Ten Thousand a-Year. Volume 3

"Then, my Lord, I take the liberty of reasserting what I had withdrawn," said Gammon, his blood appearing to flow like liquid fire in all his veins. He had never given Lord Dreddlington credit for being able to exhibit the spirit and self-command which he was then displaying. The earl bowed loftily as Gammon spoke; and on his concluding, said with haughty composure—

"When I entered your room, sir, that document caught my eye accidentally; and on seeing upon the outside of it—for no farther have I looked—the name of my own son-in-law, it was but natural that I should suppose there could be no objection to my continuing to examine the outside. That was my opinion, sir—that is my opinion; your presumptuous expressions, sir, cannot change that opinion, nor make me forget our relative positions," he added loftily; "and I once more demand, sir, what is the meaning of that extraordinary document?"

Mr. Gammon was taken quite by surprise by this calmness and resolution on the part of the earl; and while his Lordship spoke, and for some moments afterwards, gazed at him sternly, yet irresolutely, his faculties strained to their utmost, to determine upon the course he should take, in so totally unexpected an emergency. He was not long, however, in deciding.

"Since your Lordship desires information from me, let me request you to be seated," said he, in a tone and with an air of profound courtesy, such as, in its turn, took his noble companion by surprise; and he slowly resumed his seat, Gammon also sitting down nearly opposite to him. "May I, in the first place, venture to inquire to what circumstance I am indebted, my Lord, for the honor of this visit?" he inquired.

"Oh, sir—sir—by the way—indeed you may well ask—you must have heard"—suddenly and vehemently interrupted the earl, whose mind could hold but one important matter at a time.

"To what does your Lordship allude?" inquired Gammon, who knew perfectly well all the while. Having had a hint that matters were going wrong with the Artificial Rain Company, he had contrived to creep out of it, by selling such shares as he held, at a little loss certainly—and he would have done the same for the earl had it been practicable; but his Lordship's sudden journey into Hertfordshire had prevented his communicating with his Lordship, till the time for acting had passed. Now, therefore, he resolved to be taken by surprise.

"To what do I allude, sir!" echoed the earl, with much agitation, taking the newspaper from his pocket—"The Artificial Rain Company, sir"–

"Well, my Lord!"—exclaimed Gammon, impatiently.

"Sir, it is gone! Blown up! Entirely disappeared, sir!"

"Gone! Blown up! The Artificial Rain Company? Oh, my Lord, it's impossible!" cried Gammon, with well-feigned amazement.

"Sir—it is clean gone. Sir Sharper Bubble has absconded!" His Lordship handed the paper to Mr. Gammon, who read the paragraph (which he had perused some hour or two before in bed, where his own copy of the Morning Growl was at that moment lying) with every appearance of horror, and the newspaper quite shook in his trembling hands!

"It cannot—it cannot be true, my Lord!" said he, his eyes glued to the paper.

"Sir, it is. I have been myself to the Company's office—it is quite closed—shut up; there is only an old woman there, sir! And, at the bankers', the only answer is—'Account closed!'"

"Then I am nearly a couple of thousand pounds poorer—my God! what shall I do? Do, my Lord, let us drive off instantly to Sir Sharper Bubble's house, and see if he be really gone. It may be a villainous fabrication altogether—I never will believe that such a man—How miserable that both your Lordship and I should have been out of town yesterday!"

Thus Gammon went on, with great eagerness, hoping to occupy Lord Dreddlington's thoughts exclusively with the matter; but he was mistaken. The earl, after a little pause, reverted to the previous subject, and repeated his inquiry as to the rent-charge, with an air of such serious determination as soon satisfied Gammon that there was no evading the crisis which had so suddenly arisen. With the topic, his Lordship also unconsciously changed his manner, which was now one of offended majesty.

"Sir," said he, with stately deliberation, "what you have said to myself personally, cannot be unsaid; but I desire a plain answer, Mr. Gammon, to a plain question. Is the document which I had in my hand, an instrument giving you—gracious Heaven!—a charge of two thousand pounds a-year upon my son-in-law's estate? Sir, once for all, I peremptorily insist on an answer before I leave your chambers; and, if I do not obtain it, I shall instantly cause a rigorous inquiry to be set on foot."

["You drivelling obstinate old fool!" thought Gammon, looking, the while with mild anxiety, at the earl, "if you were to drop down dead at my feet, now, at this moment, what vexation you would save me! Did it ever before fall to the lot of mortal man to have to deal with two such idiots as you and Titmouse?"]

