Part 6 (1/2)

”Through no neglect of ours, I a.s.sure your lords.h.i.+p,” Mr. Wadham insisted gravely. ”You will remember that we wrote to you last October, pointing out that the yield from the estates was insufficient, without the help of the bank, to meet the interest on the mortgages, and that, amongst other claims which we were obliged to leave over, we should be unable to forward the usual cheque to the young lady in question.”

The Marquis cleared his throat and tapped with his long forefingers upon the desk. It was a curious circ.u.mstance that, although both Mr.

Wadham, Senior, and Junior had done more than their duty towards their distinguished client, each had at that moment the feeling of a criminal.

”You are, I believe, perfectly well aware, Mr. Wadham,” the Marquis declared, ”that I never read your letters.”

Mr. Wadham, Senior, coughed. His son thrust both hands into his trousers pockets. The statement was unanswerable.

”I was therefore,” the Marquis continued severely, ”in complete ignorance of your failure to carry out my instructions.”

Mr. Wadham, Junior, less affected than his father by tradition, and priding himself more upon that negligible gift of common sense, interposed respectfully but firmly.

”We can scarcely be responsible,” he pointed out, ”for your lords.h.i.+p's indisposition to read letters containing business information of importance.”

The Marquis changed his position slightly and looked at the speaker.

Mr. Wadham, Junior, became during the next few seconds profoundly impressed with the irrelevance, almost the impertinence of his words.

”I should have imagined,” the former said severely, ”that my habits are well-known to the members of a firm whose connection with my family is almost historical.”

”We should have waited upon your lords.h.i.+p,” Mr. Wadham, Senior, admitted. ”But with reference to the case of this young lady, not hearing from your lords.h.i.+p, we wrote to her, very politely, indicating the great difficulties which we had to face in the management of the Mandeleys estates, owing to the abnormal agricultural depression, and we promised to send her a cheque as soon as such a step became possible. In reply we heard from her--a most ladylike and reasonable letter it was--stating that owing to recent literary successes, and to your lords.h.i.+p's generosity through so many years, she was only too glad of the opportunity to beg us to cease from forwarding the quarterly amount as. .h.i.therto. Under those circ.u.mstances, we have devoted such small sums of money as have come into our hands to more vital purposes.”

”I suppose it did not occur to you,” the Marquis observed, ”that I am the person to decide what is or is not vital in the disposition of my own moneys.”

”That is a fact which we should not presume to dispute,” the lawyer admitted, ”but I should like to point out that, on the next occasion when we had a little money in hand, your household steward, Mr.

Harrison, was here in urgent need of a thousand pounds for the payment of domestic bills connected with the establishment in Grosvenor Square.”

”It appears to me,” the Marquis said, with a trace of irritability in his tone, ”that the greater part of my income goes in paying bills.”

The complaint was one which for the moment left Mr. Wadham speechless.

He was vaguely conscious that an adequate reply existed, but it eluded him. His son, who had adopted the att.i.tude of being outside the discussion, was engaged in an abortive attempt to appear as much at ease in his own office as this client of theirs certainly was.

”I will discuss the matter of Miss Hannaway's future allowance with that young lady, and let you know the result,” the Marquis announced.

”In the meantime, how do we stand for ready money?”

”Ready money, your lords.h.i.+p!” his interlocutor gasped.

”Precisely,” the Marquis a.s.sented. ”It is, I believe, a few days after the period when my tenants usually pay their rents.”

”Your lords.h.i.+p,” Mr. Wadham said, speaking with every attempt at gravity, ”if every one of your tenants paid their full rent and brought it into this office at the present moment, we should still be unable to pay the interest on the mortgages due next month, without further advances from the bank.”

”These mortgages,” the Marquis remarked thoughtfully, ”are a nuisance.”

So self-evident a fact seemed to leave little room for comment or denial. The Marquis frowned a little more severely and withdrew his forefingers from the desk.

”Figures, I fear, only confuse me,” he confessed, ”but for the sake of curiosity, what do my quarterly rents amount to?”

”Between seven and eight thousand pounds, according to deductions, your lords.h.i.+p,” was the prompt reply. ”That sum I presume will be coming in from your agent, Mr. Merridrew, within the course of a few days. The interest upon the mortgages amounts to perhaps a thousand pounds less than that sum. That thousand pounds, I may be permitted to point out to your lords.h.i.+p, is all that remains for the carrying on of your Grosvenor Square establishment, and for such disburs.e.m.e.nts as are necessary at Mandeleys.”