University of Virginia Library

42. CHAPTER XLII.
A SPIDER CAUGHT IN HIS OWN SNARE.

Radley sat in his office with a passionate scowl upon his
face. Dick Sutly promenaded backwards and forwards
with his thumbs thrust into the armholes of his black satin
vest, and with the velvet collar of his green broadcloth
coat thrown back upon his shoulders. His huge spreading
feet were garnished with glistening patent-leather shoes,
set in conspicuity by the tightness of his fashionable piebald
pantaloons. His enormous fingers were hooped with
gold bands, and from his shirt bosom projected a virgin
nugget from the mines of Australia.

“Sell that lump of gold on your breast,” said the angry
lawyer, “and get the money for it. I am out of funds.”

“But wont you make a fortin out of us?” asked Dick,
turning sharply towards the lawyer.

“I begin to fear not. Twice has Mallex put off the trial.
He must suspect something. He must think some one has
been supplying you with funds under the impression that
you are soon to receive the fortune. I fear you have
ruined everything by your foolish extravagance and ridiculous
displays.”

Radley was right. Mallex had no intention of permitting
Dick to recover D. L. Parke's fortune. If it must go
at all, he preferred either Ned or Susan as the heir. The
idea of fabricating a claim in favour of Dick was one of the
ill-conceived expedients of which bold bad men are sometimes

capable. His object was merely to defeat the purpose
of the adverse lawyers, and he had not foreseen the
new perils into which he had plunged. Hence the repeated
interposition to prevent the rendition of a verdict in favour
of the false heir. He desired only delay, which, of course,
it was not difficult to obtain, under the circumstances of
the case.

The greedy counsel of Dick, however, had different views.
Under the conviction that his client must inevitably have
the large fortune in dispute awarded him, he had taken
measures to secure, as he supposed, the greater portion of
it. He had procured the liberation of the old hag, Dick's
mother, from durance, and removed her to the house of
Jack Cadaver, where, assured it was necessary to the cause
for her to remain in strict seclusion, and even to assume
the symptoms of mental derangement if discovered by the
opposing lawyers, she impatiently awaited the munificent
award that was promised her. But in the meantime both
herself and her son were vouchsafed a foretaste of the
sweets of fortune by the repeated advances of Radley,
who invariably received their bonds for quadruple the
amounts paid them. And in this manner had the lawyer,
yielding to the cupidity of his own heart, and to the importunities
of his clients, expended nearly the whole of his fortune;
and hence his irritable vexation at the obstacles
thrown in the way by his master employer.

“That's according to taste,” replied Dick to the remarks
of Radley, not comprehending the full import of his
words. “Every gentleman of fortin has his own fancies.
Can't I do what I please with my own money?”

“Yes, when you have it. But suppose you never get
it?”

“I wont suppose anything of the sort. Haint you got
the marriage certification? And haint I got all the witnesses
ready to answer to the identifical things you wrote
down? They got it all by heart long ago, and if you don't
hurry up the cakes, some of 'em 'll forgit their parts.
And mammy 'll forget hern, as sure as a gun. She's had a
tech of the paralitics agin, and hasn't laughed a bit since.
And she don't talk any hardly. But if you could 've
hearn the last words she spoke to Aunt Cadaver last night,
I guess you'd 've squirmed a leetle.”

“What did she say?” asked the lawyer, suddenly
awakened to the importance of the words of the alleged
widow of D. L. Parke.

“I wont tell, for fear of giving offence.”

“Nonsense. There is too much at stake for us to fall
out among ourselves. I don't care what it was, I promise
not to be offended. What was it? It is necessary that I
should know it.”

“She said she was a wicked woman—”

“She did!” exclaimed Radley, in unaffected affright.

“And Mallex the devil himself—”

“Hah! What does it mean?”

“And you his head sarvant.”

“Dick, here's a hundred dollars more. Go to your
mother and stay with her. Don't let her talk that way,
or everything will be lost. Don't let her repent. Keep
her in a good humour—or put her out of the way, confine
her again in the dark room—”

“That wont do. Aunt Cadaver knows where it is.”

“Anywhere else, then, where she can't tell tales out
of school. She had better be in a vault, with an iron door
closed on her than to prevent us from getting the fortune.”
These words were meaningly uttered—but Dick did not
have the courage to commit a murder—and especially to
lay violent hands on his parent.

“I'll try to argy with her; but she can't be moved.
Do you hurry up the cakes, before she loses her appetite.
You shall set at the head of the table and help us to what
you like. Good bye, sir.”

Dick had hardly disappeared before Mr. Fawner made
his appearance. He was greeted with much cordiality by
the lawyer, who knew he had influence with the secretary.

“I hope, now, you have some good tidings for me,” said
Radley. “I have written to Washington three times for
the return of our principal document, and got no answer.
No doubt Mr. Mallex was engrossed with the affairs of the
nation. I hope, however, he has found time to communicate
with you.”

