LITERATURE

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5550, 23 February 1886, Page 1

LITERATURE

A LIFE ASSUEANCE MYSTERY. [By thb Author of " Cagimg an Heiress."] Ch&pter I. M. and M. A dapper little man is Mr Daniel Dancey. "When perpendicular the top of his head is barely five feet nothing nearer the sky than the soles of his feet. He is a specimen of diminutive humanity with a male corset sort of figure. Imposing chest, slender waist, and military back. Thin lips, glittering teeth, eyebrows, hair, and ■whiskers ebony black, and eyes dark blue. Mr Dancey'B clotheß are conspicuously brand new. The creaseless trousers repose •n snowy gaitera. The speckless coat has a costly fur collar, and peeping out of the breaßt pocket is a blush-rose tint silk liandkerchief. Boots resplendent, and a glossy hat. A large diamond twinkles in his glazed Bhirt-front j and betwixt buttonhole and pocket of waistcoat hangs a massive gold chain. A very much dressed and decorated litTle man is Mr Daniel Dancey. He enters the clerks' office of Mr Manferry, who is one of the legal lights of Gray's Inn. The youth who works the copyingpress, keeps tho call book, posts letters, and is addicted to munching apples, wrote the name of Mr Dancey on a slip of paper, geatly assaulted an inner door with his knuckles, disappeared and re-appeared, and imformed the caller that Mr Manferry would be disengaged in a few minutes. Did anyone ever, at any hour, call on a solicitor or on a dentist and find him disengaged ? However, Mr Dancey was not kept long waiting, for, before he could have twice counted the deed- boxes piled on the shelves and ere the general utility youth had come to the core of his second afternoon apple, there was the sound of a bell, and he was conducted into the presence of the great enrolled. Mr Manferry continued writing for afew seconds, then stuck a glass in his right eye, surveyed his visitor, and waved him to a seat. He took up a slip of paper, glanced at it; and said:— "Mr Daniel Dancey ? Good. You sent me a note of introduction from Mr Hoole ? " " Yes ; I met him at Chicago. He said if I wanted a lawyer I could not do better than come to you." " Good. And how is my old client faring in America ?" ** Oh ! heaping it up night and day, and day and night, including Sundays. He is .partner in a factory where they have a proceß3 for claying pork." " Claying pork ! I have heard of clayed oalico, but never before of clayed meat." "It is a new process. It increases the weight of the pork, without spoiling the flavour. It is wholesome and nutritious. What is ingat ? Why, it comes from the aarth, and is a form of earth, and the clay mixed with the pork ißonly earth chemically converted into an eatable condition." "Goodj but I prefer the process of Nature. Well, Mr Dancey, you wish to consult me ? " " Yea ; I want to borrow ten thousand pounds." "That can be done without difficulty, provided the security is sound and equivalent, for among capitalists pocket congestion is just bow a prevailing complaint. Is it on mortgage that you propose to raise the money ?" "I had better explain my position to you, Mr Manferry. My father made a peculiar will. He died worth fifty thousand pounds in land and houseß in Chicago. I, the only child, was to have six hundred pounds a year after twentyone, and if I lived till my thirtieth birthday, the property was to be mine. If I died before thirty, the property was to go to the eldest cousin. lam only twentyeight, and so the property is hot exactly mine to mortgage." " A peculiar will, Mr Dancey. 1 suppose your father was of opinion that a man should not be trusted with a fortune until he iB old enough to be a bishop." .*' That was hiß view j but I think he was wrong. A man is never too young to be a. rogue, or too old to be a fool." "Just so, Mr Dancey. Well, though a contingent reversion is not in itself a valid security, the defect can be remedied by life assurance. But lam afraid in your case I shall not be able to assist you. My clients would generally object to a mortgage on foreign property." "Then I shall have to submit to extortionate demands. Mr Jabez Skingle will lend me the money, but I must pay him eight per cent, insure my life for .£12,000 .and pay the two years' premium down. Did you ever hear of such terms ?" " The eight per cent is heavy, butlenders always open their mouths wonderfully wide when the security is not quite of an ordinary character. He asks three per cent above the usual figure, and the extra. J52000 life policy is to cover the risk of non-payment of inteiest." " The premium for the fixed period will come to nearly JB3OO, and the interest to J61600. That is about .£I9OO for the use of jEIO,OOO for two years. It iB awful. And you do not think I can got better termß ? " " I do not, and unless you have an urgent and profitable use for tho money it would be better not to borrow." " But I must have the money. I want to marry Miss Eteie Nepicar, and old Nepicar will not consent unless I get .£IO,OOO in hard cash and settle it on her." " Ah, Mr Dancey, the M. and M. are so often allied. Marriage and money. The first M. easy to get and hard to get rid of. The second M. hard to get and easy to loose." " But marriage with such a girl as Miss Elsie Nepicar is not an easy achievement." " Will not the lady wait until you come into the property ? " " Waiting would be risky. Old Nepicar lias been a bar-keeper in the West, and had a lucky hit in mining, and his pile ia over a hundred thousand pounds, and the lot will come to Elßie when he goes the underground journey. And that will be soon ; for he has had a tearing life and the doctors cannot do much more patching. They are in Paris now, old Nepicar and Elaie, and the men are trying to land her. Ah, waiting would be very risky." " If you do not care to incur the risk of waiting it will, I think, be prudent ; to accept the offer of Mr Skingle. Besides it will not be a loss of JBI9OO since the money you borrow will be invested." "It may bring in four per cent, that is JBBOO in the two years. But that will go to tho wife, and Miss Nepicar knows how to spend all she gets. However, if it cannot be done more cheaply Skingle must have hia terms. Will you see him and try to get Jiim to take six or even seven per cent ?" " I am Bure it will be a vain effort." " But yon will act for me, and I will refer him to you. If you can get a little off, do ; but there must bo no delay. Old Nepicar iB in a hurry to get home. He is always in a hurry to be a long way from where he is. I would rather not have to travel thousands of miles after Elsie. Be*Mes, as I havo said, delay is dangerous." | Mr Dancey produced a pocket-book, and took from it two JJIO notes, which he placed j before Mr Manforry. ! " That will do for payment on account, I suppose ? You can have more if you want it." i " Payment before work is hardly neces- i sary in this case." " But lam a cash-on-the-nail party. I never trust, and don't expect to bo trusted. ! * Every man is a roguo when ho has the ' ' chance/ was my father's maxim, and I act ! aipon it." When Mr Dancey departed, Mr Manferry '

