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DILEMMAS OF PRIDE.
BY MARGRACIA LOUDON
THE AUTHOR OF FIRST LOVE.
IN THREE VOLUMES.
VOL. III.
LONDON:
BULL AND CHURTON, HOLLES STREET.
1833.
DILEMMAS OF PRIDE.
CHAPTER I.
We shall here pause for a few moments to give a slight sketch of the
principal agent employed by Geoffery in this part of the business, and
indeed in the conduct of the whole affair.
In Arden, the neighbouring county town, there lived a solicitor, who,
unfortunately for the honour of humanity and his own especial calling,
was without exception, the most thorough-paced villain unhanged; nay,
many have been hanged who were not half as bad; for this man was not
only without remorse of conscience, but also without remorse of heart.
His only reason for committing more robberies than murders was, that the
former crime was in general more profitable than the latter; but as to
who died the lingering death of a broken heart, he cared not, so long as
he gained a few pounds by the transaction.
He was known for a mean contemptible fellow, and consequently possessed
but little of the confidence of the higher orders, so that when he could
catch a gentleman to plunder, it was a sort of prize in the lottery to
him; but unfortunate tradesmen in a little way, were his natural prey:
to such, when perishing in the gulf of misery, he pretended to stretch a
helping hand, but with that very hand assisted in the work of
destruction, and finally possessed himself of the wreck of their
fortunes. This fellow, by name Fips, had long been Geoffery Arden's
right-hand man, and for all his services had invariably been one way or
other payed out of Sir Willoughby's pocket. Such was the fitting
coadjutor to whom Geoffery applied for that assistance which the present
momentous occasion demanded, as the following interview will show
without absolutely committing himself.
Fips, who had just dined, was seated in an old-fashioned black-bottomed
mahogany arm-chair, which he filled, or rather over-filled, in much the
same manner as a feather-bed tucked into the same piece of furniture
would have done; and had there been a cord tied round the centre of the
said bed as a convenient mode of carriage, it would have bisected its
yielding rotundity, just as the single middle button of Mr. Fips's
waistcoat did that of the wearer.
With a hand so fat that it could scarcely grasp the decanter, yet
trembling from habitual excess, Fips was helping himself to the last
glass of the bottle of port with which he had followed up liberal
potations of brandy and water, not water and brandy, swallowed during
dinner; while the flabby cheeks, double chin, and bottle-nose of the
sot, his health being none of the best, partook more of the purple hue
than of the lively living red. Beside him sat his only daughter and sole
domestic companion, Miss Fips. She was about six-and-twenty, and but for
the showy vulgarity of her dress, the unshrinking boldness of her
demeanour, and the rouge with which she unnecessarily heightened her
complexion, she would have been extremely handsome, her figure being
well made and showy, though on rather a large scale; her hair redundant,
black, and glossy, and dressed in numberless gigantic bows, which sat _a
merveille_, the tresses of which they were formed being strong in
texture as a horse's mane; her eyes were large, dark and bold; her
features regular--lips full--teeth large but good--and skin, though
coarse, of a snowy white.
"Ha, Fips, how are ye?" said Geoffery entering. He next made his
salutations to the lady, with a marked effort of gallantry in his
manner.--"So you have been making merry alone, I see, old fellow," he
added, turning again to Fips; "and I am just come in time for the empty
bottle."
"Never mind, we'll have it changed for a full one. Come, sit ye down.
Deb, go send us in a bottle of claret. Strange news afloat, Mr. Arden!"
he added, as Deborah disappeared.
