"I said that, of course, Mr. Levi, by way of illustration, only; no one, of course, dreams of guaranteeing another without a proper consideration. I should have hoped you could not have misunderstood me. I don't understand guarantees, it is a business I have never touched. I'm content, I hope, with the emoluments of my profession, and what my landed property gives me. I only mean this—that there is no risk. What do we know of Mr. Dingwell, that is not perfectly above board—perfectly? I challenge the world upon that. If anything should happen to fall through, we, surely, are not to blame. At the same time if you—looking at it with your experience—apprehend any risk, of course, I couldn't think of allowing you to go on. I can arrange, this evening, and not very far from this house, either."
As Mr. Larkin concluded, he made a feint of rising.
"Ba-ah!" exclaimed Levi. "You don't think we want to back out of thish transhaction, Mr. Larkin? no-o-oh! That's not the trick of thish offishe—is it, gov'nor? He saysh no."
"No," echoed Goldshed.
"No, never—noways! you hear him?" reiterated Mr. Levi. "In for a penny, in for a pound—in for a shilling, in for a thousand. Ba-ah!—No, never."
"No, noways—never!" reverberated Goldshed, in deep, metallic tones. "But, Levi, there, must look an inch or two before his noshe—and sho must I—and sho, my very good friend, Mr. Larkin, must you—a bit before your noshe. I don't see no great danger. We all know, the Honourable Arthur Verney is dead. We are sure of that—and all the rest is not worth the odd ha'pensh in that book," and he touched the mighty ledger lying by him, in which millions were entered. "The rest is Dingwell's affair."
"Just so, Mr. Goldshed," acquiesced Mr. Larkin. "We go together in that view."
"Dingwell be blowed!—what need we care for Dingwell?" tolled out Mr. Goldshed, with his ringing bass.
"Ba-ah!—drat him!" echoed the junior.
"Yes—a—quite as you say—but where's the good of imprecation? With that exception, I quite go with you. It's Dingwell's affair—not ours. We, of course, go straight—and I certainly have no reason to suspect Dingwell of anything crooked or unworthy."