“Yes. I have a letter from him, and his instructions in
regard to the late Mr. Parke's estate.”

“And is there no document returned? I mean the
certificate of marriage.”

“Yes. He writes he has examined it, and finds it quite
in form. He enclosed it to me, and—”

“Good!” exclaimed Radley, rubbing his hands delightedly.
“Now we'll proceed! The result is certain!
Where is it? I hope you brought it.”

“And directed me,” continued Fawner, not heeding the
interruption, to place it under lock and key in the vault,
until—”

“What? In the vault? Under lock and key? How
long is it to remain there? Am I not to have it back immediately?
I procured it and sent it to him at his urgent
solicitation!”

“Until,” pursued the imperturbable Fawner, “further
advice and instruction.”

“We shall lose the fortune! The other party will proceed!
What can it mean?”

“Mr. Radley.”

“Well.”

“I knew Daniel L. Parke perfectly well.”

“And pray what has that to do with the case? Hundreds
beside yourself knew him.”

“Why it is my private opinion—mind, I say it confidentially—that
such a perfect gentleman was never the
father of such a blackguard as Dick Sutly. There must
be some mistake in the matter, and perhaps Mr. Mallex
thinks so too. Good day, sir.” And he was gone before
the lawyer could utter the imprecation that was hissing
upon his lips.

A few moments after, Persever entered.

“Well, Radley,” said he, “when do you intend to test
the pretensions of your son of Daniel Parke? We are
getting impatient.”

“Soon enough; soon enough for you,” was the best
tempered reply the vexed lawyer could make.

“Perhaps not. But not only we, who are particularly
interested in the result, but the whole bar, and the judges
themselves, are impatient to behold the features of this
long lost son of their old friend and brother. And when
he shall be exhibited to their satisfaction, we shall next
demand the presence of his mother, the widow of Parke,
and the maternal parent of—”

“Go on. Are there more children?”

“Oh, you must find them out if they exist. They
would be joint heirs, and therefore your clients, whose pretensions
we must oppose.”

Persever checked himself when upon the eve of committing
a blunder. It might not have been good policy to
assert the existence of other children; and Lucy Sutly,
who had been his own servant at the time of the murder
of Parke, was again a domestic in his family. But for
many years she had ceased to have any intercourse with
her depraved parent, and being really a good pious girl,
Persever had sought and found her, and was at that very
time employing her services in a manner little dreamed of
by Radley. Lucy had been induced by him to find out the
residence of her mother. It was explained to her how
great was the danger of both her mother and brother
meeting an ignominious punishment if detected in the
attempt to establish a fraudulent claim to the estate of the
deceased lawyer. And Lucy, knowing perfectly well that
her mother had never seen Mr. Parke in her life until he
came to dwell at Persever's house, felt it incumbent on
her to interpose and prevent if possible the perpetration
of such a monstrous iniquity. She understood very easily
that it could never be the intention of either Mallex or
Radley to permit her brother and mother to possess the
estate. There could be no motive for such a proceeding.
They merely designed to make use of them as the instruments
to achieve their guilty purposes. And it was in
consequence of Lucy's exertions that the apparent change
in the wretched old woman's conduct, mentioned by Dick,
was to be attributed.

“We'll hunt them all up. Never fear but they will present
themselves before the day of distribution,” said Radley,
gravely, for it was the first time he had thought of the contingency
of the existence of other heirs, and it flashed
upon his understanding that if they did exist it would
produce a depreciation in the value of the bonds he held
for sundry advances of money.

“I shall oppose any more postponements, Radley,” said
Persever, retiring slowly.

“And so shall I!” said Radley, returning the parting
nod of Persever, who withdrew.

The next visitor was Eugene Bainton.

“Radley,” said he, “the whole town is hooting at the
idea of Dick Sutly being the son of Daniel L. Parke.”

“But if we can prove the fact, we shall recover the money.
That, I take it, is the important thing.”

“Who will recover the money; who is to derive the
benefit?”

Radley had spoken professionally, and so he explained
the “we.”

“I happen to be the most interested one in this business,”
said Eugene. “Besides the fortune of the eldest Parke,
now in the hands of the administrator, I have set aside and
invested separately the amount of funds John Parke would
have been entitled to had he lived. The heir of one is the
heir of the other. And can you suppose I would be willing,
under any circumstances, to permit this disgusting
rowdy, this crude spawn of a horrible monster, to possess
the fortunes?”

“It seems to me that there will be no option if the law
awards it. I can prove everything the law requires.”

“Prove! Mr. Radley, you know that this Dick is no
more the son of Parke than I am; and knowing this, does
it not appear to you sometimes like a species of roguery to
endeavour to procure the money for him?”

