The Way We Live Now

  CHAPTER LXXV.

  IN BRUTON STREET.

  Mr. Squercum all this time was in a perfect fever of hard work andanxiety. It may be said of him that he had been quite sharp enoughto perceive the whole truth. He did really know it all,--if he couldprove that which he knew. He had extended his enquiries in the citytill he had convinced himself that, whatever wealth Melmotte mighthave had twelve months ago, there was not enough of it left atpresent to cover the liabilities. Squercum was quite sure thatMelmotte was not a falling, but a fallen star,--perhaps not givingsufficient credence to the recuperative powers of modern commerce.Squercum told a certain stockbroker in the City, who was hisspecially confidential friend, that Melmotte was a "gone coon." Thestockbroker made also some few enquiries, and on that evening agreedwith Squercum that Melmotte was a "gone coon." If such were thecase it would positively be the making of Squercum if it could beso managed that he should appear as the destroying angel of thisoffensive dragon. So Squercum raged among the Bideawhiles, who wereunable altogether to shut their doors against him. They could notdare to bid defiance to Squercum,--feeling that they had themselvesblundered, and feeling also that they must be careful not to seem toscreen a fault by a falsehood. "I suppose you give it up about theletter having been signed by my client," said Squercum to the elderof the two younger Bideawhiles.

  "I give up nothing and I assert nothing," said the superior attorney."Whether the letter be genuine or not we had no reason to believe itto be otherwise. The young gentleman's signature is never very plain,and this one is about as like any other as that other would be likethe last."

  "Would you let me look at it again, Mr. Bideawhile?" Then the letterwhich had been very often inspected during the last ten days washanded to Mr. Squercum. "It's a stiff resemblance;--such as he nevercould have written had he tried it ever so."

  "Perhaps not, Mr. Squercum. We are not generally on the lookout forforgeries in letters from our clients or our clients' sons."

  "Just so, Mr. Bideawhile. But then Mr. Longestaffe had already toldyou that his son would not sign the letter."

  "How is one to know when and how and why a young man like that willchange his purpose?"

  "Just so, Mr. Bideawhile. But you see after such a declaration asthat on the part of my client's father, the letter,--which is initself a little irregular perhaps--"

  "I don't know that it's irregular at all."

  "Well;--it didn't reach you in a very confirmatory manner. We'll justsay that. What Mr. Longestaffe can have been at to wish to give uphis title-deeds without getting anything for them--"

  "Excuse me, Mr. Squercum, but that's between Mr. Longestaffe and us."

  "Just so;--but as Mr. Longestaffe and you have jeopardised myclient's property it is natural that I should make a few remarks. Ithink you'd have made a few remarks yourself, Mr. Bideawhile, if thecase had been reversed. I shall bring the matter before the LordMayor, you know." To this Mr. Bideawhile said not a word. "And Ithink I understand you now that you do not intend to insist on thesignature as being genuine."

  "I say nothing about it, Mr. Squercum. I think you'll find it veryhard to prove that it's not genuine."

  "My client's oath, Mr. Bideawhile."

  "I'm afraid your client is not always very clear as to what he does."

  "I don't know what you mean by that, Mr. Bideawhile. I fancy that ifI were to speak in that way of your client you would be very angrywith me. Besides, what does it all amount to? Will the old gentlemansay that he gave the letter into his son's hands, so that, even ifsuch a freak should have come into my client's head, he could havesigned it and sent it off? If I understand, Mr. Longestaffe says thathe locked the letter up in a drawer in the very room which Melmotteoccupied, and that he afterwards found the drawer open. It won't, Isuppose, be alleged that my client knew so little what he was aboutthat he broke open the drawer in order that he might get at theletter. Look at it whichever way you will, he did not sign it, Mr.Bideawhile."

  "I have never said he did. All I say is that we had fair ground forsupposing that it was his letter. I really don't know that I can sayanything more."

  "Only that we are to a certain degree in the same boat together inthis matter."

  "I won't admit even that, Mr. Squercum."

  "The difference being that your client by his fault has jeopardisedhis own interests and those of my client, while my client has notbeen in fault at all. I shall bring the matter forward before theLord Mayor to-morrow, and as at present advised shall ask for aninvestigation with reference to a charge of fraud. I presume you willbe served with a subpoena to bring the letter into court."

