hard cash-第39章

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dulated　exterior。　And　so　for　months　and　months　he　secretly　battled　with　insolvency；　sometimes　it　threatened　in　the　distance；　sometimes　at　hand；　but　never　caught　him　unawares：　he　provided　for　each　coming　danger；　he　encountered　each　immediate　attack。　But　not　unscathed　in　morals。　Just　as　matters　looked　brighter；　came　a　concentration　of　liabilities　he　could　not　meet　without　emptying　his　tills；　and　so　incurring　the　most　frightful　danger　of　all。　He　had　provided　for　its　coming　too；　but　a　decline；　greater　than　he　had　reckoned　on；　in　the　value　of　his　good　securities；　made　that　provision　inadequate。　Then　it　was　he　committed　a　_faux…pas。_　He　was　one　of　his　own　children's　trustees；　and　the　other　two　signed　after　him　like　machines。　He　said　to　himself：　〃My　honour　is　my　children's；　my　position　is　worth　thousands　_to　them。_　I　have　sacrificed　a　fortune　to　preserve　it；　it　would　be　madness　to　recoil　now。〃　He　borrowed　three　thousand　pounds　of　the　trust　money；　and；　soon　after；　two　thousand　more：　it　kept　him　above　water；　but　the　peril；　and　the　escape　on　such　terms；　left　him　gasping　inwardly。

At　last；　when　even　his　granite　nature　was　almost　worn　down　with　labour；　anxiety；　and　struggling　all　alone　without　a　word　of　comfortfor　the　price　of　one　grain　of　sympathy　would　have　been　〃Destruction〃he　shuffled　off　his　iron　burden　and　breathed　again。

One　day　he　spent　in　a　sort　of　pleasing　lethargy；　like　a　strong　swimmer　who；　long　and　sore　buffeted　by　the　waves；　has　reached　the　shore　at　last。

The　next　day　his　cashier；　a　sharp…visaged；　bald…headed　old　man　called　Young　Skinner；　invited　his　attention　rather　significantly　to　the　high　amount　of　certain　balances　compared　with　the　cash　at　his　（Skinner's）　disposal。

〃Indeed！〃　said　Hardie　quietly；　〃that　must　be　regulated。〃　He　added　graciously；　as　if　conferring　a　great　favour；　〃I'll　look　into　the　books　myself；　Skinner。〃

He　did　more：　he　sat　up　all　night　over　the　books；　and　his　heart　died　with　him。　Bankruptcy　seemed　coming　towards　him；　slow　perhaps；　but　sure。　And　meantime　to　live　with　the　sword　hanging　over　him　by　a　hair！

Soon　matters　approached　a　crisis；　several　large　drafts　were　drawn；　which　would　have　cleaned　the　bank　out；　but　that　the　yearly　rents　of　a　wealthy　nobleman　had　for　some　days　past　been　flowing　in。　This　nobleman　had　gone　to　explore　Syria　and　Assyria。　He　was　a　great　traveller；　who　contrived　to　live　up　to　his　income　at　home；　but　had　never　been　able　to　spend　a　quarter　of　it　abroad；　for　want　of　enemies　and　mastersbetter　known　as　friends　and　servantsto　help　him。　So　Hardie　was　safe　for　some　months；　unless　there　should　be　an　extraordinary　run　on　him；　and　that　was　not　likely　this　year；　the　panic　had　subsided；　and；　_nota　bene；_　his　credit　had　never　stood　higher。　The　reason　was；　he　had　been　double…faced；　had　always　spoken　against　railways：　and　his　wise　words　were　public；　whereas　his　fatal　acts　had　been　done　in　the　dark。

But　now　came　a　change；　a　bitter　revulsion；　over　this　tossed　mind：　hope　and　patience　failed　at　last；　and　his　virtue；　being　a　thing　of　habit　and　traditions　rather　than　of　the　soul；　wore　out；　nay　more；　this　man；　who　had　sacrificed　so　nobly　to　commercial　integrity；　was　filled　with　hate　of　his　idol　and　contempt　of　himself。　〃Idiot！〃　said　he；　〃to　throw　away　a　fortune　fighting　for　honoura　greater　bubble　than　that　which　has　ruined　meinstead　of　breaking　like　a　man；　with　a　hidden　purse；　and　starting　fair　again；　as　sensible　traders　do。〃

No　honest　man　in　the　country　that　year　repented　of　his　vices　so　sincerely　as　Richard　Hardie　loathed　his　virtue。　And　he　did　not　confine　his　penitence　to　sentiment：　he　began　to　spend　his　days　at　the　bank　poring　over　the　books；　and　to　lay　out　his　arithmetical　genius　in　a　subtle　process；　that　should　enable　him　by　degrees　to　withdraw　a　few　thousands　from　human　eyes　for　his　future　use；　despite　the　feeble　safeguards　of　the　existing　law。　In　other　words；　Richard　Hardie；　like　thousands　before　him；　was　fabricating　and　maturing　a　false　balance…sheet。

