"_P. S._--Hope you will Particularly Remember me to Mr. Gamon. What is to become of me, know nothing, being so troubled. Am Humbly Determined not to employ any Gents in This matter except y^r most Respectable House, and sh^d be most Truly Sorry to Go Abroad wh^h _am really Often thinking of in Earnest_. Unless something Speedily Turns Up, favorable, T. T.--Sh^d like (By the way) to know if you sh^d be so Disposed what y^r resp^e house w^d take for my Chances Down (_Out and out_) In a Round Sum (_Ready money_). And hope if they Write It will be by Next Post or Shall be Gone Abroad."

Old Mr. Quirk, as soon as he had finished the perusal of this skilful doc.u.ment, started, a little disturbed, from his seat, and bustled into Mr. Gammon's room with Mr. t.i.tmouse's open letter in his hand.--"Gammon," said he, "just cast your eye over this, will you?

Really, we must look after t.i.tmouse, or, by Jove! he'll be gone!" Mr.

Gammon took the letter rather eagerly, read deliberately through it, and then looked up at his fidgety partner, who stood anxiously eying him, and smiled.

"Well, Gammon, I really think--eh? Don't you"----

"Upon my word, Mr. Quirk, this nearly equals his last letter; and it also seems to have produced on you the effect desired by its gifted writer!"

"Well, Gammon, and what of that? Because my heart don't happen to be _quite_ a piece of flint, you're always"--

"You might have been a far wealthier man than you are but for that soft heart of yours, Mr. Quirk," said Gammon, with a bland smile.(!)

"I know I might, Gammon--I know it. I thank my G.o.d I'm not so keen after business that I can't feel for this poor soul--really, his state's quite deplorable."

"Then, my dear sir, put your hand into your pocket at once, as I was suggesting last night, and allow him a weekly sum."

"A--hem! hem! Gammon"--said Quirk, sitting down, thrusting his hands into his waistcoat pockets, and looking very earnestly at Gammon.

"Well, then," replied that gentleman, shrugging his shoulders, in answer to the mute appeal--"write and say you _won't_--'tis soon done, and so the matter ends."

"Why, Gammon, you see, if he goes abroad," said Quirk, after a long pause--"we lose him forever."

"Pho!--go abroad! He's too much for you, Mr. Quirk--he is indeed, ha, ha!"

"You're fond of a laugh at my expense, Gammon; it's quite pleasant--you can't think how I like that laugh of yours!"

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Quirk--but you really misunderstand me; I was laughing only at the absurd inconsistency of the fellow: he's a most transparent little fool, and takes _us_ for such. Go abroad! Ridiculous pretence!--In his precious postscript he undoes all--he says he is only often _thinking_ of going--- pshaw!--That the wretch is in great distress, is very probable; but it must go hard with him before he either commits suicide or goes abroad, I warrant him: I've no fears on _that_ score--but there _is_ a point in the letter that may be worth considering--I mean the fellow's hint about borrowing money on his prospects."

"Yes, to be sure--the very thing that struck _me_." [Gammon faintly smiled.] "I never thought much about the _other_ part of the letter--all stuff about going abroad--pho!--But to be sure, if he's trying to raise money, he may get into keen hands.--Do you really think he _has_ been trying on anything of the sort?"

"Oh no--of course it's only a little lie of his--or he must have found out some greater fool than himself, which I had not supposed possible.

But however that may be, I really think, Mr. Quirk, it's high time that we should take some decided step."

"Well,--yes, it may be," said Quirk, slowly--"and I must say that Mortmain encouraged me a good deal the day before yesterday."

"Well, and you know what Mr. Frankpledge"----

"Oh, as to Frankpledge--hem!"

"What of Mr. Frankpledge, Mr. Quirk?" inquired Gammon, rather tartly.

"There! there!--Always the way--but what does it signify? Come, come, Gammon, we know each other too well to quarrel!--I don't mean anything disrespectful to Mr. Frankpledge, but when Mortmain has been one's conveyancer these twenty years, and never once--hem!--but, however, he tells me that we are now standing on sure ground, or that he don't know what sure ground is, and sees no objection to our even taking preliminary steps in the matter, which indeed I begin to think it high time to do!--And as for securing ourselves in respect of any advances to t.i.tmouse--he suggests our taking a bond, conditioned--say, for the payment of 500 or 1,000 on demand, under cover of which one might advance him, you know, just such sums as, and when we pleased; one could stop when one thought fit; one could begin with three or four pounds a-week, and increase as his prospects improved--eh!"

"You know _I've_ no objection to such an arrangement; but consider, Mr.

Quirk, we must have patience; it will take a long while to get our verdict, you know, and perhaps as long to _secure_ it afterwards; and this horrid little wretch all the while on our hands; what the deuce to do with him, I really don't know!"

"Humph, humph!" grunted Quirk, looking very earnestly and uneasily at Gammon.

"And what I chiefly fear is this,--suppose he should get dissatisfied with the amount of our advances, and, knowing the state and prospects of the cause, should _then_ turn restive?"

