Rank and Talent; A Novel, Vol. 3 (of 3)

by William Pitt Scargill

As soon as Mr. Martindale had departed, the Right Honorable began to think again most soberly and seriously of his perplexities and embarrassments. He made a great variety of calculations, but none of them were definite or satisfactory. The figures and the sums whirled round and round in his head, and all was confusion. He scarcely knew, nor could he by any means make out, whether or not he was solvent. He knew nothing more of his own affairs than that he was solicited for money which he could not pay; and when by any contrivance he could put off the time of payment, that postponement set him at rest for the time being.

There was no one with whom he could consult. He had not a single friend in the world on whose good counsel he could rely. As for Sir Gilbert Sampson, he was afraid or ashamed to mention to him a word on the subject; and indeed there had been lately a great coolness between them, arising from the very negligent behaviour of his Lordship to the Countess. And she, who should have been his best friend and most confidential adviser, had very little capacity or inclination for prudential and deliberate thought.

When noblemen and gentlemen marry for the sake of money, they ought always to take especial care that they have money enough: for it is much better to suffer many disadvantages from pecuniary deficiency, and to remain unmarried, than to marry one who has not money enough to answer all purposes. Ladies with small fortunes may not thank us for this remark; but they will, on second thoughts, consider that such a husband as the Right Hon. the Earl of Trimmerstone is not worth having. It is not unlikely that his lordship would, had the law allowed him so to do, have married another wife for the sake of pecuniary aid, and have deserted the daughter of Sir Gilbert Sampson. Perhaps it might be an improvement in the system of accommodating legislation, if hereditary legislators would allow themselves the privilege of marrying two or more wives, provided these wives were all of plebeian extraction; by such means a greater number of city people might purchase nobility for their daughters, and the estates of the titled be relieved from many of their embarrassments. But legislation is not our present subject; so to proceed.

The Earl of Trimmerstone finding that thinking was a disagreeable and unpleasant occupation, and not being much allured to stay at home by the magnificent decorations of his drawing-room, which Mr. Martindale had so much admired, took his departure without any inquiries after the health or even existence of the Countess. He sauntered about the streets, and looked at the shop-windows, and looked at the people as they passed, and at the carriages; and he looked among those on foot, and among those in carriages, for some one to speak or move to; but his friends were not to be met with that morning. He wondered what had become of Sloper; for he used to be almost always sure of meeting him in St. James’s Street at a certain hour of the day. He strolled into Pall Mall, and was very sleepy; and he stood so long rubbing his eyes and stretching his arms at the gate of St. James’s Palace, that he positively set the sentinels yawning. He smiled at the effect of sympathy; and the sentinels also smiled modestly, and with appearance of great gratification: for it is a high honor to be smiled at by a man of rank and consequence; and they knew that he must be a man of rank and consequence, because he was very sleepy, and did not know what to do with himself.

To keep himself awake he walked along Pall Mall, but not very fast, lest he might have too much time on his hands when he should arrive at the other end. Then he threw the contents of his snuff-box into the street, that he might have the amusement of getting it filled again at Pontet’s. When he had, by dint of great exertion to walk slow, and make the most of his expedition, arrived, after a quarter of an hour’s sauntering, at the little snuff-shop at the corner of the street, he felt almost fatigued enough to enjoy the pleasure of sitting down; and he accordingly took his seat, and was for a time exceedingly happy, enjoying the pleasure of kicking his heels against the frames of the high shop-stool, and gazing at the passengers.

Not long had he been thus occupied, when two persons passed the shop-door in apparently close and earnest conversation, and seemingly on very good terms with each other. One of them, turning a side glance towards the snuff-shop, caught the eye of Lord Trimmerstone, and turned away his head again in great haste, as if to avoid being recognised. This movement excited his lordship’s curiosity; and a few seconds after they had passed, he cautiously stepped to the door and looked after them. He was certain that one of the two was Singleton Sloper. He knew by the broad shoulders, short neck, and shuffling gait, that it could be no other. As to Sloper’s companion, who was the one that had so suddenly withdrawn from his eye in passing the shop-door, his lordship could not form the slightest conjecture. Curiosity induced him to follow them at a considerable distance, and without being discerned by them, he watched them into a coffee-house; where, soon after they had entered, he followed them.

Before he entered the room, he looked through the glass of the inner door, and saw that the two persons who had attracted his attention were Mr. Singleton Sloper and the young gentleman to whom his lordship and Mr. Sloper had lost their money the preceding evening. This was a strange sight; and the very good understanding between the two led his lordship into strong and unpleasant suspicions concerning the purity and integrity of Mr. Singleton Sloper. He determined, however, not to make any sudden interruption; but as he was unseen by them, he watched their proceedings, and saw a pocket-book produced and opened; and he saw some of the contents of that pocket-book handed over by the young gentleman to Mr. Singleton Sloper.

Lord Trimmerstone was greatly astonished at what he saw; and though the mere fact of something being thus transferred to Sloper was no proof of fraud on his part, yet the looks and smiles of the two gentlemen were so very significant and expressive of collusion, that could these looks have been sworn to and properly described to an honest and discerning jury, there would have been in them very powerful evidence to convict the parties of conspiracy.

Lord Trimmerstone was in doubt how to proceed; and after a few moments’ hesitation, he thought it best to walk into the coffee-room as if not having seen the gentlemen, and to give them an opportunity to part, or at least to lay aside their confidential looks, before he fixed his eyes upon them.

The opening of the door soon excited their attention, and they presently assumed a different complexion towards each other; so that by the time that his lordship thought proper to see and recognise them, there was so great a change of look as to corroborate his suspicion. He knew, however, that it would not answer his purpose to manifest the slightest symptom of what was passing in his mind; he therefore greeted them carelessly, and received their careless reply. Attentively as he could, he watched the countenance of the young gentleman, and thought he saw in that face symptoms of more advanced age than he had given him credit for. He was very sure that it was not the face of an inexperienced simpleton.