CHAPTER X.
_In Which Captain Armine Increases His Knowledge of the Value of Money, and Also Becomes Aware of the Advantage of an Acquaintance Who Burns Coals_.
FERDINAND returned to his hotel in no very good humour, revolving in hismind Miss Temple's advice about optimism. What could she mean? Was therereally a conspiracy to make him marry his cousin, and was Miss Templeone of the conspirators? He could scarcely believe this, and yet it wasthe most probable, deduction from all that had been said and done. Hehad lived to witness such strange occurrences, that no event ought nowto astonish him. Only to think that he had been sitting quietly ina drawing-room with Henrietta Temple, and she avowedly engaged to bemarried to another person, who was present; and that he, FerdinandArmine, should be the selected companion of their morning ride, andbe calmly invited to contribute to their daily amusement by his socialpresence! What next? If this were not an insult, a gross, flagrant, andunendurable outrage, he was totally at a loss to comprehend what wasmeant by offended pride. Optimism, indeed! He felt far more inclinedto embrace the faith of the Manichee! And what a fool was he to havesubmitted to such a despicable, such a degrading situation! Whatinfinite weakness not to be able to resist her influence, the influenceof a woman who had betrayed him! Yes! betrayed him. He had for someperiod reconciled his mind to entertain the idea of Henrietta'streachery to him. Softened by time, atoned for by long suffering,extenuated by the constant sincerity of his purpose, his originalimprudence, to use his own phrase in describing his misconduct, hadgradually ceased to figure as a valid and sufficient cause for herbehaviour to him. When he recollected how he had loved this woman,what he had sacrificed for her, and what misery he had in consequenceentailed upon himself and all those dear to him; when he contrastedhis present perilous situation with her triumphant prosperity, andremembered that while he had devoted himself to a love which provedfalse, she who had deserted him was, by a caprice of fortune, absolutelyrewarded for her fickleness; he was enraged, he was disgusted, hedespised himself for having been her slave; he began even to hate her.Terrible moment when we first dare to view with feelings of repugnancethe being that our soul has long idolised! It is the most awful ofrevelations. We start back in horror, as if in the act of profanation.
Other annoyances, however, of a less ethereal character, awaited ourhero on his return to his hotel. There he found a letter from hislawyer, informing him that he could no longer parry the determination ofone of Captain Armine's principal creditors to arrest him instantly fora considerable sum. Poor Ferdinand, mortified and harassed, with hisheart and spirit alike broken, could scarcely refrain from a groan.However, some step must be taken. He drove Henrietta from his thoughts,and, endeavouring to rally some of his old energy, revolved in his mindwhat desperate expedient yet remained.
His sleep was broken by dreams of bailiffs, and a vague idea ofHenrietta Temple triumphing in his misery; but he rose early, wrote adiplomatic note to his menacing creditor, which he felt confident mustgain him time, and then, making a careful toilet, for when a man isgoing to try to borrow money it is wise to look prosperous, he took hisway to a quarter of the town where lived a gentleman with whose brotherhe had had some previous dealings at Malta, and whose acquaintance hehad made in England in reference to them.
It was in that gloomy quarter called Golden-square, the murky repose ofwhich strikes so mysteriously on the senses after the glittering bustleof the adjoining Regent-street, that Captain Armine stopped before anoble yet now dingy mansion, that in old and happier days might probablyhave been inhabited by his grandfather, or some of his gay friends. Abrass plate on the door informed the world that here resided Messrs.Morris and Levison, following the not very ambitious calling of coalmerchants. But if all the pursuers of that somewhat humble trade couldmanage to deal in coals with the same dexterity as Messrs. Morris andLevison, what very great coal merchants they would be!
