LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2596, 2 August 1882, Page 4

LITERATURE.

HOW SHADRAOH BECAME A MEMBER Off THE PHCBNIX CLUB; A LESSON FOR BORROWERS AND LENDERS.

Mr Ebenezer Fhadrach was a money lender, but not a disreputable, minor seeking, circular issuing usurer. Small business was no longer in his way, but be seldom refused assistance to a ruined client, and many was the ’pony’ or ‘c-eninry’ which * Benny,’ ai he was frequently called, lent in a friendly manner without interest or even the reasonable chance of repayment He wished to utilise his money in the acquisition of social position. Many men would have been contented, but Mr Shadraoh felt that his gorgeous establishment in Fortmau square should be put to more aristocratic uses than that of entertaining persons of hii own class. He was ambition*, and preferred to be a minnow among the Tritons rather than a Triton among minnows. He was on friendly bnslneii terms with his clients, of whom he had a sufficient number, and comparatively intimate with half the peerage. In his own office, at Ascot or at Goodwood, bis titled acquaintance lunched with him, and they even played cards with bim at Brighton and Ostend, and many were the confidential and delicate missions entrusted to bim both by men and ladles. In sporting circles he was all powerfnl, and many racehorses, though nominally owned by others, could only run by hla permission. For a'l this he could not blind himself to the fact that he was universally known as Mr Shadrach, the money lender, and nothing more. At o e time he hsd thought of changing his name, or of purchasing a foreign title, as his neighbor Barcabas, the jeweller, had done. Mrs s-hadraoh, however, would not hear of it ; so the idea was abandoned. The money lender’s horses and carriages were as bandsome and well appointed as any in tha park ; be kept an excellent table ; betted heavily at the races, and was seen at Monte Carlo, Lords’, and the Gun Club in due season. Occasionally he donned a pink coat and trotted a four hundred gninea banter along the lanes in the vicinity of a stag hunt, and in the open air he was 'hail, fellow, well met I’ with those whom be longed to associate with in private. The summit of his ambition, however, was to belong to an aristocratic club. He was, it is true, a prominent member of the “ Itinerant Hebrews.” bnt this clnb had changed its name and its proprietor seven times in four years, and most of the members belonged to his own calling. Shadraoh liked to B t up late, and as he belonged to no other clnb, ha went there night after night, and lost money to the proprietor and his myrmidons. All this time his heart was elsewhere ; he fretted for the exclusiveness of St James’ street, tho solemnity of Pall Mall, or the elegance of Pioadllly. At last he decided to consult a powerful client as to his chances of election at the “ Phcea'x,” if only as the stepping stone to something better.

Just as he was looking over his bill book to see whom he could most easily approach upon the subject of hi* wishes. Lord Mucker was announced by the shiny faced boy in buttons, who was Bhadraoh’s only clerk, ‘ Bhairaoh,’ said Lord Mucker, after the usual greetings, *1 want you to do me a great favor.’ ‘Certainly, my lord; only too delighted. I was thinking of asking one of your lordship. What can Ido for yon ?’ * Well, Bhadrach, I want to ask you about her ladyship’s cat’s eye necklace, which you were kind enough to accept as security when you lent ms that last eight hundred, and ’ Lord Hooker was a little nervous. He shook the aah f om his cigar on to Benny’s doable pile and treble color Turkey carpet. 'Not worth another shilling, my lord, I assure you ; and I agreed to keep it also as a cover for the other overdue bills. You know I only took It to oblige your lordship. I don’t care for that class of security ; and ’ — added the little man, drawing himself up to his fall height of five feet fonr, by which process of elongation he exposed a few inches of striped shirt front beneath bis wa'stcoaet —‘ lam not a pawnbroker.’ ‘Certainly not, Shadraoh, certainly not, But you mit understand me. I do not want any moro money. 7he favor I am going to ask la cf quite a different kind ; in fact, it is one I would not have dared to suggest, but her ladyship insisted, fahe sent her com pi imanta, and I really coma as her emissary.’ Lord Mocker was as canning as a fox, and knew Benny’s weak point to a nicety. * We have a dinner party and reception tonight. Tho Anstrian Ambassador will be there, and she particularly wishes to wear those jewels which you are good enough to take core of,’

