by M. P. Shiel
XXX
MR. BEECH
During six weeks Hogarth lived that life of daily passage between KeppelStreet and his office, unknown to the general world, but spreading anoise of rumour through certain circles of the business world. All dayin the den the gas-jets brawled upon him, he not for minutes castinga glance, if a clerk brought a caller's name. And here was no novicemodesty in the tackling of affairs; as O'Hara, who would be there, said:"You must have been _born_ in the City; you have the airs, the verytricks, of Threadneedle Street, you--Jew". In a day the prelate countedseven hundred and thirteen telegrams from the Terni Cannon foundry, manya diamond dealer, polisher, cutter, the Vulcan Shipyard of Stettin,the Clydebank, Cramp of Philadelphia, the Russian Finance Minister, SanFrancisco, Lloyd's, metal brokers, the Neva, and one night, the eve ofa dash to Amsterdam, he, with O'Hara, Loveday, and five clerks, satswotting till morning broke, sustained by gin and soda-water. The priestlived with wide eyes at the easy fleetness with which Hogarth rolledoff him the greatest affairs: as when on the day after his return fromHolland he stood, his thumbs in his waistcoat armholes, with quite theright air of serene City-king, his tallness possessing considerablenatural courtliness, and the De Beers' Secretary sat before him, saying,"Well, Mr. Beech, I have spent the morning with your brokers, and havefelt that I must see you personally before calling a meeting. Thisproposition is so tremendous--"
"I only wish I had some time", said Hogarth, "I would invite you to dineupon the matter; but it is really so simple--everything at bottomis merely twice two are four. And you are not obliged to turn overKimberley to me: only, in that case, as I have said, I shall becompelled to flood the market with diamonds as cheap as cat's-eyes--"
When De Beers stared, Hogarth shrugged, saying: "I suppose I mustconvince you--" and, unlocking a safe, he took out an _ecrin_ whichcontained three stones. De Beers appeared to see Titania peering intheir fairy painting.
"Of stones of this water and carating", said Hogarth, "we have twohundred and eleven in the Bank of England, two hundred and thirty-eightin other English and Continental banks, and seventy-five insafe-deposit. The carating of these three is 111-1/2; and in thesixties, such as this one"--he took a stone from among coppers in hispocket--"we have three hundred odd on hand, all flawless, and an equalnumber cutting. When I point out, what you know, that our mine is as yetwithout the delicate plant of Kimberley, the stones being simply pickedfrom the blue-earth by three inexpert friends of the firm on the spot,you will recognize that the wealth of a mine can no further go...."
He was rid of the visitor within six minutes, and within three weeks,by knack and organization, had gathered into his hands most of the reinsnecessary to the control of the world's trade in diamonds.
In an outer room sat O'Hara, writing, reading Theocritus, or a littlebook on mediaeval embroidery, forefinger on cheek; and anon, absolutelywithout motive, he would rise, creep, and peep through a keyhole atHogarth, then on stalking, bowing tiptoe, grinning a rancid grimace ofstealth, get back to his seat, and read--the tutor falling over head andears in love with his pupil: one of those passions that end tragically.
One day, as he so sat, the bell _pinged_, the door opened, and O'Harajumped to find himself face to face with--Frankl, who had come to seethe new diamond king, in the firm belief that Mr. Beech was none otherthan O'Hara; and, "I thought as much!" said he.
"_Sh-h-h_", went O'Hara bitterly--"for God's sake! he is _in there_--!"
"Who is?"
"_Hogarth!_"
"Well, but--"
"Outside--in the passage--"
They stepped out; and Frankl, his eyelids red, said: "I have only thisday crawled from bed with the blow you struck my temple, or I shouldhave had you before this--"
"_Sh-h-h_. Your own fault, sir. _You_ played false first--"
"Played false with my own diamonds? You hand me over this day one-halfthose stones, or I bring a civil action for the whole, hound you tobeggary, and drag you back to your convict-cell where you come from".
