~81~~
“Play not for gain but sport; who plays for more
Than he can lose with pleasure, stakes his heart.”
--Herbert.
“If you are so bold as to venture a blowing-up, look closely
to it! for the plot lies deadly deep... but of all things have
a care of putting it in your pocket,... and if you can shun
it, read it not;... consider well what you do, and look
to yourself,... for there is danger and jeopardy in it.”--
--Dr. Eachard.
IN the course of my walk that afternoon I called at the billiard-rooms
in F---- Street, in order to pay Oaklands' subscription. On inquiring
for Mr. Johnson, the proprietor, I was told that he was engaged at
present, but that if I did not mind waiting for a few minutes, he would
be able to attend to me. To this I agreed, and was shown into a small
room downstairs, which, from its sanded floor, and a strong odour of
stale tobacco which pervaded it, was apparently used as a smoking-room.
It opened into what seemed to be a rather spacious apartment from which
it was divided by a glass half-door, across the lower panes of which
hung a green blind: this door, on my entrance, was standing slightly
ajar. The day being cold, there was a bright fire burning on the hearth;
near this I seated myself, and, seduced by its drowsy influence, fell
into a kind of trance, in which, between sleeping and waking, my mind
wandered away to a far different scene, among well-known forms and
familiar faces that had been strangers to me now for many a long day.
From this day-dream I was aroused by sounds, which, proceeding from the
adjoining apartment, resolved themselves, as I became more thoroughly
awake, into the voices of two persons apparently engaged in angry
colloquy.
“I tell you,” said a gruff voice, which somehow seemed familiar to
me--“I tell you it is the only chance for you; you must contrive to
bring him here again, and that without loss of time.”
“Must I again repeat that the thing is impossible?” was the reply, in
tones I knew but too well; “utterly impossible; when once his mind is
made up, and he takes the trouble to exert himself, he is immovable;
nothing can shake his determination.”
“And is this your boasted skill and management?” ~82~~rejoined the first
speaker; “how comes it, pray, that this overgrown child, who seemed the
other day to be held as nicely in leading-strings as need be--this raw
boy, whose hot-headedness, simplicity, and indolence rendered him as
easy a pigeon to pluck as one could desire; how comes it, I say, that he
has taken alarm in this sudden manner, so as to refuse to come here any
more? you've bungled this matter most shamefully, sir, and must take the
consequences.”
“That's just the point I cannot make out,” replied the second speaker,
who, as the reader has probably discovered, was none other than
Cumberland; “it's easy enough for you to lay it all to my mismanagement,
Captain Spicer, but I tell you it is no such thing; did I not
accommodate my play to his, always appearing to win by some accident, so
that the fool actually believed himself the better player, while he was
losing from twenty to thirty pounds a day? Didn't I excite him, and lead
him on by a mixture of flattery and defiance, so that he often fancied
he was persuading me to play against my will, and was so ready to bet
that I might have won three times what I have of him, if you had not
advised me to go on quietly, and by degrees? Did not you refuse when I
wished you to take him in hand yourself, because you said I understood
him best, and managed him admirably? No, I believe that detestable young
Fairlegh is at the bottom of it: I observed him watching me with that
calm, steadfast glance of his, that I hated him for from the first
moment I saw him; I felt certain some mischief would arise from it.”
“Yes!” replied Spicer, “that was your fault too: why did you let the
other bring him; every fool knows that lookers-on see most of the game.”
“I was afraid to say much against it, lest Oaklands should suspect
anything,” rejoined Cumberland; “but I wish to Heaven I had now; I might
have been sure no good would come from it--that boy is my evil genius.”
“I have no time for talking about geniuses, and such confounded stuff,”
observed Spicer, angrily, “so now to business, Mr. Cumberland: you are
aware you owe me two hundred pounds, I presume?”
Cumberland grumbled out an unwilling assent, to which he appended a
muttered remark not exactly calculated to enhance the Captain's future
comfort.
“Like a good-natured fool,” continued Spicer, “I agreed to wait for my
money till you had done what you could with this Oaklands.”
“For which forbearance you were to receive fifty ~83~~pounds extra,
besides anything you could make out of him by private bets,” put in
Cumberland.
