The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 171: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

154 THE COURT OF LONDON councilman, was absolutely ignominious, Emmerson began to observe that some of his most influential City friends seemed less cordial than they were wont to be. At first he thought that this was mere fancy on his part, but he soon received such signal proofs to the contrary that he was com- pelled to contess to himself that his character was waning and his credit diminishing. Fresh evidences of these facts promptly developed themselves. His bankers wrote a peremptory letter to remind him that he had latterly been overdrawing his account and paying but little money in; two or three capitalists, of whom he had for years past been enabled to obtain any sums he required, were full of excuses when he now demanded their aid. One had “ locked up all his funds,’’ another had “‘ decided upon turning his floating capital into other channels,” and a third “ could not possibly oblige Mr. Emmerson on the present occasion.’ But this was not all. Some of his best chents — well-to-do tradesmen who occasionally wanted the accommodation of a few thou- sands or hundreds, and who-did not mind paying hand- somely for the loan thereof for a short time — found out some other bill-broker who charged a lesser interest, and thus Emmerson’s business was rapidly falling off. | Still these were not all the evils and misfortunes that were closing in around him. During the last week or two, reports had been privately whispered both in the City and at Clap- ham that his affairs were embarrassed beyond sail remedy. Bills then came pouring in upon him, and he found, to his horror and dismay, that large accounts for upholstery, jewelry, wine, millinery, and so forth, for which he had given his wife the money, remained unliquidated, she having lavished the funds in other ways. That his approaching downfall was rumoured, soon reached his ears by several disagreeable means. His wife had a quarrel with a female servant whom she threatened to discharge, whereupon the woman blazed forth in a fury of invective and taunt, de- claring that pride would have a fall, and that everybody knew the end of all this pomp and ostentation was at hand. Then Mrs. Emmerson’s eyes were suddenly opened to the truth, and she charged her husband with his financial embarrassment, as if it constituted a positive crime of which he had been guilty toward her. As a matter of course. he turned upon her with virulent reproaches for her extrav1- Gomicbooks-co m =>