"Don't lift your voice, I beg of you. Tut, you rave. You can't bring acivil action against a great millionaire who doesn't care to defend;and as for me, I do assure you, I haven't fifty pounds to-day. _It isHogarth who is Mr. Beech!_"
"_Who?_"--Frankl obtruded a startled ear, frowning his eyes small.
"Hogarth. He has the diamonds back!"
"Which diamonds? How did he get 'em?"
"He is--_in_--_there_: better go and ask him! He got them by blackart--by the aid of the legion of mediaeval witches which wait onhim--_God_ knows how he got them! _You_ gave them to him! _I_ gave themto him! but he's got them--_in--there_! Better go and ask him--don't beafraid--just for the roaring fun of it--"
"Hogarth?"
"Yes--Hogarth, Hogarth".
"Cheated the gallows? And out of prison? And rolling in my wealth, myriches, my diamonds? Oh, no!--is that fair? A dog? Is that how the worldis run? God of Israel!"
"There is this to be said for him: that he _deserves_ to be rich--"
"Who? So you are taking his part now?"
"Tut--!"
"There is no _tut_ about it! You confess that you are nothing more thana penniless hanger-on: well, then, I have _you_! back to prison you gothis hour---!"
O'Hara's cheek trembled; but he said: "A sufficiently vain threat, sir:I am Hogarth's tutor: he won't let me be taken. Don't waste your time,you impotent Jew--"
"Tutor? That's good! What you teaching him?--murder? _outrage?_ He_ought_ to have a tutor, he! That's good! Tutor! Well, suppose I dropa line first post to your nice _pupil_ to let him know that it was his_tutor_ who stole his diamonds--"
At this threat O'Hara felt himself outflanked; and though his eyessurveyed the Jew unflinchingly during a silence, inwardly he hadsuccumbed.
"A man in Hogarth's situation", he slowly said, "is always liableto attack. Why should two sharp old fellows like you and me, whoseinterests are identical, quarrel?"--and instantly Frankl took note ofthat surrender, that weak spot, and knew that the man was his.
"Well", said he, "so true--two old gaol-birds like you and me, eh? Sotrue, so true. But what beats me--who runs Beech's? Hogarth is only ayoung farmer: he can't operate all the big things I hear about this Mr.Beech--"
"Tut, you do not conceive the man as he is at all", said O'Hara:"perhaps you cannot. High finance, the first day he looked into it,ceased to mystify him, for he goes always to the ground of things,touches bottom, where first principles lie, and first principlesare simple as two and two. It was because he had discovered a firstprinciple that he escaped from Colmoor. And he is as nimble as sixtwisting minnows: what you or I learned in a year he learns in an hour,and if he does not know the usual way, not an instant does he hesitateto invent a way. You know about Owthwaite's: how the recent shake-out ofthe market threatened their collapse, like so many others'. Owthwaite's,in fact, had already declared, when Hogarth decided to help them over.And how? Not Bills! He filled up a call-in of two millions and a halfby the India Council, resettled loans and short-discount business,cheapened money, and in twelve hours his _proteges_ were off the rocks.And now I hear--"
"But why not buy a chapel, and preach about him? I hate--"
"Stop! O Lord--he is calling--"
"Here's my card; I want to see you to-night at that address at eight".
And that night at Frankl's town-house in Hanover Square Jew and prelateconferred, O'Hara for some time resisting, but finally again takingsides against his saviour. He disclosed that Hogarth, beyond doubt,kept a few diamonds in a goat-hair trunk in his room--enough to maketwo ordinary fortunes, and also carried two or three, with somehundred-pound notes on his person; and this was made the basis of ascheme for bringing about the arrest of Hogarth, the first step beingto get from Hogarth the sum he carried about him, leaving him in asituation where he would find himself powerless to bribe.
This Frankl undertook; and O'Hara promised to lend Harris, and somefriends of Harris.
