This eBook was produced by David Widger
By Gilbert Parker
Judge Carcasson was right. For a year after Zoe's flight Jean Jacqueswrapped Sebastian Dolores round his neck like a collar, and it choked himlike a boaconstrictor. But not Sebastian Dolores alone did that. Whenthings begin to go wrong in the life of a man whose hands have held toomany things, the disorder flutters through all the radii of his affairs,and presently they rattle away from the hub of his control.
So it was with Jean Jacques. To take his reprobate father-in-law to hislonely home would have brought him trouble in any case; but as thingswere, the Spaniard became only the last straw which broke his camel'sback. And what a burden his camel carried—flour-mill, saw-mill, ash-factory, farms, a general store, lime-kilns, agency for lightning-rodsand insurance, cattle-dealing, the project for the new cheese-factory,and money-lending!
Money-lending? It seemed strange that Jean Jacques should be able tolend money, since he himself had to borrow, and mortgage also, from timeto time. When things began to go really wrong with him financially, hemortgaged his farms, his flour-mill, and saw-mill, and then lent money onother mortgages. This he did because he had always lent money, and itwas a habit so associated with his prestige, that he tied himself up inborrowing and lending and counter-mortgaging till, as the saying is, "aPhiladelphia lawyer" could not have unravelled his affairs without havingbeen born again in the law. That he was able to manipulate his tangledaffairs, while keeping the confidence of those from whom he borrowed, andthe admiration of those to whom he lent, was evidence of his capacity."Genius of a kind" was what his biggest creditor called it later.
After a personal visit to St. Saviour's, this biggest creditor andfinancial potentate—M. Mornay—said that if Jean Jacques had beenstarted right and trained right, he would have been a "general in thefinancial field, winning big battles."
M. Mornay chanced to be a friend of Judge Carcasson, and when he visitedVilray he remembered that the Judge had spoken often of his humble butlearned friend, the Clerk of the Court, and of his sister. So M. Mornaymade his way from the office of the firm of avocats whom he hadinstructed in his affairs with Jean Jacques, to that of M. Fille. Herehe was soon engaged in comment on the master-miller and philosopher.
"He has had much trouble, and no doubt his affairs have suffered,"remarked M. Fille cautiously, when the ice had been broken and the BigFinancier had referred casually to the difficulties among which JeanJacques was trying to maintain equilibrium; "but he is a man who can dothings too hard for other men."
The Big Financier lighted another cigar and blew away several clouds ofsmoke before he said in reply, "Yes, I know he has had family troubleagain, but that is a year ago, and he has had a chance to get anothergrip of things."
"He did not sit down and mope," explained M. Fille. "He was at work thenext day after his daughter's flight just the same as before. He is aman of great courage. Misfortune does not paralyse him."
M. Mornay's speech was of