Fighting the Flames

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

  A CHANGE IN FORTUNE.

  There is nothing more surprising in regard to sublunary matters than theway in which unexpected events arise out of what may be calledunintentional causes.

  When David Boone and his friend Gorman planned the insurance anddestruction of the toy shop and its contents, they no more expected thatthe very first steps towards that end would result in the conversion ofa poor into a flourishing business, than they expected that theexpression of a wish would convert Poorthing Lane into Beverly Square;yet so it was.

  Poor David was rendered so desperate by his straits, and so anxious toescape from the crime into which his friend sought to plunge him, thathe meditated suicide; but, lacking the courage to accomplish this, herelieved his feelings by carrying out the details of his business andthe preliminary steps of his plan, with the wild and reckless energy ofa maniac. The more he thought of the meshes which Gorman had castaround him, the more did he regard escape impossible. He thereforesought relief in action. He not only talked to his neighbours (as peragreement) about his rapidly increasing business, but he made purchaseson a scale more extensive than he had ever before contemplated, even inhis dreams. Being convinced that ruin, sooner or later, was his doom,he indulged in the most extravagant excesses, with much of the feelingwhich prompts some seamen, when the ship is sinking, to break into thespirit room and spend the short remnant of life in jollity. Heexperienced a sort of savage delight in ordering right and left fromwholesale dealers in town and country, and even went so far as to writeto Germany for toys, using the name of a well-known London house whichhad hitherto (and justly) believed him to be an honest man. The resultof this was that Poorthing Lane was besieged for some time by railwayvans, and waggons so huge that apparently an inch more added to theirbulk would have rendered their passage impossible. Great deal boxeswere constantly being unpacked in front of Mr Boone's door, much to theannoyance of Miss Tippet, who could not imagine how it happened that hersedate and slow-going landlord had got such a sudden increase ofbusiness. Little did she think, poor lady, that this was the fuel withwhich it was intended to roast her alive!

  Some of the smaller accounts for goods thus purchased Boone paid at oncewith the money furnished to him by Gorman, and thus got credit for beinga capitalist. Others he deferred payment of until a more convenientseason.

  His friend Gorman, who would not have bent the joint of his littlefinger to have saved him from destruction, was so anxious to get up agood appearance, for the sake of getting the insurance effectedadvantageously, that he did his best to carry out his part of the plan,and, being a man of energy who in the paths of virtue might have risento a high position among men, he succeeded beyond his expectation.Crowds of purchasers were sent by him to the shop of "the celebratedtoy-man." Some were mere decoy-ducks, who came and went (for aconsideration) pretty frequently, and only "priced" the goods. Otherswere genuine purchasers, and between the two they created so muchtraffic in the toy-shop, that the multitude--so difficult to move bymere suasion, but so prone to follow blindly in the wake of a senselessrush, when once the rush takes place--began to move in the direction ofthe toyshop, and shortly before Christmas the demand for toys was sogreat, that Boone had to engage two assistants to carry on the business,and even the lane itself began to feel the benefit of the suddenincrease of traffic.

  All this was patent to the eyes of David Boone, but he was sooverwhelmed with a sense of the guilt he was about to incur, and thedeception he was even then practising, that he regarded the whole affairas a hollow bubble, which would soon burst and leave nothing behind.Even the rapid increase of the credit-balance in his bank-book did notaffect his opinion, for he was not much of a financier, and, knowingthat his transactions were founded on deception, he looked on thebalance as being deceptive also.

  Not so thought Gorman. That wily individual perceived, to hisamazement, that things were taking a turn which had never beencontemplated, so he silently looked on and wondered, and chuckled andresolved to abide his time.

  As prosperity flowed in upon him, David Boone became more insane--forhis condition of mind was little, if at all, short of temporaryinsanity--and his proceedings became more eccentric than ever. Amongother things, he became suddenly smitten with a desire to advertise, andimmediately in the columns of the tapers appeared advertisements to theeffect that "The Celebrated Toy Emporium" was to be found in PoorthingLane. Finding that this increased his business considerably, he hitupon a plan of advertising which has been practised rather extensivelyof late years in London. He sent out an army of boys with pots ofwhitewash and brushes, with directions to print in rough but largelegible letters the words, "Who's Boone?" on all the blank walls of themetropolis, and in the papers he answered the question by having printedunder the same title, "Why, the manager of the Toy Emporium, to be sure,in Poorthing Lane." He also advertised specially that he had in stock,"an assortment of 500 golden-haired dolls from Germany, full-dressed,half-dressed, and naked."