  "If so you may be sure that we shall produce it." Then Mr. Squercumtook his leave and went straight away to Mr. Bumby, a barrister wellknown in the City. The game was too powerful to be hunted down by Mr.Squercum's unassisted hands. He had already seen Mr. Bumby on thematter more than once. Mr. Bumby was inclined to doubt whether itmight not be better to get the money, or some guarantee for themoney. Mr. Bumby thought that if a bill at three months could be hadfor Dolly's share of the property it might be expedient to take it.Mr. Squercum suggested that the property itself might be recovered,no genuine sale having been made. Mr. Bumby shook his head."Title-deeds give possession, Mr. Squercum. You don't suppose thatthe company which has lent money to Melmotte on the title-deeds wouldhave to lose it. Take the bill; and if it is dishonoured run yourchance of what you'll get out of the property. There must be assets."

  "Every rap will have been made over," said Mr. Squercum.

  This took place on the Monday, the day on which Melmotte had offeredhis full confidence to his proposed son-in-law. On the followingWednesday three gentlemen met together in the study in the housein Bruton Street from which it was supposed that the letter hadbeen abstracted. There were Mr. Longestaffe, the father, DollyLongestaffe, and Mr. Bideawhile. The house was still in Melmotte'spossession, and Melmotte and Mr. Longestaffe were no longer onfriendly terms. Direct application for permission to have thismeeting in this place had been formally made to Mr. Melmotte, and hehad complied. The meeting took place at eleven o'clock--a terriblyearly hour. Dolly had at first hesitated as to placing himself as hethought between the fire of two enemies, and Mr. Squercum had toldhim that as the matter would probably soon be made public, he couldnot judiciously refuse to meet his father and the old family lawyer.Therefore Dolly had attended, at great personal inconvenience tohimself. "By George, it's hardly worth having if one is to take allthis trouble about it," Dolly had said to Lord Grasslough, with whomhe had fraternised since the quarrel with Nidderdale. Dolly enteredthe room last, and at that time neither Mr. Longestaffe nor Mr.Bideawhile had touched the drawer, or even the table, in which theletter had been deposited.

  "Now, Mr. Longestaffe," said Mr. Bideawhile, "perhaps you will showus where you think you put the letter."

  "I don't think at all," said he. "Since the matter has been discussedthe whole thing has come back upon my memory."

  "I never signed it," said Dolly, standing with his hands in hispockets and interrupting his father.

  "Nobody says you did, sir," rejoined the father with an angry voice."If you will condescend to listen we may perhaps arrive at thetruth."

  "But somebody has said that I did. I've been told that Mr. Bideawhilesays so."

  "No, Mr. Longestaffe; no. We have never said so. We have only saidthat we had no reason for supposing the letter to be other thangenuine. We have never gone beyond that."

  "Nothing on earth would have made me sign it," said Dolly. "Whyshould I have given my property up before I got my money? I neverheard such a thing in my life."

  The father looked up at the lawyer and shook his head, testifying asto the hopelessness of his son's obstinacy. "Now, Mr. Longestaffe,"continued the lawyer, "let us see where you put the letter."

  Then the father very slowly, and with much dignity of deportment,opened the drawer,--the second drawer from the top, and took from ita bundle of papers very carefully folded and docket
ed. "There," saidhe, "the letter was not placed in the envelope but on the top of it,and the two were the two first documents in the bundle." He went onto say that as far as he knew no other paper had been taken away. Hewas quite certain that he had left the drawer locked. He was veryparticular in regard to that particular drawer, and he rememberedthat about this time Mr. Melmotte had been in the room with him whenhe had opened it, and,--as he was certain,--had locked it again. Atthat special time there had been, he said, considerable intimacybetween him and Melmotte. It was then that Mr. Melmotte had offeredhim a seat at the Board of the Mexican railway.

  "Of course he picked the lock, and stole the letter," said Dolly."It's as plain as a pike-staff. It's clear enough to hang any man."

  "I am afraid that it falls short of evidence, however strong and justmay be the suspicion induced," said the lawyer. "Your father for atime was not quite certain about the letter."

  "He thought that I had signed it," said Dolly.

  "I am quite certain now," rejoined the father angrily. "A man has tocollect his memory before he can be sure of anything."

  "I am thinking you know how it would go to a jury."

  "What I want to know is how we are to get the money," said Dolly."I should like to see him hung,--of course; but I'd sooner have themoney. Squercum says--"

  "Adolphus, we don't want to know here what Mr. Squercum says."

