Ten Thousand a-Year Volume Iii Part 32

Tag-rag's attorney, Mr. Snout, instantly called upon Messrs. Quirk, Gammon, and Snap, to inquire into the particulars of the astounding transaction by which his client had been drawn into so ruinous a liability--but was very cavalierly treated; for he was informed that Mr.

Tag-rag must, in their opinion, have lost his senses--at all events his memory; for that he had most deliberately executed the bond, after its nature had been fully explained to him by Mr. Gammon--and his signature was witnessed and attested in the usual way by a clerk in the office, and also in the presence of all the three partners. On hearing all this--and examining Mr. Amminadab, who stated without any hesitation, as the fact in truth was, that he had been called in specially to witness Mr. Tag-rag's execution of the bond, and had seen and heard him sign,[19] and say he delivered it as his act and deed--Mr. Snout hurried back to his frenzied client, and endeavored, for a long while, with praiseworthy patience, to reason with him; explaining to him the glaring improbability of his version of the affair. This led to very high words indeed between them, and at length Mr. Tag-rag actually spit in his face. Mr. Snout, being a very little man, and unable to resent the vile insult effectually, instantly quitted the room, expressing his firm belief that Mr. Tag-rag was a swindler, and he would no more be concerned for a person of that description. Mr. Tag-rag could not procure bail for so fearful an amount; so he committed an act of bankruptcy, by remaining in prison for three weeks. Down, then, came all his creditors upon him in a heap, especially the Jew; a rattling bankruptcy ensued--the upshot of the whole being--to antic.i.p.ate, however, a little--that a first and final dividend was declared of three farthings in the pound--for it turned out that friend Tag-rag had been, like many of his betters, _speculating_ a great deal more than any one had had the least idea of. I ought, however, to have mentioned that, as soon as he had become bankrupt, and his a.s.signees had been appointed, they caused an indictment to be preferred against Mr. t.i.tmouse, and Messrs. Quirk, Gammon, and Snap, for fraud and conspiracy in obtaining the bond from Mr. Tag-rag; and on the same grounds, made an application, fortified by strong affidavits, to the Lord Chancellor, to strike the last three gentlemen off the rolls. In addition to all this, the two other unfortunate mortgagees, Mordecai Gripe, and Mephibosheth Mahar-shalal-hash-baz--who had no security at all for their advances except the t.i.tle-deeds of the estate, and the personal covenant of Mr.

t.i.tmouse--beset the office in Saffron Hill from morning to night, like frantic fiends, and nearly drove poor old Mr. Quirk out of his senses.

Mr. Snap was peremptory and insolent; while Gammon seldom made his appearance--and would see no one at his private residence, pleading serious indisposition.

After anxious reflection, Mr. Gammon did not absolutely despair of extricating himself from the perils with which he was personally environed. As for certain fond hopes of political advancement, after which, indeed, his soul had so long pined, he did not even yet abandon the hope of being able to prevail on his friend at headquarters--to whom he had undoubtedly rendered considerable political services at no little personal risk--to overlook the accident which had befallen him, in the adverse verdict for the bribery penalties, even should he fail in his motion to defeat that verdict in the ensuing term. He had had indeed, a distinct intimation, that--that one obstacle removed--a very important and influential situation under government was within his reach. But, alas! this last overwhelming misfortune--how could he possibly evade or surmount it? What human ingenuity or intrepidity could avail to extricate him from the consequences of his insane avowal to Miss Aubrey--and his counter-statements to the Duke of Tantallan and Miss Macspleuchan--to say nothing of the Earl of Dreddlington? He resolved to risk it--to rely on his own resources, and the chapter of accidents. The mere presence of difficulty strung his nerves to encounter it. He resolved to rely on the impossibility of fixing him directly with a knowledge of the rottenness of t.i.tmouse's pretensions--at all events, till a period considerably subsequent to the trial, and t.i.tmouse's marriage with the Lady Cecilia. It occurred to him, as calculated, moreover, to aid his contemplated movements, if he could find a fair pretext for throwing overboard his partners, especially Mr.

