CHAPTER XI.

Literary swindlers-Mrs. Coutts's literary habits-An indefatigable reader-Painful case of forgery on the bankMrs. Coutts's first visit since widowhood-A speech and a christening.

THE immense fortune left her by Mr. Coutts caused his widow to be regarded as a female Croesus, and the deep artifices which were laid against her generosity and her purse were sources of great annoyance to her. From many glaring instances we select the following, which appeared in print soon after her husband's death.

Mrs. Coutts was assailed by numbers of the lowest order of literati, if they deserve that name; among others, by a person named Mitford, who concocted a mass of shameless falsehoods, and had actually the hardihood to call

on Mrs. Coutts and ask 100%. for the copyright. of the MS. This was of course indignantly refused, and he found a publisher; but its source was too polluted to prove injurious to any but the parties who brought it to light ; and soon after this Mitford died in abject poverty in St. Giles's workhouse.

Amid innumerable anecdotes of similar attempts at extortion, the following appeared in a public print of 1826, and are considered authentic :

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"A well-dressed man called upon Mrs. Coutts, with her Life,' which he offered to suppress for a certain sum. As he denied being the author, the lady asked him what part he took in the affair; That of a principal,' was the reply. Then, Sir,' said Mrs. Coutts, 'you may remember I am a principal too!' and she instantly threw the manuscript into the fire, and thrust the poker through it till it was consumed. The gentleman left the house precipitately.

Another party tried the same manœuvre, and obtained an interview with Mrs. Coutts,

through a petition, wherein he stated that he

was a reduced tradesman, and had an elegant carpet that he was very anxious to dispose of." Mrs. Coutts saw him, intending to relieve his distresses, when he produced the first sheet of a work, and threatened to publish it, unless she paid for his silence. Mrs. Coutts immediately ordered him to quit her house. He did so; and took his mauuscript to a gentleman, who published a portion of it under the title of the Banker's Widow' in a magazine, since dropped.

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"For the foregoing anecdotes," say the writers in question, we can vouch." We have heard several others of a similar nature, which we have no reason to doubt. A clergyman of the church of England is named as the extortioner in one case; and a literary gentleman is said to have sent to Mr. Coutts, a little before his death, proofs of about two hundred pages, a part of which subsequently appeared in a work called "Memoirs of Miss Harriot Pumpkin."

A gentleman who called on business, and dined with Mrs. Coutts soon after her widowhood, relates as follows:-" Mrs. Coutts led

the conversation, and she turned it on the literature of the day, in which I found she was quite as deeply read as those who made this pursuit the occupation of their lives, therefore she must have toiled very hard after the teeming press. In magazines she was absolutely learned, and quoted several long articles in them. She mentioned taking in every magazine that was published, and that they were all placed in a basket together, and carried about in the carriage, &c., wherever she went, so that she might read them at any moment. I have been told that, in the drawing-room, at the bank, when she was signing books in which thousands of pounds seemed merely considered as so many shillings, and while the partners. have gone down for some other papers, Mrs. Coutts would calmly open her packet of magazines, and become as much wound up in some little tale as any novel-reading school-girl. Then, on the return of the gentlemen, laying aside the magazine, she would understand in a minute what was to be done for business; and when this was settled she would read away again as though life depended on it. In this

drawing-room-an enormous one hung with paper presented to Mr. Coutts by the Hong merchants, and representing Chinese groups engaged in every trade in the celestial empire -there was at that time a plain rush armchair, with a well-worn writing-table, and on each a brass plate bearing the name of Mr. Coutts, with the date of his death. On the anniversary of her wedding, his grateful widow always visited the bank, every year until her death, and pressed her lips to the spot where he habitually wrote; generally remaining alone for an hour or so in the drawing-room; and on coming forth, it is said, her eyes bore witness that her feelings had been deeply affected."

The clerks at the bank state that Mrs. Coutts was very fond of going to sit in the bank drawing-room, on its hard horse-hair sofas, and the air smelling like a shut-up city apartment. Here she would unpack her darling magazines, and proceed regularly with them, taking off one corner from the cover of those she had finished. After that process the rest of the party might read them, but woe to