He never was known to take advantage of a man in difficulties, and he never did, nor to charge any one exorbitant interest.  I have known him lend to men and allow them to fix their own time of payment, their own rate of interest, and their own security.  He often lent without any at all.  He knew his men, and was not fool enough to trust a rogue at any amount of interest.  He was known and respected by all ranks, and never more esteemed than by those who had had pecuniary transactions with him.  He was the soul of honour, and his transactions were world-wide; business passed through his hands that would have been entrusted nowhere else; so that he was rich, and no one was more deservedly so.

Here is an incident in Lewis’s business life that will show one phase of his character.

He held a number of bills, many of which were suspected by him to be forged—­that is to say, that the figures had been altered after the signature of the acceptor had been written.

They were all in the name of Lord ——.

One day Lewis met his lordship in the Park, and mentioned his suspicion, at the same time inviting him to call and examine the bills.  The noble lord was a little amazed, and proceeded at once to Lewis’s office.  Seating himself on one side of the table with his lordship on the other, Lewis handed to him the bills one by one and requested him to set aside those that were forged.

The separation having been made, it appeared that over twenty thousand-pounds’ worth of the bills were forged!  The noble lord was a little startled at the discovery, but his mind was soon eased by Lewis putting the whole of the forged bills into the fire.

“There’s an end of them, my lord,” said he.  “We want no prosecution, and I do not wish to receive payment from you.  I ought to have examined them with more care, and you ought not to have left space enough before the first figure to supplement it by another.  The rogue could not resist the temptation.”

So ended this monetary transaction, creditable alike to the honour and generosity of the money-lender.

The most steady of minds will sometimes go on the tramp.  This was never better illustrated than when the young curate was being married, and the officiating clergyman asked him the formal question, “Wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded wife?”

The poor bridegroom, losing self-control, and not having yet a better half to keep him straight, answered, “That is my desire,” anticipating by a considerable period a totally different religious ceremony of the Church—­namely, the Baptism of Infants.  In his anticipation the young man had overreached the necessities of the situation.