  "I don't know why what Mr. Squercum says shouldn't be as good as whatMr. Bideawhile says. Of course Squercum doesn't sound veryaristocratic."

  "Quite as much so as Bideawhile, no doubt," said the lawyer laughing.

  "No; Squercum isn't aristocratic, and Fetter Lane is a good deallower than Lincoln's Inn. Nevertheless Squercum may know what he'sabout. It was Squercum who was first down upon Melmotte in thismatter, and if it wasn't for Squercum we shouldn't know as much aboutit as we do at present." Squercum's name was odious to the elderLongestaffe. He believed, probably without much reason, that all hisfamily troubles came to him from Squercum, thinking that if his sonwould have left his affairs in the hands of the old Slows and theold Bideawhiles, money would never have been scarce with him, andthat he would not have made this terrible blunder about the Pickeringproperty. And the sound of Squercum, as his son knew, was horrid tohis ears. He hummed and hawed, and fumed and fretted about the room,shaking his head and frowning. His son looked at him as though quiteastonished at his displeasure. "There's nothing more to be done here,sir, I suppose," said Dolly putting on his hat.

  "Nothing more," said Mr. Bideawhile. "It may be that I shall haveto instruct counsel, and I thought it well that I should see in thepresence of both of you exactly how the thing stood. You speak sopositively, Mr. Longestaffe, that there can be no doubt?"

  "There is no doubt."

  "And now perhaps you had better lock the drawer in our presence. Stopa moment--I might as well see whether there is any sign of violencehaving been used." So saying Mr. Bideawhile knelt down in front ofthe table and began to examine the lock. This he did very carefullyand satisfied himself that there was "no sign of violence." "Whoeverhas done it, did it very well," said Bideawhile.

  "I might as well see whether there is any signof violence having been used."]

  "Of course Melmotte did it," said Dolly Longestaffe standingimmediately over Bideawhile's shoulder.

  At that moment there was a knock at the door,--a very distinct, and,we may say, a formal knock. There are those who knock and immediatelyenter without waiting for the sanction asked. Had he who knocked doneso on this occasion Mr. Bideawhile would have been found still onhis knees, with his nose down to the level of the keyhole. But theintruder did not intrude rapidly, and the lawyer jumped on to hisfeet, almost upsetting Dolly with the effort. There was a pause,during which Mr. Bideawhile moved away from the table,--as he mighthave done had he been picking a lock;--and then Mr. Longestaffe badethe stranger come in with a sepulchral voice. The door was opened,and Mr. Melmotte appeared.

  Now Mr. Melmotte's presence certainly had not been expected. It wasknown that it was his habit to be in the City at this hour. It wasknown also that he was well aware that this meeting was to be heldin this room at this special hour,--and he might well have surmisedwith what view. There was now declared hostility between both theLongestaffes and Mr. Melmotte, and it certainly was supposed by allthe gentlemen concerned that he would not have put himself out of theway to meet them on this occasion. "Gentlemen," he said, "perhaps youthink that I am intruding at the present moment." No one said that hedid not think so. The elder Longestaffe simply bowed very coldly. Mr.Bideawhile stood upright and thrust his thumbs into his waistcoatpockets. Dolly, who at first forgot to take his hat off, whistled abar, and then turned a pirouette on his heel. That was his mode ofexpressing his thorough surprise at the appearance of his debtor. "Ifear that you do think I am intruding," said Melmotte, "but I trustthat what I have to say will be held to excuse me. I see, sir," hesaid, turning to Mr. Longestaffe, and glancing at the still opendrawer, "that you have been examining your desk. I hope that you willbe more careful in locking it than you were when you left it before."

  "The drawer was locked when I left it," said Mr. Longestaffe. "I makeno deductions and draw no conclusions, but the drawer was locked."

  "Then I should say it must have been locked when you returned to it."

  "No, sir, I found it open. I make no deductions and draw noconclusions,--but I left it locked and I found it open."

  "I should make a deduction and draw a conclusion," said Dolly; "andthat would be that somebody else had opened it."

  "This can answer no purpose at all," said Bideawhile.