Quirk--satisfied that his own uniform caution had prevented him from committing himself to them--or at least had deprived them of means of proving it. He very soon met with an opportunity, of which he promptly availed himself.

Some week or ten days after the commencement of the term, Mr. Quirk was walking down Parliament Street, on his way to the Court of King's Bench, hoping, among other things, to hear the court say whether they would grant or refuse a rule _nisi_ for a new trial, in a certain cause of WIGLEY _v._ GAMMON, which had been moved for on the first day of term by Sir Charles Wolstenholme, and which Lord Widdrington had said the court would take a day or two's time to consider. Mr. Quirk's eye caught the figure of a person, a few steps in advance of him, whom he fancied he had seen before. In a few minutes' time, the old gentleman was covered with a cold perspiration; for in a young man, about thirty years old, decently dressed--thin, sallow, and wearing a very depressed air--Mr.

Quirk recognized Mr. STEGGARS--a gentleman whom he had imagined to be at that moment comfortably settled, and for some ten years yet to come and unexpired, at Botany Bay! This was the individual, it may be recollected, whose execrable breach of trust, when a clerk of Mr.

Parkinson's at Grilston, had led to Mr. Quirk's discovery of the infirmity in Mr. Aubrey's t.i.tle. The fact was, that Mr. Steggars had quitted England, as the reader may recollect, horribly disgusted with Mr. Quirk's conduct towards him; and had also subsequently experienced some little remorse on account of his own mean and cruel conduct towards a distinguished gentleman and his family, none of whom had ever given him the slightest pretext for hostility or revenge. He had contrived to make his feelings upon the subject known to an official individual at Botany Bay, who had given him an opportunity of explaining matters fully to the authorities at home--the princ.i.p.al of whom, the Home Secretary--had been, and indeed continued to be, a warm personal friend of Mr. Aubrey's. This minister caused inquiries to be made concerning Steggars' behavior while abroad, which were so satisfactorily answered as to procure a remission of the remainder of his sentence, just as he was entering upon his fourth year's service at Botany Bay. Immediately on his return--which had taken place only a few days before the commencement of Michaelmas Term--he sought out Mr. Aubrey's attorneys, Messrs. Runnington, and put them fully in possession of all the facts of the case, relating to Mr. Quirk's grossly dishonorable conduct in obtaining and acting upon a knowledge of the supposed defect in Mr.

Aubrey's t.i.tle. Upon Mr. Quirk's coming alongside of this gentleman, and looking at him with a most anxious inquisitiveness, he encountered a fearfully significant glance--and then Mr. Steggars, in a very pointed and abrupt manner, crossed over the street for the purpose of avoiding him. Mr. Quirk was so dreadfully disconcerted by this occurrence, that instead of going on to court, where he would have heard Mr. Gammon's rule for a new trial _refused_, he retraced his steps homeward, and arrived at the office just as a clerk was inquiring for him; and who, on seeing him, put into his hands the following startling doc.u.ment, being a _"Rule"_ which had been granted the day before, by the Court of King's Bench:--

"On reading the Affidavit of JONATHAN STEGGARS, the affidavits of James Parkinson and Charles Runnington, and the paper-writing marked A, all thereunto annexed, It is ORDERED that Caleb Quirk, Gentleman, an attorney of this Honorable Court, do, on Wednesday next, in this present term, show cause why he should not forthwith deliver up to Charles Aubrey, Esquire, the deeds and doc.u.ments specified in the paper-writing thereto annexed, marked A, _and also, why he should not answer the matters contained in the said Affidavits_.[20] Upon the motion of Sir Charles Wolstenholme.

"By the Court."

