DUPLICATE SECURITY.
No. 26, Miranda Terrace, hung on hand badly. This was not much to be wondered at; the situation was at the bottom of a street without an outlet, besides having other disadvantages; in consequence, all my persuasion to induce applicants to take it were of no avail, and I began to despair of ever obtaining a tenant.
Quite unexpectedly, however, a very gentlemanly-looking man, wearing a good deal of jewellery, called at my office, saying that he had looked over it, and felt disposed to take it. He was in a great hurry to get into a fresh house, he said, as the drains at his present residence were out of repair; and rather than subject himself to the annoyance of having fresh drains put in, he had determined to move out, even at the cost of paying rent for two houses. Having had much experience in house-letting, I considered the circumstances somewhat suspicious; but as he gave a reference to his landlord, and as I did not wish to lose the shadow of a chance, I entertained his offer.
The landlord was written to, and, to my inquiry as to the desirability of accepting Mr. Theodore Peterson, he replied that I might congratulate myself “upon securing a most excellent tenant of the highest respectability, and one scrupulously prompt in the payment of his rent.” This, for a house-letting at 25l. a-year, seemed rather too good a recommendation; but my client, being naturally very anxious to secure a tenant, accepted Mr. Peterson without further inquiry, and in two days he was comfortably settled in his new residence.
He had taken the house about a month, when I received a call from a fussy little gentleman whose temper appeared as short as his stature.
“Excuse me, sir,” said the gentleman, taking off his hat and wiping the perspiration from his bald head, “my name is Perkbody, I believe you are the agent for the landlord of the house—No. 26, Miranda Terrace?”
I replied in the affirmative.
“And what sort of a man may the tenant be?” he inquired.
“I only know,” I said, “that I received an exceedingly good reference from his landlord.”
“As I expected, sir. I am quite prepared to hear it.”
“I am glad,” I returned, “that the landlord’s opinion of Mr. Peterson receives a corroboration from your own experience.”
“Does it, sir?” he replied snappishly; “then the landlord’s opinion is that Mr. Theodore Peterson is a confounded rogue and a swindler! At least that’s my opinion.”
“Why you have only just told me,” I said, “that you were quite prepared to hear that my client had received a good character of him.”
“And so I was, sir. And after the manner he has swindled me, I shall be quite prepared to hear that you don’t know that he has left your house. I see you are surprised, but it is a fact, sir! I have just made inquiries of the neighbours, and I find from them that his goods left late on Saturday night.”
I had some curiosity to know the circumstances that had given rise to the gentleman’s indignation, and after evading various hints I had thrown out, of a desire to be enlightened on the subject, he gave me the following particulars:—
“You will think me a fool, sir, I have no doubt,” he began, “but, however, it is a matter of only about five-and-thirty or forty pound, and the loss won’t shake me much, but one don’t like to lose even five-and-thirty or forty pound without an effort to recover it. Well, sir,” he continued, “I am always open to a little speculation; and I had frequently observed—as you have done, no doubt—advertisements in the newspapers offering good round bonuses for loans at short dates. I answered one, offering 7l. 10s. for the use of 20l. for a month, and sooner than I had anticipated, Mr. Theodore Peterson, your excellent tenant, drove up to my door in a pony-gig, accompanied by a boy in buttons. As you may imagine, I did not suppose he was the tradesman in the temporary need of 20l.”
“‘I hope you are well, sir,’ said Mr. Peterson, ‘and that you have been fortunate enough to escape the prevailing epidemic. As for myself I had a terrible attack last week, and have scarcely stirred out until to-day, although my engagements out are very numerous and pressing.’
“After a few remarks about the weather and other common-place topics, I asked him to what circumstance I was indebted for the visit from him.
“‘You answered my advertisement. I am the T. T. referred to.’
“‘And you want me to lend you 20l.?’
“‘Exactly,’ replied Mr. Peterson. ‘Can you let me have it?’
“I replied, of course, that depended upon the security.
“‘Oh, that’s ample enough in all conscience,’ he said, taking out of his breast-pocket a handsome leather pocket-book, from which he selected several papers and tickets which he handed over to me. ‘There!’ said he, ‘there’s the value of 150l. I would not let you have so much, but as it is our first transaction, and I only want the money for a short time, I wish to put the matter with you beyond all doubt.’
“I found on looking at his tickets that they were pawnbrokers’ duplicates. ‘I know nothing of this kind of security,’ I said, ‘and if this is all you have to offer, you are wasting your time, Mr. ’
“‘Peterson,’ he said, handing me an embossed card, highly scented, on which his name was engraved, with his address in manuscript. The reason of this, you will see at once, was that the rascal was constantly changing his whereabouts.
“‘Well, I tell you, Mr. Peterson,’ I began, ‘that I know nothing of the nature of these securities, and therefore beg you will not press me on the subject.’
“‘Surely,’ he replied, ‘a gentleman in your position would not answer an advertisement from a party asking for a loan, if you did not intend candidly to examine the nature of the security