CHAPTER X. A DEED OF DEATH. "When you durst do it, then you were a man ; MACBETH. THURSDAY, the day of the great reckoning, was now at hand. However unwilling he might hitherto have been to look into his wasted resources, it now became imperative on Mortimer to provide for the lawyer's bill, the mortgage money, and the accruing interest. He shut himself into his chamber early in the morning, and with a heavy heart drew forth pen and ink and paper. Figures were his aversion at all times, but to be compelled to range them on the losing side of the account was a task truly burthen some and sorrowful. The effort, however, was made, and when the assets were duly marshalled, as the Chancery lawyers are in the habit of saying, there lacked a sum of five thousand, or it might be seven thousand pounds. Again and again, the units and cyphers were put in requisition, but those unerring guides, although twisted and varied in every direction, inflexibly gave the same results, namely, a sad and hopeless deficiency. Intoxicated with flatteries, and content in the society of his family, Mortimer never imagined that his finances had fallen to so low an ebb. He was sensible enough of his Newmarket losses, which occasionally caused him moments of bitterness, but the misfortune of being unable to fulfil his engagements had never entered his thoughts. Now the scene was laid open, and insolvency stared him in the face. It was no longer a struggle with the slight of treacherous friends, the wandering nods of former acquaintance, and the heartless spurnings of fashion. For these evils Mortimer had prepared himself, since he well knew the consequences of an unpropitious visit, such as his had been, to the turf and the gaming-table. But here was desperate, reckless, irretrievable ruin. Unable to cope with the miseries of his discovery, he hastened to the breakfast room, where his cheerless eye and pale countenance would have attracted more notice, had not his mother and sister attributed them to the ensuing business of the day. His evidently sad condition passed accordingly without much question, and he again retired to his room a prey to every melancholy reflection, and awaiting with terror a summons to attend the indefatigable Soland. There was no room for consolation upon this head. Other men might fail in keeping their appointments, and other occasions might be productive of delay; but a London lawyer, with seven thousand pounds in prospect, and one too of Mr. Soland's punctual habits, could not tarry. Mortimer lay under the extreme pressure of time and circumstance, and as the hour advanced his agitation grew also. "Byrdwood must go," said he to himself, in a frenzy of despair, "and we must be outcasts. My mother and sister dependant and pennilessImpossible!" He struck his forehead with the anguish of a desperate man. "The forged notes; Oh God!" A gleam of hope darted across his mind. It was a moment of weakness, of temptation, of triumph for the angel of darkness. Mortimer rushed to his bureau, frantic, as if in search of hidden treasure. The notes were safe; they lay in the same packet which had been thrown on the ground at Newmarket, and in the same position as when he folded them up. Though not superlatively executed, they were such as would elude an ordinary eye. They had been detected only by men, long accustomed to the arts of those wily practitioners who had duped Mortimer. He seized them with eagerness, and counted their fallacious cost. Five thousand pounds neither more nor less, and five thousand pounds would relieve him from embarrassment and disgrace. He could privately reimburse the loser afterwards, could make up the damage done to the public in a hundred ways, could atone for the offence at his leisure, and pay a retribution of a thousand fold. He thought not of death, nor of ignominy, nor of calamity to others; the spell was too strong, for instant deliverance was the premium for crime; abasement and Conscience poverty alone remained for surly virtue. strove in vain to do her office, and he who, but a few days since, would have tossed the cheating paper into the street, now viewed it with the eye of a miser, and placed it in his pocket-book as a jewel of the first value. Still the fear of detection was not entirely absent from his mind, for he hesitated much whether Mr. Soland should have the benefit of his newly found treasure; or whether it should be paid to the lawyers for the mortgage, or whether part should be given to the former, and part to the others, or, indeed, whether he should not hasten to London after the settlement, and pay the forged notes to his bankers. At length, after deliberating upon his fatal purpose, he deemed it most secure to let the mortgagee receive his five thousand pounds and scarcely had he come to this resolution, when it was announced that Mr. Soland had arrived. If fortune had been disposed to lend Mortimer the least aid, there was a fair opportunity on this day for her services. The weather was more than usually inclement, the roads in a ruinous condition as far as horses and vehicles were concerned, and Mr. Soland's favourite mare had fallen lame on the previous evening; but a loan from an obliging friend soon remedied the last accident; and at a crisis like this, there was hardly a lawyer in the metropolis who would not have bade defiance to the elements and the roads. The first matter of business was the liquidation