“Don’t be afraid, man,” he said, almost brusquely. “Lord Kemms told me your business concerned me; out with it; I am not a child—I can face the worst—I have seen it coming this many a day.”
“Mr. Raidsford,” began Arthur, “what you have suffered from has been a loss of credit, I understand; a pressure, as you yourself told me, for money.”
“Yes,” was the reply; “and when this pressure commenced, I believed my credit to be as good as that of any man in England; I believed it to be so good, in fact, that I paid no attention to the pressure for a considerable period—not, in fact, until it became almost like a run on a bank.”
“And to what cause did you attribute that run?” inquired Arthur.
“I have never been able to attribute it to any cause,” was the reply; “I had no heavy losses; I was engaged in no great ventures; I was perfectly solvent; I am solvent, in fact, now; but still I know I must stop; I have fought as long as fighting seems of any use; now I must adopt another plan.”
“If you were aware of the cause of your loss of credit, would it help you to battle through?” asked Arthur.
“That would depend entirely on the cause,” was the reply.
“Supposing it were private malice,” Arthur suggested; “suppose an enemy to have been at work.”
“I have not an enemy in the world,” Mr. Raidsford answered.
“If you read that, perhaps you will alter your opinion,” Arthur remarked, handing him the letter he had received. “Mr. Raidsford, I could not rest till I had come to you; I feared my own purpose might undergo a change before morning. I knew it was right you should be told this thing, and yet I hesitated about showing a letter which strictly is none of my property. I shall speak to Black about what I have done; you know now who has been your enemy, and I trust it may not be too late for you to repair the mischief he has caused.”