“Of course I was not going to wait all that time for my money for
nothing,” was the reply; “you have only as yet paid me fifty pounds, you
tell me you can't persuade Oaklands to play again, so there's nothing
more to be got from that quarter, consequently nothing more to wait for.
I must trouble you, therefore, to pay me the two hundred pounds at
once; for, to be plain with you, it won't do for me to remain here any
longer--the air does not agree with my constitution.”
“And where on earth am I to get two hundred pounds at a minute's
notice?” said Cumberland; “you are as well aware the thing is impossible
as I am.”
“I am aware of this, sir,” replied the Captain with an oath, “that I'll
have my money; ay, and this very day too, or I'll expose you--curse me
if I don't. I know your uncle's address: yes! you may well turn pale,
and gnaw your lip--other people can plot and scheme as well as
yourself: if I'm not paid before I leave this place, and that will be
by to-night's mail, your uncle shall be told that his nephew is an
insolvent gambler; and the old tutor, the Rev. Dr. Mildman, shall have a
hint that his head pupil is little better than a blackleg.”
“Now listen to me, Spicer,” said Cumberland quietly; “I know you might
do what you have threatened, and that to me it would be neither more nor
less than ruin, but--and this is the real question--pray what possible
advantage (save calling people's attention to the share, a pretty large
one, you have had in making me what I am) would it be to you?”
“To me, sir? eh! why, what do you mean, sir? your uncle is a man of
honour, and, of course, as such would pay his nephew's debts for him,
more particularly when he knows that if he refuses to do so that nephew
will be sent to jail; yes, to jail, sir.”
“There; blustering is of no use with me, so you may save yourself that
trouble, Captain,” replied Cumberland; “as to sending me to jail, that
is absurd; you can't arrest a minor for debt, and I shall not be of
age these two years. My uncle is, as you say, what is called a man of
honour, but he is not one of those over-scrupulous fools who will pay
any demand, however dishonest and unreasonable, rather than tarnish the
family honour, forsooth! No! he will pay what the law compels him, and
not a farthing more I leave you to decide whether the law is likely
to be of much use to you in the present ~84~~case. Now, listen to me;
though you cannot obtain the money by the means you proposed, you can,
as I said before, do me serious injury; therefore, if for no other
reason but to stop your mouth, I would pay you the whole if I could,
but I have not the power of doing so at present. What I propose then is
this--Oaklands will pay me, in a day or two, one hundred pounds; this
I will hand over to you at once, and will give you a written promise to
pay you the rest in the course of the next six months; for before that
time I must raise money somehow, even if I have to sell every farthing I
expect to come into to the Jews, in order to do it.”
“Won't do,” was the reply; “the ready isn't enough; I must leave this
country in a day or two, and I must have money to take with me; come,
one hundred and fifty pounds down, and I'll let you off the other
fifty.”
“It's impossible, I can get no other money yet, excepting the sum
Oaklands is to pay me.”
“Yes! and how the devil am I to be sure he will pay you directly; I'm
pretty certain the fool's hard up himself; he hasn't paid cash for a
month past.”
“If that's all you're afraid of, I can soon convince you to the
contrary; here's a letter to his father's banker, which I am going to
put into the post directly, with a cheque for three hundred pounds
in it; there, hold it up to the light, and you can see the figures
yourself.”
“By Jove! so it is,” exclaimed Spicer: “I say, Cumberland,” he
continued, and then the voices almost sunk into a whisper, so that
I could not catch more than a word here and there, but by the tone I
judged that the Captain was making some proposition, to which Cumberland
refused to agree.
At length I heard the former say, “Fifty pounds down, and a receipt in
full “.
Cumberland's reply was inaudible, but when the Captain spoke again I
caught the following words: “Not the slightest risk, only you do as I
say, and----”
At this moment the outer door of the room in which I was sitting opened,
while the one communicating with the other apartment was violently
slammed to from the farther side, and I heard no more.