  This last was irresistible. Thousands of young hearts beat high at themere thought of such numbers--"with _golden_ hair too!" and dozens ofmammas, and papas too, visited Poorthing Lane in consequence.

  In course of time David Boone's eyes began to open to the fact that hewas rapidly making a fortune.

  It was after the bustle of the Christmas season was over that he madethis discovery. One of his new assistants, a young man named Lyall, wasthe means of opening his employer's eyes to the truth. Lyall was aclever accountant, and had been much surprised from the first that Boonekept no regular system of books. At the end of the year he suggestedthat it would be well to take stock and find out the state of thebusiness. Boone agreed. Lyall went to work, and in a short time theresult of his labours showed, that after all debts were paid, therewould remain a satisfactory credit-balance at the bank.

  On the evening of the day on which this marvellous fact was impressed onBoone's mind, Gorman called, and found his friend rubbing his hands, andsmiling benignantly in the back room.

  "You seem jolly," said Gorman, sitting down, as usual, by the fire, andpulling out, as usual, the short pipe. "Business gittin' on well?"

  "It is," said Boone, standing with his back to the fire, and swayinghimself gently to and fro; "things don't look so bad. I can pay you thearrears of rent now."

  "Oh, can you?" said Gorman. "Ah!"

  "Yes, and I'm in a position to pay you fifty pounds of the debt I oweyou besides," said Boone.

  "And a bill at three months for the balance?" inquired Gorman.

  No, he could not venture to do that exactly, but he hoped to pay afurther instalment before the end of three months.

  "Humph! How much may the profits be?"

  Boone could not say precisely, not having had all his accounts squared,but he believed they were considerable.

  "I'll be bound they are," said Gorman with a growl; "you won't want toset things alight now, I daresay."

  "Well, I think it'll be as well to wait a bit, and let us make hay whilethis sunshine goes on."

  "Let _you_ make hay, you mean?"

  "Oh, as to that, the most of it will go to your stack for some time tocome, Gorman."

  "H'm! and what about the insurance?"

  "Well, you know," observed Boone, "it's of no use paying the premium fornothing. As we don't mean to set the place alight, you know."

  "Ay, but the life insurance, I mean," said Gorman.

  Boone laughed, and observed that he thought it best not to die just atthat particular time, whereupon Gorman laughed, too, and said he wasabout right, and that it would be as well to delay both events in themeantime; after saying which, he took his leave in better humour thanusual, for Gorman was what men of his own stamp termed a "deep file."He saw into futurity--so he thought--a considerable way farther thanmost men, and in the future of his own imagination he saw such apleasant picture that his amiable spirit was quite cheered by it. Hesaw David Boone making money so fast, that his g
oods might be insured ata much larger amount; he saw him getting into fresh difficulties, ofcourse, because such a business, on such a foundation, could not go onprosperously except under the most able management, and, even though itdid prosper in spite of improbabilities, he foresaw that there was anamiable gentleman, much like himself, who would induce Boone to trafficbeyond his means, and when money was wanted, the same kind gentleman (hesaw that quite clearly) would come forward generously with a loan, forwhich he would only ask Boone to make over to him in security his twopolicies of insurance--fire and life; after which--well, we need not goon revealing the future as it appeared to Gorman's mental vision;suffice it to say, that he saw upon the whole a prospect which gave himgreat satisfaction.

  There were one or two things which he did not see, however, and whichmight have modified his feelings considerably if he had seen them. Ofthese we shall say nothing at present.

  As for David Boone; his heart rejoiced, for he, too, had visions of thefuture which charmed him. He saw his debt to Gorman paid, and himselfset free from the power of that amiable friend. He saw a toyshop changeits locality and its aspect. He saw it transplanted into Regent Street,with plate-glass windows, in which were displayed objects of marvellousingenuity and transcendent beauty. One window especially exhibiting,not a crowd, but, a very nation of wax-dolls with blue eyes and goldenhair! He saw, moreover, a very little old woman, lying in a bed, in anelegant and comfortable apartment, with a Bible beside her, and acontented smile on her face. This old lady resembled his own mother sostrongly, that all other prospects of the future faded from his view,and in the fulness of his heart and his success, he resolved then andthere to go home and present her with a gift on the strength of theprosperity at that time attained to.

  David was sorely perplexed as to what this gift ought to be. He thoughtof a new silk gown at first; but the remembrance of the fact that hismother was bedridden banished this idea. Owing to the same fact, newboots and gloves were inadmissible; but caps were not--happy thought!He started off at once, and returned home with a cap so gay, voluminous,and imposing, that the old lady, unused though she was to mirth, laughedwith amusement, while she cried with joy, at this (not the first)evidence of her son's affection.