of the election accounts, and this being very speedily despatched by a cheque for the desired sum on the one hand, and a receipt in full of all demands on the other, an adjournment to the office of Dell and Head, for the purpose of settling the mortgage according to appointment, was proposed and agreed to. Mortimer and his agent soon arrived at the office of the attorneys above-mentioned. They were fully expected, and after passing through an avenue of railed closets and raised desks, where the sharpest wits are concocted and the dullest wits made keen, they found themselves in an inner room, where the heads of the firm received them with much civility. James Priminheere also, who was seated at the table, rose upon their entering, recognised Mr. Soland, and bowed to Mortimer. Some common-place compliments of the day then followed, and, subsequently, a pause of some minuets, whilst the lawyers were collecting and looking out the various deeds and papers. Priminheere took up the newspaper, and carelessly threw his eye over the larger prints. Mortimer surveyed every corner of the apartment, having summoned as much courage to his assistance as his nature was capable of, and that was not inconsiderable. Over the chimney a law almanack was appendant, containing the fullest particulars of terms, holidays, saints' days, Old Bailey Sessions' times, solar and lunar variations, together with a variety of other useful matters, and an ample print at top of the New London Bridge. Still higher up was an engraving of the great Lord Mansfield, corresponding with a similar plate of Lord Chancellor Thurlow, at the opposite end of the room. Large iron boxes filled with deeds, and inscribed with the names of the owners, reposed in niches on all sides. Many a secret tale and strange hatching of things lay buried there. Papers, innumerable as eastern locusts, lay scattered abroad in bundles of infinite variety, some half a yard in height, the product of a twenty years' suit in Chancery, others just peeping from their pigeon-holes, the embryos of future litigation. The statutes at large, with other imposing volumes of gigantic size, crowned the scene. Mortimer was still employed in contemplating these insignia of office, when an inimitable "ahem!" announced that the transactions of the day were ready. "The mortgage money 15,000l. and the interest 4,500l. at four per cent. and a little bill of costs 419%. 198. 11 d. does that statement agree with the paper which we have given you, Mr. Soland?" These words introduced the business: they were Mr. Dell's most silvery tones, and might almost be said to have vied with those of the great Chief Justice, whose portrait hung above them. "Quite right, Sir," returned Soland, with a voice and manner of absolute composure, accompanied by a bow fully equal to its captivating original in the steam-packet. "The mortgagee abroad, and the assignee,-this gentleman," said Mr. Dell, pointing to Priminheere. "Upon that subject," said Mr. Soland, a doubt has arisen in my mind, which I am sure that you can clear up satisfactorily." "Mr. Priminheere the assignee of the mortgage!" exclaimed Mortimer with astonishment. The earnestness of the speaker excited surprise, and rather disconcerted Priminheere, but Mr. Soland immediately proceeded. "The circumstance is, doubtless, attributable to mistake," said Mr. Soland; "but Mr. Head certainly in formed me that the assignee of this mortgage was abroad, and that Mr. Priminheere was willing to buy the equity of redemption." "To buy the equity of redemption !" interrupted Mortimer. "But," continued the lawyer, "Mr. Priminheere, on the contrary, as well as you, Mr. Dell, acquaints me that he is the assignee, which, you know, is an entirely different matter.", "I am very glad to have had an opportunity of affording you a proper, and, I hope, a satisfactory solution of this business, returned Mr. Dell; "the truth is, that my partner led you into an error. Mr. Priminheere made you acquainted with the real fact, which was, that the mortgagee intended to sell to an assignee who went abroad taking with him an imperfect deed by mistake. Then Mr. Priminheere purchased the mortgagee's interest, and I believe he took the mortgage deed home, and undertook to procure the signature of the party abroad. That is so, Sir, is it not?" "I had a friend at that time," replied Priminheere, "to whom I was enabled to confide the deeds with convenience to all parties, and with the consent of the lawyers I sent out the proper documents, and—” "You made your title complete, Sir, under our sanction," said Mr. Dell. "Just so," observed Priminheere. "The circumstances now appear to be clear and natural enough," said Mr. Soland. "Although not very neighbourly," said Mortimer. "I think that we may proceed to business now," said the agent. "You see, Sir," continued Soland, addressing himself to Mortimer-"You see, dear Sir, that the matter which appeared to be so strange was the separation of the two deeds from each other-like husband and wife, they ought always to be together-and, even now I can hardly understand why these gentlemen should not have had the assignment.- Mr. Soland stopped for a moment, but there was no answer. "However," he went on, "there might have been reasons for that, or it might have occurred by accident or وو "Go on, if you please," exclaimed the impatient Mortimer. "Well, then, as I was saying, there is now nothing |