"Well, then, my Lord, since you are so pertinacious on the point—retaining my strong opinion concerning the very unwarrantable means which enable you to put the question to me—I disdain equivocation or further concealment," he continued with forced composure, "and distinctly admit that the document which was lately in your Lordship's hands, is an instrument completely executed with all due form, having the effect which it professes to have. It gives me, my Lord, a rent-charge for the term of my life, of two thousand pounds a-year upon Mr. Titmouse's estate of Yatton."

"Good God, sir!" exclaimed the earl, gazing at Gammon, as if thunderstruck with an answer which, nevertheless, he could not but have calculated upon—and which was indeed inevitable.

"That is the fact, my Lord, undoubtedly," said Gammon, with the air of a man who has made up his mind to encounter something very serious.

"There never was such a thing heard of, sir! Two thousand pounds a-year given to his solicitor by my son-in-law! Why, he is a mere boy"–

"He was old enough to marry the Lady Cecilia, my Lord," interrupted Gammon, calmly, but very bitterly.

"That may be, sir," replied the earl, his face faintly flushing—"but he is ignorant of business, sir—of the world—or you must have taken advantage of him when he was intoxicated."

"Nothing—nothing of the kind, my Lord. Never was Mr. Titmouse more sober—never in fuller possession of his faculties—never less in liquor—never did he do anything more deliberately, than when he signed that conveyance."

"Why, have you purchased it, sir? Given consideration for it?" inquired the earl, with a perplexed air.

"Why did not your Lordship make that inquiry before you felt yourself at liberty to make the harsh and injurious comments which you have"–

"Sir, you evade my question."

"No, my Lord—I do not wish to do so. I have given value for it—full value; and Mr. Titmouse, if you ask him, will tell you so."

The earl paused.

"And is the consideration recorded in the deed, sir?"

"It is, my Lord—and truly."

"I must again ask you, sir—do you mean to tell me that you have given full value for this rent-charge?"

"Full value, my Lord."

"Then, why all this mystery, Mr. Gammon?"

"Let me ask, in my turn, my Lord, why all these questions about a matter with which you have nothing to do? Would it not be much better for your Lordship to attend to your own affairs, just now, after the very alarming"–

"Sir—sir—I—I—that is—my concern," stammered the earl, very nearly thrust out of his course by this stroke of Gammon's; but he soon recovered himself—for the topic they were discussing had taken a thorough hold of his mind. "Did you give a pecuniary consideration, Mr. Gammon?"

"I gave a large sum in ready money; and the remainder is expressed to be, my long and arduous services to Mr. Titmouse, in putting him into possession of his property."

"Will you, then, favor me with a copy of this deed, that I may examine it, and submit it to competent"–

"No, my Lord, I will do no such thing," replied Gammon, peremptorily.

"You will not, sir?" repeated the earl, after a pause, his cold blue eye fixed upon that of Gammon, and his face full of stern and haughty defiance.

"No, my Lord, I will not. Probably that answer is explicit enough!" replied Gammon, returning Lord Dreddlington's look with unwavering steadfastness. There was a pause.

"But one conclusion can be drawn, then, from your refusal, sir—one highly disadvantageous to you, sir. No one can avoid the inference that there has been foul play, and fraud of the grossest descrip"–

"You are a peer of the realm, Lord Dreddlington; try to be a gentleman," said Gammon, who had turned deadly pale. The earl's eye continued fixed on Gammon, and his lip slightly quivered. He seemed amazed at Gammon's audacity.

"Let me recommend your Lordship to be more cautious and measured in your language," said Gammon, visibly struggling to speak with calmness—"especially concerning matters on which you are utterly—profoundly ignorant"–

"I will not long remain so, Mr. Gammon; you may rely upon it," replied the earl, with sustained firmness and hauteur.

["Shall I? shall I? shall I prostrate you, insolent old fool! soul and body?" thought Gammon.]

"I will instantly seek out Mr. Titmouse," continued the earl, "and will soon get at the bottom of this—this—monstrous transaction."

"I cannot, of course, control your Lordship's motions. If you do apply to Mr. Titmouse, you will in all probability receive the information you seek for—that is, if Mr. Titmouse dare, without first consulting me"–

"If—Mr.—Titmouse—dare, sir?" echoed the earl, calmly and scornfully.

"Yes—dare!" furiously retorted Gammon, his eye, as it were, momentarily flashing fire.

"Sir, this is very highly amusing!" said Lord Dreddlington, trying to smile; but it was impossible. His hands trembled so much that he could not draw on his glove without great effort.

