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قراءة كتاب A Rich Man's Relatives (Vol. 2 of 3)

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A Rich Man's Relatives (Vol. 2 of 3)

A Rich Man's Relatives (Vol. 2 of 3)

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دار النشر: Project Gutenberg
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ever before. The full value of the property is vastly greater than when he purchased, and I hate to think of its shrinking back to the sum, insignificant by comparison, which it amounted to when it came under our care."

"But I do not see that we can help that, even if it should occur. It has not occurred as yet. The investments were made by Gerald himself, and if, in the fluctuations of the market, the property becomes less valuable, we are not responsible."

"Not legally, even if morally. Still, we would like to do our best for our worthy friend. For myself, I confess I am proud to be guardian of so handsome a property; and, seeing we are not asked to work gratuitously, it appears to me we should do our best for it."

"All very true; but suppose it should turn out that our investments do not prove profitable--that, after we have sold, the old investments improve--what then? The estate will have suffered a loss, and the heir may hold us to account."

"My dear sir, present prices cannot rise any higher. Take my word for it. How could they? Unless the rate of interest falls materially, how could investors afford to pay higher prices? Consider that, and then discount those circumstances, not generally known, which I have mentioned to you--in confidence--and you cannot but agree with me. Besides, our friend Ralph--he is your friend more than he is mine--is a business man, prompt and off-hand. He knows. He is in big operations every day; and he will not haggle over the odd cents like a habitant farmer."

"But Ralph is not the heir. Gerald hated him, and would have thrown his money into the St. Lawrence sooner than Ralph should get it."

"Quite so. It is Ralph's boy, a fine lad, too. But he will do just as his father thinks best. Any young fellow would be like wax in the hands of so keen a practitioner as friend Ralph."

"I think not. Mrs. Selby's child is the heir. She was to have had the property herself if she had not married against her brother's wish."

"My dear sir, that child is dead. It must be. It is ten years since it disappeared. In spite of every effort and inquiry, nothing has been heard of it since the day it was lost. Ralph's boy is the heir in default of Mrs. Selby's children. Failing the boy, Ralph would inherit from his son."

"I have known so many instances in the South of the long-lost heir turning up when he was least expected, that I never look on any one as dead till I have seen the burial certificate. After a person has been put underground, in the presence of witnesses, I feel that his claims have been quieted, but not before. Twenty years from the date of Mrs. Selby's marriage we will hand over the property to her child; failing a child of hers we will pay it to Ralph's son; and, meanwhile, we need not trouble our heads with questions of heirship."

"True; but we would not fulfil the duty our deceased friend expected of us if we stood idly by while panics and fluctuations of the Stock Market were eating away the value of the property. Man alive! our allowances and commissions in selling out and re-investing would go a long way to make up any loss which could be proved in a court to have arisen from our error in judgment, even if our good intentions did not weigh with the jury to absolve us. That is, supposing the heir should be shabby enough to make such a claim. But the supposition is preposterous. If you sell out that block of stock in the Banque d'Orval and the Proletarian now, your brokerage will be quite a pretty thing--makes a man wish himself a broker to think of it."

"And after the shares were sold, what would you do with the money?"

"Invest in first mortgages on good real property--never to more than half or a third of the value. I can lay my hands on any quantity of such security. It is safe beyond question; for, as you observed a little while ago, the acres cannot run away and I will see to there being the fullest powers of foreclosure and sale; so there can be no possibility of loss."

"I do not understand your Canady laws about real property, and I would be sure to get tripped up in some nicety about titles."

"But I know, General. It is my business."

"Of course you do, and you would feel all safe. But what of me? One man don't exactly like to shoulder a responsibility on the strength of another man's knowledge--see? I would consult you myself, friend Jordan, on my own affairs, and go by what you told me, but somehow that seems different from going it blind in another man's business, and making myself responsible for everything some one else may do."

"But, my dear sir, I am as ignorant of Stock Exchange matters as you can possibly be of the law of real property. Suppose we were to divide the proceeds of stocks sold into two parts; you to invest the one-half in stocks and bonds, and I the other in mortgages, and each to furnish the other with particulars of what he had done. You would make a very pretty sum out of your share of the business, and I don't mean to say that I would not do the same out of the other, only as it is the borrower who pays the law costs, my profits would come mostly out of the public, while yours would come out of the estate, so you cannot but say I am well disposed towards you."

"But if we are to sell out the very strongest stocks on the list in fear of a panic, it would be a foolish thing to buy into the weaker ones at the same time."

"Buy American bonds then. You know all about them. So much of United States bonds, as being strong, and so much in bonds of the better individual States, which can be got at a discount now, and will be about par by the time the heir is to receive them. Quite a pretty transaction for you, I should think, general."

The "general" coughed and hummed, and cleared his voice as if about to speak; but so many different words rushed to his lips at once--words of doubt, words of inquiry, refusal and consent--that he could not frame them into speech.

"Think over it, general," Jordan said as they shook hands at parting, "and let me know as soon as you have made up your mind. Something should be done at once."

Considine thought it would be mortifying if the estate left in his charge should suffer diminution or loss simply on account of his own want of enterprise. Of course there were chances both ways, but was it not his business to make gain out of these chances? And had he not secured for himself a snug little fortune by manipulating them for his own advantage? And should he not risk something to save a friend, an old and deceased friend, who would besides, pay brokerage on all he did for him? Considine valued himself, and I doubt not, justly so, on his "high tone;" but he was human, as we who contemplate his conduct also are--and those brokerages did range themselves in his mind among the considerations for and against disturbing old Gerald's investments, and eventually it was on the side with brokerages that his decision fell; but we are not therefore justified in describing Considine with his "tone" as a specious humbug. He meant well, as so many of us do, only he was happy to combine his own advantage with what he--therefore, perhaps--considered the advantage of his trust.





CHAPTER II.

MARY SELBY MEETS HER DAUGHTER.


Four years later, in a street in Montreal. It had snowed uninterruptedly the day before, in fine dry particles, sifting noiselessly through the air, and filling it with prickly points--not the broad

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