Mayfair to Millbank Author:Richard Harris General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1870 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER IV. A WOKTHY ACQUAINTANCE. It was Job's policy to marry his friend to Lucy Walters, but he knew that his plans would be frustrated if Lizzy were permitted to stand in the way of so advantageous an alliance. The fact that Edgar entertained no affection for the heiress was rather to his own advantage than otherwise; for the probability was that the young husband would have less scruples about availing himself of his wife's property; and her influence over him would be proportionately decreased. In the multifarious dealings in which Edgar and the youthful lawyer had been engaged, it will hardly appear mysterious if the latter had exerted the cunning of his profession in involving his friend in difficulties to a far greater extent than he was aware of; so that while Messrs. Edgar and Job appeared to be entangled in the meshes of inextricable insolvency, and while they both seemed to be equally indebted to sundry bill discounters and money lenders, the truth was that Job was rather a creditor of Edgar than a co-debtor. He had acted as an agent of Solomon and others. They all fished in the same stream, but while Job held the rod the crafty Jew plyed the landing-net. It is doubtful, however, whether the cunning of the lawyer was not a full match for that of the host of bill-brokers and money-mongers with whom he had to do. The honourable profession which old Hawkins had given his son, the latter on all occasions determined, if possible, to turn to good account; consequently, while he was the willing instrument ofSolomon, and while Solomon chuckled over the manner in which he employed his agent, len...« less