Whatever suspicions he might entertain concerning Mr. Black’s immaculate honesty, he did not again take Arthur into his confidence, but left the secretary in undisturbed enjoyment of his office, where he had at least the variety of seeing the ship containing his fortunes sink a little lower, week by week. But trade was bad with every one—so Mr. Black declared—so even Mr. Raidsford stated on one occasion, when he and Arthur, meeting in Lombard Street, the pair commenced singing a mutual Jeremiad over the state of things in the City. “There is a general distrust,” remarked the contractor, “for which I am quite at a loss to account, and a pressure for money, even upon good houses, which is unprecedented, at all events, in my experience. No doubt, as the spring advances, business will improve, and I most sincerely hope your shares may then feel the effect of greater commercial confidence.” All of which was said in the City oracle style, which, unwittingly, perhaps, Mr. Raidsford had contracted, and which impressed country people with the idea that he was a power in the state—a man who had risen quite as much by talent as by industry; and yet, spite of his mode of settling everything which was to occur in the future, Mr. Raidsford was more humble on that occasion than Arthur had ever before seen him. He had less of the “I am the people, and wisdom shall die with me” manner, which had often angered the Squire in days gone by, than formerly; indeed, if such an expression be not out of place in speaking of so great a man, his tone was almost humble; and while he sympathised heartily with Arthur’s anxiety, he forbore reading him a lecture on the instability of all human companies, and did not, even from the heights of his own superior position, look down and say—“I told you how it would be. I, of course, who always see what is going to occur, told you;—don’t blame me.” No, instead of this, he remarked, “it was a wonder the ‘Protector’ did not succeed, since the Company’s bread was so good, and people must eat, you know.” He added, “Certainly, however, a company, like an individual, adopting, and strictly adhering to, the system of ready cash, must be prepared to stand a considerable amount of knocking about at first; but I do hope things will brighten with you after a little—I really do;” having finished which speech, Mr. Raidsford went his way, and Arthur proceeded on his, thinking he liked the contractor better during that interview than he had ever done before, and regretting to see his former neighbour looking so thin, and anxious, and careworn.