The newcomer was a little slipshod girl in dirty curlpapers, who
informed me that her master was sorry he could not see me that day as
he was particularly engaged, but if I would do him the favour of calling
to-morrow, at the same hour, he should be at leisure, etc. To this I
answered something, I scarcely knew what, and, seizing ~85~~my
hat, rushed out at the front door, to the great astonishment of the
curl-papered damsel, who cast an anxious glance at the pegs in the hall,
ere she could convince herself that I had not departed with more hats
and coats than legitimately belonged to me.
It was not until I had proceeded the length of two or three streets,
that I could collect my ideas sufficiently to form anything like a
just estimate of the extraordinary disclosures with which I had so
unexpectedly become acquainted, and no sooner had I in some measure
succeeded in so doing, than the puzzling question presented itself to
me, what line of conduct it would be advisable to adopt, in consequence
of what I had heard. I asked myself too, to begin with, what right I
had to make any use of a private conversation, which accident alone had
caused me to overhear? Would not people say I had behaved dishonourably
in having listened to it at all? But then again, by preserving
Cumberland's secret, and concealing his real character from Oaklands,
should not I, as it were, become a party to any nefarious schemes he
might contemplate for the future? Having failed in one instance in his
attempt on Oaklands' purse, would he not (having, as I was now fully
aware, such a strong necessity for money) devise some fresh plan, which
might succeed in its object, were Oaklands still ignorant of the real
character of the person he had to deal with? And in such case should
not I be answerable for any mischief which might ensue? Nay, for aught
I knew, some fresh villainy might be afloat even now; what plan could
Spicer have been urging, which Cumberland seemed unwilling to adopt, if
not something of this nature, and which might be prevented were Oaklands
made aware of all the circumstances?
This last idea settled the business. I determined to reveal everything
to Oaklands in confidence, and to be guided in my subsequent conduct by
his opinion. Having once arrived at this conclusion, the next thing
was to carry my intentions into effect with as little loss of time as
possible. I consequently started off at speed in a homeward direction,
and succeeded in reaching my destination in rather less than ten
minutes, having, at various times in the course of my route, run against
and knocked over no less than six little children, to the manifest
discomposure and indignation of as many nursery-maids, who evidently
regarded me as a commissioned agent of some modern Herod, performing my
master's work zealously.
~86~~On arriving at home my impatience was doomed to be disappointed,
for Oaklands, who had gone out soon after I did, was not yet returned.
This delay, in the feverish state of anxiety and excitement in which
I was, appeared to me intolerable; and, unable to sit still, I kept
striding up and down the room, clenching my fists, and uttering
exclamations of impatience and vexation; which unusual conduct on my
part so astonished and alarmed the worthy Thomas that, after remaining
in the room till he had exhausted every conceivable pretext for so
doing, he boldly inquired whether “I did not feel myself ill, no how?”
adding his hope, that “I had not been a-exhaling laughing gas, or
any sich rumbustical wegitable?” after which he favoured me with an
anecdote of “a young man as he know'd, as had done so, wot conducted
hisself more like a hideotic fool than a sanatory Christian, ever
after”. Perceiving at length that his attentions were rapidly
reducing me to the same state of mind as that of his friend, he very
considerately left me.
After half an hour of anxious expectation, in the course of which I must
have walked at least a mile or two over Dr. Mildman's parlour carpet,
Oaklands and Lawless returned together. I instantly called the former
aside, and told him I wished to speak to him alone, as I had something
of importance to communicate. To this he replied that it was very near
dinner-time; but that, if I would come up to his room, I could talk
to him while he dressed. As soon as we were safely closeted together I
began my relation, but scarcely had I got beyond “You asked me to go to
the billiard-rooms, you know “--when a hasty footstep was heard upon the
stairs; some one knocked at the door, and immediately a voice, which I
knew to be that of Cumberland, asked to be let in, “as he had something
particular to say”.
“The plot thickens,” said Oaklands, as, without rising from his seat, he
stretched out an immense length of arm, and opened the door.
“Hear what I have to say first,” cried I; but it was too late, and
Cumberland entered, breathless, and with his usually sallow complexion
flushed with exercise and excitement.
