The Way We Live Now

  CHAPTER XXVIII.

  DOLLY LONGESTAFFE GOES INTO THE CITY.

  It has been told how the gambling at the Beargarden went on oneSunday night. On the following Monday Sir Felix did not go to theclub. He had watched Miles Grendall at play, and was sure that onmore than one or two occasions the man had cheated. Sir Felix did notquite know what in such circumstances it would be best for him to do.Reprobate as he was himself, this work of villainy was new to him andseemed to be very terrible. What steps ought he to take? He was quitesure of his facts, and yet he feared that Nidderdale and Grassloughand Longestaffe would not believe him. He would have told Montague,but Montague had, he thought, hardly enough authority at the club tobe of any use to him. On the Tuesday again he did not go to the club.He felt severely the loss of the excitement to which he had beenaccustomed, but the thing was too important to him to be slurredover. He did not dare to sit down and play with the man who hadcheated him without saying anything about it. On the Wednesdayafternoon life was becoming unbearable to him and he sauntered intothe building at about five in the afternoon. There, as a matter ofcourse, he found Dolly Longestaffe drinking sherry and bitters."Where the blessed angels have you been?" said Dolly. Dolly was atthat moment alert with the sense of a duty performed. He had justcalled on his sister and written a sharp letter to his father, andfelt himself to be almost a man of business.

  "I've had fish of my own to fry," said Felix, who had passed the lasttwo days in unendurable idleness. Then he referred again to the moneywhich Dolly owed him, not making any complaint, not indeed asking forimmediate payment, but explaining with an air of importance that ifa commercial arrangement could be made, it might, at this moment, bevery serviceable to him. "I'm particularly anxious to take up thoseshares," said Felix.

  "Of course you ought to have your money."

  "I don't say that at all, old fellow. I know very well that you'reall right. You're not like that fellow, Miles Grendall."

  "Well; no. Poor Miles has got nothing to bless himself with. Isuppose I could get it, and so I ought to pay."

  "That's no excuse for Grendall," said Sir Felix, shaking his head.

  "A chap can't pay if he hasn't got it, Carbury. A chap ought to payof course. I've had a letter from our lawyer within the last halfhour--here it is." And Dolly pulled a letter out of his pocketwhich he had opened and read indeed within the last hour, but whichhad been duly delivered at his lodgings early in the morning. "Mygovernor wants to sell Pickering, and Melmotte wants to buy theplace. My governor can't sell without me, and I've asked for half theplunder. I know what's what. My interest in the property is greaterthan his. It isn't much of a place, and they are talking of L50,000,over and above the debt upon it. L25,000 would pay off what I owe onmy own property, and make me very square. From what this fellow saysI suppose they're going to give in to my terms."

  "By George, that'll be a grand thing for you, Dolly."

  "Oh yes. Of course I want it. But I don't like the place going. I'mnot much of a fellow, I know. I'm awfully lazy and can't get myselfto go in for things as I ought to do; but I've a sort of feeling thatI don't like the family property going to pieces. A fellow oughtn'tto let his family property go to pieces."

  "You never lived at Pickering."

  "No;--and I don't know that it is any good. It gives us 3 per cent.on the money it's worth, while the governor is paying 6 per cent.,and I'm paying 25, for the money we've borrowed. I know more about itthan you'd think. It ought to be sold, and now I suppose it will besold. Old Melmotte knows all about it, and if you like I'll go withyou to the city to-morrow and make it straight about what I owe you.He'll advance me L1,000, and then you can get the shares. Are yougoing to dine here?"

  Sir Felix said that he would dine at the club, but declared, withconsiderable mystery in his manner, that he could not stay and playwhist afterwards. He acceded willingly to Dolly's plan of visitingAbchurch Lane on the following day, but had some difficulty ininducing his friend to consent to fix on an hour early enough forcity purposes. Dolly suggested that they should meet at the club at4 P.M. Sir Felix had named noon, and promised to call at Dolly'slodgings. They split the difference at last and agreed to startat two. They then dined together, Miles Grendall dining alone atthe next table to them. Dolly and Grendall spoke to each otherfrequently, but in that conversation the young baronet would notjoin. Nor did Grendall ever address himself to Sir Felix. "Is thereanything up between you and Miles?" said Dolly, when they hadadjourned to the smoking-room.

  "I can't bear him."

  "There never was any love between you two, I know. But you used tospeak, and you've played with him all through."

  "Played with him! I should think I have. Though he did get such ahaul last Sunday he owes me more than you do now."

  "Is that the reason you haven't played the last two nights?"

  Sir Felix paused a moment. "No;--that is not the reason. I'll tellyou all about it in the cab to-morrow." Then he left the club,declaring that he would go up to Grosvenor Square and see MarieMelmotte. He did go up to the Square, and when he came to the househe would not go in. What was the good? He could do nothing furthertill he got old Melmotte's consent, and in no way could he soprobably do that as by showing that he had got money wherewith to buyshares in the railway. What he did with himself during the remainderof the evening the reader need not know, but on his return home atsome comparatively early hour, he found this note from Marie.