The ponderous portal obeyed the signal of the bell, and apparentlyopened without any human means; and Captain Armine, proceeding downa dark yet capacious passage, opened a door, which invited him byan inscription on ground glass that assured him he was entering thecounting-house. Here several clerks, ensconced within lofty walls of thedarkest and dullest mahogany, were busily employed; yet one advancedto an aperture in this fortification and accepted the card which thevisitor offered him. The clerk surveyed the ticket with a peculiarglance; and then, begging the visitor to be seated, disappeared. Hewas not long absent, but soon invited Ferdinand to follow him. CaptainArmine was ushered up a noble staircase, and into a saloon that oncewas splendid. The ceiling was richly carved, and there still might bedetected the remains of its once gorgeous embellishment in the faintforms of faded deities and the traces of murky gilding. The walls ofthis apartment were crowded with pictures, arranged, however, withlittle regard to taste, effect, or style. A sprawling copy of Titian'sVenus flanked a somewhat prim peeress by Hoppner; a landscape thatsmacked of Gainsborough was the companion of a dauby moonlight, thatmust have figured in the last exhibition; and insipid Roman matrons byHamilton, and stiff English heroes by Northcote, contrasted with a vastquantity of second-rate delineations of the orgies of Dutch boors andportraits of favourite racers and fancy dogs. The room was crowded withugly furniture of all kinds, very solid, and chiefly of mahogany; amongwhich were not less than three escritoires, to say nothing of the hugehorsehair sofas. A sideboard of Babylonian proportions was crownedby three massive and enormous silver salvers, and immense branchcandlesticks of the same precious metal, and a china punch-bowl whichmight have suited the dwarf in Brobdignag. The floor was covered witha faded Turkey carpet. But amid all this solid splendour there werecertain intimations of feminine elegance in the veil of finely-cutpink paper which covered the nakedness of the empty but highly-polishedfire-place, and in the hand-screens, which were profusely ornamentedwith ribbon of the same hue, and one of which afforded a most accurateif not picturesque view of Margate, while the other glowed with a hugewreath of cabbage-roses and jonquils.
Ferdinand was not long alone, and Mr. Levison, the proprietor of allthis splendour, entered. He was a short, stout man, with a gravebut handsome countenance, a little bald, but nevertheless with anelaborateness of raiment which might better have become a younger man.He wore a plum-colored frock coat of the finest cloth; his green velvetwaistcoat was guarded by a gold chain, which would have been the envyof a new town council; an immense opal gleamed on the breast of hisembroidered shirt; and his fingers were covered with very fine rings.
'Your sarvant, Captin,' said Mr. Levison, and he placed a chair for hisguest.
'How are you, Levison?' responded our hero in an easy voice. 'Any news?'
Mr. Levison shrugged his shoulders, as he murmured, 'Times is very bad,Captin.'
'Oh! I dare say,' said Ferdinand; 'I wish they were as well with me aswith you. By Jove, Levison, you must be making an immense fortune.'
Mr. Levison shook his head, as he groaned out, 'I work hard, Captin; buttimes is terrible.'
'Fiddlededee! Come! I want you to assist me a little, old fellow. Nohumbug between us.'
'Oh!' groaned Mr. Levison, 'you could not come at a worse time; I don'tknow what money is.'
'Of course. However, the fact is, money I must have; and so, old fellow,we are old friends, and you must get it.'
'What do you want, Captin?' slowly spoke Mr. Levison, with an expressionof misery.
'Oh! I want rather a tolerable sum, and that is the truth; but I onlywant it for a moment.'
'It is not the time, 'tis the money,' said Mr. Levison. 'You know me andmy pardner, Captin, are always anxious to do what we can to sarve you.'
'Well, now you can do me a real service, and, by Jove, you shall neverrepent it. To the point; I must have 1,500L.'
'One thousand five hundred pounds!' exclaimed Mr. Levison. ''Tayn't inthe country.'
'Humbug! It must be found. What is the use of all this stuff with me? Iwant 1,500L., and you must give it me.'
'I tell you what it is, Captin,' said Mr. Levison, leaning over the backof a chair, and speaking with callous composure; 'I tell you what it is,me and my pardner are very willing always to assist you; but we want toknow when the marriage is to come off, and that's the truth.'
'Damn the marriage,' said Captain Armine, rather staggered.
'There it is, though,' said Mr. Levison, very quietly. 'You know,Captin, there is the arrears on that 'ere annuity, three years nextMichaelmas. I think it's Michaelmas; let me see.' So saying, Mr. Levisonopened an escritoire, and brought forward an awful-looking volume, and,consulting the terrible index, turned to the fatal name of Armine. 'Yes!three years next Michaelmas, Captin.'
'Well, you will be paid,' said Ferdinand.
'We hope so,' said Mr. Levison; 'but it is a long figure.'
'Well, but you get capital interest?'
