“I should have thought you more likely to lend money than to borrow it.”
“Well, I guess you are right there, as a general rule. But I tell you what it is, sir; there is too great a mania for competition getting up in this rotten old country of ours. I am as liberal as most men. I like competition to a certain extent, but there is too much of it, sir,—too much of it.” Randal looked sad and convinced. But if Leonard had heard Dick Avenel, what would have been his amaze? Dick Avenel rail against competition! Think there could be too much of it! “Of course heaven and earth are coming together,” said the spider, when the housemaid’s broom invaded its cobweb. Dick was all for sweeping away other cobwebs; but he certainly thought heaven and earth coming together when he saw a great Turk’s-head besom poked up at his own.
Mr. Avenel, in his genius for speculation and improvement, had established a factory at Screwstown, the first which had ever eclipsed the church spire with its Titanic chimney. It succeeded well at first. Mr. Avenel transferred to this speculation nearly all his capital. “Nothing,” quoth he, “paid such an interest. Manchester was getting worn out,—time to show what Screwstown could do. Nothing like competition.” But by-and-by a still greater capitalist than Dick Avenel, finding out that Screwstown was at the mouth of a coal mine, and that Dick’s profits were great, erected a still uglier edifice, with a still taller chimney. And having been brought up to the business, and making his residence in the town, while Dick employed a foreman and flourished in London, this infamous competitor so managed, first to share, and then gradually to sequester, the profits which Dick had hitherto monopolized, that no wonder Mr. Avenel thought competition should have its limits. “The tongue touches where the tooth aches,” as Dr. Riccabocca would tell us. By little and little our Juvenile Talleyrand (I beg the elder great man’s pardon) wormed out from Dick this grievance, and in the grievance discovered the origin of Dick’s connection with the money-lender.
“But Levy,” said Avenel, candidly, “is a decentish chap in his way,—friendly too. Mrs. A. finds him useful; brings some of your young highflyers to her soirees. To be sure, they don’t dance,—stand all in a row at the door, like mutes at a funeral. Not but what they have been uncommon civil to me lately, Spendquick particularly. By-the-by, I dine with him to-morrow. The aristocracy are behindhand,—not smart, sir, not up to the march; but when a man knows how to take ‘em, they beat the New Yorkers in good manners. I’ll say that for them. I have no prejudice.”
“I never saw a man with less; no prejudice even against Levy.”
“No, not a bit of it! Every one says he’s a Jew; he says he’s not. I don’t care a button what he is. His money is English,—that’s enough for any man of a liberal turn of mind. His charges, too, are moderate. To be sure, he knows I shall pay them; only what I don’t like in him is a sort of way he has of mon-cher-ing and my-good-fellow-ing one, to do things quite out of the natural way of that sort of business. He knows I have got parliamentary influence. I could return a couple of members for Screwstown, and one, or perhaps two, for Lansmere, where I have of late been cooking up an interest; and he dictates to—no, not dictates—but tries to humbug me into putting in his own men. However, in one respect, we are likely to agree. He says you want to come into parliament. You seem a smart young fellow; but you must throw over that stiff red-tapist of yours, and go with Public Opinion, and—Myself.”
“You are very kind, Avenel; perhaps when we come to compare opinions we may find that we agree entirely. Still, in Egerton’s present position, delicacy to him—However, we’ll not discuss that now. But you really think I might come in for Lansmere,—against the L’Estrange interest, too, which must be strong there?”
“It was very strong, but I’ve smashed it, I calculate.”
“Would a contest there cost very much?”
“Well, I guess you must come down with the ready. But, as you say, time enough to discuss that when you have squared your account with ‘delicacy;’ come to me then, and we’ll go into it.”