The Argosy — page 350: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Lady Grace. . 327 looking man. The man had been there for several hours, and had had substantial refreshments served to him more than once. Mr. Fuller was the Dean’s lawyer. ‘The gentleman he had now brought with him was the Dean’s banker, and the man was a sheriff’s officer. ‘The Dean of Denham had been arrested. The Dean of Denham had been personally arrested! Such cala- mities have occurred to divines even higher in the Church than he. As he came up to his door that afternoon, and put his foot upon his door-sill to enter it, he was touched upon the shoulder by the man sitting now in that uneasy chair. ‘The exclusive Dean shrank from the contaminating contact, his haughty pride rose, and he spoke severely. Fellow, what are you doing ?” “The Reverend Ryle Baumgarten, Dean of Denham, I believe. Sir, you are my prisoner.” Staggered, shocked, almost bewildered, he, by some process of persuasion or reasoning, induced the man to enter his house, and wait while he sent for his lawyer. ‘The lawyer came. Arrangement appeared to be hopeless, for the Dean was worse than out of funds, and of revenues to fall back upon he had none. ‘There was a con- sultation. ‘The Dean said, receive the bishops that night, as had been decided, he must; and an awful sickness fell upon him at the prospect of going to prison. Mr. Fuller threw out a word of sugges- tion touching Lord Avon. But Lord Avon, as the Dean knew, had gone to Epsom races; he might not be home till midnight, if then. Mr. Fuller knew the Dean to be a man of honour, whose word was not to be questioned, and he passed it, to go quietly to his destination the following morning, provided he could remain at liberty in his house for that night. Mr. Fuller gave an undertaking to the capturer, answering for the Dean’s good faith, and the man was made at home in the library, Moore alone being cognisant of his business. Meanwhile the Dean wrote a note to his banker, of which Mr. Fuller took charge. The banker, wishing to be courteous, answered it in person, and sat now at the library table, the Dean on one side him, the lawyer on the other. But of what use was his coming? He had been privately saying to the lawyer that he and his house were in for it too deeply as it was, and not a shilling more would they advance; no, not to keep the Dean out of purgatory, let alone out of prison. He inti- mated somewhat of the same now to the Dean, though in more courtly terms. They consulted together in subdued tones, not to be audible to the man at the other end of the room, but to no earthly effect ; it all came round to the same point: the Dean had neither money nor money’s worth ; even the very furniture of the house he was in was not his; it had been settled by Lord Avon on his sister, and the Dean’s debts could not touch it. The furniture at the Deanery, the furniture at COMiICoOoOKS.c©