John Ingerfield, and Other Stories

in front of which starts-or used to stand-a high flagstaff, at the base of which sits-or used to sit-an elderly female purveyor of pigs' trotters at three-ha'pence apiece, until you come to where a r

ind, you will come to a dingy railed-in churchyard, surrounded on all sides by cheerless, many-peopled houses. Sad-looking little old houses they are, in spite of the tumult of life about their ever open doors. They and the

nd narrow headstone that once was white and straight, not tottering and bent with age as it is now. There is upon this stone a carving in bas-relief, as you will see for yourself if you will make your way to it through the gateway on the opposite side of the square. It repre

(already half obliterated) that I ha

those damp-stained walls, and drop into talk with the old men who on such days sometimes sit, each in his brass-buttoned long brown coat, upo

tell it you have grown tired of all talk, and are not to be roused ever again into t

were interwoven with the woof of their own life. As they talked, faces that I did not see passed by among the crowd and turned and looked at them, and voices that I did not hear spoke to them below the clamour of the

*

the sands of desolate Northumbria, staring landward, his worldly wealth upon his back. This consists of a two-handed battle-axe, value perhaps some forty stycas in the currency of the time. A careful man, with business capabilities, may, however, manipulate a small capital to great advantage. In what would appear, to those accustomed to our slow modern methods, an incredibly short space of time, Inge's two-handed battle-axe has develope

grown or been corrupted to) was a soldier of fortune, and offered his strong arm and his cool head to the highest bidder. They fought for their price, and they took good care that they obtained

d the sleeping spirit of the old Norse Rover stirred in their veins, and the lilt of a wild sea-song they had never heard ke

ised to prove more profitable than violent, the Ingerfields became traders and merchants of grave mien and sober life;

nderstood justice. They have the reputation of having been good husbands, fathers

Captain Ingerfield, returning with much treasure from the West Indies-how acquired it were, perhaps, best not to inquire too closely-is overhauled upon the high seas by King's frigate. Captain of King's frigate sends polite message to Captain Ingerfield reque

tionable person be not at once given up he shall be compelled with much regret to send Ingerfield and his ship to the bottom of the Atlantic. Replies Captain Ingerfield, "That is just what he will have to do before I give up one of my people," and fights the big frigate-fights it so fiercely that after three hours Captain of King's frigate

even money, "that the Wild Goose has flown the seas with her belly full of treasure before now, and will, if it

ose, her last chase ended-down she goes with a plunge, spit foremost with her colours flying; and down with her goes every man left stand

ing more for the getting of money than for the getting of love-loving more the cold grip of gold than the grip of kith or kin, yet bea

ys when George the Third is king, and London is rapidly becoming a city of bright night. Tallow and oil and all materials akin thereto are in ever-growing request, and young John Ingerfield builds himself a larg

y, is practically done; his enterprise is firmly established, and will continue to grow with ever less need of husbandry. It is time for him to think about the secondary business of lif

iffly, but solidly, furnished dining-room, above his counting-house

hall s

r from the odour and touch of oil and tallow. She must be well bred, with a gracious, noble manner, that will charm his guests and reflect honour and cre

and proper that women should be. It will also be well that her disposition be gentle and yielding, but that is of minor importan

is small. Methodically, in thought, he makes the entire round of it, mentally scrutinising every maiden that he knows.

, which he pins for the purpose on the inside of the cover of his desk. He arranges them alphabetically, and when it is as complete as his memory can make

with buzzing contentedly within the most exclusive circles, and concerning whom, seeing that they are neither rare nor rich, nor extraordinarily clever no

and wine between them, John Ingerfield says, thou

going to ge

somewhat less interested in the information than in the delicat

et," is John Ing

glass, not sure whether he is expected

u to find

his glass and stares at

n alarmed tone-"'pon my soul I should; but really don't kn

I wish you'd look out for o

e. "Never thought about 'em in that way before. Daresay I shall come ac

Ingerfield, quietly; "and it's your turn, I think, to

easily. "It was uncommonly good of you. You saved me from ruin,

ntest suspicion of a smile playing round his firm mouth. "The bill falls due at the en

under him, while the Madeira somehow loses

oon as that? The date had

you," says John, the smil

get you to renew it, just for a month or two,-deuced awkward thing, but I'm re

es his friend, "because I am not at all

alarm. "But what am I to

eld shrugs h

ear Jack, that you wo

have to go there who

serious proportions. "But our

ends I would lend three hundred pounds to and make no ef

back that bill with, perhaps, a couple of hundred added. If by the end of next month you have not in

e bottle towards his guest-who, however, contrary to his custo

ious?" he sa

deed, to compensate for the refinery. She must be young and beautiful and charming. I am purely a business man. I want a woman capable of conducting the so

dy of the required qualifications to accept the

d one who will," s

John Ingerfield strolls contemplatively up and down his wharf, for the smell of oil and tallow has g

ys it in the smaller box beside his desk, devoted to more pressing and immediate business. Two days later Cathcart picks his wa

an tell you: sounding suspicious old dowagers, bribing confidential servants, fishing for information among friends of t

asks John, without s

ars in love with her the moment you see her. A l

, signing and folding th

nonsense about her, and the family are poor as church mice. In fact-well, to tell the truth, we have become most

bridegroom, with his peculiar dry smile: "wh

rden," replies the other; "she will be in Lady

the docks to purchase tallow-examines, covertly, the proposed article from the opposite side of the house, and approves her-is introduced to her, and, on closer inspecti

ely graceful, high-bred woman. Her portrait, by Reynolds, still to be seen above the carved wainscoting of one of the old City halls, shows a wonderfully handsome and clever face, but at the same time a wonderfully cold and heartless one. It is the face of a woman half weary of, half sneering at the world.

at the many who remembered opening their eyes and seeing her bending down over them could never re

he was the Anne Singleton of Sir Joshua's portrait, a

bargain, and she accepted it. For all he knew or cared, her attitude towards this subject of marriage was the usual one assumed

founded on good sense,

riment will succeed,"