One　man　in　his　time　plays　many　animals。　Hardie　at　this　period　turned　mole。　He　burrowed　darkling　into　_oes　alienum。_　There　is　often　one　of　these　sleek　miners　in　a　bank：　it　is　a　section　of　human　zoology　the　journals　have　lately　enlarged　on；　and　drawn　the　painstaking　creature　grubbing　and　mining　away　to　brief　opulenceand　briefer　penal　servitude　than　one　could　wish。　I　rely　on　my　reader　having　read　these　really　able　sketches　of　my　contemporaries；　and　spare　him　minute　details；　that　possess　scarcely　a　new　feature；　except　one：　in　that　bank　was　not　only　a　mole；　but　a　mole…catcher；　and；　contrary　to　custom；　the　mole　was　the　master；　the　mole…catcher　the　servant。　The　latter　had　no　hostile　views；　far　from　it：　he　was　rather　attached　to　his　master。　But　his　attention　was　roused　by　the　youngest　clerk；　a　boy　of　sixteen；　being　so　often　sent　for　into　the　bank　parlour；　to　copy　into　the　books　some　arithmetical　result；　without　its　process。　Attention　soon　became　suspicion；　and　suspicion　found　many　little　things　to　feed　on；　till　it　grew　to　certainty。　But　the　outer　world　was　none　the　wiser：　the　mole…catcher　was　no　chatterbox；　he　was　a　solitary　manno　wife　nor　mistress　about　him；　and　he　revered　the　mole；　and　liked　him　better　than　anything　in　the　world_except　money。_

Thus　the　great　banker　stood；　a　colossus　of　wealth　and　stability　to　the　eye；　though　ready　to　crumble　at　a　touch；　and　indeed　self…doomed；　for　bankruptcy　was　now　his　game。

This　was　a　miserable　man；　far　more　miserable　than　his　son；　whose　happiness　he　had　thwarted：　his　face　was　furrowed　and　his　hair　thinned　by　a　secret　struggle；　and　of　all　the　things　that　gnawed　him；　like　the　fox；　beneath　his　Spartan　robe；　none　was　more　bitter　than　to　have　borrowed　five　thousand　pounds　of　his　children　and　sunk　it。

His　wife's　father；　a　keen　man　of　business；　who　saw　there　was　little　affection　on　his　side；　had　settled　his　daughter's　money　on　her　for　life；　and　in　case　of　her　death；　on　the　children　upon　coming　of　age。　The　marriage　of　Alfred　or　Jane　would　be　sure　to　expose　him；　settlements　would　be　proposed；　lawyers　engaged　to　peer　into　the　trust；　&c。　No；　they　_must_　remain　single　for　the　present；　or　else　marry　wealth。

So；　when　his　son　announced　an　attachment　to　a　young　lady　living　in　a　suburban　villa；　it　was　a　terrible　blow；　though　he　took　it　with　outward　calm；　as　usual。　But　if；　instead　of　prating　about　beauty；　virtue；　and　breeding；　Alfred　had　told　him　hard　cash　in　five　figures　could　be　settled　by　the　bride's　family　on　the　young　couple；　he　would　have　welcomed　the　wedding　with　great　external　indifference；　but　a　secret　gush　of　joy；　for　then　he　could　throw　himself　on　Alfred's　generosity；　and　be　released　from　that　one　corroding　debt；　perhaps　allowed　to　go　on　drawing　the　interest　of　the　remainder。

Thus；　in　reality；　all　the　interests　with　which　this　story　deals　converged　towards　one　point：　the　fourteen　thousand　pounds。　Richard　Hardie's　opposition　was　a　mere　misunderstanding；　and　if　he　had　been　told　of　the　Cash；　and　to　what　purpose　Mrs。　Dodd　destined　it；　and　then　put　on　board　the　_Agra_　in　the　Straits　of　Gaspar；　he　would　have　calmly　taken　off　his　coat；　and　help　to　defend　the　bearer　of　It　against　all　assailants　as　stoutly；　and；　to　all　appearance；　imperturbably；　as　he　had　fought　that　other　bitter　battle　at　home。　For　there　was　something　heroic　in　this　erring　man；　though　his　rectitude　depended　on　circumstances。


CHAPTER　IX

THE　way　the　pirate　dropped　the　mask；　showed　his　black　teeth；　and　bore　up　in　chase；　was　terrible：　so　dilates　and　bounds　the　sudden　tiger　on　his　unwary　prey。　There　were　stout　hearts　among　the　officers　of　the　peaceable　_Agra_；　but　danger　in　a　new　form　shakes　the　brave；　and　this　was　their　first　pirate：　their　dismay　broke　out　in　ejaculations　not　loud　but　deep。　〃Hush；〃　said　Dodd　doggedly；　〃the　lady！〃

Mrs。　Beresford　had　just　come　on　deck　to　enjoy　the　balmy　morning。

〃Sharpe；〃　said　Dodd；　in　a　tone　that　conveyed　no　suspicion　to　the　new…comer；　〃set　the　royals　and　flying　jib。Port！〃

〃Port　it　is；〃　cried　the　man　at　the　helm。

〃Steer　due　south！〃　And；　with　these　words　in　his　mouth；　Dodd　dived　to　the　gun…deck。

By　this　time　elastic　Sharpe　had　recovered　the　first　shock；　and　the　order　to　crowd　sail　on　the　ship　galled　his　pride　and　his　manhood。　He　muttered　indignantly；　〃The　white　feather！〃　This　eased　hi