CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
SECRET SERVICE
In walking from the city with his sentimental friend, Tom Pinch hadlooked into the face, and brushed against the threadbare sleeve, of MrNadgett, man of mystery to the Anglo-Bengalee Disinterested Loan andLife Assurance Company. Mr Nadgett naturally passed away from Tom'sremembrance as he passed out of his view; for he didn't know him, andhad never heard his name.
As there are a vast number of people in the huge metropolis of Englandwho rise up every morning not knowing where their heads will rest atnight, so there are a multitude who shooting arrows over houses as theirdaily business, never know on whom they fall. Mr Nadgett might havepassed Tom Pinch ten thousand times; might even have been quite familiarwith his face, his name, pursuits, and character; yet never once havedreamed that Tom had any interest in any act or mystery of his. Tommight have done the like by him of course. But the same private man outof all the men alive, was in the mind of each at the same moment; wasprominently connected though in a different manner, with the day'sadventures of both; and formed, when they passed each other in thestreet, the one absorbing topic of their thoughts.
Why Tom had Jonas Chuzzlewit in his mind requires no explanation. Why MrNadgett should have had Jonas Chuzzlewit in his, is quite another thing.
But, somehow or other, that amiable and worthy orphan had become a partof the mystery of Mr Nadgett's existence. Mr Nadgett took an interestin his lightest proceedings; and it never flagged or wavered. He watchedhim in and out of the Assurance Office, where he was now formallyinstalled as a Director; he dogged his footsteps in the streets; hestood listening when he talked; he sat in coffee-rooms entering hisname in the great pocket-book, over and over again; he wrote letters tohimself about him constantly; and, when he found them in his pocket, putthem in the fire, with such distrust and caution that he would bend downto watch the crumpled tinder while it floated upwards, as if his mindmisgave him, that the mystery it had contained might come out at thechimney-pot.
And yet all this was quite a secret. Mr Nadgett kept it to himself, andkept it close. Jonas had no more idea that Mr Nadgett's eyes were fixedon him, than he had that he was living under the daily inspection andreport of a whole order of Jesuits. Indeed Mr Nadgett's eyes were seldomfixed on any other objects than the ground, the clock, or the fire; butevery button on his coat might have been an eye, he saw so much.
The secret manner of the man disarmed suspicion in this wise;suggesting, not that he was watching any one, but that he thoughtsome other man was watching him. He went about so stealthily, and kepthimself so wrapped up in himself, that the whole object of his lifeappeared to be, to avoid notice and preserve his own mystery. Jonassometimes saw him in the street, hovering in the outer office, waitingat the door for the man who never came, or slinking off with hisimmovable face and drooping head, and the one beaver glove danglingbefore him; but he would as soon have thought of the cross upon the topof St. Paul's Cathedral taking note of what he did, or slowly windinga great net about his feet, as of Nadgett's being engaged in such anoccupation.
Mr Nadgett made a mysterious change about this time in his mysteriouslife: for whereas he had, until now, been first seen every morningcoming down Cornhill, so exactly like the Nadgett of the day beforeas to occasion a popular belief that he never went to bed or took hisclothes off, he was now first seen in Holborn, coming out of KingsgateStreet; and it was soon discovered that he actually went every morningto a barber's shop in that street to get shaved; and that the barber'sname was Sweedlepipe. He seemed to make appointments with the man whonever came, to meet him at this barber's; for he would frequently takelong spells of waiting in the shop, and would ask for pen and ink, andpull out his pocket-book, and be very busy over it for an hour at atime. Mrs Gamp and Mr Sweedlepipe had many deep discoursings on thesubject of this mysterious customer; but they usually agreed that he hadspeculated too much and was keeping out of the way.
