The old Indian officer who was drowned, as we have seen, in the wreck1 of the Swordfish, was in no way connected with Mr John Webster. In fact, the latter gentleman read his name in the list of those lost with feelings of comparative indifference2. He was “very sorry indeed,” as he himself expressed it, that so many human beings had been swept off the stage of time by that “unfortunate wreck,” but it did not add to his sorrow that an old gentleman, whom he had never seen or heard of before, was numbered with the drowned. Had he foreseen the influence that the death of that old officer was to have on his own fortunes, he might have looked a little more anxiously at the announcement of it. But Colonel Green—that was his name—was nothing to John Webster. What mattered his death or life to him? He was, no doubt, a rich old fellow, who had lived in the East Indies when things were conducted in a rather loose style, and when unscrupulous men in power had opportunities of feathering their nests well; but even although that was true it mattered not, for all Colonel Green’s fortune, if thrown into the pile or taken from it, would scarcely have made an appreciable3 difference in the wealth of the great firm of Webster and Company. Not that “Company” had anything to do with it, for there was no Company. There had been one once, but he had long ago passed into the realms where gold has no value.
There was, however, a very large and important firm in Liverpool which was deeply interested in the life of Colonel Green, for he had long been a sleeping partner of the firm, and had, during a course of years, become so deeply indebted to it that the other partners were beginning to feel uneasy about him. Messrs Wentworth and Hodge would have given a good deal to have got rid of their sleeping partner, but Colonel Green cared not a straw for Wentworth, nor a fig4 for Hodge, so he went on in his own way until the Swordfish was wrecked5, when he went the way of all flesh, and Wentworth and Hodge discovered that, whatever riches he, Colonel Green, might at one time have possessed6, he left nothing behind him except a number of heavy debts.
This was serious, because the firm had been rather infirm for some years past, and the consequences of the colonel’s death were, that it became still more shaky, and finally came down. Now, it is a well understood fact that men cannot fall alone. You cannot remove a small prop7 from a large old tree without running the risk of causing the old tree to fall and carry a few of the neighbouring trees, with a host of branches, creeping plants, and parasites8, along with it. Especially is this the case in the mercantile world. The death of Colonel Green was a calamity9 only to a few tradesmen, but the fall of Wentworth and Company was a much more serious matter, because that firm was an important prop to the much greater firm of Dalgetty and Son, which immediately shook in its shoes, and also went down, spreading ruin and consternation10 in the city. Now, it happened that Dalgetty and Son had extensive dealings with Webster and Company, and their fall involved the latter so deeply, that, despite their great wealth, their idolatrous head was compelled to puzzle his brain considerably12 in order to see his way out of his difficulties.
But the more he looked, the less he saw of a favourable13 nature. Some of his evil practices also had of late begun to shed their legitimate14 fruit on John Webster, and to teach him something of the meaning of those words, “Be sure your sins shall find you out.” This complicated matters considerably. He consulted his cash-books, bank-books, bill-books, sales-books, order-books, ledgers15, etcetera, etcetera, again and again, for hours at a time, without arriving at any satisfactory result. He went to his diminutive16 office early in the morning, and sat there late at night; and did not, by so doing, improve his finances a whit17, although he succeeded in materially injuring his health. He worried the life of poor meek18 Grinder to such an extent that that unfortunate man went home one night and told his wife he meant to commit suicide, begged her to go out and purchase a quart of laudanum for that purpose at the fishmonger’s, and was not finally induced to give up, or at least to delay, his rash purpose, until he had swallowed a tumbler of mulled port wine and gone to sleep with a bottle of hot water at his feet! In short, Mr Webster did all that it was possible for a man to do in order to retrieve19 his fortunes—all except pray, and commit his affairs into the hands of his Maker20; that he held to be utterly21 ridiculous. To make use of God’s winds, and waves, and natural laws, and the physical and mental powers which had been given him, for the furtherance of his designs, was quite natural, he said; but to make use of God’s word and His promises—tut! tut! he said, that was foolishness.