"Ay, confound it, Gammon, all that should be looked to, shouldn't it?"

interrupted Quirk, with an exceedingly chagrined air. "I always like to look a long way a-head!"

"To be sure," continued Gammon, thoughtfully; "by that time he may have got substantial friends about him, whom he could persuade to become security to us for further and past advances."

"Nay, now you name the thing, Gammon; it was what I was thinking of only the other day:" he dropped his voice--"Isn't there one or two of our own clients, hem!"----

"Why, certainly, there's old Fang; I don't think it impossible he might be induced to do a little usury--it's all he lives for, Mr. Quirk; and the security is good in reality, though perhaps not exactly marketable."

"Nay; but, on second thoughts, why not do it myself, if anything _can_ be made of it?"

"That, however, will be for future consideration. In the mean time, we'd better send for t.i.tmouse, and manage him a little more--discreetly, eh?

We did not exactly hit it off last time, did we, Mr. Quirk?" said Gammon, smiling rather sarcastically. "We must keep him at Tag-rag's, if the thing _can_ be done for the present, at all events."

"To be sure; he couldn't then come buzzing about us, like a gad-fly; he'd drive us mad in a week, I'm sure."

"Oh, I'd rather give up everything than submit to it. It can't be difficult for us, I should think, to bind him to our own terms--to put a bridle in the a.s.s's mouth? Let us say that we insist on his signing an undertaking to act implicitly according to our directions in everything."

"Ay, to be sure; on pain of our instantly turning him to the right about. I fancy it will _do_ now! It was just what I was thinking of!"

"And, now, Mr. Quirk," said Gammon, with as much of peremptoriness in his tone as he could venture upon to Mr. Quirk, "you really must do me the favor to leave the management of this little wretch to me. You see, he seems to have taken--Heaven save the mark!--a fancy to me, poor fool!--and--and--it must be owned we miscarried sadly, the other night, on a certain grand occasion--eh?"

Quirk shook his head dissentingly.

"Well, then," continued Gammon, "upon one thing I am fixedly determined; one or the other of us shall undertake t.i.tmouse, solely and singly.

Pray, for Heaven's sake, tackle him yourself--a disagreeable duty! You know, my dear sir, how invariably I leave everything of real importance and difficulty to your very superior tact and experience; but _this_ little matter--pshaw!"

"Come, come, Gammon, that's a drop of sweet oil"--

Quirk might well say so, for he felt its softening, smoothing effects already.

"Upon my word and honor, Mr. Quirk, I'm in earnest. Pshaw!--and you must know it. I know you too well, my dear sir, to attempt to"----

"Certainly," quoth Quirk, smiling shrewdly, "I must say, those must get up _very_ early that can find Caleb Quirk napping."--Gammon felt at that moment that for several years _he_ must have been a very early riser!

And so the matter was arranged in the manner which Gammon had from the first wished and determined upon, _i. e._ that Mr. t.i.tmouse should be left entirely to his management; and, after some little discussion as to the time and manner of the meditated advances, the partners parted. On entering his own room, Quirk, closing his door, stood for some time leaning against the side of the window, with his hands in his pockets, and his eyes instinctively resting on his banker's book, which lay on the table. He was in a very brown study, the subject on which his thoughts were busied, being the prudence or imprudence of leaving t.i.tmouse thus in the hands of Gammon. It might be all very well for Quirk to _a.s.sert_ his self-confidence when in Gammon's presence; but he did not really feel it. He never left Gammon after any little difference of opinion, however friendly, without a secret suspicion that somehow or another Gammon had been too much for him, and always gained his purposes without giving Quirk any handle of dissatisfaction. In fact, Quirk was thoroughly afraid of Gammon, and Gammon knew it. In the present instance, an undefinable but increasing suspicion and discomfort forced him presently back again into Gammon's room.

"I say, Gammon, you understand, eh?--_Fair play_, you know," he commenced, with a shy embarra.s.sed air, ill concealed under a forced smile.

"Pray, Mr. Quirk, what may be your meaning?" inquired Gammon, with unusual tartness, with an astonished air, and blushing violently, which was not surprising; for ever since Quirk had quitted him, Gammon's thoughts had been occupied with only one question, viz. how he should go to work with t.i.tmouse to satisfy him that he (Gammon) was the only member of the firm that had a real disinterested regard for him, and so acquire a valuable control over him! Thus occupied, the observation of Quirk had completely taken Gammon aback; and he lost his presence of mind, of course in such case his _temper_ quickly following. "Will you favor me, Mr. Quirk, with an explanation of your extraordinarily absurd and offensive observation?" said he, reddening more and more as he looked at Mr. Quirk.

"You're a queer hand, Gammon," replied Quirk, with almost an equally surprised and embarra.s.sed air, for he could not resist a sort of conviction that Gammon had fathomed what had been pa.s.sing in his mind.

"What did you mean, Mr. Quirk, by your singular observation just now?"

said Gammon, calmly, having recovered his presence of mind.

"Mean? Why, that--we're _both_ queer hands, Gammon, ha, ha, ha!"

answered Quirk, with an anxious laugh.