“Should you ? Well then, I’ll tell it. No, I won’t. I know you won’t believe it,” said the man with the roguish eye, making that organ look more roguish than ever. “If you say it’s true, of course I shall,” said Mr. Tupman.

“Well, upon that understanding I’ll tell you,” replied the traveller. “Did you ever hear of the great commercial house of Bilson & Slum? But it doesn’t matter though, whether you did or not, because they retired from business long since. It’s eighty years ago, since the circumstance happened to a traveller for that house, but he was a particular friend of my uncle’s; and my uncle told the story to me. It’s a queer name; but he used to call it

The Bagman’s Story