"To me, my Lord, it is very—very painful," replied Gammon, with an agitation which he could not conceal—"not painful on my own account, but your Lordship's"–

"Sir, I appreciate your presumptuous sympathy," interrupted Lord Dreddlington. "In the mean while, you may depend upon my taking steps forthwith of a somewhat decisive character. We shall see, sir, how long transactions of this sort can be concealed."

At this point, Gammon had finally determined upon making his long-dreaded disclosure to the Earl of Dreddlington—one which he knew would instantly topple him down headlong over the battlements of his lofty and unapproachable pride, as though he had been struck by lightning. Gammon felt himself getting colder every minute—his agitation driving the blood from his extremities back upon his heart.

"Your Lordship has spoken of concealment," he commenced with visible emotion.—"Your Lordship's offensive and most uncalled-for observations upon my motives and conduct, irritated me for the moment—but that is gone by. They have, however, worked my feelings up to a point which will enable me, now, perhaps, better than on any future occasion, to make a disclosure to your Lordship of a secret, which ever since it unhappily came to my knowledge, so help me Heaven! has made me the most miserable of men." There was something in Gammon's countenance and manner which compelled the earl to sit down again in the chair from which he had risen, and where he remained gazing in wondering silence at Gammon, who proceeded—"It is a communication which will require all your Lordship's strength of mind to prevent its overpowering you"–

"Gracious God, sir, what do you mean? What do you mean, Mr. Gammon? Go on, sir!" said the earl, turning very pale.

"I would even now, my Lord, shrink from the precipice which I have approached, and leave your Lordship in ignorance of that which—alas, alas!—no earthly power can remedy; but your Lordship's singular discovery of the rent-charge, which we have talked about so long and anxiously, and determination to become fully acquainted with the circumstances out of which it has arisen, leave me no option."

"Sir, I desire that, without so much circumlocution, you will come to the point. I cannot divine what you are talking about—what you meditate telling me; but I beg of you, sir, to communicate to me what you know, and leave me to bear it as best I can."

"Then your Lordship shall be obeyed.—I said, some little time ago, that the instrument granting me the rent-charge upon the Yatton property, recited, as a part of the consideration, my arduous, long-continued, and successful exertions to place Mr. Titmouse in possession of that fine estate. It was I, my Lord, who searched for him till I found him—the rightful heir to the Yatton property—him, the possible successor to your Lordship in your ancient barony. Night and day I have toiled for him—have overcome all obstacles, and at length placed him in the splendid position which he now occupies. He is not, my Lord, naturally of a generous or grateful disposition, as perhaps your Lordship also may be aware; and had I not insisted on an adequate return for my services, he would have given me none. Therefore I required him, nay, I extorted from him the instrument in question." Mr. Gammon paused for a moment.

"Well, sir. Go on! I hear you," said the earl, somewhat sternly; on which Gammon resumed.

"How I first acquired a knowledge that Mr. Aubrey was wrongfully enjoying the Yatton estates, is of no moment to your Lordship; but one thing does concern your Lordship to know, and me to be believed by your Lordship in telling you—that, so help me Heaven! at the time that I discovered Mr. Titmouse behind the counter of Mr. Tag-rag, in Oxford Street, and up till within a couple of months ago, I had no more doubt about his being entitled, as really the heir-at-law"–The earl gave a sudden start. "My Lord, I would even now beg your Lordship to let me take some other opportunity, when we are both calmer, of explaining"–

"Go on, sir," said the earl, firmly, but in a much lower tone of voice than that in which he had before spoken, and sitting with his eyes riveted on those of Mr. Gammon; who, notwithstanding his Lordship's observation, was compelled by his own sickening agitation again to pause for a moment or two. Then he resumed. "I was saying, my Lord, that, till about two months ago, I had no more doubt than I have of your Lordship's now sitting before me, that Mr. Titmouse was the legitimate descendant of the person entitled to enjoy the Yatton estates in preference to Mr. Aubrey. His pedigree was subjected to the severest scrutiny which the law of England can devise, and was pronounced complete"–Gammon beheld Lord Dreddlington quivering all over; "but to my horror—only I know it, except Mr. Titmouse, to whom I told it—I have recently discovered, by a most extraordinary accident, that we were, and are, all mistaken." Lord Dreddlington had grown deadly pale, and his lips, which had lost their color, seemed to open unconsciously, while he inclined towards Gammon; "and—I may as well tell your Lordship at once the worst—this young man, Titmouse, is only a natural son, and what is worst, of a woman who had a former husband living"–

Lord Dreddlington started up from his chair, and staggered away from it, his arms moving to and fro—his face the very picture of horror. It had gone of a ghastly whiteness. His lips moved, but he uttered no sound.