Now, during these weeks Hogar
th was living in some fear, haunted byinsecurity and a vision of Colmoor; and, remembering the theft atThring, with a consciousness of Frankl somewhere in him, he went notonly with diamonds on his person, but a revolver as well, and a _punal_of Toledo.
But three evenings after the conference in Hanover Square, he receivedthis letter:
"Dearest Richard:
"It is long since we have met. This is to let you know that I have heardof your getting out, and your coming into great things, which has mademy heart rejoice. I, alas, am just the other way about. I am staying forthe next two days at Woodfield Cottage, Wylie Street, Finchley Road,N. I understand that you are lying low, so better not come to see meperhaps, but send me something.
"Your loving
"Margaret".
And at sight of these words such a whirlwind transacted itself in thebrain of Hogarth, that he hardly awoke to sense till he found himself ina railway compartment, going northward. It was only then that, readingthe letter again, he started.
The handwriting was hers! he was sure. But the words...?
"I, alas, am _just the other way about_"--"better not come to meperhaps, but _send me something_". There was a tone here not incharacter. But her handwriting! This was no forgery. If she had written_from dictation_ that might explain it.
In this uncertainty he left the train, and took cab, scenting troubleahead.
The difficulty was to find Wylie Street, which was a half-built streetof five cottages in a new neighbourhood of brick, and when what wassupposed to be Wylie Street was discovered, the cab had to stop, foracross it lay bricks, hods and barrows in mud. So Hogarth alighted, and,peering, stumbled forward: no lamp; above, a labouring half-moon ridinga sky of clouds, like a poor ship riding the bleak morning after ahurricane, her masts all gone by the board: and Hogarth could justsee that three of the five cottages were roofless brick, the fourthunfinished, so the fifth, alone on the other side, must be--"Woodfield."
"Woodfield" was unlighted: and the moment he ascertained this, he felthimself the victim of a plot; but not all the whispers of prudence couldhold him now from seeing the adventure through. Loudly he flung backthe little gate, with rash precipitancy entered: and as he sprang up thethree steps to ring, he was seized.
They were five, three being big fellows, two masked.
His main sensation was gladness that none, apparently, was a policeman;and he set hilariously to work with his knuckles. This, however, couldnot save, soon he was on his back, striking his head; but when he sawthat the object was to rifle his pockets, letting be, he managed tosteal out the _punal_ from his breast, and presently with a suddenupheaving and scattering rage, was staggering to his legs. Before hecould be stopped, he was making for the gate, but close upon him ran oneof the five--a slim man, masked--who fired Hogarth's own pistol at hislegs, but missed: whereupon, Hogarth, with a backward twist, struck atrandom with the dagger, which entered the man's breast. But at the sametime a whistle shrilled, and from an opposite cottage rushed out at lastwhat he dreaded--three policemen.
These had been placed there on the understanding that it was thitherthat Hogarth would go, the object of the plot being to rifle his pocketsbefore he was officially taken; and it succeeded to the extent that hispockets _were_ rifled: but he knocked down one officer, and dodged theother two, reaching his taxi; and, having previously arranged with thecabman, got off racing.
But the masked man whom he had struck down was Harris, who for weeks layraving in fever--an ill-fated stroke, for Harris had a memory.
As for Hogarth, he rushed home to Keppel Street, hurried down the trunk,and was off to Cheyne Gardens.
"Well", he cried, breaking in upon Loveday, "this phase of our life isup! Look at my clothes: I have had a fight--Frankl, I suppose. I wantedto live a simple life for two years: but they won't let me, you see.Ha!--then the other thing. From this night we bury our identity undermountains of splendour. It is disgusting to me, this life, skulking,thinking to bribe honest men. Meantime, you must find me some room tohide in with the trunk--mustn't stay here to-night. And to-morrow youbuy me a boat to take us off from some point of the coast--Come--"