However that may be, the end was, that Webster and Company became very shaky. They did not, indeed, go into the Gazette, but they got into very deep water; and the principal, ere long, having overwrought all his powers, was stricken with a raging fever.
It was then that John Webster found his god to be anything but a comforter, for it sat upon him like a nightmare; and poor Annie, who, assisted by Mrs Niven, was his constant and devoted22 nurse, was horrified23 by the terrible forms in which the golden idol11 assailed24 him. That fever became to him the philosopher’s stone. Everything was transmuted25 by it into gold. The counting of guineas was the poor man’s sole occupation from morning till night, and the numbers to which he attained26 were sometimes quite bewildering; but he invariably lost the thread at a certain point, and, with a weary sigh, began over again at the beginning. The bed curtains became golden tissue, the quilt golden filigree27, the posts golden masts and yards and bowsprits, which now receded28 from him to immeasurable distance, and anon advanced, until he cried out and put up his hands to shield his face from harm; but, whether they advanced or retired29, they invariably ended by being wrecked, and he was left in the raging sea surrounded by drowning men, with whom he grappled and fought like a demon30, insomuch that it was found necessary at one time to have a strong man in an adjoining room, to be ready to come in when summoned, and hold him down. Gold, gold, gold was the subject of his thoughts—the theme of his ravings—at that time. He must have read, at some period of his life, and been much impressed by, Hood’s celebrated31 poem on that subject, for he was constantly quoting scraps32 of it.
“Why don’t you help me?” he would cry at times, turning fiercely to his daughter. “How can I remember it if I am not helped? I have counted it all up—one, two, three, on to millions, and billions, and trillions of gold, gold, gold, hammered and rolled, bought and sold, scattered33 and doled—there, I’ve lost it again! You are constantly setting me wrong. All the things about me are gold, and the very food you gave me yesterday was gold. Oh! how sick I am of this gold! Why don’t you take it away from me?”
And then he would fall into some other train of thought, in which his god, as before, would take the reins34 and drive him on, ever in the same direction.
At last the crisis of the disease came and passed, and John Webster began slowly to recover. And it was now that he formed a somewhat true estimate of the marketable value of his daughter Annie, inasmuch as he came at length to the conclusion that she was priceless, and that he would not agree to sell her for any sum that could be named!
During this period of convalescence35, Annie’s patience, gentleness, and powers of endurance were severely36 tried, and not found wanting. The result was that the conscience of the invalid37 began to awake and smite38 him; then his heart began to melt, and, ere long, became knit to that of his child, while she sought to relieve his pains and cheer his spirits she chatted, played, sang, and read to him. Among other books she read the Bible. At first Mr Webster objected to this, on the ground that he did not care for it; but, seeing that Annie was much pained by his refusal, he consented to permit her to read a few verses to him daily. He always listened to them with his eyes shut, but never by look or comment gave the least sign that they made any impression on him.
During the whole period of Mr Webster’s illness and convalescence, Captain Harry39 Boyns found it convenient to have much business to transact40 in Liverpool, and he was extremely regular in his calls to inquire after the health of his late employer. This was very kind of him, considering the way in which he had been treated! Sometimes on these visits he saw Annie, sometimes he saw Mrs Niven—according as the one or other chanced to be on duty at the time; but, although he was never permitted to do more than exchange a few sentences with either of them, the most careless observer could have told, on each occasion, which he had seen, for he always left the door with a lengthened41 face and slow step when he had seen Mrs Niven: but ran down the steps with a flushed countenance42 and sparkling eyes when he had met with Annie!
At last Mr Webster was so much restored that his doctor gave him leave to pay a short visit to his counting-room in the city.