"Oh Lord!" exclaimed Mr. Quirk, faintly, and, sinking into his chair, inquired for Mr. Gammon; but, as usual, he had not been at Saffron Hill that day. Giving orders to Mr. Amminadab to have copies taken immediately of the affidavits mentioned in the rule, Mr. Quirk set off for Mr. Gammon's chambers, but missed that gentleman, who he learned, had gone to Westminster. The next day Mr. Gammon called at the office, but Mr. Quirk was absent; on going, however, into the old gentleman's room, Mr. Gammon's eye lit on the above-mentioned "rule," and also on the affidavits upon which it had been granted. Having hurriedly glanced over them, he hastily replaced them on the desk, as he had found them, and repaired to his own room, greatly fl.u.s.tered--resolved to wait for Mr. Quirk's arrival, and appear to be informed by him, for the first time, of the existence of the aforesaid formidable doc.u.ments. While he was really buried in a revery, with his head resting on one hand and a pen in the other, his countenance miserably pale and hara.s.sed, Mr. Quirk burst hastily into his room with the rule and affidavits in his hand.

"Oh Lord, Gammon! How are you, Gammon?" he stuttered. "Haven't seen you this age!--Where have you been? How are you, eh?" and he grasped very cordially the cold hand of Mr. Gammon, which did not return the pressure.

"I am not very well, Mr. Quirk; but--you seem agitated!--Has anything fresh hap"----

"Fresh?--Ecod, my dear Gammon! Fresh, indeed! Here's a _new_ enemy come into the field!--D----d if I don't feel going mad!--Look, Gammon, look!"--and he placed the rule and affidavits in Mr. Gammon's hands, and sat down beside him.

"What!--_Answer the matters in the affidavit?_" quoth Gammon, amazedly.--"Why, what have you been doing, Mr. Quirk? And--who upon earth is--_Jonathan Steggars_?"

"Who's Steggars!" echoed Mr. Quirk, stupidly.

"Yes, Mr. Quirk--_Steggars_. Who is he?" repeated Gammon, intrepidly.

"Steggars, you know--Gammon! You recollect Steggars, of course--eh?"

inquired Mr. Quirk, with an apprehensive stare--"Steggars; _Steggars_--you know! eh? You don't recollect! Oh, botheration! Come, come, Gammon!"

"Who is he?" again inquired Gammon, somewhat sternly.

"Oh Lud! oh Lud! oh Lud!" exclaimed Mr. Quirk, despairingly--"What _are_ you after, Gammon? You don't intend--it can't be--that you're going to--eh?--It's Steggars, you know--we defended him, you know--and he got transported for embezzling that mortgage money of Mr. Parkinson's. You recollect how we got hold of Mr. Aubrey's story from him?" While Mr.

Quirk was saying all this with feverish impetuosity, Mr. Gammon appeared to be, for the first time, glancing eagerly over the affidavits.

"Why--good heavens, Mr. Quirk!" said he, presently, with a start--"is it possible that these statements can have the slightest foundation in fact?"

"Ay, drat it--that _you_ know as well as I do, Gammon," replied Mr.

Quirk, with not a little eagerness and trepidation--"Come, come, it's rather late in the day to sham Abraham just now, friend Gammon!"

"Do you venture, Mr. Quirk, to stand there, and deliberately charge me with being a party to the grossly dishonorable conduct of which you are here accused upon oath--which, indeed, you admit yourself to have been guilty of?"

"D----d if I don't, Master Gammon!" replied Mr. Quirk, slapping his hand on the table after a long pause, in which he looked completely confounded and aghast. "Why, you'll want, by-and-by, to persuade me that my name isn't Caleb Quirk--why, zounds! you'll drive me mad! You're gone mad yourself--you must be!"

"How dare you insult me, sir, by charging me with conniving at your infamous and most unprofessional conduct?"

"Why--come!" cried Quirk, with a horrible laugh--"You don't know how we first got scent of the whole thing?--Ah, ha! It dropped down from the clouds, I suppose, into our office--oh Lud, Lud, Gammon! it isn't kind to leave an old friend in the lurch at such a pinch as this!"

"I tell you, Mr. Quirk, that I never had the least idea in the world that this wretch Steggars--Faugh! I should have scouted the whole thing!

I would rather have retired from the firm!"

"That's it, Gammon! Go on, Gammon! This is uncommonly funny! It is, indeed, aha!" quoth Quirk, trembling violently.

