CHAPTER XV--A RESCUE
As the day fixed for the hearing drew near, Ruin lived with them by
day and slept with them by night. Its dark shadow covered their
lives, and they moved in the gloom of its presence. If the trial
went against them, and Owen in his most hopeful moods did not
disguise from them that it might, they would have to pay the double
costs as well as the original claim. All that they possessed would
not cover it. On the other hand, if they won, this rich Company
might carry the matter to a higher Appeal Court, and so involve them
in a fresh succession of anxieties and expenses. Do what they would,
there was always danger. Frank said little, and he slept little
also.
One night, just before the trial, Wingfield, the accountant of the
Society, came down to Woking. He had managed the case all through
for the directors. His visit was a sort of ultimatum.
'We are still ready to pay our own law-costs,' said he, 'if you will
allow the original claim.'
'I can't do that,' said Frank doggedly.
'The costs are piling up at a furious rate, and some one will have to
pay them.'
'I hope that it will be you.'
'Well, don't say afterwards that I did not warn you. My dear Crosse,
I assure you that you are being misled, and that you have not really
got a leg to stand upon.'
'That's what the trial is about,' said Frank.
He kept a bold face to the enemy, but after Wingfield's departure,
Maude saw that his confidence was greatly shaken.
'He seemed very sure of their case,' said he. 'He would not speak
like that if he did not know.'
But Maude took quite another view.
'If they know that they can recover their money in court, why should
they send Mr. Wingfield down in this way.'
'He is such a good chap--he wants to save us expense.'
Maude was less trusting.
'He is doing the best for his own side,' said she. 'It is his duty,
and we can't blame him. But if he thought it best to get behind his
own lawyers and come down here, then he must have some doubts about
going into court. Perhaps he would be willing to consider some
compromise.'
But Frank only shook his head.
'We have drawn the cork, and we must drink the wine,' said he. 'We
have gone too far to stop. Any compromise which they would accept
would be as much out of our power to pay as the whole sum would be,
and so we may just as well see it through.' But for once Maude did
not take his opinion as final, but lay awake all night and thought it
over. She had determined to begin acting upon her own account, and
she was so eager to try what she could do that she lay longing for
the morning to break. When she came down to breakfast, her plan of
campaign was formed.
'I am coming up to town with you, Frank.'
'Delighted to hear it, dear.' When she had shopping to do, she
frequently went up with him, so it did not surprise him. What would
have surprised him was to know that she had despatched three
telegrams, by means of Jemima, before he was up.
'To John Selby, 53 Fenchurch Street, E.C. Will call eleven o'clock.
Important business. -
MAUDE.'
'To Lieutenant Selby, the Depot, Canterbury. Please come up next
train, meet me Fenchurch Street, eleven thirty. Important. -
MAUDE.'
'To Owen, 14 Shirley Lane, E.C. Will call twelve o'clock.
Important.--MRS. CROSSE.'
So she had opened her campaign.
'By the way, Frank,' said she, as they travelled up together, 'to-
morrow is your birthday.'
'Yes, dear, it is,' he answered lugubriously.
'Dear me! What shall I give my boy for a birthday present? Nothing
you particularly want?'
'I have all I want,' said he, looking at her.
'Oh, but I think I could find something. I must look round when I am
in town.'
She began her looking round by a visit to her father in Fenchurch
Street. It was something new for him to get telegrams from Maude
upon business, and he was very much surprised.
'Looking remarkably well, my dear. Your appearance is a certificate
of character to your husband. Well, and how is all at Woking? I
hope the second cook proved to be a success.'
But Maude was not there for small talk. 'Dear dad,' said she, 'I
want you to stand by me, for I am in trouble. Now, my dear good dad,
please see things from my point of view, and don't make objections,
and do exactly what I ask you.' She threw her arms round his neck
and gave him a hearty squeeze.
'Now I call that exerting undue pressure,' said he, extricating his
white head. 'If this sort of thing is allowed in the city of London,
there is an end of all business.' However, his eyes twinkled and
looked as if he liked it. 'Now madame, what can I do for you?'
'I'm going to be perfectly business-like,' said she, and gave him
another squeeze before sitting down. 'Look here, dad. You give me
an income of fifty pounds a year, don't you?'
'My dear girl, I can't raise it. Jack's expenses in the Hussars--'
'I don't want you to raise it.'
'What do you want?'
'I seem to remember, dad, that you told me that this fifty pounds was
the interest on a thousand pounds which was invested for me.'
'So it is--five per cent. debentures.'