He must have appointed the man who never kept his word, to meet him atanother new place too; for one day he was found, for the first time,by the waiter at the Mourning Coach-Horse, the House-of-call forUndertakers, down in the City there, making figures with a pipe-stem inthe sawdust of a clean spittoon; and declining to call for anything, onthe ground of expecting a gentleman presently. As the gentleman was nothonourable enough to keep his engagement, he came again next day, withhis pocket-book in such a state of distention that he was regarded inthe bar as a man of large property. After that, he repeated his visitsevery day, and had so much writing to do, that he made nothing ofemptying a capacious leaden inkstand in two sittings. Although he nevertalked much, still, by being there among the regular customers, he madetheir acquaintance, and in course of time became quite intimate with MrTacker, Mr Mould's foreman; and even with Mr Mould himself, who openlysaid he was a long-headed man, a dry one, a salt fish, a deep file, arasper; and made him the subject of many other flattering encomiums.
At the same time, too, he told the people at the Assurance Office, inhis own mysterious way, that there was something wrong (secretly wrong,of course) in his liver, and that he feared he must put himselfunder the doctor's hands. He was delivered over to Jobling upon thisrepresentation; and though Jobling could not find out where his liverwas wrong, wrong Mr Nadgett said it was; observing that it was hisown liver, and he hoped he ought to know. Accordingly, he became MrJobling's patient; and detailing his symptoms in his slow and secretway, was in and out of that gentleman's room a dozen times a day.
As he pursued all these occupations at once; and all steadily; and allsecretly; and never slackened in his watchfulness of everything thatMr Jonas said and did, and left unsaid and undone; it is not improbablethat they were, secretly, essential parts of some great scheme which MrNadgett had on foot.
It was on the morning of this very day on which so much had happened toTom Pinch, that Nadgett suddenly appeared before Mr Montague's house inPall Mall--he always made his appearance as if he had that moment comeup a trap--when the clocks were striking nine. He rang the bell in acovert under-handed way, as though it were a treasonable act; and passedin at the door, the moment it was opened wide enough to receive hisbody. That done, he shut it immediately with his own hands.
Mr Bailey, taking up his name without delay, returned with a requestthat he would follow him into his master's chamber. The chairman of theAnglo-Bengalee Disinterested Loan and Life Assurance Board was dressing,and received him as a business person who was often backwards andforwards, and was received at all times for his business' sake.
'Well, Mr Nadgett?'
Mr Nadgett put his hat upon the ground and coughed. The boy havingwithdrawn and shut the door, he went to it softly, examined the handle,and returned to within a pace or two of the chair in which Mr Montaguesat.
'Any news, Mr Nadgett?'
'I think we have some news at last, sir.'
'I am happy to hear it. I began to fear you were off the scent, MrNadgett.'
'No, sir. It grows cold occasionally. It will sometimes. We can't helpthat.'
'You are truth itself, Mr Nadgett. Do you report a great success?'
'That depends upon your judgment and construction of it,' was hisanswer, as he put on his spectacles.
'What do you think of it yourself? Have you pleased yourself?'
Mr Nadgett rubbed his hands slowly, stroked his chin, looked round theroom, and said, 'Yes, yes, I think it's a good case. I am disposed tothink it's a good case. Will you go into it at once?'
'By all means.'
Mr Nadgett picked out a certain chair from among the rest, and havingplanted it in a particular spot, as carefully as if he had been going tovault over it, placed another chair in front of it; leaving room for hisown legs between them. He then sat down in chair number two, and laidhis pocket-book, very carefully, on chair number one. He then untied thepocket-book, and hung the string over the back of chair number one. Hethen drew both the chairs a little nearer Mr Montague, and openingthe pocket-book spread out its conte
nts. Finally he selected a certainmemorandum from the rest, and held it out to his employer, who, duringthe whole of these preliminary ceremonies, had been making violentefforts to conceal his impatience.
'I wish you wouldn't be so fond of making notes, my excellent friend,'said Tigg Montague with a ghastly smile. 'I wish you would consent togive me their purport by word of mouth.'
'I don't like word of mouth,' said Mr Nadgett gravely. 'We never knowwho's listening.'
