CHAPTER XXXIII.
THE time until six o’clock, the meeting-hour of the Board, was not spent by Mr. Markland in solitary thought. He visited, during that period, three of the principal men interested in the business, and gleaned from them their views in regard to the late startling intelligence. Most of them seemed utterly confounded, and no two had arrived at the same conclusion as to what was best to be done. Nearly all were inclined to credit fully the report of Lyon’s having failed to pay the last three instalments on the Company’s land, and they denounced him bitterly. These conferences had the effect of extinguishing all hope in the breast of Mr. Markland. Even if the half of what he feared were true, he was hopelessly ruined.
At the hour of meeting, Markland assembled with the New York members of the Company, and two from Boston, who had been summoned on the day previous by telegraph. The last communications received by Mr. Fenwick were again read, and the intelligence they brought discussed with more of passion than judgment. Some proposed deferring all action until further news came; while others were for sending out an agent, with full powers, immediately. To this latter view the majority inclined. “If it be true,” suggested Markland, “that the—Government has threatened to seize upon our property if the three instalments were not paid on the first of the present month, every thing may now be in its hands.”
“Lyon would hardly let it come to that,” said another, “He has in his possession the means of preventing such a catastrophe, by paying over one of the instalments, and thus gaining time.”
“Time for what?” was asked. “If he mean to enrich himself at our expense, he can do it best now. He is too shrewd not to understand that; if a question of his integrity arises, his further power to reach our funds is gone.”
“But he does not know that we have information of the unpaid instalments.”
“And that information may come from one who has an interest in ruining him,” said another.
“You may think so, gentlemen,” said Mr. Fenwick, coolly, “but I will stake my life on the unwavering faith of my correspondent in all he alleges. Moreover, he is not the man to make a communication of such serious import lightly. He knows the facts, or he would not affirm them. My advice is to send out an agent immediately.”
“For what purpose?” was inquired.
“To ascertain the true position of affairs; and if our property have really been seized by the—Government, to take steps for its release.”
“More funds will be required,” said one of the Company.
“We cannot, of course, send out an agent empty-handed,” was replied.
“Depletion must stop, so far as I am concerned,” was the firm response of one individual. “I will throw no more good money after bad. If you send out an agent, gentlemen, don’t call on me to bear a part of the expense.”
“You are not, surely, prepared to abandon every thing at this point,” said another.
“I am prepared to wait for further news, before I let one more dollar leave my pocket; and I will wait,” was answered.
“And so will I,” added another.
Two parties were gradually formed; one in favour of sending out an agent forthwith, and the other decided in their purpose not to risk another dollar until more certain information was received. This was the aspect of affairs when the Board adjourned to meet again on the next evening.
The result of this conference tended in no degree to calm the fears of Mr. Markland. How gladly would he now give up all interest in the splendid enterprise which had so captivated his imagination, if he could do so at the expense of one-half of his fortune!
“If I could save only a small part of the wreck!” he said to himself, as he paced the floor of his room at the hotel. It was far past the hour of midnight, but no sleep weighed upon his eyelids. “Even sufficient,” he added, in a sad voice, “to keep in possession our beautiful home. As for myself, I can go back into busy life again. I am yet in the prime of manhood, and can tread safely and successfully the old and yet unforgotten ways to prosperity. Toil will be nothing to me, so the home-nest remain undisturbed, and my beloved ones suffer not through my blindness and folly.”
A new thought came into his mind. His investments in the enterprise, now in such jeopardy, reached the sum of nearly one hundred thousand dollars. The greater part of this had been actually paid in. His notes and endorsements made up the balance.
“I will sell out for twenty-five cents in the dollar,” said he.
There was a feeble ray of light in his mind, as the thought of selling out his entire interest in the business, at a most desperate sacrifice, grew more and more distinct. One or two members of the Board of Direction had, during the evening’s discussion, expressed strong doubts as to the truth of the charge brought against Mr. Lyon. The flooding of the shaft was not, they thought, unlikely, and it might, seriously delay operations; but they were unwilling to believe affairs to be in the hopeless condition some were disposed to think. Here was a straw at which the drowning man caught. He would call upon one of these individuals in the morning, and offer his whole interest at a tempting reduction. Relieved at this thought, Mr. Markland could retire for the night; and he even slept soundly. On awaking in the morning, the conclusion of the previous night was reviewed. There were some natural regrets at the thought of giving up, by a single act, three-fourths of his whole fortune; but, like the mariner whose ship was sinking, there was no time to hesitate on the question of sacrificing the rich cargo.
“Yes—yes,” he said within himself, “I will be content with certainty. Suspense like the present is not to be endured.”
And so he made preparations to call upon a certain broker in Wall street, who had expressed most confidence in Lyon, and offer to sell him out his whole interest. He had taken breakfast, and was about leaving the hotel, when, in passing the reading-room, it occurred to him to glance over the morning papers. So he stepped in for that purpose.
Almost the first thing that arrested his attention was the announcement of an arrival, and news from Central America. “BURSTING OF A MAGNIFICENT BUBBLE—FLIGHT OF A DEFAULTING AGENT.”—were the next words that startled him. He read on:
“The Government of—has seized upon all that immense tract of land, reported to be so rich in mineral wealth, which was granted some two years ago to the—Company. A confidential agent of this company, to whom, it is reported, immense sums of money were intrusted, and who failed to pay over the amounts due on the purchase, has disappeared, and, it is thought, passed over to the Pacific. He is believed to have defrauded the company out of nearly half a million of dollars.”
“So dies a splendid scheme,” was the editorial remark in the New York paper. “Certain parties in this city are largely interested in the Company, and have made investments of several hundred thousand dollars. More than one of these, it is thought, will be ruined by the catastrophe. Another lesson to the too eager and over-credulous money-seeker! They will not receive a very large share of public sympathy.”
Mr. Markland read to the end, and then staggered back into a chair, where he remained for many minutes, before he had the will or strength to rise. He then went forth hastily, and repaired to the office of Mr. Fenwick. Several members of the Company, who had seen the announcement in the morning papers, were there, some pale with consternation, and some strongly excited. The agent had not yet arrived. The clerk in the office could answer no questions satisfactorily. He had not seen Mr. Fenwick since the evening previous.
“Have his letters yet arrived?” was inquired by one.
“He always takes them from the post-office himself,” answered the clerk.
“What is his usual hour for coming to his office in the morning?”
“He is generally here by this time—often much earlier.”