'Well, dad, if I were content with an income of twenty-five pounds a
year instead of fifty pounds, then I could take five hundred pounds
out of my money, and nobody would be the worse.'
'Except yourself.'
Maude laughed at that.
'I want the use of the money just for one day. I certainly won't
need it all. I just want to feel that I have as much as that in case
I need it. Now, my dear old daddy, do please not ask any questions,
but be very nice and good, and tell me how I can get these five
hundred pounds.'
'And you won't tell me why you want them?'
'I had rather not--but I will if you insist.'
Old Selby looked into the brave, clear eyes of his daughter, and he
did not insist.
'Look here! You've got your own little banking account, have you
not?'
'Yes, dad.'
'That's right. Never mix it up with your husband's.' He scribbled a
cheque. 'Pay that in! It is for five hundred pounds. I will sell
half your debentures and charge you with brokerage. I believe in
strict business between relatives. When you pay back the five
hundred pounds, your allowance will be fifty a year once more.'
Maude then and there endorsed the cheque and posted it to her bank.
Then with a final embrace to her father, she hastened out to further
victories. Jack Selby was smoking a cigarette upon the doorstep.
'Hullo, Maude! Calling up the reserves? What's the matter? Jolly
lucky it wasn't my day on duty. You girls think a soldier has
nothing to do. It was so once, but we are all scientific blokes now.
No, thank you, I won't see the dad! He'd think I had come for money,
and it would upset him for the day.'
Maude took her brother in the cab with her, and told him the whole
story of Frank's misfortune, with some account of her own intentions.
Jack was vastly interested.
'What did dad say about it?'
'I didn't tell him. I thought Frank would rather not.'
'Quite right. He won't mind me. He knows I'm a bit of a business
man myself. Only signed a paper once in my life, and quite a small
paper too, and I haven't heard the last of it yet. The thing wasn't
much bigger than a postcard, but the fuss those people made
afterwards! I suppose they've been worrying Frank.'
'We have had no peace for months.'
'Worry is bad for the young. But he should not mind. He should go
on fizzing like I did. Now we'll put this thing through together,
Maude. I see your line, and I'll ride it with you.'
They found Mr. Owen at home, and Maude did the talking.
'I am convinced, Mr. Owen, that they don't want to go into court.
Mr. Wingfield coming down like that proves it. My husband is too
proud to bargain with them, but I have no scruples. Don't you think
that I might go to Mr. Wingfield myself, and pay the three hundred
and forty pounds, and so have done with the worry for ever?'
'Speaking as a lawyer,' said Owen, 'I think that it is very
irregular. Speaking as a man, I think no harm could come of it. But
I should not like you to offer the whole sum. Simply say that you
are prepared for a reasonable compromise, and ask them to suggest
what is the lowest sum which the office would accept to close the
business.'
'You leave it with me,' said Jack, winking at the lawyer. 'I am
seeing her through. I'll keep her on the rails. I am Number 1,
Class A, at business. We'll take 'em up one link in the curb if they
try any games with us! Come on, Maude, and get it over.'
He was an excellent companion for her, for his buoyancy turned the
whole thing into fun. She could not take it too seriously in his
company. They called at the Hotspur office and asked to see Mr.
Wingfield. He was engaged, but Mr. Waters, the secretary, a very
fat, pompous man, came in to them.
'I am very sorry,' said he, 'very sorry, indeed, Mrs. Crosse, but it
is too late for any compromise of the sort. We have our costs to
consider, and there is no alternative but for the case to go into
court.'
Poor Maude nearly burst into tears.
'But suppose that we were to offer--'
'To give you an hour to think it over,' cried Jack.
Mr. Waters shook, his head despondently.
'I do not think that we should alter our decision. However, Mr.
Wingfield will be here presently, and he will, of course, listen to
any representations which you may have to make. In the meantime you
must excuse me, as I have matters of importance to attend to.'
'Why, Maude, you little Juggins,' cried Jack, when the door was shut,
'you were just going to offer to pay their costs. I only just headed
you off in time.'
'Well, I was going to inquire about it.'
'Great Scot, it's lucky you've got a business man at your elbow. I
couldn't stand that chap at any price. A bit too hairy in the
fetlocks for my taste. Couldn't you see that he was only bluffing?'
'How do you know, Jack?'
'It was shining all over him. Do you suppose a man has bought as
many hairies as I have, and can't tell when a dealer is bluffing? He
was piling it on so that when the next Christmas-tree comes along, he
may find a soft job waiting for him. I tell you you want a friendly
native, like me, when you get into this kind of country. Now ride
this one on the curb, and don't let him have his head for a moment.'
