CHAPTER VI. MR. MERL'S DEPARTURE
Worthy reader, you are neither weak of purpose nor undecided in action;as little are you easily moved by soft influences, when aided by longeyelashes. But had you been so, it would have been no difficult effortfor you to comprehend the state of mind in which Captain Martin repairedto his room to make preparation for his journey. There was a kind ofhalf chivalry in his present purpose that nerved and supported him. Itwas like a knight-errant of old setting out to confront a peril at thebehest of his lady-love; but against this animating conviction therearose that besetting sin of small minds,--a sense of distrust,--alurking suspicion that he might be, all this while, nothing but the dupeof a very artful woman.
"Who can tell," said he to himself, "what plan she may have in all this,or what object she may propose to herself in getting _me_ out of theway? I don't think she really cares one farthing about the distress ofthese people, supposing it all to be true; and as to the typhus feverand cholera, egad! if they be there, one ought to think twice beforerushing into the midst of them. And then, again, what do I know aboutthe country or its habits? I have no means of judging if it be poorer orsicklier or; more wretched than usual. To _my_ eyes, it always seemedat the lowest depth of want and misery; every one went half starved andmore than half naked. I 'm sure there is no necessity for my going somefew hundred and odd miles to refresh my memory on this pleasant fact;and yet this is precisely what I 'm about to do. Is it by way of tryingher power over me? By Jove, I 've hit it!" cried he, suddenly, as hestopped arranging a mass of letters which he was reducing to orderbefore his departure. "That's her game; there's no doubt of it! Shehas said to herself, 'This will prove him. If he do this at my bidding,he'll do more.' Ay, but will he, mademoiselle? that's the question. Ayoung hussar may turn out to be a very old soldier. What if I were justto tell her so. Girls of her stamp like a man all the better when heshows himself to be wide-awake. I 'd lay a fifty on it she 'll care morefor me when she sees I 'm her own equal in shrewdness. And, after all,why should _I_ go? I could send my valet, Fletcher,--just the kind offellow for such a mission,--never knew the secret he could n't worm out;there never was a bit of barrack scandal he did n't get to the bottomof. He 'd be back here within a fortnight, with the whole state of thecase, and I'll be bound there will be no humbugging _him_."
This bright idea was not, however, without its share of detractingreflections, for what became of all that personal heroism on which hereposed such hope, if the danger were to be encountered by deputy? Thiswas a puzzle, not the less that he had not yet made up his mind whetherhe 'd really be in love with Kate Henderson, or only involve _her_ in anunfortunate attachment for _him_. While he thus pondered and hesitated,strewing his room with the contents of drawers and cabinets, by way ofaiding the labor of preparation, his door was suddenly opened, and Mr.Merl made his appearance. Although dressed with all his habitual regardto effect, and more than an ordinary display of chains and trinkets,that gentleman's aspect betokened trouble and anxiety; at least, therewas a certain restlessness in his eye that Martin well understood as anevidence of something wrong within.
"Are you getting ready for a journey, Captain?" asked he, as he entered.
"I was thinking of it; but I believe I shall not go. I 'm undecided."
"Up the Rhine?"
"No; not in that direction."
"South,--towards Italy, perhaps?"
"Nor there, either. I was meditating a trip to England."
"We should be on the road together," said Merl. "I'm off by fouro'clock."
"How so? What's the reason of this sudden start?"
"There's going to be a crash here," said Merl, speaking in a lower tone."The Government have been doing the thing with too high a hand, andthere's mischief brewing."
"Are you sure of this?" asked Martin.
"Only too sure, that's all. I bought in, on Tuesday last, at sixty-fourand an eighth, and the same stock is now fifty-one and a quarter, andwill be forty to-morrow. The day after--" Here Mr. Merl made a motionwith his outstretched arm, to indicate utter extinction.
"You're a heavy loser, then?" asked Martin, eagerly.
"I shall be, to the tune of some thirteen thousand pounds. It was juston that account I came in here. I shall need money within the week, andmust turn those Irish securities of yours into cash,--some of them atleast,--and I want a hint from you as to which I ought to dispose ofand which hold over. You told me one day, I remember, that there was aportion of the property likely to rise greatly in value--"
"_You_ told me, sir," said Captain Martin, breaking suddenly in, "whenI gave you these same bonds, that they should remain in your own hands,and never leave them. That was the condition on which I gave them."
"I suppose, Captain, you gave them for something; you did not make apresent of them," said the Jew, coloring slightly.
"If I did not make a present of them," rejoined Martin, "the transactionwas about as profitable to me."
"You owed me the money, sir; that, at least, is the way I regard thematter."
"And when I paid it by these securities, you pledged yourself not tonegotiate them. I explained to you how the entail was settled,--that theproperty must eventually be mine,--and you accepted the arrangement onthese conditions."
"All true, Captain; but nobody told me, at that time, there was goingto be a revolution in Paris,--which there will be within forty-eighthours."