"Stranger perhaps than you imagine, Fips," replied Geoffery with well
affected solemnity. "Indeed, the only conclusion at which it is possible
to arrive, after an impartial review of the circumstances," he pursued,
lowering his voice, "is too horrible to be thought of. For myself, I am
as you will allow very painfully situated. If a '_most foul and
unnatural murder_' has been committed, it would be dastardly and
contemptible in me, the nearest in blood, to suffer the murderer to
escape, merely from a want of activity and decision in seeking out and
bringing together sufficient evidence. Yet on the other hand, should my
cousin, as I _sincerely_ hope he may, prove innocent, it might appear
invidious in me, the next heir, to have evinced what, though but a
respect for justice, might be misconstrued into a too great willingness
to find him guilty." Here the entrance of the claret and the consequent
discussion of its merits for a time interrupted the conversation.
"The object of my visit," said Geoffery, when the wine had been
pronounced excellent, "is to crave once more that which I have so often
before found useful--your friendly advice and assistance. What in fact I
at present stand most in need of, is a friend whose disinterested
exertions should ensure the ends of justice being answered, without my
appearing to take an active part in this truly shocking affair."
"Humph," said Fips, who by all this as perfectly understood as though it
had been said in as many words, that the secret service required of him,
and for which, if successful, he should no doubt be munificently
rewarded, was to hang Sir Alfred Arden, whether innocent or guilty; and
by so doing, give Geoffery, who was the inevitable heir, by a strict
male entail, possession of the title and estates.
Geoffery proceeded to give Fips an account of the circumstances
connected with the melancholy event, in a manner ingeniously calculated
to exhibit those features of the case most susceptible of exaggeration
or misrepresentation; he also recapitulated his own examination of the
several servants, thus giving Fips an opportunity of judging what
witnesses might, if necessary, be found most available.
"For that matter," he added, "if you could find an opportunity yourself
of conversing with these people, it might be desirable; you would
understand the subject more fully."
Something was next said of the impropriety of suffering the public mind,
and, through so all-pervading a medium, future judges and juries to be
_prejudiced_ by the _general high_ character and seeming amiability of
Sir Alfred, for such qualities were no palliation of the crime, if
indeed, as he feared there could be no doubt, it had been committed.
There was another point of infinite importance, which was, that the
business should not be allowed to pass over without any investigation,
as might be the case, if, for one reason or other, every one thought it
necessary to be supine. He would himself be glad, if possible, to avoid
taking an active part, yet something must be done; he should never
forgive himself if the time for investigation were allowed to pass by,
and the waves of oblivion to close over so shocking a transaction.
While, on the other hand, if Sir Alfred were perfectly innocent, which,
notwithstanding appearances, he should still be too happy to find the
case, it would be the most cruel injustice to him, not to wipe out this
foul stain from his reputation by a full and fair inquiry. He would have
little reason to thank the friends, who, from false delicacy, had
suffered the proper occasion for so doing to pass over. At the same time
it was very desirable that the necessary steps should be taken with the
greatest possible delicacy; no one should appear to entertain a
suspicion until the force of evidence should compel conviction.
"This is the line of conduct," continued Geoffery, "which I mean to
observe with Sir Alfred, who, I know, has himself at present no
apprehension that any suspicions are afloat. He gives out, it seems, and
expects the public to believe, that his brother died of a fit of
apoplexy. The Doctor, it is true, did allow that the symptoms were such
as might have attended a sudden seizure of the kind."
To keep his unsuspecting kinsman as long as possible in the dark by this
pretended delicacy, was, as we have said, a part of Geoffery's hellish
plot. He had contrived, under the mask of sympathy, to put a few
important questions to Alfred, and the answers to these had been such,
as very materially to increase his hopes of ultimate success. But he
knew that if Alfred were informed that such a surmise, as that of his
having wilfully murdered his poor brother, had found a place in the mind
of any being upon earth, he would of course immediately come forward,
and court the fullest investigation. And though it did not follow that
even this must clear him, his avoiding inquiry, as Geoffery knew he
would continue to do, while under his present impression, would furnish,
when connected with the circumstances that must come out in evidence, a
strong presumption of guilt.
"Humph! humph!" uttered from time to time with the intonation of a fat
pig wallowing in mud, had been the cautious comment of the sagacious Mr.