  "It was but a chance remark," said Melmotte. "I did not come hereout of the City at very great personal inconvenience to myself tosquabble about the lock of the drawer. As I was informed that youthree gentlemen would be here together, I thought the opportunitya suitable one for meeting you and making you an offer about thisunfortunate business." He paused a moment; but neither of the threespoke. It did occur to Dolly to ask them to wait while he shouldfetch Squercum; but on second thoughts he reflected that a great dealof trouble would have to be taken, and probably for no good. "Mr.Bideawhile, I believe," suggested Melmotte; and the lawyer bowed hishead. "If I remember rightly I wrote to you offering to pay the moneydue to your clients--"

  "Squercum is my lawyer," said Dolly.

  "That will make no difference."

  "It makes a deal of difference," said Dolly.

  "I wrote," continued Melmotte, "offering my bills at three and sixmonths' date."

  "They couldn't be accepted, Mr. Melmotte."

  "I would have allowed interest. I never have had my bills refusedbefore."

  "You must be aware, Mr. Melmotte," said the lawyer, "that the sale ofa property is not like an ordinary mercantile transaction in whichbills are customarily given and taken. The understanding was thatmoney should be paid in the usual way. And when we learned, as we didlearn, that the property had been at once mortgaged by you, of coursewe became,--well, I think I may be justified in saying more thansuspicious. It was a most,--most--unusual proceeding. You say youhave another offer to make, Mr. Melmotte."

  "Of course I have been short of money. I have had enemies whosebusiness it has been for some time past to run down my credit, and,with my credit, has fallen the value of stocks in which it has beenknown that I have been largely interested. I tell you the truthopenly. When I purchased Pickering I had no idea that the payment ofsuch a sum of money could inconvenience me in the least. When thetime came at which I should pay it, stocks were so depreciated thatit was impossible to sell. Very hostile proceedings are threatenedagainst me now. Accusations are made, false as hell,"--Mr. Melmotteas he spoke raised his voice and looked round the room,--"but whichat the present crisis may do me most cruel damage. I have come tosay that, if you will undertake to stop proceedings which have beencommenced in the City, I will have fifty thousand pounds,--which isthe amount due to these two gentlemen,--ready for payment on Frida
yat noon."

  "I have taken no proceedings as yet," said Bideawhile.

  "It's Squercum," says Dolly.

  "Well, sir," continued Melmotte addressing Dolly, "let me assureyou that if these proceedings are stayed the money will beforthcoming;--but if not, I cannot produce the money. I littlethought two months ago that I should ever have to make such astatement in reference to such a sum as fifty thousand pounds. Butso it is. To raise that money by Friday, I shall have to cripplemy resources frightfully. It will be done at a terrible cost. Butwhat Mr. Bideawhile says is true. I have no right to suppose thatthe purchase of this property should be looked upon as an ordinarycommercial transaction. The money should have been paid,--and, ifyou will now take my word, the money shall be paid. But this cannotbe done if I am made to appear before the Lord Mayor to-morrow. Theaccusations brought against me are damnably false. I do not knowwith whom they have originated. Whoever did originate them, they aredamnably false. But unfortunately, false as they are, in the presentcrisis, they may be ruinous to me. Now gentlemen, perhaps you willgive me an answer."

  Both the father and the lawyer looked at Dolly. Dolly was in truththe accuser through the mouthpiece of his attorney Squercum. It wasat Dolly's instance that these proceedings were being taken. "I, onbehalf of my client," said Mr. Bideawhile, "will consent to wait tillFriday at noon."

  "I presume, Adolphus, that you will say as much," said the elderLongestaffe.

  Dolly Longestaffe was certainly not an impressionable person, butMelmotte's eloquence had moved even him. It was not that he was sorryfor the man, but that at the present moment he believed him. Thoughhe had been absolutely sure that Melmotte had forged his name orcaused it to be forged,--and did not now go so far into the matteras to abandon that conviction,--he had been talked into creditingthe reasons given for Melmotte's temporary distress, and also intoa belief that the money would be paid on Friday. Something ofthe effect which Melmotte's false confessions had had upon LordNidderdale, they now also had on Dolly Longestaffe. "I'll askSquercum, you know," he said.

  "Of course Mr. Squercum will act as you instruct him," saidBideawhile.

  "I'll ask Squercum. I'll go to him at once. I can't do any more thanthat. And upon my word, Mr. Melmotte, you've given me a great deal oftrouble."

  Melmotte with a smile apologized. Then it was settled that they threeshould meet in that very room on Friday at noon, and that the paymentshould then be made,--Dolly stipulating that as his father would beattended by Bideawhile, so would he be attended by Squercum. To thisMr. Longestaffe senior yielded with a very bad grace.