“The most unfortunate thing”--he began; and stopping to draw breath, he
added, “I have run all the way from the post-office, as hard as my
legs would carry me--but I was going to tell you--as I went down, I met
Curtis of the --th, who told me their band was going to play in Park
Square, and asked me to go with him to hear it; and I'm ~87~~afraid
that, as I stood in the crowd, my pocket must have been picked, for when
I got to the post-office I found that my letter, my pocket handkerchief,
and I am sorry to say your letter also, had disappeared--so, remembering
you had told me your letter was of importance, I thought the best thing
I could do was to come home as fast as I could, and tell you.”
“By Jove,” exclaimed Oaklands, “that's rather a bore though; there was
my father's cheque for three hundred pounds in it; I suppose something
ought to be done about it directly.”
“Write a note to stop the payment; and--let me see--as it is too late
for the post now, if you will make a parcel of it, I'll run down and
give it to the guard of the mail, begging him to deliver it himself as
soon as he gets to town--the cheque can't be presented till to-morrow
morning, so that will be all right.”
“What a head you have for business, to be sure!” said Oaklands; “but why
should you have the trouble of taking it? I dare say Thomas will go with
it when we have done dinner, or I can take it myself.”
“Nay,” replied Cumberland, “as I have contrived to lose your letter, the
least I can do is to take the parcel; besides, I should like to speak to
the guard myself, so as to be sure there's no mistake.”
While this was going on it may be imagined that my thoughts were not
idle. When Cumberland mentioned the loss of the letter my suspicions
that some nefarious scheme might be on foot began for the first time
to resolve themselves into a tangible form, but when I perceived his
anxiety to have the parcel entrusted to him, which was to prevent the
payment of the cheque, the whole scheme, or something nearly approaching
to it, flashed across me at once, and, without reflecting for a moment
on what might be the consequences of doing so, I said:--
“If Oaklands will take my advice, he will not entrust you with anything
else, till you can prove that you have really lost the letter, as you
say you have done”.
Had a thunderbolt fallen in the midst of us, it could scarcely have
produced greater confusion than did this speech of mine. Oaklands sprang
upon his feet, regarding me with the greatest surprise as he asked “if
I knew what I was saying?” while Cumberland, in a voice hoarse from
passion, inquired, “What the devil I meant by my insolence? what did I
dare to insinuate he had done with the letter, if he had not lost it?”
~88~~“I insinuate nothing,” was my reply; “but I tell you plainly that I
believe, and have good reason for believing, that you have not lost the
letter, but given it to your gambling friend and accomplice, Captain
Spicer, who, in return for it, is to give you a receipt in full for the
two hundred pounds you owe him, and fifty pounds down.” On hearing this
Cumberland turned as pale as ashes, and leaned on the back of a chair
for support, while I continued, “You look surprised, Oaklands, as well
you may; but when you hear what I have to tell, you will see that I do
not make this accusation without having good grounds to go upon “.
“I shall not stay here,” said Cumberland, making an effort to recover
himself, and turning towards the door, “I shall not remain here to be
any further insulted; I wish you good-evening, Mr. Oaklands.”
“Not so fast,” said Oaklands, springing to the door, and locking it; “if
all this be true, and Fairlegh would not have said so much unless he
had strong facts to produce, you and I shall have an account to settle
together, Mr. Cumberland; you will not leave this room till I know the
rights of the affair. Now, Frank, let us hear how you learned all this.”
“Strangely enough,” replied I; and I then gave him an exact account of
all that had passed at the billiard-rooms, repeating the conversation,
word for word, as nearly as I could remember it, leaving Oaklands
to draw his own inferences therefrom. During the whole of my recital
Cumberland sat with his elbows resting on the table, and his face buried
in his hands, without offering the slightest interruption, scarcely
indeed appearing aware of what was going on, save once, when I mentioned
the fact of the door between the two rooms being slightly open, when
he muttered something about “what cursed folly!” When I had finished my
account Oaklands turned towards Cumberland, and asked in a stern
voice “what he had to say to this statement?” Receiving no answer, he
continued: But it is useless, sir, to ask you: the truth of what
Fairlegh has said is self-evident--the next question is, What is to be
done about it?” He paused for a moment as if in thought, and then
resumed: “In the position in which I now stand, forming one of Dr.
