THE VICAR'S COMPLICATIONS, WHICH LIVELY PEOPLE HAD BETTER NOT READ.
William Wylder's reversion was very tempting. But Lawyer Larkin knew the
value of the precious metals, and waited for more data. The more he
thought over his foreign correspondence, and his interview with Lake, the
more steadily returned upon his mind the old conviction that the gallant
captain was deep in the secret, whatever it might be.
Whatever his motive—and he always had a distinct motive, though
sometimes not easily discoverable—he was a good deal addicted now to
commenting, in his confidential talk, with religious gossips and others, upon the awful state of the poor vicar's affairs, his inconceivable prodigality, the unaccountable sums he had made away with, and his own anxiety to hand over the direction of such a hopeless complication of debt, and abdicate in favour of any competent skipper the command of the water-logged and foundering ship.
'Why, his Brother Mark could get him cleverly out of it—could not he?'
wheezed the pork-butcher.
'More serious than you suppose,' answered Larkin, with a shake of his
head.
'It can't go beyond five hundred, or say nine hundred—eh, at the
outside?'
'Nine hundred—say double as many thousand, and I'm afraid you'll be
nearer the mark. You'll not mention, of course, and I'm only feeling my
way just now, and speaking conjecturally altogether; but I'm afraid it is
enormous. I need not remind you not to mention.'
I cannot, of course, say how Mr. Larkin's conjectures reached so
prodigious an elevation, but I can now comprehend why it was desirable
that this surprising estimate of the vicar's liabilities should prevail. Mr. Jos. Larkin had a weakness for enveloping much of what he said and wrote in an honourable mystery. He liked writing private or confidential at top of his notes, without apparent right or even reason to impose either privacy or confidence upon the persons to whom he wrote. There was, in fact, often in the good attorney's mode of transacting business just a soupçon or flavour of an arrière pensée of a remote and unseen plan, which was a little unsatisfactory.
Now, with the vicar he was imperative that the matter of the reversion
should be strictly confidential—altogether 'sacred,' in fact.
'You see, the fact is, my dear Mr. Wylder, I never meddle in speculative
things. It is not a class of business that I like or would touch with one
of my fingers, so to speak,' and he shook his head gently; 'and I may
say, if I were supposed to be ever so slightly engaged in these risky
things, it would be the ruin of me. I don t like, however, sending you
into the jaws of the City sharks—I use the term, my dear Mr. Wylder, advisedly—and I make a solitary exception in your case; but the fact is, if I thought you would mention the matter, I could not touch it even for you. There's Captain Lake, of Brandon, for instance—I should not be surprised if I lost the Brandon business the day after the matter reached his ears. All men are not like you and me, my dear Mr. Wylder. The sad experience of my profession has taught me that a suspicious man of the world, without religion, my dear Mr. Wylder,' and he lifted his pink eyes, and shook his long head and long hands in unison—'without religion—will imagine anything. They can't understand us.'
Now, the fifty pounds which good Mr. Larkin had procured for the
improvident vicar, bore interest, I am almost ashamed to say, at thirty
per cent. per annum, and ten per cent. more the first year. But you are
to remember that the security was altogether speculative; and Mr. Larkin, of course, made the best terms he could. Annual premium on a policy for £100 [double insurance } £ ''s.'' ''d.'' being insisted upon by lender, to cover contingent ex- } 10 0 0 penses, and life not insurable, a delicacy of the lungs } being admitted, on the ordinary scale] }
Annuity payable to lender, clear of premium, the } 7 10 0
security being unsatisfactory }
———————
£17 10 0
Ten pounds of which (the premium), together with four pounds ten shillings for expenses, &c. were payable in advance. So that thirty-two pounds, out of his borrowed fifty, were forfeit for these items within a year and a month. In the meantime the fifty pounds had gone, as we know, direct to Cambridge; and he was called upon to pay forthwith ten pounds for premium, and four pounds ten shillings for 'expenses.' Quod impossibile.