CHAPTER LIII.
THE VICAR'S COMPLICATIONS, WHICH LIVELY PEOPLE HAD BETTER NOT READ.
William Wylder's reversion was very tempting. But Lawyer Larkin knew thevalue of the precious metals, and waited for more data. The more hethought over his foreign correspondence, and his interview with Lake, themore steadily returned upon his mind the old conviction that the gallantcaptain was deep in the secret, whatever it might be.
Whatever his motive--and he always had a distinct motive, thoughsometimes not easily discoverable--he was a good deal addicted now tocommenting, in his confidential talk, with religious gossips and others,upon the awful state of the poor vicar's affairs, his inconceivableprodigality, the unaccountable sums he had made away with, and his ownanxiety to hand over the direction of such a hopeless complication ofdebt, and abdicate in favour of any competent skipper the command of thewater-logged and foundering ship.
'Why, his Brother Mark could get him cleverly out of it--could not he?'wheezed the pork-butcher.
'More serious than you suppose,' answered Larkin, with a shake of hishead.
'It can't go beyond five hundred, or say nine hundred--eh, at theoutside?'
'Nine _hundred_--say double as many _thousand_, and I'm afraid you'll benearer the mark. You'll not mention, of course, and I'm only feeling myway just now, and speaking conjecturally altogether; but I'm afraid it isenormous. I need not remind you not to mention.'
I cannot, of course, say how Mr. Larkin's conjectures reached soprodigious an elevation, but I can now comprehend why it was desirablethat this surprising estimate of the vicar's liabilities should prevail.Mr. Jos. Larkin had a weakness for enveloping much of what he said andwrote in an honourable mystery. He liked writing _private_ or_confidential_ at top of his notes, without apparent right or even reasonto impose either privacy or confidence upon the persons to whom he wrote.There was, in fact, often in the good attorney's mode of transactingbusiness just a _soupcon_ or flavour of an _arriere pensee_ of a remoteand unseen plan, which was a little unsatisfactory.
Now, with the vicar he was imperative that the matter of the reversionshould be strictly confidential--altogether 'sacred,' in fact.
'You see, the fact is, my dear Mr. Wylder, I never meddle in speculativethings. It is not a class of business that I like or would touch with oneof my fingers, so to speak,' and he shook his head gently; 'and I maysay, if I were supposed to be ever so slightly engaged in these riskythings, it would be the _ruin_ of me. I don t like, however, sending youinto the jaws of the City sharks--I use the term, my dear Mr. Wylder,advisedly--and I make a solitary exception in your case; but the fact is,if I thought you would mention the matter, I could not touch it even foryou. There's Captain Lake, of Brandon, for instance--I should not besurprised if I lost the Brandon business the day after the matter reachedhis ears. All men are not like you and me, my dear Mr. Wylder. The sadexperience of my profession has taught me that a suspicious man of theworld, without religion, my dear Mr. Wylder,' and he lifted his pinkeyes, and shook his long head and long hands in unison--'withoutreligion--will imagine anything. They can't understand us.'
Now, the fifty pounds which good Mr. Larkin had procured for theimprovident vicar, bore interest, I am almost ashamed to say, at thirtyper cent. per annum, and ten per cent. more the first year. But you areto remember that the security was altogether speculative; and Mr. Larkin,of course, made the best terms he could.
Annual premium on a policy for L100 [double insurance } L _s._ _d._being insisted upon by lender, to cover contingent ex- } 10 0 0penses, and life not insurable, a delicacy of the lungs }being admitted, on the ordinary scale] }
Annuity payable to lender, clear of premium, the } 7 10 0security being unsatisfactory } -------------- L17 10 0
Ten pounds of which (the premium), together with four pounds tenshillings for expenses, &c. were payable in advance. So that thirty-twopounds, out of his borrowed fifty, were forfeit for these items within ayear and a month. In the meantime the fifty pounds had gone, as we know,direct to Cambridge; and he was called upon to pay forthwith ten poundsfor premium, and four pounds ten shillings for 'expenses.' _Quodimpossibile._
The attorney had nothing for it but to try to induce the lender to lethim have another fifty pounds, pending the investigation oftitle--another fifty, of which he was to get, in fact, eighteen pounds.Somehow, the racking off of this bitter vintage from one vessel intoanother did not seem to improve its quality. On the contrary, things weregrowing decidedly more awful.
Now, there came from Messrs. Burlington and Smith a peremptory demand forthe fourteen pounds ten shillings, and an equally summary one fortwenty-eight pounds fourteen shillings and eight pence, their costs inthis matter.