"Confounded fool that I was to trust the fellow!" said Martin tohimself, but quite loud enough to be heard; then turning to Merl, hesaid, "What do you mean by converting them into cash? Are you about tosell part of our estate?"
"Nothing of the kind, Captain," said Merl, smiling at the innocence ofthe question. "I am simply going to deposit these where I can obtainan advance upon them. I promise you, besides, it shall not be in anyquarter by which the transaction can reach the ears of your family.This assurance will, I trust, satisfy _you_, and entitle _me_ to theinformation I ask for."
"What information do you allude to?" asked Martin, who had totallyforgotten what the Jew announced as the reason of his visit.
"I asked you, Captain," said Merl, resuming the mincing softness ofhis usual manner, "as to which of these securities might be the moreeligible for immediate negotiation?"
"And how should I know, sir?" replied the other, rudely. "I am verylittle acquainted with the property itself; I know still less about thekind of dealings you speak of. It does not concern me in the leastwhat you do, or how you do it. I believe I may have given you bonds forsomething very like double the amount of all you ever advanced to me.I hear of nothing from my father but the immense resources of this, andthe great capabilities of that; but as these same eventualities arenot destined to better _my_ condition, I have not troubled my head toremember anything about them. You have a claim of about twenty thousandagainst me."
"Thirty-two thousand four hundred and seventy-eight pounds," said theJew, reading from a small note-book which he had just taken from hiswaistcoat pocket.
"That is some ten thousand more than ever I heard of," said Martin, withan hysterical sort of laugh. "Egad, Merl, the fellows were right thatwould not have you in the 'Cercle.' You 'd have 'cleared every man ofthem out,'--as well let a ferret into a rabbit warren."
"I was n't aware,--I had not heard that I was put up--"
"To be sure you were; in all form proposed, seconded, and dulyblackballed. I own to you, I thought it very hard, very illiberal. Thereare plenty of fellows there that have no right to be particular; and soJack Massingbred as much as told them. The fact is, Merl, you ought tohave waited awhile, and by the time that Harlowe and Spencer Cavendishand a few more such were as deep in your books as I am, you 'd have hada walk over. Willoughby says the same. It might have cost you somethingsmart, but you 'd have made it pay in the end,--eh, Merl?"
To this speech, uttered in a strain of jocular impertinence, Merl madeno reply. He had just torn one of his gloves in pieces in the effortto draw it on, and he was busily exerti
ng himself to get rid of thefragments.
"Lady Dorothea had given me a card for you for Saturday," resumed theCaptain; "but as you 're going away--Besides, after this defeat atthe Club, you could n't well come amongst all these people; so there'snothing for it but patience, Merl, patience--"
"A lesson that may be found profitable to others, perhaps," said theJew, with one of his furtive looks at the Captain, who quailed under itat once.
"I was going to give you a piece of advice, Merl," said he, in a tonethe very opposite to his late bantering one. "It was, that you shouldjust take a run over to Ireland yourself, and see the property."
"I mean to do so, Captain Martin," said the other, calmly.
"I can't offer you letters, for they would defeat what you desire toaccomplish; besides, there is no member of the family there at presentbut a young lady-cousin of mine."
"Just the kind of introduction I 'd like," said the Jew, with all thezest of a man glad to say what he knew would be deemed an impertinence.
Martin grew crimson with suppressed anger, but never spoke a word.
"Is this the Cousin Mary I have heard you speak of," said Merl,--"thegreat horsewoman, and she that ventures out alone on the Atlantic in amere skiff?"
Martin nodded. His temper was almost an overmatch for him, and he darednot trust himself to speak.
"I should like to see her amazingly, Captain," resumed Merl.
"Remember, sir, you have no lien upon _her_," said Martin, sternly.
The Jew smirked and ran his fingers through his hair with the air of onewho deemed such an eventuality by no means so very remote.
"Do you know, Master Merl," said Martin, staring at him from headto foot with an expression the reverse of complimentary, "I 'm halfdisposed to give you a few lines to my cousin; and if you 'll not takethe thing as a _mauvais plaisanterie_ on my part, I will do so.". "Quitethe contrary, Captain. I 'll deem it a great favor, indeed," said Merl,with an admirable affectation of unconsciousness.
"Here goes, then," said Martin, sitting down to a table, and preparinghis writing materials, while in a hurried hand he began:--
"'Dear Cousin Mary,--This will introduce to you Mr. Herman Merl, whovisits your remote regions on a tour of----What shall I say?"
"Pleasure,--amusement," interposed Merl.
"No, when I _am_ telling a fib, I like a big one,--I 'll say,philanthropy, Merl; and there's nothing so well adapted to cover thosesecret investigations you are bent upon,--a tour of philanthropy.
"'You will, I am sure, lend him all possible assistance in hisbenevolent object,--the same being to dispose of the family acres,--andat the same time direct his attention to whatever may be matter ofinterest,--whether mines, quarries, or other property easily convertibleinto cash,--treating him in all respects as one to whom I owe manyobligations--and several thousand pounds.'