Mr Montague was going to retort, when Nadgett handed him the paper, andsaid, with quiet exultation in his tone, 'We'll begin at the beginning,and take that one first, if you please, sir.'
The chairman cast his eyes upon it, coldly, and with a smile which didnot render any great homage to the slow and methodical habits of hisspy. But he had not read half-a-dozen lines when the expression of hisface began to change, and before he had finished the perusal of thepaper, it was full of grave and serious attention.
'Number Two,' said Mr Nadgett, handing him another, and receiving backthe first. 'Read Number Two, sir, if you please. There is more interestas you go on.'
Tigg Montague leaned backward in his chair, and cast upon his emissarysuch a look of vacant wonder (not unmingled with alarm), that Mr Nadgettconsidered it necessary to repeat the request he had already twicepreferred; with the view to recalling his attention to the point inhand. Profiting by the hint, Mr Montague went on with Number Two, andafterwards with Numbers Three, and Four, and Five, and so on.
These documents were all in Mr Nadgett's writing, and were apparently aseries of memoranda, jotted down from time to time upon the backs of oldletters, or any scrap of paper that came first to hand. Loose stragglingscrawls they were, and of very uninviting exterior; but they had weightypurpose in them, if the chairman's face were any index to the characterof their contents.
The progress of Mr Nadgett's secret satisfaction arising out of theeffect they made, kept pace with the emotions of the reader. At first,Mr Nadgett sat with his spectacles low down upon his nose, looking overthem at his employer, and nervously rubbing his hands. After a littlewhile, he changed his posture in his chair for one of greater ease, andleisurely perused the next document he held ready as if an occasionalglance at his employer's face were now enough and all occasion foranxiety or doubt were gone. And finally he rose and looked out of thewindow, where he stood with a triumphant air until Tigg Montague hadfinished.
'And this is the last, Mr Nadgett!' said that gentleman, drawing a longbreath.
'That, sir, is the last.'
'You are a wonderful man, Mr Nadgett!'
'I think it is a pretty good case,' he returned as he gathered up hispapers. 'It cost some trouble, sir.'
'The trouble shall be well rewarded, Mr Nadgett.' Nadgett bowed. 'Thereis a deeper impression of Somebody's Hoof here, than I had expected, MrNadgett. I may congratulate myself upon your being such a good hand at asecret.'
'Oh! nothing has an interest to me that's not a secret,' repliedNadgett, as he tied the string about his pocket-book, and put it up. 'Italways takes away any pleasure I may have had in this inquiry even tomake it known to you.'
'A most invaluable constitution,' Tigg retorted. 'A great gift for agentleman employed as you are, Mr Nadgett. Much better than discretion;though you possess that quality also in an eminent degree. I think Iheard a double knock. Will you put your head out of window, and tell mewhether there is anybody at the door?'
Mr Nadgett softly raised the sash, and peered out from the very corner,as a man might who was looking down into a street from whence a briskdischarge of musketry might be expected at any moment. Drawing in hishead with equal caution, he observed, not altering his voice or manner:
'Mr Jonas Chuzzlewit!'
'I thought so,' Tigg retorted.
'Shall I go?'
'I think you had better. Stay though! No! remain here, Mr Nadgett, ifyou please.'
It was remarkable how pale and flurried he had become in an instant.There was nothing to account for it. His eye had fallen on his razors;but what of them!
Mr Chuzzlewit was announced.
'Show him up directly. Nadgett! don't you leave us alone together. Mindyou don't, now! By the Lord!' he added in a whisper to himself: 'Wedon't know what may happen.'
Saying this, he hurriedly took up a couple of hair-brushes, and beganto exercise them on his own head, as if his toilet had not beeninterrupted. Mr Nadgett withdrew to the stove, in which there was asmall fire for the convenience of heating curling-irons; andtaking advantage of so favourable an opportunity for drying hispocket-handkerchief, produced it without loss of time. There he stood,during the whole interview, holding it before the bars, and sometimes,but not often, glancing over his shoulder.