"Oh, my Lord! For God's sake be calm!" cried out Gammon, dreadfully shocked, rushing towards the earl, who kept staggering back, his hands stretched out as if to keep off some approaching object. "My Lord! Lord Dreddlington, hear me. For Heaven's sake, let me bring you back to your seat. It's only a little faintness!"—He put his arm round the earl, endeavoring to draw him back towards the easy-chair; but felt him slipping down on the floor, his legs yielding under him; then his head suddenly sank on one side, and the next moment he lay, as it were, collapsed, upon the floor, partly supported by Gammon, who, in a fearful state of agitation, shouted out for the laundress.

"Untie his neck-handkerchief, sir; loose his shirt-collar!" cried the woman; and stooping down, while Gammon supported his head, she removed the pressure from his neck. He was breathing heavily. "For God's sake, run off for a doctor—any one—the nearest you can find," gasped Gammon. "The carriage standing before the inn is his Lordship's; you'll see his footman—tell him his Lordship's in a fit, and send him off also for a doctor!"

The laundress, nearly as much agitated as her master, instantly started off as she had been directed. Gammon, finding no signs of returning consciousness, with a great effort managed to get his Lordship into the bedroom; and had just laid him down on the bed when the footman burst into the chamber in a terrible fright. He almost jumped off the floor on catching sight of the prostrate and inanimate figure of his master—and was for a few moments so stupefied that he could not hear Gammon ordering him to start off in quest of a doctor, which at length, however, he did,—leaving Gammon alone with his victim. For a few frightful moments, he felt as if he had murdered Lord Dreddlington, and must fly for it. He pressed his hands to his forehead, as if to recall his scattered faculties.

"What is to be done?" thought he. "Is this apoplexy? paralysis? epilepsy? or what? Will he recover? Will it affect his reason?—Will he recover? If so—how deal with the damning discovery he has made? Will he have sense enough to keep his own counsel? If he survive, and preserve his reason—all is right—everything succeeds. I am his master to the end of his days!—What a horrid while they are!—Curse those doctors! The wretches! never to be found when they are wanted. He's dying before my very eyes!—How shall I say this happened? A fit, brought on by agitation occasioned—(ay, that will do)—by the failure of the Company. Ah! there's the newspaper he brought with him, and put into my hands," he thought, as his eye glanced at the newspaper lying on the table in the adjoining room—"This will give color to my version of the affair!" With this, he hastily seized the paper in question, and thrust it into one of the coat-pockets of Lord Dreddlington; and the moment after, in came the laundress, followed by the medical man whom she had gone in quest of; the door hardly having been closed before a thundering knock announced the arrival of the footman with another doctor; to both of whom Gammon with haste and agitation gave the account of his Lordship's seizure which he had previously determined upon giving to all inquiries.—"A decided case of apoplexy," said the fat bald-headed old gentleman brought in by the laundress, and who had been forty years in practice; and he proceeded hastily to raise the earl into a nearly sitting posture, directing the windows to be thrown open as widely as possible. "Clearly paralysis," said the spectacled young gentleman who had been fetched by the footman, and who had been established in practice only a fortnight; was hot from the hospitals; and had opened a little surgery nearly opposite to that of the old gentleman.

"It isn't, sir—it's apoplexy."

"Sir, it's nearer epilepsy"–

"Listen to his breathing, sir," said the old gentleman, scornfully.

"For God's sake, gentlemen, DO something!" interposed Gammon, furiously—"Good God! would you have his Lordship die before your eyes?"

"Put his feet into hot water instantly—get mustard plasters ready," commenced the old gentleman, in a mighty bustle, turning up his coat-sleeves, and getting out his lancets; while the young gentleman, with a very indignant air, still resolved to give the distinguished patient the advantage of the newest improvements in medical science, whipped out a stethoscope, and was screwing it together, when the old gentleman in a rage cried "Pish!" and knocked it out of his hand: whereupon the young gentleman seemed disposed to strike him!

