Mr. Bateman"s manner was usually abrupt, almost brusque, and his present oily tone had a peculiar menace to my ears.
"I cannot listen very long to-night, Mr. Bateman, so I must ask you to explain your business at once," I answered shortly.
"Certainly my dear Sir,--though you can have no business more important than this.--Do you mind if I close the door? The draught is annoying and makes your miserable lamp sputter continually."
I felt I would rather not have that door closed again, but could give no reason, so I simply nodded.
Mr. Bateman rose and closed the door. He even slipped the bolt, but upon this I made no comment. Then he resumed his seat, ran his hands through his long hair once or twice, and fixing his eyes on my face began speaking rapidly in an entirely different tone.
"This is no time for details. You see I am alive, therefore the report of my death is false. It is no case of mistaken ident.i.ty. I arranged it all. An unknown man did die in the Adirondacks. No, I did not kill him.
It was a natural death for him--an opportunity for me. I merely supplied the evidence for his identification. No need of asking how I did it. Enough that it"s done and done with practically no confederates.
The question now I suppose is--why?"
I nodded.
"I will tell you, Mr. Wainwright. It was the only way to avoid failure--the one chance to save me from utter financial ruin. You look at me as though I were crazy.--Well, I"m not. You think you know a good deal of my business affairs, but you know precious little and I tell you now, without discussing it, I had to die to make life worth living. If I had failed--well, there"s no use talking "ifs." The point is this. I"ve been carrying a load that"s pretty nearly done for me, but which"ll give me the biggest harvest I"ve ever reaped. The devils think they"ve got me down, but I"ll teach "em who Josiah Bateman is!"
The old man"s eyes glittered and he struck the desk with his fist, but his manner was no more extravagant than usual, so I only said, "We are still dealing in mysteries, Mr. Bateman."
"I"m explaining as fast as I can, Sir! When I first entered upon the deal I"m now carrying through I thought I had plenty of money for it.
But the unexpected happened again and again, and last month I began to turn things into cash. Since then I"ve needed more and more money, needed it so badly I dare not ask for it, needed it cruelly, horribly.
I"ve borrowed in every place where it would not ruin me to negotiate a loan--I"m at the end of my rope and I must have more money by Tuesday next."
"By Tuesday next?" I queried.
"Yes. Do you know how much life insurance I carry and where?"
"A hundred thousand in the Equitable and a hundred thousand in the Mutual," I replied.
"Quite so--" he answered. "Well then--I"ve got to have that money."
I looked at the stern, haggard face before me. Anxiety and sleeplessness had wrought great havoc with the man.--What if it had touched his brain?
He interpreted my thought instantly.
"Leave your revolver alone, Mr. Wainwright! I"m quite as sane as you are and a good bit smarter if you don"t yet see my scheme."
"I think I prefer not to see it or hear it either," I answered.
"Nonsense, you"ve got to do both, and in the shortest possible time too, for I"ve had to waste a week already. I observe you were about to open my old Will. Well, it"s no good. I"ve made another and here it is, signed, sealed, published, declared, witnessed and all the rest of the rot. This you will probate to-morrow morning. It appoints you my sole executor, gives you absolute power for five years to continue and conduct my business just as it is, leaves the bulk of my property to clerks and charities (for I haven"t got as much as a second cousin living in the world), and it provides that my executor have one hundred thousand dollars in lieu of his fees."
"That is generous," I observed.
"I think it just," he replied, taking no notice of my smile. "Now listen," he continued. "By Tuesday morning you will be able to collect on my life insurance. The proofs are complete. Yes, and genuine too. The doctor, the undertaker, the guides, all honestly believe I"m the corpse, and it does resemble me wonderfully. Lord, but I"ve sweated in working it out! By Tuesday, I say, those Insurance Companies will be satisfied, and they pay promptly, for the bigger the claim the better the advertis.e.m.e.nt. But if they delay, the fact of my death will tie up those devils who are trying to down me, for a few days at least. When you get the cash, pay it out under my directions and we"ll roast the whole gang of them and Josiah Bateman will return to life ten times a millionaire, for I tell you, Wainwright, this is the biggest thing you"ve ever been in!"
"It is unique in more respects than one," I answered.
