is
the fate of cunning, as it is of suspicion and other mortal weaknesses,
to fall into toils of its own weaving. Michael too soon was called to
pay the penalty. Allcraft had been in France a fortnight, when Planner
received a fatal visit at the bank from a very old friend and stanch
ally--a creature as excitable and sanguine as himself, as full of
projects, and as unsuccessful. They had known each other in the early
and distant days of their prosperity--they had grown poor together--they
were united by the uniformity of their fortunes as by the similarity of
their natures. They had both for years regarded themselves as the
persecuted and injured of society--and both were satisfied of their
ability to achieve miracles, time and the occasion serving. It is not
for speculative spirits to be disheartened by failure, but rather to be
encouraged by ill success to fresh extravagance, else had the poor
result of all their schemes long since extinguished the fire at work
within them. Not one of their innumerable plans had shown a gleam, a
spark, of reality and life. One morning, about five years before the
present visit, Mr William Wedge rose from bed with the pleasing notion
that he would ruin all the public gaming-houses in the world. He had
suddenly discovered the secret of their success--the cause of their
enormous gains--and had arranged, with minutest care and skill, a
systematic course of play to bring against them. It was with difficulty
that he contained himself until he mentioned his good fortune to his
friend. They met time after time in secret, grew fearfully
mysterious--closed their windows in the open day--played cards from
morning till night, and sometimes through the night--with no other eye
upon them than the very feeble, faint-glimmering one of their farthing
rushlight;--they carried directions in their pocket--learnt them
off--repeated them until they grew familiar as their oaths, and more
familiar than their prayers. To realize between them a standing capital
of five pounds, a sum essential to their operations, they pawned all the
available clothing they possessed; and on the very night that they
obtained the cash, they sallied forth to carry devastation and affright
throughout the camps of innocent and unsuspecting blacklegs. As might be
expected, it took about as many minutes as they had pounds to effect the
ruin of the adventurers. Did they despond? Not they; a flaw existed in
their calculations. They loo