“No such luck!” answered Chewkle, “if he had, he’d a’ soon been nabbed agen, and taken back to ha’ been kept closer than ever.”
“What do you mean?--speak out, man! you are inflicting upon me indescribable torture!” exclaimed Grahame, excitedly. “Is he--is he dead?”
“Dead! no; he’s got more lives than a cat, he has. No, sir; he’s out of quod because he’s been and paid all the money.”
“Paid the money!” echoed Mr. Grahame, incredulously.
“Every mag of it, sir--every farthing. He has wiped off the detainer lodged at the gate agen’ him, and he is free to roam about agen.”
Mr. Grahame stood as if thunder-stricken.
“Impossible!” he ejaculated, like one in a dream.
“Fact, sir, all the same for that. I saw Scathe, the managing clerk to your solicitor, and he told me all about it. The debts and costs is paid, and Wilton is out. The money has been paid under protest, sir; so you can’t touch a penny on it until you’ve proved your right to it by a haction-at-law. Scathe says he don’t think anything o’ that, because the firm holds a dockyment, which Wilton has signed in your favour, as ’ll put him out o’ court slap. Now, what I wants to know is this--is the dockyment he spoke of the same as----”
Mr. Grahame clutched his wrist, looked around him with trepidation, and raised his finger warningly. Mr. Chewkle hiccuped again, and lowered his tone, and added--
“Is it the same as--as--as you signed for him?”
Mr. Grahame drew a deep breath, but made no reply. Chewkle was a shrewd reader of physiognomy, and obtained the information he sought from the distorted workings of Mr. Grahame’s haggard features. He gave vent to his sensations on learning what he sought to know, in a low, prolonged whistle.
“Things is wuss than I took them to be,” he murmured. Then he addressed Mr. Grahame. “Who do you think?” he asked, “it is as has been making himself so very hactive in getting old Wilton out o’ Hudson’s Hotel * --you won’t guess. Why it’s that little saffron-jawed imidge, who dropped in so unexpected when you jest finished that bit o’ writing for the hobstinate Wilton.”
“My God!” gasped Grahame, “has _he_ assisted Wilton?”
“Paid the money, I believe, sir; and is going to stand his friend in the law case,” observed Chewkle, emphatically.