He is indulged with a second Audience by the Minister, of whose
Sincerity he is convinced--His Pride and Ambition revive, and again are
mortified.
If the young gentleman's money had been in other hands, perhaps the peer
would have been at very little pains, either in gratifying his demand,
or opposing his revenge; but he knew that the sale of the mortgage
could not be effected without an inquiry, to which he did not wish to
be exposed. He, therefore, employed all his interest in procuring the
solicited audience. This being granted, Peregrine, with great warmth and
elocution, expatiated upon the injury his fortune had suffered in the
affair of the borough, for which he had stood candidate; he took notice
of the disappointment he had sustained in the other election, reminded
him of the promises with which he had been amused, and, in conclusion,
desired to know what he had to expect from his favour. The minister
having patiently heard him to an end, replied with a most gracious
aspect, that he was very well informed of his merit and attachment, and
very much disposed to convince him of the regard which he paid to
both; that till of late he did not know the nature of his expectations,
neither had he the power of creating posts for those whom he was
inclined to serve; but if Mr. Pickle would chalk out any feasible method
by which he could manifest his sentiments of friendship, he should not
be backward in executing the plan.
Peregrine, laying hold on this declaration, mentioned several places
which he knew to be vacant. But the old evasion was still used; one of
them was not in his department of business, another had been promised to
the third son of a certain earl before the death of the last possessor,
and a third was encumbered with a pension that ate up a good half of
the appointments. In short, such obstructions were started to all his
proposals as he could not possibly surmount, though he plainly perceived
they were no other than specious pretexts to cover the mortifying side
of a refusal. Exasperated, therefore, at this lack of sincerity and
gratitude, “I can easily foresee,” said he, “that such difficulties will
never be wanting, when I have anything to ask; and for that reason
will save myself the trouble of any further application.” So saying, he
withdrew in a very abrupt manner, breathing defiance and revenge. But
his patron, who did not think proper to drive him to extremities, found
means to persuade his honour to do something for the pacification of
the young man's choler; and that same evening our adventurer received a
message from his lordship, desiring to see him immediately.
In consequence of this intimation, Pickle went to his house, and
appeared before him with a very cloudy aspect, which signified to whom
it might concern, that his temper was at present too much galled to
endure reproof; and therefore the sagacious peer forbore taking him to
task for his behaviour during the audience he had obtained; but gave him
to understand, that the minister, in consideration of his services, had
sent him a bank-note of three hundred pounds, with a promise of the like
sum yearly, until he could be otherwise provided for. This declaration
in some measure appeased the youth, who condescended to accept the
present; and, next levee day, made his acknowledgment to the donor,
who favoured him with a smile of infinite complacency, which entirely
dissipated all the remains of his resentment; for, as he could not
possibly divine the true cause of his being temporized with, he looked
upon this condescension as an undoubted proof of Sir Steady's sincerity,
and firmly believed that he would settle him in some place with the
first opportunity, rather than continue to pay this pension out of his
own pocket. In all probability, his prediction would have been verified,
had not an unforeseen accident in a moment overwhelmed the barque of his
interest at court.
Meanwhile, this short gleam of good fortune recalled the ideas of pride
and ambition which he had formerly cherished. His countenance was again
lifted up, his good-humour retrieved, and his mien reexalted. Indeed, he
began to be considered as a rising man by his fellow-dependents, who saw
the particular notice with which he was favoured at the public levee;
and some of them, for that reason, were at pains to court his good
graces. He no longer shunned his former intimates, with whom a good
part of his fortune had been spent, but made up to them in all places of
public resort, with the same ease and familiarity as he had been used
to express, and even re-embarked in some of their excesses, upon the
strength of his sanguine expectation. Cadwallader and he renewed
their consultations in the court of ridicule; and divers exploits were
achieved, to the confusion of those who had “sailed into the north of
their displeasure.”
But these enjoyments were soon interrupted by a misfortune equally fatal
and unexpected. His noble patron was seized with an apoplectic fit, from
which he was recovered by the physicians, that they might despatch him
according to rule, and in two months after they were called, he went the
way of all flesh. Peregrine was very much afflicted at this event, not
only on account of his friendship for the deceased, to whom he thought
himself under many and great obligations, but also because he feared
that his own interest would suffer a severe shock, by the removal of
this nobleman, whom he considered as its chief support. He put himself
therefore in mourning, out of regard to the memory of his departed
friend, and exhibited genuine marks of sorrow and concern, though he
had in reality more cause to grieve than he as yet imagined. When
quarter-day came about, he applied to the steward of his lordship's heir
for the interest of his money, as usual; and the reader will readily
own he had some reason to be surprised, when he was told he had no claim
either to principal or interest. True it is, the manager talked very
civilly as well as sensibly on the subject. “Your appearance, sir,” said
he to Pickle, “screens you from all suspicion of an intended fraud; but
the mortgage upon those lands you mention was granted to another person
many years before you pretend to have lent that sum; and I have, this
very morning, paid one quarter's interest, as appears from this receipt,
which you may peruse for your satisfaction.”