"Oh my God!" cried Gammon—and added, addressing the footman—"set off for Dr. Bailey instantly—these fools will let him die before their eyes!" Off sprang the man, and was out of sight in a twinkling. 'T was very natural (though, I must own, somewhat inconvenient and unseemly) for these worthy rivals to behave in this way, seeing it was the first time in his life that either had been called in to a nobleman, and very probably it would be the last—at least it ought to have been; and each wished to cure or kill the distinguished patient in his own way. 'T was also the conflict between the old and the new systems of medical science; between old practice and young speculation—and between these two stools was his Lordship falling to the ground, with a witness. One felt the pulse, the other insisted on applying the stethoscope to his heart; one remarked on the coldness of the extremities—the other said the pupils were fixed and dilated. One was for bleeding at the arm, the other for opening the jugular vein: one for cupping at the nape of the neck—the other on the temple; one spoke of electricity—'t would stimulate the nervous system to throw off the blood from the brain;—the other said, "stimulate the whole surface–wrap him in a mustard blister from head to foot, and shave and blister the head." One verily believed his Lordship was dying; the other declared he was dead already, through his mode of treatment not having been adopted. Each would have given twenty guineas to have been the only one called in. All this horrid foolery occupied far less time than is requisite to describe it—scarcely a minute indeed—and almost drove Gammon into frenzy. Rushing to the window, he called to a porter in the inn to start off for "any other medical man who could be found!"—which brought the two to their senses, such as they were. Suffice it to say, that the jugular vein was opened in a trice; mustard plasters and hot water applied as quickly as they could be procured; and a cupping-case having been sent for, blood was taken pretty freely from the nape of the neck—and these two blood-lettings saved Lord Dreddlington's life—whether to Gammon's delight or disappointment I shall not take upon me to decide. By the time that the great man—the experienced and skilful king's physician, Dr. Bailey—had arrived, the earl was beginning to exhibit slight symptoms of returning consciousness, and was recovering from an attack of partial apoplexy. Dr. Bailey remained with his Lordship for nearly half an hour; and, on leaving, gave it as his opinion that, provided no fresh seizure occurred during the ensuing two hours, it would be practicable—as it was, of course, very desirable—to remove his Lordship to his own house. The period named having passed without his Lordship's having experienced any relapse, it was determined on removing him. He was to be accompanied by one of the medical men—both would fain have gone, had the chariot admitted of it; but Gammon soon settled the matter by naming the elder practitioner, and dismissing the younger with a couple of guineas. Then Gammon himself set off in a hackney-coach, about an hour before the carriage started, in order to prepare the household of the earl, and secure a safe communication of the alarming event, to the Lady Cecilia. On reaching the earl's mansion, to Gammon's surprise a hackney-coach was driving off from before the door; and, on entering the house, guess his amazement at hearing, from the agitated porter, that Lady Cecilia had just gone up to the drawing-room in terrible trouble. Gammon darted up-stairs, unable to imagine by what means Lady Cecilia could have been apprised of the event. He found her in out-door costume, sitting sobbing on the sofa, attended anxiously by Miss Macspleuchan. The plain fact was, that she had just been driven out of her own house by a couple of executions, put in that morning by two creditors of Titmouse, by whom they had been treated, the evening before, very insolently! Mr. Gammon's agitated appearance alarmed Miss Macspleuchan, but was not noticed by her more distressed companion; and, as soon as Mr. Gammon found the means of doing it unobserved, he made a sign to Miss Macspleuchan that he had something of great importance to communicate to her. Leaving the Lady Cecilia, a short time afterwards, in the care of her maid, Miss Macspleuchan followed Mr. Gammon down-stairs into the library, and was in a few hurried words apprised of the illness of the earl—of the cause of it—(viz. the sudden failure of an important speculation in which the earl was interested)—and that his Lordship would be brought home in about an hour's time or so, in company with a medical man. Miss Macspleuchan was for a moment very nearly overcome, even to fainting; but, being a woman of superior strength of character, she soon rallied, and immediately addressed herself to the necessity of warding off any sudden and violent shock from Lady Cecilia, especially with reference to her delicate state of health. It was absolutely necessary, however, that her Ladyship should be promptly apprised of the painful occurrence, lest an infinitely greater shock should be inflicted on her by the earl's arrival. Gently and gradually as Miss Macspleuchan broke the intelligence to Lady Cecilia, it occasioned her falling into a swoon—for it will be borne in mind that her nerves had been before sufficiently shaken. On recovering, she requested Mr. Gammon to be sent for, and with considerable agitation inquired into the occasion and manner of the earl's illness. As soon as he had mentioned that it was a paragraph in the day's paper that first occasioned in the earl the agitation which had induced such serious consequences–