Mr. Wingfield had entered, and his manner was very different to that
of the secretary. He had great sympathy with the Crosses, and no
desire to wash the Company's dirty linen in public. He was,
therefore, more anxious than he dared to show to come to some
arrangement.
'It is rather irregular for me to see you. I should refer you to our
solicitors,' said he.
'Well, we saw you when you came to Woking,' said Maude. 'I believe
that we are much more likely to come to an arrangement if we talk it
over ourselves.'
'I am sure I earnestly hope so,' Wingfield answered. 'I shall be
delighted to listen to anything which you may suggest. Do you, in
the first place, admit your liability?'
'To some extent,' said Maude, 'if the Company will admit that they
are in the wrong also.'
'Well, we may go so far as to say that we wish the books had been
inspected more often, and that we regret our misplaced confidence in
our agent. That should satisfy you, Mrs. Crosse. And now that you
admit SOME liability, that is a great step in advance. We have no
desire to be unreasonable, but as long as no liability was admitted,
we had no course open to us but litigation. We now come to the
crucial point, which is, how much liability should fall upon you. My
own idea is, that each should pay their own costs, and that you
should, in addition, pay over to the Company--'
'Forty pounds,' said Jack firmly.
Maude expected Mr. Wingfield to rise up and leave the room. As he
did not do so, nor show any signs of violence, she said, 'Yes, forty
pounds.'
He shook his head.
'Dear me, Mrs. Crosse, this is a very small sum.'
'Forty pounds is our offer,' said Jack.
'But on what is this offer based?'
'We have worked it out,' said Jack, 'and we find that forty pounds is
right.'
Mr. Wingfield rose from his chair.
'Well,' said he, 'of course any offer is better than no offer. I
cannot say what view the directors may take of this proposal, but
they will hold a board meeting this afternoon, and I will lay it
before them.'
'And when shall we know?'
'I could send you round a line by hand to your solicitor.'
'No hurry about it! Quite at your own convenience!' said Jack. When
he got outside, in the privacy of their hansom, he was convulsed with
the sense of his own achievements.
'Class A, Number 1, and mentioned at the Agricultural Hall,' he
cried, hugging himself in his delight. His sister hugged him also,
so he was a much-embraced young man. 'Am I not a man of business,
Maude? You can't buy 'em--you must breed 'em. One shilling with the
basket. I shook him in the first round, and he never rallied after.'
'You are a dear good boy. You did splendidly.'
'That's the way to handle 'em. He saw that I was a real fizzer and
full of blood. One business man can tell another at a glance.'
Maude laughed, for Jack, with his cavalry swagger and a white weal
all round his sunburned face to show where his chin-strap hung,
looked the most unbusiness-like of mortals.
'Why did you offer forty pounds?' she asked.
'Well, you have to begin somewhere.'
'But why forty?'
'Because it is what we offer when we are buying the hairies--
trooper's chargers, you know. It's a great thing to have a fixed
rule in business. I never go higher than forty--rule one, section
one, and no exceptions in the margin.'
They lunched together at the Holborn, and Jack took Maude afterwards
to what he called 'a real instructive show,' which proved to be a
horse-sale at Tattersall's. They then drove back to the lawyer's,
and there they found a letter waiting addressed to Mrs. Crosse.
Maude tore it open.
'Dear Mrs. Crosse,' said this delightful note, 'I am happy to be able
to inform you that the directors have decided to stop the legal
proceedings, and to accept your offer of forty pounds in full
satisfaction of all claims due against your husband.'
Maude, Jack, and the good Owen performed a triumphant pas de trois.
'You have done splendidly, Mrs. Crosse, splendidly!' cried Owen. 'I
never heard a better day's work in my life. Now, if you will give me
your cheque and wait here, I will go over and settle everything.'
'And please bring the bond back with you,' said Maude.
So it was that Frank, coming down upon the morning of his birthday,
perceived a pretty silver cigarette-box laid in front of his plate.
'Is this for me, my darling?'
'Yes, Frank, a wee present from your wife.'
'How sweet of you! I never saw such a lovely case. Why, there's
something inside it.'
'Cigarettes, I suppose.
'No, it is a paper of some kind. "Hotspur Insurance Company." Good
Lord, I never seem for one instant to be able to shake that infernal
thing off! How on earth did it get in there? What's this?--"I
hereby guarantee to you--" What's this? Maude, Maude, what have you
been doing?'
'Dear old boy,' she cried, as she put her arms round him. 'Dear old
boy! Oh, I DO feel so happy!'
