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Butler, Samuel, 1835-1902

"The Way of All Flesh"

He had hardly sold
when up went the shares again, and he saw how foolish he had been, and
how wise Pryer was, for if Pryer's advice had been followed, he would
have made 500 pounds, instead of losing it. However, he told himself he
must live and learn.
Then Pryer made a mistake. They had bought some shares, and the shares
went up delightfully for about a fortnight. This was a happy time
indeed, for by the end of a fortnight, the lost 500 pounds had been
recovered, and three or four hundred pounds had been cleared into the
bargain. All the feverish anxiety of that miserable six weeks, when the
500 pounds was being lost, was now being repaid with interest. Ernest
wanted to sell and make sure of the profit, but Pryer would not hear of
it; they would go ever so much higher yet, and he showed Ernest an
article in some newspaper which proved that what he said was reasonable,
and they did go up a little--but only a very little, for then they went
down, down, and Ernest saw first his clear profit of three or four
hundred pounds go, and then the 500 pounds loss, which he thought he had
recovered, slipped away by falls of a half and one at a time, and then he
lost 200 pounds more.


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