'My dear Chuzzlewit!' cried Montague, as Jonas entered. 'You rise withthe lark. Though you go to bed with the nightingale, you rise with thelark. You have superhuman energy, my dear Chuzzlewit!'
'Ecod!' said Jonas, with an air of langour and ill-humour, as he tooka chair, 'I should be very glad not to get up with the lark, if I couldhelp it. But I am a light sleeper; and it's better to be up than lyingawake, counting the dismal old church-clocks, in bed.'
'A light sleeper!' cried his friend. 'Now, what is a light sleeper?I often hear the expression, but upon my life I have not the leastconception what a light sleeper is.'
'Hallo!' said Jonas, 'Who's that? Oh, old what's-his-name: looking (asusual) as if he wanted to skulk up the chimney.'
'Ha, ha! I have no doubt he does.'
'Well! He's not wanted here, I suppose,' said Jonas. 'He may go, mayn'the?'
'Oh, let him stay, let him stay!' said Tigg. 'He's a mere piece offurniture. He has been making his report, and is waiting for furtherorders. He has been told,' said Tigg, raising his voice, 'not to losesight of certain friends of ours, or to think that he has done with themby any means. He understands his business.'
'He need,' replied Jonas; 'for of all the precious old dummies inappearance that I ever saw, he's about the worst. He's afraid of me, Ithink.'
'It's my belief,' said Tigg, 'that you are Poison to him. Nadgett! giveme that towel!'
He had as little occasion for a towel as Jonas had for a start. ButNadgett brought it quickly; and, having lingered for a moment, fell backupon his old post by the fire.
'You see, my dear fellow,' resumed Tigg, 'you are too--what's the matterwith your lips? How white they are!'
'I took some vinegar just now,' said Jonas. 'I had oysters for mybreakfast. Where are they white?' he added, muttering an oath, andrubbing them upon his handkerchief. 'I don't believe they ARE white.'
'Now I look again, they are not,' replied his friend. 'They are comingright again.'
'Say what you were going to say,' cried Jonas angrily, 'and let my facebe! As long as I can show my teeth when I want to (and I can do thatpretty well), the colour of my lips is not material.'
'Quite true,' said Tigg. 'I was only going to say that you are too quickand active for our friend. He is too shy to cope with such a man as you,but does his duty well. Oh, very well! But what is a light sleeper?'
'Hang a light sleeper!' exclaimed Jonas pettishly.
'No, no,' interrupted Tigg. 'No. We'll not do that.'
'A light sleeper ain't a heavy one,' said Jonas in his sulky way; 'don'tsleep much, and don't sleep well, and don't sleep sound.'
'And dreams,' said Tigg, 'and cries out in an ugly manner; and when thecandle burns down in the night, is in an agony; and all that sort ofthing. I see!'
They were silent for a little time. Then Jonas spoke:
'Now we've done with child's talk, I want to have a word with you. Iwant to have a word with you before we meet up yonder to-day. I am notsatisfied with the state of affairs.'
'Not satisfied!' cried Tigg. 'The money comes in well.'
'The money comes in well enough,' retorted Jonas, 'but it don't comeout well enough. It can't be got at easily enough. I haven't sufficientpower; it is all in your hands. Ecod! what with one of
your by-laws, andanother of your by-laws, and your votes in this capacity, and your votesin that capacity, and your official rights, and your individual rights,and other people's rights who are only you again, there are no rightsleft for me. Everybody else's rights are my wrongs. What's the use of myhaving a voice if it's always drowned? I might as well be dumb, andit would be much less aggravating. I'm not a-going to stand that, youknow.'
'No!' said Tigg in an insinuating tone.
'No!' returned Jonas, 'I'm not indeed. I'll play old Gooseberry with theoffice, and make you glad to buy me out at a good high figure, if youtry any of your tricks with me.'
'I give you my honour--' Montague began.