'Pish!' said Mr. Levison; 'ten per cent.! Why! it is giving away themoney. Why! that's the raw, Captin. With this here new bill annuities isnothink. Me and my pardner don't do no annuities now. It's giving moneyaway; and all this here money locked up; and all to sarve you.'
'Well; you will not help me,' said Ferdinand, rising.
'Do you raly want fifteen hundred?' asked Mr. Levison.
'By Jove, I do.'
'Well now, Captin, when is this marriage to come off?'
'Have I not told you a thousand times, and Morris too, that my cousin isnot to marry until one year has passed since my grandfather's death? Itis barely a year. But of course, at this moment, of all others, I cannotafford to be short.'
'Very true, Captin; and we are the men to sarve you, if we could. But wecannot. Never was such times for money; there is no seeing it. However,we will do what we can. Things is going very bad at Malta, and that'sthe truth. There's that young Catchimwhocan, we are in with him werydeep; and now he has left the Fusiliers and got into Parliament, hedon't care this for us. If he would only pay us, you should have themoney; so help me, you should.'
'But he won't pay you,' said Ferdinand. 'What can you do?'
'Why, I have a friend,' said Mr. Levison, 'who I know has got threehundred pound at his bankers, and he might lend it us; but we shall haveto pay for it.'
'I suppose so,' said Ferdinand. 'Well, three hundred.'
'I have not got a shilling myself,' said Mr. Levison. 'Young Touchemupleft us in the lurch yesterday for 750L., so help me, and never gaveus no notice. Now, you are a gentleman, Captin; you never pay, but youalways give us notice.'
Ferdinand could not help smiling at Mr. Levison's idea of a gentleman.
'Well, what else can you do?'
'Why, there is two hundred coming in to-morrow,' said Mr. Levison; 'Ican depend on that.'
'Well, that is five.'
'And you want fifteen hundred,' said Mr. Levison. 'Well, me and mypardner always like to sarve you, and it is very awkward certainly foryou to want money at this moment. But if you want to buy jewels, I canget you any credit you like, you know.'
'We will talk of that by and by,' said Ferdinand.
'Fifteen hundred pound!' ejaculated Mr. Levison. 'Well, I suppose wemust make it 700L. somehow or other, and you must take the rest incoals.'
'Oh, by Jove, Levison, that is too bad.'
'I don't see no other way,' said Mr. Levison, rather doggedly.
'But, damn it, my good fellow, my dear Levison, what the deuce am I todo with 800L. worth of coals?'
'Lord! My dear Captin, 800L. worth of coals is a mere nothink. With yourconnection, you will get rid of them in a morning. All you have got todo, you know, is to give your friends an order on us, and we will letyou have cash at a little discount.'
'Then you can let me have the cash now at a little discount, or even agreat; I cannot get rid of 800L. worth of coals.'
'Why, 'tayn't four hundred chaldron, Captin,' rejoined Mr. Levison.'Three or four friends would do the thing. Why, Baron Squash takes tenthousand chaldron of us every year; but he has such a knack, he gits theClubs to take them.'
'Baron Squash, indeed! Do you know whom you are talking to, Mr. Levison?Do you think that I am going to turn into a coal merchant? yourworking partner, by Jove! No, sir; give me the 700L., without the coals,and charge what interest you please.' 'We could not do it, Captin.'Tayn't our way.' 'I ask you once more, Mr. Levison, will you let mehave the money, or will you not?'
'Now, Captin, don't be so high and mighty! 'Tayn't the way to dobusiness. Me and my pardner wish to sarve you; we does indeed. And ifa hundred pound will be of any use to you, you shall have it on youracceptance; and we won't be curious about any name that draws; we won'tindeed.'
'Well, Mr. Levison,' said Ferdinand, rising, 'I see we can do nothingto-day. The hundred pounds would be of no use to me. I will think overyour proposition. Good morning to you.'
'Ah, do!' said Mr. Levison, bowing and opening the door, 'do, Captin; wewish to sarve you, we does indeed. See how we behave about that arrears.Think of the coals; now do. Now for a bargin; come! Come, Captin, I daresay now you could get us the business of the Junior Sarvice Club; andthen you shall have the seven hundred on your acceptance for threemonths, at two shillings in the pound; come!'