A bustle within immediately succeeded; and from the very highest window in the house, the head of Mr. Tims himself was thrust cautiously forth, like that of a tortoise from its shell, or a hedgehog beginning to unroll. The next moment he retreated, and his voice was heard calling from the top of the stairs to the bottom, "Don't open the door, Sarah! Don't open the door! It can be nobody on any good errand at this time of night! Don't open the door on any account!" and again he came to the window to examine once more the aspect of his nocturnal visitor.
As soon as Beauchamp perceived the black ball, which he conceived to be the crowning member of Mr. Tims's person, once more protruded from the flat front of the house, he raised his voice sufficiently to convey the sounds to the elevated point from which the miser was reconnoitering, and desired him to come down, and give him admission; adding, "It is I--Mr. Burrel!"
"Mr. Burrel!--No, no!" cried the incredulous miser. "That is not Mr. Burrel's voice--no, no, I'm not to be done! Go along, sir!"
"Mr. Tims," said Beauchamp, quietly, "come down to me directly. I tell you again, I am Mr. Burrel; and having heard that a part of the sum that Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson--"
"Hush, hush!" cried the miser, now convinced. "Hush, hush!--I will come down, sir; I will come down directly. I did not know you at first; but I will come down in a minute. Sarah, get a light there." No reply. "Sarah, get a light!" again shouted Mr. Tims; and a moment after, Sarah's voice was heard, demanding what was the matter.
Mr. Tims now speedily descended; but before he would admit his visitor, he again made him speak through the door, and took a view of his person by means of a little grated aperture, placed in the upper part thereof. The examination was satisfactory, and speedily bars fell, and bolts were withdrawn, and Henry Beauchamp was admitted within the walls of a place, whose precautionary fastenings were exactly like those of a prison, with the only difference of being intended to keep people out, rather than to keep them in. He was instantly ushered into the invariable parlor, where, by the light of a solitary tallow candle, white and perspiring under its efforts to give light in a warm autumn evening, he explained to Mr. Tims the purpose of his visit.
Mr. Tims, as we have already seen, well knew who Burrel, as he called himself, really was, even before he told him; and he had also employed means to ascertain the amount of his property; but in the present instance, the prospect of deriving some usurious benefit from his companion's evident anxiety to furnish the money to Sir Sidney Delaware, forthwith made him take good care to be utterly ignorant of every thing concerning him, except that he had drawn upon his agents for a sum which they had not sufficient assets to pay.
He hummed and he hesitated for a considerable time--declared that he did not doubt that he was Mr. Beauchamp; but, nevertheless, he must remind him that he had drawn in the name of Burrel; he might be perfectly solvent; but such things were never safe without good and sufficient security. He was quite ready to hand over to him the sum he had received from Messrs. Steelyard and Wilkinson; but as to advancing the ten thousand pounds more, really he did not see his way in the business clearly.
Mr. Beauchamp, who was not to be deceived by all this, reasoned with him for some time; but at length he assumed another tone, and rising, took up his hat and stick.
"Since this is the case, Mr. Tims," he said, "the matter must be arranged otherwise. I had proposed to ride on toward London to-night in the cool; but as you doubt my respectability, I shall return to Emberton, and by daylight tomorrow set out for the town of ----, where you know very well that my agents, to whom I before referred you, are part proprietors of the bank. There the matter will be done at once, and I shall be back again before Lord Ashborough's lawyer can arrive. You will, therefore, be so good as to give me the money which you have already received; we will exchange all vouchers on the subject, and we will do without you in the further transaction of this business."