Fips, during this lengthened tirade, except indeed that an involuntary
exclamation of "No! That's good!" had broken from him on the mention of
the piece of paper marked "_Poison_" having fallen from within the
breast of Sir Alfred's waistcoat, and again, "That's better still,"
accompanied by a resounding stroke of his clenched hand on the table,
when Geoffery came to his having himself seen the missing packet of
arsenic in Sir Alfred's escritoire.
"I am always happy to oblige you, Mr. Arden," at length commenced Mr.
Fips; "but after all, this is a kind of thing which cannot be said to be
much in the way of my business; without, indeed, it could be contrived
that I was to be attorney for the prosecution; for that there will be a
prosecution there can be no doubt from what you tell me. I had heard all
before, certainly in the way of report, but I had no idea it could be at
all true;--I had no notion you had so good a case."
Geoffery undertook to arrange that Fips should be the attorney employed.
"You have often, Fips," he continued, "conducted business for me in the
most liberal and friendly manner, when it was not in my power to
remunerate your services as they merited; should I however have the
misfortune--for misfortune I must call it, taking all the circumstances
into consideration--to succeed to the Arden estates on the _present_
occasion, to repay amply all your past _disinterested_ friendship shall
be my first care. You shall not only have the agency, which is no
trifle, but a handsome annuity beside; and that not only for your own
life, but also secured to your daughter; unless indeed, means can be
devised," he added, smiling, "of identifying her interest with those of
the owner of the estates themselves. I have hitherto been deterred," he
added with an affectation of great candour, "from mentioning this
subject by my poverty, and consequent inability to marry; but my
admiration of Miss Fips, I think you must have seen."
Fips was of course profuse in his thanks for the intended honour; not
that he felt unbounded confidence in the sincerity of the _soi-disant_
lover, of whose pride and ambition he was perfectly aware: he did not
however despair, considering the present aspect of affairs of having his
client in a short time so completely in his power, as to be able to
enforce the fulfilment of any hopes which the latter might at present
think it good policy to hold out. And having now a sufficient "spur" of
self-interest "to prick the sides of his intent," he entered into the
business in good earnest, took down notes of hints to be followed up,
reports to be circulated, persons to be called upon, and especially an
embassy of a most delicate nature to the coroner.
That functionary was to be requested on the part of Mr. Geoffery Arden,
to make use of the information which he felt it his imperative duty to
convey to him, without noticing Mr. Arden's interference, in
consideration of the very painful situation in which the latter found
himself placed; and in short, come forward in his official capacity as
feeling himself called upon so to do, by the nature of the reports which
had gone abroad. After this preamble, Mr. Fips was to inform the coroner
at length of every suspicious circumstance; to indicate to him where the
missing paper of arsenic was to be found; and to request that he would
require the attendance of the medical gentlemen, and enforce the opening
of the body, which had hitherto been resisted. All this was followed up
with hypocritical declarations, that as nothing short of the most
positive proofs could induce Mr. Geoffery Arden to believe his cousin
guilty, he could not, though feeling investigation a duty, endure the
idea of standing forward his accuser, while there remained a possibility
of his being proved innocent.
Each time Fips had occasion to speak, whether in question or reply,
while thus receiving his instructions, he would commit some seeming
inadvertency of expression, almost removing the flimsy veil from the
nature of the services required of him; and whenever he did this, he
would look full in Geoffery's face. But that wary tactician as often
dropped his eyelids, and replied, with hypocritical calmness, in the
same key of caution in which he had commenced.
At length Fips pronounced it time for him to go out; and by the third
effort, succeeding in disengaging himself from his arm-chair; then, with
some difficulty bringing together the lower buttons and button-holes of
his waistcoat, which, while in a sitting position, gaped full half a
yard asunder, he departed, telling Geoffery, he might if he pleased, now
that he had talked business with him over a glass of wine, take the
opportunity of the hour or two he should be absent, to talk love to his
daughter, over a cup of tea.