  Wednesday Afternoon.

  DEAREST FELIX,

  Why don't we see you? Mamma would say nothing if you came. Papa is never in the drawing-room. Miss Longestaffe is here of course, and people always come in in the evening. We are just going to dine out at the Duchess of Stevenage's. Papa, and mamma and I. Mamma told me that Lord Nidderdale is to be there, but you need not be a bit afraid. I don't like Lord Nidderdale, and I will never take any one but the man I love. You know who that is. Miss Longestaffe is so angry because she can't go with us. What do you think of her telling me that she did not understand being left alone? We are to go afterwards to a musical party at Lady Gamut's. Miss Longestaffe is going with us, but she says that she hates music. She is such a set-up thing! I wonder why papa has her here. We don't go anywhere to-morrow evening, so pray come.

  And why haven't you written me something and sent it to Didon? She won't betray us. And if she did, what matters? I mean to be true. If papa were to beat me into a mummy I would stick to you. He told me once to take Lord Nidderdale, and then he told me to refuse him. And now he wants me to take him again. But I won't. I'll take no one but my own darling.

  Yours for ever and ever,

  MARIE.

  Now that the young lady had begun to have an interest of her ownin life, she was determined to make the most of it. All this wasdelightful to her, but to Sir Felix it was simply "a bother." SirFelix was quite willing to marry the girl to-morrow,--on conditionof course that the money was properly arranged; but he was notwilling to go through much work in the way of love-making with MarieMelmotte. In such business he preferred Ruby Ruggles as a companion.

  On the following day Felix was with his friend at the appointed time,and was only kept an hour waiting while Dolly ate his breakfast andstruggled into his coat and boots. On their way to the city Felixtold his dreadful story about Miles Grendall. "By George!" saidDolly. "And you think you saw him do it!"

  "It's not thinking at all. I'm sure I saw him do it three times. Ibelieve he always had an ace somewhere about him." Dolly sat quitesilent thinking of it. "What had I better do?" asked Sir Felix.

  "By George;--I don't know."

  "What should you do?"

  "Nothing at all. I shouldn't believe my own eyes. Or if I did, shouldtake care not to look at him."

  "You wouldn't go on playing with him?"

  "Yes I should. It'd be such a bore breaking up."

  "But Dolly,--if you think of it!"

  "That's all very fine, my dear fellow,
but I shouldn't think of it."

  "And you won't give me your advice."

  "Well;--no; I think I'd rather not. I wish you hadn't told me. Whydid you pick me out to tell me? Why didn't you tell Nidderdale?"

  "He might have said, why didn't you tell Longestaffe?"

  "No, he wouldn't. Nobody would suppose that anybody would pick me outfor this kind of thing. If I'd known that you were going to tell mesuch a story as this I wouldn't have come with you."

  "That's nonsense, Dolly."

  "Very well. I can't bear these kind of things. I feel all in atwitter already."

  "You mean to go on playing just the same?"

  "Of course I do. If he won anything very heavy I should begin tothink about it, I suppose. Oh; this is Abchurch Lane, is it? Now forthe man of money."

  The man of money received them much more graciously than Sir Felixhad expected. Of course nothing was said about Marie and no furtherallusion was made to the painful subject of the baronet's "property."Both Dolly and Sir Felix were astonished by the quick way in whichthe great financier understood their views and the readiness withwhich he undertook to comply with them. No disagreeable questionswere asked as to the nature of the debt between the young men. Dollywas called upon to sign a couple of documents, and Sir Felix tosign one,--and then they were assured that the thing was done. Mr.Adolphus Longestaffe had paid Sir Felix Carbury a thousand pounds,and Sir Felix Carbury's commission had been accepted by Mr. Melmottefor the purchase of railway stock to that amount. Sir Felix attemptedto say a word. He endeavoured to explain that his object in thiscommercial transaction was to make money immediately by resellingthe shares,--and to go on continually making money by buying at alow price and selling at a high price. He no doubt did believe that,being a Director, if he could once raise the means of beginning thisgame, he could go on with it for an unlimited period;--buy and sell,buy and sell;--so that he would have an almost regular income. This,as far as he could understand, was what Paul Montague was allowedto do,--simply because he had become a Director with a little money.Mr. Melmotte was cordiality itself, but he could not be got to gointo particulars. It was all right. "You will wish to sell again, ofcourse;--of course. I'll watch the market for you." When the youngmen left the room all they knew, or thought that they knew, was, thatDolly Longestaffe had authorised Melmotte to pay a thousand pounds onhis behalf to Sir Felix, and that Sir Felix had instructed the samegreat man to buy shares with the amount. "But why didn't he give youthe scrip?" said Dolly on his way westwards.

  "I suppose it's all right with him," said Sir Felix.

  "Oh yes;--it's all right. Thousands of pounds to him are only likehalf-crowns to us fellows. I should say it's all right. All the same,he's the biggest rogue out, you know." Sir Felix already began to beunhappy about his thousand pounds.