wrote on the back of the notes, " Prom Dan Dahcey," and then called in his managing clerk. " By the way, Snacktip, do you remember Hoole— Harry Hoole, I think ?" "Certainly, sir. We acted for him in the sale of some Essex property." " Good. A very respectable man. Eh, Snacktip ?" " Certainly sir. "Well connected. Went to America to buy land. A man of means, sir." " I have a note from him, introducing Mr Daniel Dancey, who is borrowing ten thousand pounds, and we are to act for him. Credit him with these notes on account of costs. Make a mem. of the introduction. Write to Mr Jabez Skingle at Brighton— here is the address — and say that we shall be happy to communicate with his solicitor in respect to the proposed loan to Mr Daniel Dancey. I will add a postscript suggesting one per cent less, which will be a waste of ink, to oblige our client." " And the clients have to pay for the ink they instruct us to waste." " Good ! And then, Snacktip, some of them grumble that bills of costs are long." Two days afterwards Mr Jabez Skingle called on Mr Manferry. " Got your note about the Dancey loan. Knew he would come to my terms. No great haul. But it is safe." " Mr Dancey thinks that 7 or even 6 per cent would be enough." " Not enough for Jabez Skingle. Told him so a month ago. Blame your client for fooling us. Day, day, sir." Mr Skingle is, a stout, middle-aged man, with rather a florid complexion and reddish whiskers and beard. He wears spectacles, and when he speaks he shows a set of very irregular teeth in various stages of decay. Stout, but nimble, for ere Mr Manferry could speak he had popped up from his chair, popped on his hat, and had his hand on the handle of the door. " Stop, Mr Skingle. My client did not authorise me to reject your terms, but merely to propose a modification." "Any more of his silly shilly shally and I'll put it up to nine, or cry off. If the Griffin will take his life for twelve thou., I am ready when the deeds are ditto. He's to prepare them and pay costs." "So I understand. The life policy is the first thing to be settled. He tells me the two years* assurance will cost him about JE300." " Nearer four nought nought. He wants to tray., which swells the prem." Mr Skingle is not only a man of few words, but he also frequently clips off concluding syllables. "That will bring up the total cost of the two years' loan to .£2000." " Ten per arm. Bank rate don't go on contin. reversions to foreign prop. Dare say you think your client a fool." " Not at all, Mr Skingle. My client has a very special use for the money he proposes to borrow." "To marry Els. Nepicar. A gem. Would marry her myself, only there i 3 a Mrs Jabez Skingle. We have been sep. for years, but while she lives I can't ring another female." " Miss Nepicar is an heiress as well as a gem." "That is Dancey's idea. He's wrong. Told him so. Nepicar won't leave a thou. dollars behind him. Brought his d. to Europe to work her off as an heiress. There's a lot of sham 'merican heiresses in the market. But Els. is a gem. Delicious fig. Gold hair. Pearly biters. Eyes melters. Peculiar too. An odd pair of optics. One sky-blue and the other seablue. Effect magnif. I'd have her if there was not a Mrs Skingle." " And as the lady cannot be Mrs Skingle, you generously assist my client to make her Mrs Dancey." " Tes, very generous. Only 8 per cent. If his life is taken, send draft deed to me." " It would be better to send it to your solicitor." ■" Brotherly professional principle. Always try for two sola. Ak^for bar. as well as sol. Stale bait don't catch Jabez Skingle." " Very well, sir. But distinctly understand I am not acting for you, but only for my client, Mr Daniel Dancey." " Bight. Know the business as well as any lawyer. Also know the prop, in Chicago. Aleo made sure there's no charge on it. Jabez Skingle can take care of self." He was about to leave the room when he turned round and said — "If you can get giblets ont of Griffin, do. I shan't." " Giblets ! " "Commission. Think I'd better not, being particularly interested in the pol. So you are welcome." After .making inquiries, the Griffin Office agreed to grant the policy on condition that the medical report was thoroughly satisfactory. The medical officer of the Griffin, having made a careful examination of Mr Dancey, said to him: — " You are acquitted. My report will be that yours is a Bound life." "It has occurred to me, Doctor, that I ought perhaps to mention to you an accident that happened to me many years ago." " Certainly. " What was it ? " " A heavy weight fell on my right foot, and my little toe was amputated." " Has it affected the use of your foot ? Let me look at it." Mr Dancey took off his boot and stocking ; and the Doctor examined the foot. "Tho logs of your little toe does not affect your health, and only saves you from the plague of a little toe corn, but it was right to mention it to me." (To be continued.)