CHAPTER 1

producedaverydifferentimpressiononthetwo:for,whiletheyounger,whowasofatimidandretiringdisposition,gleanedfromthencenothingbutforewarningstoshunthegreatworldandattachhimselftothequietroutineofacountrylife,Ralph,theelder,deducedfromtheoften-repeatedtalethetwogreatmoralsthatrichesaretheonlytruesourceofhappinessandpower,andthatitislawfulandjusttocompasstheiracquisitionbyallmeansshortoffelony.‘And,’reasonedRalphwithhimself,‘ifnogoodcameofmyuncle’smoneywhenhewasalive,agreatdealofgoodcameofitafterhewasdead,inasmuchasmyfatherhasgotitnow,andissavingitupforme,whichisahighlyvirtuouspurposeand,goingbacktotheoldgentleman,gooddidcomeofittohimtoo,forhehadthepleasureofthinkingofitallhislifelong,andofbeingenviedandcourtedbyallhisfamilybesides.’AndRalphalwayswoundupthesementalsoliloquiesbyarrivingattheconclusion,thattherewasnothinglikemoney. Notconfininghimselftotheory,orpermittinghisfacultiestorust,evenatthatearlyage,inmereabstractspeculations,thispromisingladcommencedusureronalimitedscaleatschoolputtingoutatgoodinterestasmallcapitalofslate-pencilandmarbles,andgraduallyextendinghisoperationsuntiltheyaspiredtothecoppercoinageofthisrealm,inwhichhespeculatedtoconsiderableadvantage.Nordidhetroublehisborrowerswithabstractcalculationsoffigures,orreferencestoready-reckonershissimpleruleofinterestbeingallcomprisedintheonegoldensentence,‘two-penceforeveryhalf-penny,’whichgreatlysimplifiedtheaccounts,andwhich,asafamiliarprecept,moreeasilyacquiredandretainedinthememorythananyknownruleofarithmetic,cannotbetoostronglyrecommendedtothenoticeofcapitalists,bothlargeandsmall,andmoreespeciallyofmoney-brokersandbill-discounters.Indeed,todothesegentlemenjustice,manyofthemaretothisdayinthefrequenthabitofadoptingit,witheminentsuccess. Inlikemanner,didyoungRalphNicklebyavoidallthoseminuteandintricatecalculationsofodddays,whichnobodywhohasworkedsumsinsimple-interestcanfailtohavefoundmostembarrassing,byestablishingtheonegeneralrulethatallsumsofprincipalandinterestshouldbepaidonpocket