Capitalists and financiers -- Fiction; Commercial crimes -- Fiction; London (England) -- Fiction; Mate selection -- Fiction; Satire
"Not a shilling of any kind. As far as money is concerned my only
transaction has been my part of the expense of Fisker's dinner."
"What do you get then, by going into the city?" asked Sir Felix.
"I'm blessed if I know what I get. I suppose something will turn up
some day."
"In the meantime, you know, there are our names. And Grendall is
making a fortune out of it."
"Poor old duffer," said his lordship. "If he's doing so well, I think
Miles ought to be made to pay up something of what he owes. I think
we ought to tell him that we shall expect him to have the money ready
when that bill of Vossner's comes round."
"Yes, by George; let's tell him that. Will you do it?"
"Not that it will be the least good. It would be quite unnatural to
him to pay anything."
"Fellows used to pay their gambling debts," said Sir Felix, who was
still in funds, and who still held a considerable assortment of I. O.
U.'s.
"They don't now,--unless they like it. How did a fellow manage
before, if he hadn't got it?"
"He went smash," said Sir Felix, "and disappeared and was never heard
of any more. It was just the same as if he'd been found cheating. I
believe a fellow might cheat now and nobody'd say anything!"
"I shouldn't," said Lord Nidderdale. "What's the use of being beastly
ill-natured? I'm not very good at saying my prayers, but I do think
there's something in that bit about forgiving people. Of course
cheating isn't very nice: and it isn't very nice for a fellow to play
when he knows he can't pay; but I don't know that it's worse than
getting drunk like Dolly Longestaffe, or quarrelling with everybody
as Grasslough does,--or trying to marry some poor devil of a girl
merely because she's got money. I believe in living in glass houses,
but I don't believe in throwing stones. Do you ever read the Bible,
Carbury?"
"Read the Bible! Well;--yes;--no;--that is, I suppose, I used to do."
"I often think I shouldn't have been the first to pick up a stone and
pitch it at that woman. Live and let live;--that's my motto."
"But you agree that we ought to do something about these shares?"
said Sir Felix, thinking that this doctrine of forgiveness might be
carried too far.
"Oh, certainly. I'll let old Grendall live with all my heart; but
then he ought to let me live too. Only, who's to bell the cat?"
"What cat?"
"It's no good our going to old Grendall," said Lord Nidderdale, who
had some understanding in the matter, "nor yet to young Grendall. The
one would only grunt and say nothing, and the other would tell every
lie that came into his head. The cat in this matter I take to be our
great master, Augustus Melmotte."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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