The Hon. CROESUS CASH was greatly annoyed that so many people should
have been admitted to his library. He bitterly reproached his valet
for this dereliction of duty.
"Beg your pardon, Sir," said his servant, "but they _would_ come in.
They said they must see you--that their lives depended on it."
"What have I to do with their lives?" growled the Hon. CROESUS. And
then he added, as he entered his sanctum, "Now, Ladies and Gentlemen,
what do you want? My time's precious, and I can't waste it upon
strangers."
"My dear Sir, my very dear Sir," cried in trembling accents an old
parson in a thread-bare coat, "I have a wife and family, and we are
really starving."
"Ditto, Sir, ditto!" observed an elderly soldier who had evidently
been an officer.
"And I am a widow, and must bring my poor children home from school,
as I can no longer afford the expense of their education," so said an
elderly dame in shabby mourning.
"But how can I help you?" asked the Hon. CROESUS. "What has brought
you to this pass?"
"Why, you, Sir," returned the ex-officer. "You, Sir!"
"Come," said the Hon. CROESUS, waxing angry, "I advise you to be
careful of the provisions of the Libel and Slander Act. You accuse me
of bringing you to poverty! Why, I have never seen any of you in my
life--never even heard of you!"
"But we have heard of you," they cried. "Yes, we have."
"We are all shareholders in the Bubble Babble Syndicate, Limited,"
explained the parson, tearfully, "and we have consequently lost every
thing we had in the world."
"But what have I to do with it?" again asked the Hon. CROESUS. "Very
sorry to hear of your misfortunes, but I don't see how _I_ come in."
"Why you, Sir," exclaimed the ex-officer; "you, Sir, were one of the
officials!"
"Pardon me, Sir, I was nothing of the sort. I have nothing whatever to
do with the Syndicate. I was merely a Director."
And when the defrauded shareholders found out that he was only _that_,
they went away complaining, but convinced they would be afforded by
him no relief. And they were right, for the Hon. CROESUS (who was
old-fashioned in his ways) acted strictly according to precedent.
* * * * *