"It is simplicity itself. Only the details were difficult. Even getting here, disguised as I am, was not easy without attracting too much notice, and----"
"You might have saved yourself that trouble," I interrupted.
"No, I had to see you to-night. To-morrow you would have probated that old Will instead of----"
"Writing out our resignations."
"What do you mean?" he gasped.
"Am I not clear enough?"
"You don"t mean to say you won"t carry this thing through?"
"I hoped you would come to your senses, Mr. Bateman, before a declination was necessary," I observed, keeping my eyes steadily upon the twitching face of my client.
He stared at me for a moment in silence, and then burst out,
"Nonsense, Wainwright, nonsense! You don"t understand! What"s the matter with you, anyway? I have desperate need of money and cannot get it from any ordinary channel without ruin. I so arrange that I shall be thought dead. I have absolutely no relations. You collect my life insurance and pay the money where I direct, and I am saved financially. I can then return and the amount paid by the life Insurance Companies will be refunded, and who, in G.o.d"s name, is hurt?"
"I have heard," I began, smiling, "that emergency evolves ethics, but----"
"O don"t go sermonizing about ethics, and stop that silly smiling!
Either I"m crazy, in which case you ought to humour me, or sane, and ent.i.tled to an intelligent hearing. I understand the proposition is a new one. It is made for new facts. But that does not argue it a crime.
The only possible wrong in it is involved in the probate affidavits, but you know in nine out of ten cases you don"t comply with the statutes in making affidavits, so there"s no perjury. I only ask you to tell a lie--a lie which cannot possibly hurt anybody, but which will save me."
"And incidentally help to perpetrate a fraud on the Insurance Companies."
"An innocent fraud!--We will return the money with interest the moment it goes through."
"And if it does not go through?"
"It will.--It cannot fail, I tell you! But if it does," Mr. Bateman looked me steadily in the eyes, "if it does fail, no harm will be done.
I shall be dead. Before G.o.d, I swear it."
There was tragedy written on the man"s earnest face, and a note of pathos sounded in his voice. For a moment neither of us spoke.
"Mr. Bateman," I said at last. "Because I have listened to you, you must not suppose I have for one instant countenanced your scheme. It is impossible from beginning to end. Suppose we terminate this interview----"
"I see it!" he exclaimed suddenly--"I see it! You think the plan will fail and you take some risk for no gain in case my estate is bankrupt. I have said that if I do not get money I am ruined. I would not be, strictly speaking, a bankrupt. With my plans gone wrong my estate would still amount to $75,000. Your fee is safe. I have provided for that in the Will. Read it and see if I am not right. I cannot prove to-night the accuracy of my figures. To that extent you must trust me."
It was pathetic to hear this rough old man pleading in such a manner. I suddenly felt more sorry than indignant and answered him quite gently.
"I"m not practicing law, Mr. Bateman, merely for fees, or for only one case. I am following it as a career."
"What in h.e.l.l"s name has that got to do with it?" he burst forth angrily. "I"m sick and tired of your hypocrisy and that of your whole legal crew. You take cases you don"t believe in, argue to prove what you know is false, defeat the laws, shield the dishonest, help criminals to escape, bully and insult honest men, tell lies, act lies, live lies,--do anything and everything that"s safe and disgusting--and yet you prate to me about your career! Your career indeed! G.o.d save me from the smirch and smirk of it all!"
"Have you quite finished, Mr. Bateman?"
The old man"s face was purple with rage and his hands trembled as they clutched the arms of his chair. It was not until the look of hate faded from his eyes that he spoke again.
"No, Sir, I"ve not finished--but I apologise for what I said. It was childish--foolish. I was at the end of my patience for it seems so unjust that you should take such a stand. I ask you to save me from what would be ruin to me, for what should be a fortune to you. I ask you to do no wrong to any man, woman or child in the world. I have toiled years and years in my business. I have suffered to get what I have, and I made every dollar honestly, by my brains alone. I have only one ambition--have had only one thought for years--to die a rich man--the successful merchant of my time. A poor ambition you think? Well, it"s my heart"s desire. Take it away and I am dead. I have no wife, no children, no relatives of any sort. Examine my Will and see what I propose to do with my money. What have I to live for save the joy of making? Oh, man, man, can"t you understand? Don"t you see what this means to me?"