Benny was not inclined to part with these jewels, unless something waa paid on account of the outstanding bills. Lord Mnoker hod ruined himself upon the tnrf twenty years ago, and bad lived upon hla experience ever ■inoe. He was popular In sporting circles on account of hfs knowledge of sport, and in social circles on aooonnt of hla charming wife. The outaido world may havo thought badly of biro, but It knew nothing definitely

to his detriment. Ho paid bis turf accounts when tha bookmakers decided that he owed enough, and hie other debts at still more Irregular intervals. Benny knew that ,he had not been winning lately, for he had Information every morning of what occurred at the clubs tha previous night To repose absolute confidence in his lordship wai more than Bonny could do, and yet he did not wish to be too hard upon her ladyship ; so be said : —• Of course, my lord, of course. Let me see. Eight hundred pounds overdue since the third of last month. To day is the seventeenth; thit will be eight hundred and sixty I won’t insist upon retail ing the necklet for the other amount. _ I hope her ladyship is quite well My wife saw her yesterday at the bazaar in aid of the Society for Supplying Hungry Orang-Otangs with Cocoa Nuts. and admired her i nee bonnet very much indeed. Have yon notes, er will you give me a cheque T’ ‘That’s just the difficulty, Shadraoh ; I have neither. I want yon to trust me with the jewel* for to-night. I give you my word of honor that they shall be returned by two o’clock to-morrow, and I will sign any paper yon like in the meantime.’ The money lender pondered. Lord Mucker was just the man for hla purpose. He belonged to every club in London worth belonging to, and Shadraoh was prepared to p»y for the Introduction to ono of them. He knew that in acquiescing he would be perfectly safe so far as his security was concerned. Lord Mucker would no more have broken his word upon a matter snob as this thin he would have picked a pocket. •Do let her iady hip hav* them, Benny,’ continued the peer oaj ilingly; ‘ the will be so grateful, and you will place me under an immense obligation—one which I will repay some day, if a paupor like myself can ever be of use to a millionaire like you.’ 1 If you mean that, Lord Mucker,’ energetically replied the littlo man, ‘wa can come to terms at once. I am a man of few words. I like a game of baccarat. When I lose I pay. My money Is as good as any one else’e, end I want to join the Phcepix. ’ Lord Mucker emitted a prolonged whist'e. ■ With your lordship’s influence I cm get in. I know nearly all the committee, but do not dare to ask favors of them. You can obtain for nothing support that might coat me thousands. Here are Lady Mucker’s jewels. I want no acknowledgment. Give them to her with my compliments, and tell her that she need not trouble to return then yet. When I want them I will send for them. Try one of these cigars, my lord ; I think you’ll like them.’ Lady Mucker wore her favorite necklace that evening, and His Austrian Excellency admired it vastly. Her ladyship[wae in excellent spirits, and, as usual, made an admirable hostess. She flitted from one pneat to another. But from a certain clique she appeared to ba asking some concession. She looked so beautiful that one would have thought no one would have denied her any. thing j but Sir Baptist Burleigh did, and he refused pretty brusquely too. He was not going to encourage Jews j they had harmed him enough in his time. Re wished ha could do without them altogether. If he had hii way, they should all go to Russia, We did not know how to manage them ; the Russians did. No, he could promise nothing. Lady Mucker knew Sir Baptist's power, and felt that his opposition might be fatal to her schemes, but she persevered, and went to bed pretty well satisfied with her evening’s work. The Phoenix, to enter which Shadrach so ardently aspired, was essentially a gambling clnb. It had been founded by the more respectable members of several hybrid establishments, which had all in turn yielded to the exigencies of high play and its attendant irregular payments. Within Us portals, play was conducted entirely upon ready-money principles, and borrowing in the card-room was forbidden. Each member had a proprietary interest in the ventnre. and, therefore, all charges were moderate. Large earns were won and lost nightly, and although there was occasionally a scandal, the club progressed satisfactorily, and had gradually become more and more select. The committee had been carefully formed ; both Lord Mucker and Sir Baptist Burleigh were members of it.