How strangely Mr Webster felt, after his long absence, when he entered once more the temple of his god, and sat down in his old chair. Everything looked so familiar, yet so strange! There were, indeed, the old objects, but not the old arrangements, for advantage had been taken of his absence to have the office “thoroughly cleaned!” There was the same air of quiet, too, and seclusion43; but the smells were not so musty as they used to be, and there was something terribly unbusinesslike in the locked desk and the shut books and the utter absence of papers. The portrait of his deceased wife’s father was there, however, as grim, silent, and steadfast44 in its gaze as ever, so Mr Webster smiled, nodded to it, and rang a hand-bell for his confidential45 clerk, who entered instantly, having been stationed at the back of the door for full ten minutes in expectation of the summons.
“Good morning, Mr Grinder. I have been ill, you see. Glad to get back, however. How has business been going on in my absence? The doctor forbade my making any inquiries46 while I was ill, so that I have been rather anxious.”
“Yes, sir, I am aware—I—in fact I was anxious to see you several times on business, but could not gain admittance.”
“H’m! not going on so well as might be desired, I suppose,” said Mr Webster.
“Well, not quite; in short, I might even say things are much worse than they were before you took ill, sir; but if a confidential agent were sent to Jamaica to—to—that is, if Messrs Bright and Early were seen by yourself, sir, and some arrangement made, we might—might—go on for some time longer, and if trade revives, I think—”
“So bad as that!” exclaimed Mr Webster, musing47. “Well, well, Grinder, we must do our best to pull through. Are any of our vessels48 getting ready for sea just now?”
“Yes, sir, the Ocean Queen sails for Jamaica about the end of this month.”
“Very well, Grinder, I will go in her. She is one of our best ships, I think. The doctor said something about a short voyage to recruit me, so that’s settled. Bring me writing materials, and send a statement of affairs home to me to-night. I have not yet strength to go into details here.”
Grinder brought the writing materials and retired. His employer wrote several letters; among them one to the doctor, apprising49 him of his intention to go to Jamaica, and another to the captain of the Ocean Queen, giving him the same information, and directing him to fit up the two best berths51 in the cabin for the reception of himself and his daughter, with a berth50 for an old female servant.
Three weeks thereafter he went on board with Annie and Mrs Niven, and the Ocean Queen, spreading her sails, was soon far out upon the broad bosom52 of the restless Atlantic.
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1
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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appreciable
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| adj.明显的，可见的，可估量的，可觉察的 | |
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fig
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| n.无花果(树) | |
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wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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6
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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7
prop
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| vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山 | |
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8
parasites
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| 寄生物( parasite的名词复数 )； 靠他人为生的人； 诸虫 | |
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9
calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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idol
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| n.偶像，红人，宠儿 | |
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12
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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ledgers
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| n.分类账( ledger的名词复数 ) | |
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16
diminutive
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| adj.小巧可爱的，小的 | |
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whit
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| n.一点，丝毫 | |
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meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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19
retrieve
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| vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索 | |
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maker
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| n.制造者，制造商 | |
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21
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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24
assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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transmuted
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| v.使变形，使变质，把…变成…( transmute的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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filigree
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| n.金银丝做的工艺品；v.用金银细丝饰品装饰；用华而不实的饰品装饰；adj.金银细丝工艺的 | |
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28
receded
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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29
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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30
demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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31
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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32
scraps
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| 油渣 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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34
reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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35
convalescence
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| n.病后康复期 | |
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36
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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invalid
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| n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的 | |
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38
smite
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| v.重击；彻底击败；n.打；尝试；一点儿 | |
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39
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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40
transact
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| v.处理；做交易；谈判 | |
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41
lengthened
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| （时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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43
seclusion
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| n.隐遁，隔离 | |
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44
steadfast
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| adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的 | |
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45
confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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46
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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47
musing
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| n. 沉思，冥想 adj. 沉思的, 冥想的 动词muse的现在分词形式 | |
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48
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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49
apprising
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| v.告知，通知( apprise的现在分词 )；评价 | |
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50
berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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51
berths
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| n.（船、列车等的）卧铺( berth的名词复数 )；（船舶的）停泊位或锚位；差事；船台vt.v.停泊( berth的第三人称单数 )；占铺位 | |
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52
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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