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hard cash-第117章

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r and certificates; and so imprison himself illegally; but with perfect ease; no remonstrance against that illegality from the guardians of the law! When he got what plain men call sane; he naturally wanted to be free; and happening to remember he alone had signed the order of imprisonment; and the imaginary doctor's certificates; he claimed his discharge from illegal confinement。 Answer: 〃First obtain a legal order for your discharge。〃 On this he signed an order for his discharge。 〃That is not a legal order。〃〃It is as legal as the order on which I am here。〃 〃Granted; but; legally or not; the asylum has got you; the open air has not got you。 Possession is ninety…nine points of Lunacy law。 Die your own illegal prisoner; and let your kinsfolk eat your land; and drink your consols; and bury you in a pauper's shroud〃 All that Alfred could do for these victims was to promise to try and get them out some day; D。V。 But there was a weak…minded youth; Francis Beverley; who had the honour to be under the protection of the Lord Chancellor。 Now a lunatic or a Softy; protected by that functionary; is literally a lamb protected by a wolf; and that wolf _ex officio_ the cruellest; cunningest old mangler and fleecer of innocents in Christendom。 Chancery lunatics are the richest class; yet numbers of them are flung among pauper and even criminal lunatics; at a few pounds a year; while their committees bag four…fifths of the money that has been assigned to keep the patient in comfort。

Unfortunately the protection of the Chancellor extends to Life and Reason; as well as Fleece; with the following result:

In public asylums about forty per cent。 are said to be cured。

In private ones twenty…five per cent; at least; most of them poorish。

Of Chancery Lunatics not five per cent。

Finally; one…third of all the Chancery Lunatics do every six years exchange the living tombs they are fleeced and bullied in for dead tombs where they rest; and go from the sham protection of the Lord Chancellor of England to the real protection of their Creator and their Judge。

These statistics have been long before the world; and are dead figures to the Skimmer of things; but tell a dark tale to the Reader of things; so dark; that I pray Heaven to protect me; and all other weak inoffensive persons; from the protection of my Lord Chancellor in this kind。

Beverley was so unfortunate as to exist before the date of the above petition: and suffered the consequences。

He was an aristocrat by birth; noble on both sides of his house; and unluckily had money。 But for that he would have been a labouring man; and free。 My Lord Protector committed him with six hundred pounds a year maintenance money to the care of his committee; the Honourable Fynes Beverley。

Now this corporate; yet honourable individual; to whom something was committed; and so Chancery Lane called him in its own sweet French the thing committed; was a gentleman of birth; breeding; and intelligence。 He undertook to take care of his simple cousin; and what he did take care of was himself。

     THE SUB…LETTING SWINDLE。

I。 The Honourable Fynes Beverley; Anglo…French committee; or crown tenant; sub…let soft Francis for L。 300 a year; pocketed L。 300; and washed his hands of Frank。

2。 Mr。 Heselden; the sub…tenant; sub…let the Softy of high degree for L。 150; pocketed the surplus; and washed his hands of him。

3。 The L。 150 man sub…let him to Dr。 Wolf at L。 60 a year; pouched the surplus; and washed his hands of him。

And now what on earth was left for poor Dr。 Wolf to do? Could he sub…embezzle a Highlander's breeks? Could he subtract more than her skin from off the singed cat? Could he peel the core of a rotten apple? Could he pare a grated cheese rind? Could he flay a skinned flint? Could he fleece a hog after Satan had shaved it as clean as a bantam's egg?

Let no man dare to limit genius; least of all the genius of extortion。

Dr。 Wolf screwed comparatively more out of young Frank than did any of the preceding screws。 He turned him into a servant of all work and half starved him; money profit; L。 45 out of the L。 60; or three…fourths; whereas the others had only bagged one…half。 But by this means he got a good servant without wages; and on half a servant's food; clearing L。 22 and L。 12 in these two items。

