My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

358 MY LIFEof them were of large sizeand of great beauty, theybrought very high prices. My agent had investedthe proceeds from time to time in Indian guaranteedrailway stock, and a year after my return I foundmyself in possession of about ^300 a year. Besidesthis, I still possessed the whole series of private collections,including large numbers of new or very rarespecies, which, after I had made what use of themwas needed for my work, produced an amount whichin the same securities would have produced about;i^200 a year more.But I never reached that comfortable position.Owing to my never before having had more thanenough to supply my immediate wants, I was whollyignorant of the numerous snares and pitfalls thatbeset the ignorant investor, and I unfortunately cameunder the influence of two or three men who, quiteunintentionally, led me into trouble. Soon after Icame home I made the acquaintance of Mr. R., whoheld a good appointment under Government, andhad, besides, the expectation of a moderate fortuneon the death of an uncle. I soon became intimatewith him, and we were for some years joint investigatorsof spiritualistic phenomena. He was, likemyself at that time, an agnostic, well educated, andof a more positive character than myself. He hadfor some years saved part of his income, and investedit in various foreign securities at low prices, sellingout when they rose in value, and in this way heassured me he had in a few years doubled theamount he had saved. He studied price-lists andforeign news, and assured me that it was quite easy,with a little care and judgment, to increase yourcapital in this way. He quite laughed at the ideaof allowing several thousand pounds to lay idle, as he