Mildman's household, and placed by my father under his control, I
scarcely consider myself a free agent. It seems to me, therefore, that
my course is clear; it is evidently my duty to inform him of the whole
affair, and afterwards to act as he may advise, Do you agree with me,
Frank?”
~89~~“It is exactly what I should have proposed, had you not mentioned
it first,” was my answer.
“For God's sake, Oaklands, don't,” exclaimed Cumberland, raising himself
suddenly; “he will write to my uncle--I shall be expelled--my character
lost--it will be utter ruin;--have pity upon me--I will get you back
your money, I will indeed, only don't tell Mildman.”
“I have treated you up to the present time as a gentleman and a friend,”
replied Oaklands; “you have proved yourself unworthy of either title,
and deserve nothing at my hands but the strictest justice; no one could
blame me were I to allow the law to take its course with you, as with
any other swindler, but this I shall be most unwilling to do; nothing
short of Dr. Mildman's declaring it to be my positive duty will prevail
upon me. But our tutor ought to be informed of it, and shall: he is a
good, kind-hearted man, and if his judgment should err at all, you may
feel sure it will be on the side of mercy. Fairlegh, will you go down
and ask Dr. Mildman if I can speak to him on a matter of importance,
now, at once? you will find him in his study. Let me know when he is
ready, and we will come down; for,” added he, turning to Cumberland,
“I do not lose sight of you till this business is settled one way or
other.”
When I had told my errand Dr. Mildman, who looked a good deal surprised
and a little frightened, desired me (on receiving my assurance that the
business would not do as well after dinner) to tell Oaklands to come to
him immediately. To this Oaklands replied by desiring me to hold myself
in readiness for a summons, as he should want me presently. Then,
linking his arm within that of Cumberland, he half-led, half-forced, him
out of the room. In another minute I heard the study-door close behind
them.
“Now, Fairlegh,” said Dr. Mildman, when, in about a quarter of an hour's
time, I had been sent for, “I wish you to repeat to me the conversation
you overheard at the billiard-room, as nearly word for word as you can
remember it.”
This I hastened to do; the Doctor listening with the most profound
attention, and asking one or two questions on any point which did not
at first appear quite clear to him. When I had concluded he resumed his
inquiries by asking whether I had seen the parties who were speaking. To
this I answered in the negative.
“But you imagined you recognised the voices?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Whose did you take them to be?”
~90~~“One I believed to be Cumberland's, the other that of a Captain
Spicer, whom I had seen when I was there before.”
“How often have you been there?”
“Twice, sir; once about a week ago, and again to-day.”
“And have you the slightest moral doubt as to the fact of the persons
you heard speaking being Cumberland and this Captain Spicer?”
“Not the slightest; I feel quite certain of it.”
“That is all clear and straightforward enough,” observed Dr. Mildman,
turning to the culprit. “I am afraid the case is only too fully proved
against you; have you anything to say which can at all establish your
innocence?”
“It would be of no use if I were to do so,” said Cumberland, in a sullen
manner; “it is all a matter of assertion; you choose to believe what
they say, and if I were to deny it, you would not believe me without
proof, and how can I prove a negative?”
“But do you deny it?” inquired Dr. Mildman, regarding him with a clear,
scrutinising look. Cumberland attempted to speak, but, meeting Dr.
Mildman's eye, was unable to get out a word, and turned away, concealing
his face in his handkerchief.
“This is a sad piece of business,” said Dr. Mildman; “I suppose you mean
to prosecute, Oaklands?”
“I shall be most unwilling to do so,” was the reply; “nor will I, sir,
unless you consider it my positive duty; I would rather lose the money
ten times over than bring such a disgrace upon Cumberland.”
“You are a kind-hearted fellow,” replied the Doctor; “it really is a
very difficult case in which to know how to act. As a general principle,
I am most averse to anything like hushing up evil.”
[Illustration: page90 The Doctor Expels and Pupil]
“For Heaven's sake have pity upon me, Dr. Mildman,” cried Cumberland,
throwing himself on his knees before him; “I confess it all. I did allow
Spicer to keep the cheque; he threatened to expose me, and I did it to
escape detection; but promise you will not prosecute me, and I will tell
you where he may be found, so that something may be done about it yet. I
will pay anything you please. I shall come into money when I am of age,
and I can make some arrangement. I don't care what I sacrifice, if
I have to dig to earn my bread, only do not disgrace me publicly.