"This is no time for trifling, sir, believe me. Let me tell you thus much, in all candor--that I certainly had, from the first, misgivings as to the means by which you became possessed of this information; but considering our relative situations, I did not feel myself at liberty to press you on the point--Oh, Mr. Quirk, I am really shocked beyond all bounds! What will the profession say of"--

"D---- the profession! What d'ye suppose I must be just now thinking of _you_? Why, you'd make a dog strike its father!"

"I may have been unfortunate, Mr. Quirk--I may have been imprudent; but I have never been dishonorable--and I would not for the whole creation have my name a.s.sociated with this infernal transac"----

"Come, come--who wanted me to forge a tombstone, Gammon?" inquired Mr.

Quirk, glancing very keenly at his friend.

"Wanted you to forge a tombstone, sir!" echoed Gammon, with an astounded air.

"Ay! ay! Forge a tombstone!" repeated Mr. Quirk, dropping his voice, and slapping one hand upon the other.

"Upon my word and honor, Mr. Quirk, I pity you! You've lost your senses!"

"You wanted me to forge a tombstone! D----d if you didn't!"

"You had better go home, Mr. Quirk, and take some physic to clear your head, for I am sure you're going wrong altogether!" said Gammon.

"Oh, Gammon, Gammon! Aren't you ashamed of yourself? Come--honor among thieves! Be honest for once"----

"Your conduct is so extraordinary, Mr. Quirk, that I must request you to leave my room, sir"----

"I sha'n't--it's _mine_ too"--quoth Quirk, snapping his fingers with a desperate air.

"Then I will, sir," replied Gammon, with a low bow; and, taking up his hat, moved towards the door.

"You sha'n't, Gammon--you mustn't!" cried Quirk, but in vain--Mr.

Gammon had taken his final departure, leaving Mr. Quirk on the very verge of madness. By-and-by he went into Snap's room, who sat there the picture of misery and terror; for whereas it had always seemed to him that he had never been fairly admitted into the confidence of his senior partners in the very important matters which had been going on for the last two years--now that all things were going wrong, he was candidly given credit by Mr. Quirk and Mr. Gammon for having lent a helping hand to everything from the very beginning! In fact, he was frightened out of his wits at the terrible turn which matters were taking. 'T was he who had to stand the brunt of the horrid badgering of the three frenzied Jews; he was included in half-a-dozen indictments for fraud and conspiracy, at the instance of the aforesaid Israelites, and of the a.s.signees of Mr. Tag-rag; and Heaven only could form a notion of what other good things were in store for him! He wondered vastly that they had not contrived to stick _his_ name into the affidavits which had that day come in, and which seemed to have turned Mr. Quirk's head upside down! Conscious, however, of his own innocence, he resolved to hold on to the last, with a view, in the event of the partners.h.i.+p blowing up, of sc.r.a.ping together a nice little practice out of the remnants.

Half recklessly, and half in furtherance of some designs which he was forming, Gammon followed up, on the ensuing morning, his move with Mr.

Quirk, by sending to him and to Mr. Snap a formal written notice of his intention to retire from the partners.h.i.+p, in conformity with the provisions of their articles, at the end of a calendar month from the date; and he resolved to take no part at all in the matter to which Mr.

Quirk's attention had been so sternly challenged by the Court of King's Bench--leaving Mr. Quirk to struggle through it as best he might.

But what was Mr. Gammon to do?

He could not stir a step in any direction for want of money--getting every hour more and more involved and hara.s.sed on this score. The ecclesiastical suit he had given up, and Mr. Quod had instantly sent in his heavy bill, requiring immediate payment--reminding Mr. Gammon that he had pledged himself to see him paid, whatever might be the issue.

Here, again, was an action of ejectment, on a tremendous scale, actually commenced, and being vigorously carried on--with evidently unlimited funds at command--for the recovery of every acre of the Yatton property.