"Will that do, think you?"
"Perfectly; nothing better."
"In return, I shall ask one favor at your hands," said Martin, ashe folded and addressed the epistle. "It is that you write me a fullaccount of what you see in the West,--how the country looks, and thepeople. Of course it will all seem terribly poor and destitute, and allthat sort of thing, to your eyes; but just try and find out if it beworse than usual. Paddy is such a shrewd fellow, Merl, that it willrequire all your own sharpness not to be taken in by him. A long letterfull of detail--a dash of figures in it--as to how many sheep have therot, or how many people have caught the fever, will improve it,--youknow the kind of thing I mean; and--I don't suppose you care aboutshooting, yourself, but you 'll get some one to tell you--are the birdsplenty and in good condition. There's a certain Mr. Scanlan, if youchance upon him; he 's up to everything, and not a bad performer atdummy whist,--though I think _you_ could teach him a thing or two." Merlsmiled and tried to look flattered, while the other went on: "And there's another, called Henderson,--the steward,--a very shrewd person,--but_you_ don't need all these particulars; you may be trusted to your owngood guidance,--eh, Merl?"
Merl again smiled in the same fashion as before; in fact, so completelyhad he resumed the bland expression habitual to him, that theCaptain almost forgot the unpleasant cause of his visit, and all thedisagreeable incidents of the interview.
"You could n't give me a few lines to this Mr. Scanlan?" asked Merl,with an air of easy indifference.
"Nothing easier," cried the Captain, reseating himself; then suddenlyrising, with the expression of one to whom a sudden thought had justcrossed the mind, "Wait one second for me here, Merl; I'll be back withyou at once." And as he spoke he dashed out of the room, and hastened tohis father.
"By a rare piece of luck," cried he, as he entered, "I 've just chancedupon the very fellow we want; an acquaintance I picked up at theCape,--up to everything; he goes over to Ireland to-night, and he 'lltake a run down to Cro' Martin, and send us his report of all he sees.Whatever he tells us may be relied upon; for, depend upon 't, no ladycan humbug _him_. I 've just given him a note for Mary, and I 'll writea few lines also by way of introducing him to Scanlan."
Martin could barely follow the Captain, as with rapid utterance hepoured forth this plan. "Do I know him? What's his name?" asked he atlast.
"You never saw him. His name is Merl,--Herman Merl,--a fellow ofconsiderable wealth; a great speculator,--one of those Stock Exchangeworthies who never deal in less than tens of thousands. He has acrotchet in his head about buying up half the West of Ireland,--somescheme about flax and the deep-sea fishery. I don't understand it, butI suppose _he_ does. At all events, he has plenty of money, and the headto make it fructify; and if he only take a liking to it, he 's the veryfellow to buy up Kilkieran, and the islands, and the rest of that wastedistrict you were telling me of t'other night. But I must n't detainhim. He starts at four o'clock; and I only ran over here to tell you notto worry yourself any more about Mary's letter. He 'll look to it all."
And with this consolatory assurance the Captain hastened away, leavingMartin as much relieved in mind as an indolent nature and an easyconscience were sure to make him. To get anybody "to look to" anythinghad been his whole object in life; to know that, whatever happened,there was always somebody who misstated this, or neglected that, atwhose door all the culpability--where there was such--could be laidand but for whom he had himself performed miracles of energy anddevotedness, and endured all the tortures and trials of a martyr. Hewas, indeed, as are a great many others in this world, an excellent manto his own heart,--kind, charitable, and affectionate; a well-wisherto his kind, and hopeful of almost every one; but, all this while, hisvirtues, like a miser's gold, had no circulation; they remained lockedup within him for his own use alone, and there he sat, counting themover and gazing at them, speculating upon all that this affluence coulddo, and--never doing it!
Life abounds with such men. They win respect while they live, and whitemarble records their virtues when they die! Nor are they all useless.Their outward bearing at least simulates whatever we revere in good men,and we accept them in the same spirit of compromise as we take stuccofor stone; if they do no more, they show our appreciation of the "realarticle."
The Captain was not long in inditing a short note to Scanlan, to whom,"strictly confidential," Mr. Merl was introduced as a great capitalistand speculator, desirous to ascertain all the resources of the land.Scanlan was enjoined to show him every attention, making his visit inall respects as agreeable as possible.
"This fellow will treat you well, Merl," said the Captain, as he foldedthe letter; "will give you the best salmon you ever tasted, and a glassof Gordon's Madeira such as few could sport now-a-days. And if youhave a fancy for a day with my Cousin Mary's hounds, he 'll mount youadmirably, and show you the way besides." And with this speech Martinwished him good-bye; and closing the door after him, added, "And ifhe'll kindly assist you to a broken neck, it's about the greatestservice he could render me!"
The laugh, silly and meaningless, that followed his utterance of thisspeech, showed that it was spoken
in all the listlessness of one who hadnot really character enough to be even a "good hater."