Remember, I am very young, and oh! if you knew what it is to be tempted
as I have been! Oaklands, Fairlegh, intercede for me; think how you
~91~~should feel, either of you, if you were placed in my situation!”
“Get up, Mr. Cumberland,” observed Dr. Mildman, in a grave, impressive
manner; “it is equally needless and unbecoming to kneel to man for
forgiveness--learn to consider that position as a thing set apart and
sacred to the service of One greater than the sons of men--One, whom you
have indeed grievously offended, and to whom, in the solitude of your
chamber, you will do well to kneel, and pray that He who died to save
sinners may, in the fulness of His mercy, pardon you also.” He paused,
and then resumed: “We must decide what steps had better be taken to
recover your cheque, Oaklands; it is true we can send and stop the
payment of it--but if you determine not to prosecute, for Cumberland's
sake, you must let off this man Spicer also, in which case it would be
advisable to prevent his presenting the cheque at all, as that might
lead to inquiries which it would be difficult to evade. You said just
now you knew where this bad man was to be found, Mr. Cumberland.”
“Yes, sir, if he is not at the billiard-rooms in F---- Street, his
lodgings are at No. 14, Richmond Buildings,” said Cumberland.
“Ay, exactly,” replied Dr. Mildman; and, resting his head upon his
hand, he remained for some minutes buried in thought. Having at
length apparently made up his mind, he turned to Cumberland, and said:
“Considering all the circumstances of the case, Mr. Cumberland, although
I most strongly reprobate your conduct, which has grieved and surprised
me more than I can express, I am unwilling to urge Oaklands to put the
law in force against you, for more reasons than one. In the first place,
I wish to spare your uncle the pain which such an exposure must occasion
him; and secondly, I cannot but hope that at your age, so severe a
lesson as this may work a permanent change in you, and that at some
future period you may regain that standing among honourable men, which
you have now so justly forfeited, and I am anxious that this should not
be prevented by the stigma which a public examination must attach to
your name for ever. I will therefore at once go with you to the abode
of this man Spicer, calling on my way at the house of a legal friend of
mine, whom I shall try to get to accompany us. I presume we shall have
no great difficulty in procuring restitution of the stolen letter, when
the culprit perceives that his schemes are found out, and that it
is consequently valueless to him. Having succeeded in this, we shall
~92~~endeavour to come to some equitable arrangement in regard to his
claims on you--do you agree to this?” Cumberland bowed his head in token
of assent, and Dr. Mildman continued:--
“And you, Oaklands, do you approve of this plan?” “It is like yourself,
Doctor, the perfection of justice and kindness,” replied Oaklands,
warmly.
“That is well,” resumed Dr. Mildman; “I have one more painful duty
to perform, which may as well be done at once--you are aware, Mr.
Cumberland, that I must expel you?”
“Will you not look over my fault this once?” entreated Cumberland;
“believe me, I will never give you cause for complaint again.”
“No, sir,” was the reply; “in justice to your companions I cannot longer
allow you to remain under the same roof with them: it is my duty to
see that they associate only with persons fitted for the society of
gentlemen, amongst whom, I am sorry to say, I can no longer class you. I
shall myself accompany you to town to-morrow, and, if possible, see your
uncle, to inform him of this unhappy affair. And now, sir, prepare to
go with me to this Captain Spicer;--on our return you will oblige me
by remaining in your room during the evening. Oaklands, will you ask
Lawless to take my place at the dinner-table, and inform your companions
that Cumberland has been engaged in an affair, of which I so strongly
disapprove, that I have determined on expelling him, but that you are
not at liberty to disclose the particulars? I need scarcely repeat this
caution to you, Fairlegh; you have shown so much good sense and right
feeling throughout the whole business that I am certain you will respect
my wishes on this head.”
I murmured some words in assent, and so ended one of the most painful
and distressing scenes it has ever been my fate to witness. ~93~~