It was a good time for him to declare the fact that he was about to leave them; and this he did.  An earthquake would not have filled them with greater surprise and consternation.  The industries of the town were in his hands.  The principal property of the village was his.  He was identified with the new enterprise upon which they had built such high hope, and they had come to believe that he was a kindlier man than they had formerly supposed him to be.

Already, however, there were suspicions in many minds that there were bubbles on their oil, ready to burst, and reveal the shallowness of the material beneath them; but these very suspicions urged them to treat Mr. Belcher well, and to keep him interested for them.  They protested against his leaving them.  They assured him of their friendship.  They told him that he had grown up among them, and that they could not but feel that he belonged to them.  They were proud of the position and prosperity he had won for himself.  They fawned upon him, and when, at last, he told them that it was too late—­that he had purchased and furnished a home for himself in the city—­they called a public meeting, and, after a dozen regretful and complimentary speeches, from clergy and laity, resolved: 

“1st.  That we have learned with profound regret that our distinguished fellow-citizen, ROBERT BELCHER, Esq., is about to remove his residence from among us, and to become a citizen of the commercial emporium of our country.

“2d.  That we recognize in him a gentleman of great business enterprise, of generous instincts, of remarkable public spirit, and a personal illustration of the beneficent influence of freedom and of free democratic institutions.

“3d.  That the citizens of Sevenoaks will ever hold in kindly remembrance a gentleman who has been identified with the growth and importance of their beloved village, and that they shall follow him to his new home with heartiest good wishes and prayers for his welfare.

“4th.  That whenever in the future his heart and his steps shall turn toward his old home, and the friends of his youth, he shall be greeted with voices of welcome, and hearts and homes of hospitality.

“5th.  That these resolutions shall be published in the county papers, and that a copy shall be presented to the gentleman named therein, by a committee to be appointed by the chairman.”

As was quite natural, and quite noteworthy, under the circumstances, the committee appointed was composed of those most deeply interested in the affairs of the Continental Petroleum Company.

Mr. Belcher received the committee very graciously, and made them a neat little speech, which he had carefully prepared for the occasion.  In concluding, he alluded to the great speculation in which they, with so many of their fellow-citizens, had embarked.