When the poor vicar received this latter blow, he laid the palm of hishand on the top of his head, as if to prevent his brain from boilingover. Twenty-eight pounds fourteen shillings and eight pence! _Quodimpossibile._ again.
When he saw Larkin, that conscientious guardian of his client's interestsscrutinised the bill of costs very jealously, and struck out between fourand five pounds. He explained to the vicar the folly of borrowinginsignificant and insufficient sums--the trouble, and consequently thecost, of which were just as great as of an adequate one. He wasdetermined, if he could, to pull him through this. But he must raise asufficient sum, for the expense of going into title would be something;and he would write sharply to Burlington, Smith, and Co., and had nodoubt the costs would be settled for twenty-three pounds. And Mr. Jos.Larkin's opinion upon the matter was worthy of respect, inasmuch as hewas himself, under the rose, the 'Co.' of that firm, and ministered itscapital.
'The fact is you must, my dear Mr. Wylder, make an effort. It won't dopeddling and tinkering in such a case. You will be in a worse positionthan ever, unless you boldly raise a thousand pounds--if I can managesuch a transaction upon a security of the kind. Consolidate all yourliabilities, and keep a sum in hand. You are well connected--powerfulrelatives--your brother has Huxton, four hundred, a year, wheneverold--the--the present incumbent goes--and there are other thingsbeside--but you must not allow yourself to be ruined through timidity;and if you go to the wall without an effort, and allow yourself to beslurred in public, what becomes of your chance of preferment?'
And now 'title' went up to Burlington, Smith, and Co. to examine andapprove; and from that firm, I am sorry to say, a bill of costs wascoming, when deeds were prepared and all done, exceeding three hundredand fifty pounds; and there was a little reminder from good Jos. Larkinfor two hundred and fifty pounds more. This, of course, was to await Mr.Wylder's perfect convenience. The vicar knew _him_--_he_ never pressedany man. Then there would be insurances in proportion; and interest, aswe see, was not trifling. And altogether, I am afraid, our friend thevicar was being extricated in a rather embarrassing fashion.
Now, I have known cases in which good-natured debauchees have interestedthemselves charitably in the difficulties of forlorn families; and Ithink _I_ knew, almost before they suspected it, that their generousinterference was altogether due to one fine pair of eyes, and a pretty_tournure_, in the distressed family circle. Under a like half-delusion,Mr. Jos. Larkin, in the guise of charity, was prosecuting his designsupon the vicar's reversion, and often most cruelly and most artfully,when he frankly fancied his conduct most praiseworthy.
And really I do not myself know, that, considering poor William'sliabilities and his means, and how many chances there were against thatreversion ever becoming a fact, that I would not myself have advised hisselling it, if a reasonable price were obtainable.
'All this power will I give thee,' said the Devil, 'and the glory ofthem; for that is delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will I give it.'The world belongs to the rascals. It is like 'the turf,' where, everyoneadmits, an honest man can hardly hold his own. Jos. Larkin looked down onthe
seedy and distracted vicar from an immense moral elevation. He heardhim talk of religion with disgust. He owed him costs, and, beside, costsalso to Burlington, Smith, and Co. Was there not Talkative in 'Pilgrim'sProgress?' I believe there are few things more provoking than that a manwho owes you money, and can't pay the interest, should pretend toreligion to your face, except, perhaps, his giving sixpence in charity.
The attorney was prosperous. He accounted for it by his attributes, andthe blessing that waits on industry and integrity. He did not see thatluck and selfishness had anything to do with it. No man ever failed butthrough his own fault--none ever succeeded but by his deservings. Theattorney was in a position to lecture the Rev. Mr. Wylder. In hispresence, religion, in the vicar's mouth, was an impertinence.
The vicar, on the other hand, was all that we know. Perhaps, incomparison, his trial is, in some sort, a blessing; and that there is nogreater snare than the state of the man with whom all goes smoothly, andwho mistakes his circumstances for his virtues.
The poor vicar and his little following were got pretty well into theFurcae Caudinae. Mr. Jos. Larkin, if he did not march him out, to do himjustice, had had no hand in primarily bringing him there. There was noreason, however, why the respectable lawyer should not make whatever wasto be fairly made of the situation. The best thing for both was, perhaps,that the one should sell and the other buy the reversion. Larkin had noapprehensions about the nature of the dealing. He was furnished with anexcellent character--his cheques were always honoured--his 'tots' alwaysunexceptionable--his vouchers never anything but exact. He had twice beenpublicly complimented in this sense, when managing Lord Hedgerow'sestate. No man had, I believe, a higher reputation in his walk--few menwere more formidable. I think it was Lawyer Larkin's private canon, inhis dealings with men, that everything was moral that was not contrary toan Act of Parliament.
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