Before nine o’clock many vehicles were in town. Some were at the hotel; others were under shade trees and in the shed behind the church, while the owners were congregated near the banks, waiting for them to open. These were joined at intervals by some of the villagers, and as the news spread the number increased and more were coming, until the street was black with them.