Victim of our great national vice and foible; Vicariousness; this scion of a noble house; protected in theory by the Crown; vicariously sub…protected by the Chancellor; sub…vicariously sub…sham protected by his kin; was really flung unprotected into the fleece market; and might be seenat the end of the long chain of subs。 pros; vices; locos; shams; shuffles; swindles; and liesshaking the carpets; making the beds; carrying the water; sweeping the rooms; and scouring the sordid vessels; of thirty patients in Drayton House; not one of whom was his equal either in birth or wealth; and of four menials; who were all his masters and hard ones。 His work was always doing; never done。 He was not the least mad nor bad; but merely of feeble intellect all round。 Fifty thousand gentlemen's families would have been glad of him at L。 300 a year; and made a son and a brother of him。 But he was under the vicarious protection of the Lord Chancellor。 Thin; half…starved; threadbare; out at elbows; the universal butt; scoffed at by the very lunatics; and especially ill treated by the attendants whose work he did gratis; he was sworn at; jeered; insulted; cuffed and even kicked; every day of his hard; hard life。 And yet he was a gentleman; though a soft one; his hands; his features; his carriage; his address; had all an indefinable stamp of race。 How had it outlived such crushing; degrading usage? I don't know; how does a daisy survive the iron roller? Alfred soon found him out; and to everybody's amazement; especially Frank's; remonstrated gently but resolutely and eloquently; and soon convinced the majority; sane and insane; that a creature so meek and useful merited special kindness; not cruelty。 One keeper; The Robin; _alias_ Tom Wales; an exprize fighter; was a warm convert to this view。 Among the maniacs only one held out; and said contemptuously he couldn't see it。

〃Well;〃 said Alfred; 〃lay a finger on him after this; and I'll lay a hand on you; and aid your intellectual vision。〃

Rooke and Hayes treated remonstrance with open and galling contempt。 Yet the tide of opinion changed so; they did not care to defy it openly: but they bullied poor Beverley now and then on the sly; and he never told。 He was too inoffensive for this world。 But one day; as Alfred was sitting with his door ajar; writing a letter of earnest expostulation to the Commissioners; who had left his first unanswered; he heard Hayes at the head of the stairs call roughly; 〃Frank! Frank!〃

〃Sir;〃 replied the soft little voice of young Beverley。

〃Come; be quick; young shaver。〃

〃I'm coming; sir;〃 and up ran Beverley。

〃Here; take this tray downstairs。〃

〃Yes; sir。〃

〃Stop; there's a bit of bread for you。〃 And Hayes chucked him a crust; as one throws it to another man's dog。

〃Thank you; sir;〃 said Mr。 Beverley; stooping down for it; and being habitually as hungry as a ratcatcher's tyke; took an eager bite in that position。

〃How dare you eat it there;〃 said Hayes brutally: 〃take it to your own crib: come; mizzle。〃 And with that lent him a contemptuous kick behind; which owing to his position sent him off his balance flat on the tray; a glass broke under him。 Poor young Mr。 Beverley uttered a cry of dismay; for he knew Hayes would not own himself the cause。 Hayes cursed him for an awkward idiot; and the oath went off into a howl; for Alfred ran out at him brimful of Moses; and with a savage kick in the back and blow on the neck; administered simultaneously; hurled him head foremost down the stairs。 Alighting on the seventh step; he turned a somersault; and bounded like a ball on to the landing below; and there lay stupefied。 He picked himself up by slow degrees; and glared round with speechless awe and amazement up at the human thunderbolt that had shot out on him and sent him flying like a feather。 He shook his fist; and limped silently away all bruises and curses; to tell Rooke and concert vengeance。 Alfred; trembling still with ire; took Beverley to his room (the boy was as white as a sheet); and encouraged him; and made him wash properly; brushed his hair; dressed him in a decent tweed suit he had outgrown; and taking him under his arm; and walking with his own nose haughtily in the air; paraded him up and down the asylum; to show them all the best man in the house respected the poor soft gentleman。 Ah; what a grand thing it is to be young! Beverley clung to his protector too much like a girl; but walked gracefully and kept step; and every now and then looked up at Alfred with a loving adoration; that was sweet; yet sad to see。 Alfred marched him to Mrs。 Archbold; and told his tale; for he knew Hayes would misrepresent it; and get him into trouble。 She smiled on the pair; gently deplored her favourite's impetuosity; entreated him not to go fighting with that great monster Rooke; and charmed him by saying; 〃Well; and Frank _is_ a gentleman; when he is dressed like one。〃

〃Isn't he?〃 said Alfred eagerly。 〃And whose
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