Peregrine was so thunderstruck at this information, which stripped him
of his all, that he could not utter one word; a circumstance that did
no great honour to his character in the opinion of the steward, who,
in good earnest, began to entertain some doubts of his integrity. For,
among the papers of the deceased, which he had examined, there was no
writing, memorandum, or receipt relating to this encumbrance. After a
long pause of stupefaction, Peregrine recollected himself so far as to
observe, that either he was egregiously mistaken, or the predecessor of
his lord the greatest villain upon earth. “But, Mr. Whatd'ycallum,” said
he, “you must give me leave to tell you, that your bare assertion in
this affair will by no means induce me to put up quietly with the loss
of ten thousand pounds.”
Having thus expressed himself, he retired from the house so discontented
at this demur, that he scarce knew whether he moved upon his head or
heels; and the park chancing to be in his way, he sauntered about,
giving vent to a soliloquy in praise of his departed friend, the burden
of which was a string of incoherent curses imprecated upon himself; till
his transports by degrees giving way to his reflection, he deliberated
seriously and sorrowfully upon his misfortune, and resolved to consult
lawyers without loss of time. But, first of all, he proposed to make
personal application to the heir, who, by a candid representation of
the case, might be inclined to do him justice. In consequence of this
determination, he next morning put his writings in his pocket, and went
in a chair to the house of the young nobleman, to whom, being admitted
by virtue of his appearance, and a small gratification to the porter, he
explained the whole affair, corroborating his assertions with the papers
which he produced, and describing the disgrace that would be entailed
upon the memory of the deceased, should he be obliged to seek redress in
a public court of justice.
The executor, who was a person of good breeding, condoled him upon his
loss with great good-nature, though he did not seem much surprised at
his account of the matter; but wished, that, since the fraud must have
been committed, the damage had fallen upon the first mortgager, who,
he said, was a thievish usurer, grown rich by the distresses of his
fellow-creatures. In answer to our hero's remonstrances, he observed,
that he did not look upon himself as obliged to pay the least regard to
the character of his predecessor, who had used him with great barbarity
and injustice, not only in excluding him from his countenance and
assistance, but also in prejudicing his inheritance as much as lay in
his power; so that it could not be reasonably expected that he would
pay ten thousand pounds of his debt, for which he had received no
value. Peregrine, in spite of his chagrin, could not help owning within
himself, that there was a good deal of reason in this refusal. After
having given loose to his indignation in the most violent invectives
against the defunct, he took his leave of the complaisant heir, and had
immediate recourse to the advice of counsel, who assured him that he had
an excellent plea, and was accordingly retained in the cause.
All these measures were taken in the first vigour of his exertion,
during which his spirits were so fluttered with the diversity of
passions produced by his mischance, that he mistook for equanimity that
which was no other than intoxication; and two whole days elapsed before
he attained a due sense of his misfortune. Then, indeed, he underwent a
woeful self-examination; every circumstance of the inquiry added fresh
pangs to his reflection; and the result of the whole was a discovery,
that his fortune was totally consumed, and himself reduced to a state
of the most deplorable dependence. This suggestion alone might, in the
anguish of his despondency, have driven him to some desperate course,
had it not been in some measure qualified by the confidence of his
lawyers, and the assurance of the minister, which, slender as the world
hath generally found them, were the only bulwarks between misery and
him.
The mind is naturally pliable, and, provided it has the least hope to
lean upon, adapts itself wonderfully to the emergencies of fortune,
especially when the imagination is gay and luxuriant. This was the case
with our adventurer; instead of indulging the melancholy ideas which
his loss inspired, he had recourse to the flattering delusions of hope,
soothing himself with unsubstantial plans of future greatness, and
endeavouring to cover what was past with the veil of oblivion. After
some hesitation, he resolved to make Crabtree acquainted with his
misfortune, that once for all he might pass the ordeal of his satire,
without subjecting himself to a long series of sarcastic hints and
doubtful allusions, which he could not endure. He accordingly took the
first opportunity of telling him that he was absolutely ruined by the
perfidy of his patron, and desired that he would not aggravate his
affliction by those cynical remarks which were peculiar to men of his
misanthropical disposition. Cadwallader listened to this declaration
with internal surprise, which, however, produced no alteration in his
countenance; and, after some pause, observed, that our hero had no
reason to look for any new observation from him upon this event, which
he had long foreseen, and daily expected, and exhorted him, with an
ironical sneer, to console himself with the promise of the minister, who
would doubtless discharge the debts of his deceased bosom friend.