'Oh! confound your honour,' interrupted Jonas, who became more coarseand quarrelsome as the other remonstrated, which may have been a part ofMr Montague's intention; 'I want a little more control over the money.You may have all the honour, if you like; I'll never bring you to bookfor that. But I'm not a-going to stand it, as it is now. If you shouldtake it into your honourable head to go abroad with the bank, I don'tsee much to prevent you. Well! That won't do. I've had some very gooddinners here, but they'd come too dear on such terms; and therefore,that won't do.'
'I am unfortunate to find you in this humour,' said Tigg, with aremarkable kind of smile; 'for I was going to propose to you--for yourown advantage; solely for your own advantage--that you should venture alittle more with us.'
'Was you, by G--?' said Jonas, with a short laugh.
'Yes. And to suggest,' pursued Montague, 'that surely you have friends;indeed, I know you have; who would answer our purpose admirably, andwhom we should be delighted to receive.'
'How kind of you! You'd be delighted to receive 'em, would you?' saidJonas, bantering.
'I give you my sacred honour, quite transported. As your friends,observe!'
'Exactly,' said Jonas; 'as my friends, of course. You'll be very muchdelighted when you get 'em, I have no doubt. And it'll be all to myadvantage, won't it?'
'It will be very much to your advantage,' answered Montague poising abrush in each hand, and looking steadily upon him. 'It will be very muchto your advantage, I assure you.'
'And you can tell me how,' said Jonas, 'can't you?'
'SHALL I tell you how?' returned the other.
'I think you had better,' said Jonas. 'Strange things have been donein the Assurance way before now, by strange sorts of men, and I mean totake care of myself.'
'Chuzzlewit!' replied Montague, leaning forward, with his arms upon hisknees, and looking full into his face. 'Strange things have been done,and are done every day; not only in our way, but in a variety of otherways; and no one suspects them. But ours, as you say, my good friend,is a strange way; and we strangely happen, sometimes, to come into theknowledge of very strange events.'
He beckoned to Jonas to bring his chair nearer; and looking slightlyround, as if to remind him of the presence of Nadgett, whispered in hisear.
From red to white; from white to red again; from red to yellow; then toa cold, dull, awful, sweat-bedabbled blue. In that short whisper, allthese changes fell upon the face of Jonas Chuzzlewit; and when at lasthe laid his hand upon the whisperer's mouth, appalled, lest any syllableof what he said should reach the ears of the third person present, itwas as bloodless and as heavy as the hand of Death.
He drew his chair away, and sat a spectacle of terror, misery, andrage. He was afraid to speak, or look, or move, or sit still. Abject,crouching, and miserable, he was a greater degradation to the form hebore, than if he had been a loathsome wound from head to heel.
His companion leisurely resumed his dressing, and completed it, glancingsometimes with a smile at the transformation he had effected, but neverspeaking once.
'You'll not object,' he said, when he was quite equipped, 'to venturefurther with us, Chuzzlewit, my friend?'
His pale lips faintly stammered out a 'No.'
'Well said! That's like yourself. Do you know I was thinking yesterdaythat your father-in-law, relying on your advice as a man of greatsagacity in money matters, as no doubt you are, would join us, if thething were well presented to him. He has money?'
'Yes, he has money.'
'Shall I leave Mr Pecksniff to you? Will you undertake for MrPecksniff.'
'I'll try. I'll do my best.'
'A thousand thanks,' replied the other, clapping him upon the shoulder.'Shall we walk downstairs? Mr Nadgett! Follow us, if you please.'
They went down in that order. Whatever Jonas felt in reference toMontague; whatever sense he had of being caged, and barred, and trapped,and having fallen down into a pit of deepest ruin; whatever thoughtscame crowding on his mind even at that early time, of one terriblechance of escape, of one red glimmer in a sky of blackness; he no morethought that the slinking figure half-a-dozen stairs behind him washis pursuing Fate, than that the other figure at his side was his GoodAngel.