“I presume his title to it is quite as good as those in
whose keeping it remains. Why have I been employed—
why have I been put to so much expense and labour, if it
was not the intention to prosecute the claim to an issue?
It would be derogatory now, it would be disastrous to me,
not to go on. I am the counsel of the claimant, and will
go on!”

“Will? and without our concurrence?”

“I must. And I must have the original certificate of
marriage locked up in your vault.”

“Yes, it may be produced in a certain court by a writ
certiorari, as I am advised by other learned counsel. But
beware!”

“Beware of what? Am I not employed by Mallex and
yourself?”

“Are we not the defendants in the case? And was not
our expedient to act merely as a diversion to beat back the

pretensions of the other party? Yes—you shall have the
certificate if you require it. But, I repeat, beware! You
know it is a forgery.”

“But at whose instance was it committed?”

“Yours, solely. I have seen copies of Mallex's letters
on the subject. They were written with an especial care to
avoid furnishing any ground for criminal imputations.”

“That may be. No doubt it is so. But the scrivener
—”

“Is ours, entirely! You may start and turn pale; for
the matter is important, and the danger very great, if you
push matters to an extremity. Yes, I repeat, the scrivener
is quite willing to go into court and testify upon oath, that
so far as he was concerned, the instrument was prepared in
execution of your order. The names, dates, &c., were furnished
by yourself. By you he was paid. And he had
no knowledge of the use that was to be made of the document.
You see your danger. You are the counsel for
this Dick, and our names do not appear as parties in the
action, or if they do it is rather in the attitude of defendants,
than as promoters of Dick's claim. Therefore, when
you assume to act against us, or independently of us, we
shall prove the forgery, and send you to the penitentiary
—”

“Enough! I submit!” cried the terrified lawyer.
“Mallex has me in his power. He has sent you to me,
and furnished the ideas you have expressed. I confess
everything. He has been apprised of all my operations,
even the secret projects I meditated. There is no escape
from him. I am ruined!”

“Not so, perhaps,” said Eugene, in a milder tone.
“Mallex is aware, though, that you have expended all
your money upon Dick with a view of being liberally reimbursed
at no distant day; and it is his policy to keep
you poor and dependent, that you may be the more useful.”

“Fool, fool that I was!”

“Perhaps not. But the claim of Dick, you must recollect
hereafter, is to be upheld merely for the purpose of
frightening away the others.”

“It cannot be upheld without the certificate.”

“Then, and for the purpose named, it is to be used—

used not feloniously—not to obtain the money—but to keep
the other party from recovering.”

“But the scrivener?”

“He will be held back by Mallex, so long as you execute
his orders. When you attempt enterprises on your own
account, the scrivener is to be let loose, and will assail none
but you.”

“I am destroyed!”

“Be honest, and I will undertake to have replaced the
sums you have so foolishly expended.”

“Honest? How?”

“How! True, Radley, how shall we be honest? You
see my sunken features, my prematurely grey hair, my
stooping form. They are the effects of the burden
of guilt I bear. But, thank God, I have never been a
consenting party to any irremediable crime! Radley,
when you shall be confirmed in the opinion that “honesty
is the best policy,” as I believe you soon will be; when
you contemplate the fearful losses you are liable and likely
to make by acting on the opposite principle, only give me
a convincing evidence of the change, and I will see that
your expenditures shall be reimbursed.”

“Dictate to me what course I shall pursue!” said the
burly lawyer, his face covered by his handkerchief.”

“I will, from time to time. But you must not suppose
it to be my intention to undermine my partner. I shall do
nothing without first notifying him of my intention and
my object. That is the only way to maintain a contest
with him. He is unmatched in strategy. Do you remember
the conversation you once held with Ned Lorn
on the steamboat?”

“Yes! How did you know anything about it?”

“Every word was repeated to Mallex by one of his
spies. Every word of our conversation now may be repeated
to him. I care not. Let us think and speak nothing
that we would wish to be concealed from him. Then
he will cease to be terrible. Well. I have two objects to
accomplish. You may meditate upon them in perfect security,
for I have avowed them repeatedly to Mallex. The
first is a dissolution of partnership, without incurring the
enmity of my partner; the second a reconciliation with my

nephew, Ned Lorn, and restitution of his father's and his
uncle's estates. You can do nothing, I fear, towards accomplishing
the first; and until it be effected, nothing can
be done in the other. You can meditate upon them. The
point to be carried is the acquiescence of Mallex. Upon
his mind the first impression is to be made. Convince him
that his interest, his comfort, his safety, will not be injuriously
affected by the separation, and you will have done
a good work, that shall not go unrewarded. I have no
other disclosure to make. What Mallex will impart to you
I know not. But until he concurs in the arrangement, it
would be useless for you or myself to have any correspondence
with my nephew or his friends.” Eugene then departed.