Was it to be resisted? Where were the funds? Here he was, again, already a defendant in four indictments, charging fraud and conspiracy--proceedings entailing a most destructive expense; and his motion for a new trial, in the action for the bribery penalty having failed, he was now liable to pay, almost instantly, a sum exceeding 3,000 to the plaintiff, for debt and costs. As for the balance of their bill against Mr. Aubrey, that was melting away hourly in the taxing-office; and the probable result would be an action against them, at the suit of Mr. Aubrey, for maliciously holding him to bail. Was it possible, thought Gammon, to make the two promissory notes of Mr. Aubrey available, by discontinuing the actions commenced upon them, and indorsing them over at a heavy discount? He took an opinion upon the point--which was to the effect, that such a step could not _then_ be taken, so as to give any third party a better right against Mr. Aubrey than Mr. t.i.tmouse had. Even had this, however, been otherwise, an unexpected obstacle arose in Mr. Spitfire, who now held Mr. Gammon at arm's length, and insisted on going forward with the actions; but he, in his turn, was, as it were, checkmated by a move of Mr. Runnington's in the Court of Chancery; where he obtained an injunction against proceeding with the actions on the notes, till the result of the pending action of ejectment should have been ascertained; and, in the event of the lessor of the plaintiff recovering, an account taken of the mesne profits which had been received by Mr. t.i.tmouse. No one, of course, would now advance a farthing on mortgage of Mr. t.i.tmouse's interest in the Yatton property; and Mr. Gammon's dearly earned rent-charge of 2,000 a-year had become mere waste parchment, and as such he destroyed it. The advertis.e.m.e.nts concerning Lord De la Zouch's bond had effectually restrained Mr. Gammon from raising anything upon it; since any one advancing money upon the security of its a.s.signment, must have put it in suit against his Lords.h.i.+p, when due, in the name of Mr.

t.i.tmouse, and any answer to an action by him, would of course operate against the party using his name. Mr. Gammon then bethought himself of felling the timber at Yatton; but, as if that step on his part had been antic.i.p.ated, before they had got down more than a couple of trees at the extremity of the estate, down came an injunction from the Lord Chancellor, and so there was an end of all resources from that quarter.

Should he try the experiment of offering to surrender Yatton without the delay and expense of defending the ejectment? He knew he should be laughed at; they must quickly see that he had no funds to fight with, even had he the slightest case to support. Mr. Gammon saw that Mr.

Aubrey's position was already impregnable, and the notion of a compromise utterly ridiculous. As for resources of his own, he had none, for he had been exceedingly unfortunate in his dealings in the British and foreign funds, and had suffered severely and unexpectedly through his connection with one or two of the bubble companies of the day. In fact, he was liable to be called upon at any moment for no less a sum than 3,000, and interest, which had been advanced to him on security of a joint and several bond given by himself and Mr. t.i.tmouse; and he lived in daily dread lest the increasing frequency of the rumors to his discredit, should get to the ears of this particular creditor, and precipitate his demand of repayment. To the vexation occasioned by this direct pecuniary embarra.s.sment, and by the impossibility of retrieving himself by a move in any direction--being, in short, in a complete _dead-lock_--were to be added other sources of exquisite anxiety and mortification. To say nothing of the perilous legal and criminal liabilities which he had incurred, the consciousness of his appearing an atrocious liar, and indeed an impostor, in the eyes of the Duke of Tantallan, of the Earl of Dreddlington, of Miss Macspleuchan, of the Aubreys, of _Miss Aubrey_--in fact, of every one who saw or heard of what he had done--stung him almost to madness; considerations of this kind were infinitely more insupportable than all the others by which he was oppressed, put together. And when he reflected that the Lord Chancellor, to whose favorable notice he had ever fondly aspired--and to a considerable extent, successfully--had been put in possession of all the heavy charges made against him, on the score of fraud and conspiracy, by means of the various motions made before his Lords.h.i.+p, and the affidavits by which they were supported, he felt his soul withered within him. In short, it must surely appear, by this time, that the devil had, in his dismal sport, got his friend Mr. Gammon up into a corner.