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"We had arrived," said the excellent old merchant to his nephews / when they were once more seated round him for the last of these / entertaining relations. "We had arrived, my dear boys, in the story / of my life, at my considerable increase of fortune through the / financial aid I had given to two States, one of which after a long / and exhaustive war had conquered and annexed the other.
"My position (if you recollect) at the close of this adventure was / that without having spent any money of my own I was now receiving / permanently and for ever a very large yearly revenue set aside from / the taxes of both States.