The Old Man's Bride CHAPTER 24.
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We need not linger to trace, successively, the downward steps taken by Adam Bullfinch, whether as a man or a merchant. Accumulating years and sensual indulgence — had united to dim the clearness of his intellect. A merchant of the old school, if he had been wise enough to keep to the old school doctrines of caution, close calculation, and contentment with moderate, but sure returns — all would have been well with him in respect to worldly goods. But, having taken a young wife, Mr. Bullfinch felt himself quite a young man, and must needs act as he felt. "The mind," he vainly said to himself, "never grows old. The body may bend with accumulating years; but the immortal soul knows not the touch of time. I have now a brighter and stronger intellect, a clearer reason, than I possessed twenty years ago, and am more capable of doing business — and more far-seeing as a merchant."
And so, Mr. Bullfinch, pulling up the old landmarks — despising the old-fashioned lessons of wisdom, by an adherence to which he had slowly accumulated a fortune — threw himself forward in a contest with the sharp, shrewd, unscrupulous, nothing-ventured-nothing-gained class of merchants, and in an astonishing brief period, came out of the struggle an utterly ruined man.
Having broken the ice with Mr. Wellford, Mr. Bullfinch, as his efforts to save himself grew more and more desperate, forced himself to make repeated applications in that quarter, and in most cases with success.
"I'm afraid," said the resident senior partner of the house, speaking one day to Mr. Wellford, "that old Bullfinch is not in a safe condition.
"I begin to have some doubts myself," was answered.
"Someone told me, this morning, that he takes too much wine."
A shadow passed over the young man's face, as he said —
"O no. That must be a mistake."
"I hope so; but his appearance rather confirms the assertion."
A mercantile acquaintance coming in at the time, the subject was continued, and the question asked as to his opinion of the old gentleman's habits.
"I'm told, on good authority," was unhesitatingly answered, "that he drinks like a fish — never goes to bed a night in his life that he is not stupid as a beast."
Wellford sighed deeply. His thoughts were with Helen; and his sympathy for her painfully excited.
"What do you think of his business?" inquired Mr. Lane.
"He's sound, I suppose."
"He seems hard run for money just now," said Mr. Lane.
"I know; and, what is more, has been paying enormous rates for some months past."
"No man is safe in these times," was remarked.
"That's true enough. Men who seemed firm as the eternal hills, have toppled over, involving numbers below them in utter ruin. As for Bullfinch, I have, between you and me and the post, my own private opinion for my own private action."
"What is that?" inquired Wellford.
"As to the opinion, I need not speak; the action will be sufficiently demonstrative. In a word then, I declined selling him a bill of goods yesterday."
"You did?"
"It's true."
"Of what amount?"
"Five thousand dollars. Do you want to know why?"
"Of course."
"This, then, for your ears. Two or three days ago I saw certain packages, just arrived from New York, taken to his store; and, yesterday morning, I saw the same packages sold at auction, below the market price. Do you understand?"
"Clearly."
"An hour afterwards he wanted to make a good round bill with me, but I declined."
"And you were right," said Mr. Lane, firmly. We are obliged to you for the hint. We have been lending him pretty freely of late; but shall have to be less liberal of our favors."
Scarcely had the neighbor left the store, when Mr. Bullfinch was seen to enter.
"You mustn't lend him anything more," said Mr. Lane.
"Very well," replied the younger partner, averting his face.
Mr. Lane retired to his own private counting-room, and Wellford met the old man, who came up to him in a half cringing manner, yet, evidently, under a strong feeling of reluctance.
"How are you off for money today?" inquired Mr. Bullfinch in a low voice.
"Nothing to spare," was the firmly spoken answer.
"Will you need the three thousand I was to return this morning?"
Wellford reflected for a few moments, and then replied:
"If it will be any accommodation to you, that may be deferred until tomorrow. But we will certainly need it then."
"Thank you — thank you. I will bring it around in the morning. Are you certain you can't spare a thousand today?"
"Quite certain."
"Good day;" and the old gentleman with a disappointment he could not conceal, retired from the store.
It was after two o'clock, and Wellford was about leaving to go home and dine, when Mr. Bullfinch confronted him again, and said, with a beseeching earnestness —
"You must help me once more, my young friend."
"Impossible." And Wellford shook his head.
"Don't say that. If you haven't a thousand dollars in bank, lend me your check dated two or three days ahead — that will answer my purpose just as well."
Wellford repeated his negative.
"You must help me," said Mr. Bullfinch, much excited. "I am just one thousand dollars short, and have tried every possible means to raise the money. Frankly and confidentially" — he bent close to Wellford's ear, "I have come to you as my last resort. If you do not help me now — I shall be protested."
There was something in the old man's voice that Wellford could hardly withstand. It would have been withstood, however, had not a vision of Helen came to his mind. Silently he turned to his desk, and filling up a check for a thousand dollars, handed it without a word, to Mr. Bullfinch, who, grasping it nervously, hurried away to prolong, for a brief season, the unequal struggle he was endeavoring to maintain.
On the next day, he did not call to return the three thousand dollars, as he had promised Wellford. The loan of an additional thousand, after what had passed between Mr. Lane and his junior partner, displeased the former a good deal, and caused him to speak so plainly that the latter was hurt and slightly offended. Some rather sharp words passed between them, which, but for the good sense of both parties, might have led to an open rupture, and a consequent withdrawal of Wellford from the business.
On the day but one following, the mercantile community was startled by the announcement of another failure — that of Adam Bullfinch; and a very bad failure it proved to be. When, under an assignment, his affairs were subjected to investigation, it was found that he was hopelessly insolvent. Nor were his creditors at all satisfied with the reckless manner in which he seemed to have been doing business for some time. Goods had been purchased on credit, in large quantities, and sent immediately to neighboring cities and sold at auction, for cash, at less than the purchase prices; enormous discounts had been submitted to on temporary loans; and other doubtful and reckless expedients resorted to, by which means, thousands and thousands of dollars had been wasted. This was his new mode of doing business, in accordance with the more enterprising spirit of the times, into which the increasing vigor and clearness of his mental powers were enticing him!
Had Mr. Bullfinch stopped payment six months before, he would have come out with a clear surplus of over fifty thousand dollars. But, in struggling, and sacrificing, and hoping for some new turn of fortune, under the impulse of his modernized views of business, he wasted everything to such a degree, that even borrowed money debts were unprovided for, while his whole estate was so impoverished, that the most expectant would have sold out their claims against it for forty cents on the dollar! His business indebtedness to Lane, Latta & Co. was five thousand dollars, and his obligations to the same business, for borrowed money, six thousand more.
So utterly insolvent was the estate of Mr. Bullfinch, that his application for an extension of time, in order that he might go on and recover himself, was at once voted down in the meeting of creditors. His assignment was accepted, and the net value of the estate realized as quickly as possible.
The house in which Mr. Bullfinch resided was his own, and was worth about ten thousand dollars. It was, however, under mortgage for nearly its full value. Two or three smaller houses were also included in the deed of assignment. Through the personal influence of Mr. Wellford, one of these, with the household effects of the debtor, were presented by the creditors to Mrs. Bullfinch. But for the fact that one or two of the creditors, who had heard something of Wellford's former relation to Mrs. Bullfinch, and who not only highly respected the young man, but were men enough to appreciate his motives and feelings in the present case; but for the fact that these, we say, seconded the generous proposal — the family of the broken merchant would have been left homeless as well as penniless!
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