One black ball excluded a candidate ; and that was precisely the number found In the box after the name of Ebenezer Shadraoh, proposed by Lord Mucker, and seconded by Sir George Bilkingtor, had been submitted by tho secretary. This officer Ir'mselt had ex;ellent reasons for wishing success to Ebenezer. He was news bearer to the money lender, and many a ten pound note had he received from him. The committee meeting was a very small one. Several of its members anticipated the result, and dared not lay themselves under suspicion of being accessary to Benny’s defeat. But no attempt was made by Sir Baptist to shift the responsibility from his own shoulders. He saw no reason to be ashamed of being instrumental in pilling Shadrach. He little knew of the freemasonary which existed between the brothers of the craft of usury. He little thought when Mr Donizetti accommodated him last week by discounting hs son’s acceptance (bis own was worthless, and the son inherited three distinct fortunes from different branches of his mother’s family), that he was receiving the money of Ebenez r Shadrach, and that Donizetti was simply a jackal working on commission for the capitalist. 7he Monday after Sbadrach’s disappointment, Sir Baptist had occasion to call upon Donizetti. Jb is luck of late had gone crossways. When he betted small sums he had won, when he plunged he lost; the vicissitudes of the week had consequently left him short of money ; and he wanted Donizetti io supply the deficit. Ho proposed to take up the existing bills and discount one for a larger amount. Donizetti explained that be had always redisooanted Sir Baptist’s bills with Mr Bhadrach, and suggested that he would have to app'y to him it the bill was to be renewed. This disclosure somewhat discomfited the baronet. He had dealt with Donizetti for years, long before the additional security of his son’s name was considered necessary. He thought the bill discounter was wealthy, and that the bills never left his possession until they were taken up or renewed. Sir Baptist was specially annoyed to find that these acceptances had changed owners. His sen Westleigh had been of aye these three years, and had recently discovered that his business was safer In his own bands than In his father’s. This unnatural distrust had pained S'r Baptist, and had led him to consider himself justified in acting for his son, so that the signatures * Westleigh Burleigh,’ which appeared upon these bills and their predecessors were, to put it mildly, only signatures by proxy. Both Shadrach and Donizetti knew this, and they also knew that it made the documents still more valuable. Under the circumstances. Sir Baptist felt that he moat obtain the bills, so ho took Donizetti’s hint, and repaired to Conduit street.

‘ My s n owes you two thousand pounds,’ was hla first r .mark upon being ushered into tho finan ier’a office.

‘Ho does. Sir Baptist, ’replied the little money lender, ‘that is to eay, he will when the bills are due. They have now two months and two weeks to run. In fret, I only discounted thuu last week.’ * I don’t care when you discounted them, they must be taken up at once. How much did you give Djnize’ti for them, and whit will you take if I find the money by Friday ?’ said the baronet. ‘ I will take two thousand pounds from Mr Westleigh Burleigh, but the documents are not for sale to anyone else. I always conduct my transactions confidentially, and under no circumstance! would I, without your son’s written authority, hand over his aco-ptauce even to you, Sir Baptht.’ Sir Baptist growled and tagged at his beard. What was he to do ? It was clear that Shadrach was strictly within his rights, yet upon no account must the bills be presented at Westleigh’a bankers. Ebenezer did not seem to notice his visitor’s perplexity. He never lifted his eyes from the ledger ho waa studying. Sir Baptist felt that bullying and bravado would accomplish nothing. He was not above either. He longed to seiz, the little Hebrew by the throat and smite him till he yielded from sheer exbanst'on, bnt his latest experience of taking the law into his own bands had not proved remunerative, nor had his social position been improved by the Police Court publicity which his prowess had achieved. So, after revolving in his mind the courses open to him, he decided to restrain his feelings and resort to strategy. ‘Now, my dear Mr Shadraoh,’ said he, changing his tone, * I do not wish you to lose anything by the transaction. I shall be prepared to pay you the two thousand pounds, which you admit_ is not yet due. But why should you not give me the bills ? Yon can have no reason for withholding

them, whilst I am particularly anxious that they should not be presented at the bank. It might interfere with family arrangements, he added, dropping his voice to a confidential whisper, ‘ and you know what old-fashioned lawyers are.’ ‘ Kir Baptist Burleigh,’ said the moneylender, ‘I will be perfectly frank and straight-forward with you. I know as much about these bi’ls as yon do, I know why you do not wish them to be presented. I know that they are worth every penny they represent, and I gave full value for them, I did not wish to make money by them. I had other reasons. Ton blackballed me for the Pboe ix. It’s my turn to blackball now. the rest of the committee are represented here. Yes, every one of them,’ continued he, thumping a hugs leather bill ease that, from its dimensions, might have been a portmanteau; ‘they recognised my claims Ton thought you would never coma in contact with me, because I refused to lend yon money years ago, I’ve got you now. Ido not, however, wish to do anything nngentlemanly, tnt you are In my power. Will yon take a glass of sherry, Sir Baptist? The next election at the Phoenix will be in a month.’

Sir Baptist blattered and threatened, he shouted, he bullied, he raved, but Benny was imperturbable, and the Interview terminated the baronet promising to send his son’s solicitor to demand the documents. Bat he altered hla mind, and instead of a lawyer he consulted Lord Mucker, who soo‘hed and advised h<m. * * *

Ebenezer Shadraoh Is a popular member of the Pt oenlx, He is a lit eral card play er. He grants many favours to the impecunious members, and he never asks any. He talks of retiring from business next autumn, and hla name is up for election at a very highclass club, where he Is not likely to meet with serious hindrance. His proposer and seconder, Sir Baptist Burleigh and Lord Mucker, are gentlemen whote candidates club committees do not care to oppose.