It is true, ma foi. For zat, I seek you, and not a countryman.
A Frenchman?--oh, no! A German?--not a bit! A Russian?--never! A Yankee?--save me! I am a Greek--I take an Englishman."
"Well, well, you must leave me to think it over," said Mr. Pole, pleasantly smoothed down. "As to honesty, that"s a matter of course with us: that"s the mere footing we go upon. We don"t plume ourselves upon what"s general, here. There is, I regret to say, a difference between us and other nations. I believe it"s partly their religion. They swindle us, and pay their priests for absolution with our money. If you"re a double-dyed sinner, you can easily get yourself whitewashed over there.
Confound them! When that fellow sent no remittance last month, I told you I suspected him. Who was, the shrewdest then? As for pluck, I never failed in that yet. But, I will see a thing clear. The man who speculates blindfold, is a fowl who walks into market to be plucked.
Between being plucked, and having pluck, you"ll see a distinction when you know the language better; but you must make use of your head, or the chances are you won"t be much of a difference,--eh? I"ll think over your scheme. I"m not a man to hesitate, if the calculations are sound. I"ll look at the papers here."
"My friend, you will decide before zat I go to Italy." said Mr.
Pericles, and presently took his leave.
When he was gone, Mr. Pole turned his chair to the table, and made an attempt to inspect one of the papers deliberately. Having untied it, he retied it with care, put it aside, marked "immediate," and read the letter from Riga anew. This he tore into shreds, with animadversions on the quality of the rags that had produced it, and opened the important paper once more. He got to the end of a sentence or two, when his fingers moved about for the letter; and then his mind conceived a necessity for turning to the directory, for which he rang the bell. The great red book was brought into his room by a youthful clerk, who waited by, while his master, unaware of his presence, tracked a name with his forefinger. It stopped at Pole, Samuel Bolton; and a lurking smile was on the merchant"s face as he read the name: a smile of curious meaning, neither fresh nor sad; the meditative smile of one who looks upon an afflicted creature from whom he is aloof. After a lengthened contemplation of this name, he said, with a sigh, "Poor Chump! I wonder whether he"s here, too." A search for the defunct proved that he was out of date. Mr. Pole thrust his hand to the bell that he might behold poor Chump in an old directory that would call up the blotted years.
"I am here, sir," said his clerk, who had been holding deferential watch at a few steps from the table.
"What do you do here then, sir, all this time?"
"I waited, sir, because--"
"You waste and dawdle away twenty or thirty minutes, when you ought to be doing your work. What do you mean?" Mr. Pole stood up and took an angry stride.
The young man could scarcely believe his master was not stooping to jest with him. He said: "For that matter, sir, it can"t be a minute that I have been wasting."
"I called you in half an hour ago," returned Mr. Pole, fumbling at his watch-fob.
"It must have been somebody else, sir."
"Did you bring in this directory? Look at it! This?"
"This is the book that I brought in, sir."
"How long since?"
"I think, not a minute and a half, sir."
Mr. Pole gazed at him, and coughed slowly. "I could have sworn..." he murmured, and commenced blinking.
"I suppose I must be a little queer," he pursued; and instantly his right hand struck out, quivering. The young clerk grasped it, and drew him to a chair.
"Tush," said his master, working his feverish fingers across his forehead. "Want of food. I don"t eat like you young fellows. Fetch me a gla.s.s of wine and a biscuit. Good wine, mind. Port. Or, no; you can"t trust tavern Port:--brandy. Get it yourself, don"t rely on the porter.
And bring it yourself, you understand the importance? What is your name?"
"Braintop," replied the youth, with the modesty of one whose name has been too frequently subjected to puns.
"I think I never heard so singular a name in my life," Mr. Pole e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed seriously. "Braintop! It"ll always make me think of brandy.
What are you waiting for now?"
"I took the liberty of waiting before, to say that a lady wished to see you, sir."
Mr. Pole started from his chair. "A foreign lady?"
"She may be foreign. She speaks English, sir, and her name, I think, was foreign. I"ve forgotten it, I fear."
"It"s the wife of that fellow from Riga!" cried the merchant. "Show her in. Show her in, immediately. I suspected this. She"s in London, I know.
I"m equal to her: show her in. When you fetch the Braintop and biscuit, call me to the door. You understand."
The youth affected meekly to enjoy this fiery significance given to his name, and said that he understood, without any doubt. He retired, and in a few moments ushered in Emilia Belloni.
Mr. Pole was in the middle of the room, wearing a countenance of marked severity, and watchful to maintain it in his opening bow; but when he perceived his little Brookfield guest standing timidly in the doorway, his eyebrows lifted, and his hands spread out; and "Well, to be sure!"
he cried; while Emilia hurried up to him. She had to a.s.sure him that everything was right at home, and was next called upon to state what had brought her to town; but his continued exclamation of "Bless my soul!"
reprieved her reply, and she sat in a chair panting quickly.
Mr. Pole spoke tenderly of refreshments; wine and cake, or biscuits.
"I cannot eat or drink," said Emilia.
"Why, what"s come to you, my dear?" returned Mr. Pole in unaffected wonder.
"I am not hungry."
"You generally are, at home, about this time--eh?"
Emilia sighed, and feigned the sad note to be a breath of fatigue.
"Well, and why are you here, my dear?" Mr. Pole was beginning to step to the right and the left of her uneasily.
"I have come--" she paused, with a curious quick speculating look between her eyes; "I have come to see you."
"See me, my dear? You saw me this morning."
"Yes; I wanted to see you alone."
Emilia was having the first conflict with her simplicity; out of which it was not to issue clear, as in the foregone days. She was thinking of the character of the man she spoke to, studying him, that she might win him to succour the object she had in view. It was a quality going, and a quality coming; nor will we, if you please, lament a law of growth.
"Why, you can see me alone, any day, my dear," said Mr. Pole; "for many a day, I hope."
"You are more alone to me here. I cannot speak at Brookfield. Oh!"--and Emilia had to still her heart"s throbbing--"you do not want me to go to Italy, do you?"
"Want you to go? Not a bit. There is some talk of it, isn"t there? I don"t want you to go. Don"t you want to go."
"No! no!" said Emilia, with decisive fervour.
"Don"t want to go?"
"No: to stay! I want to stay!"
"Eh? to stay?"
"To stay with you! Never to leave England, at least! I want to give up all that I may stay."
"All?" repeated Mr. Pole, evidently marvelling as to what that sounding box might contain; and still more, perplexed to hear Emilia"s vehement--"Yes! all!" as if there were that in the mighty abnegation to make a reasonable listener doubtful.