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Файл:The Chainbearer; or, The Littlepage Manuscripts
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THE CHAINBEARER; OR, THE LITTLEPAGE MANUSCRIPTS
many town-lots that were totally unproductive, but which
promised to be very valuable, like Ravensnest itself, at some
future day. Most things in America looked to the future, then
as now; though I trust the hour of fruition is eventually to
arrive. My town property has long since become very valuable, and tolerably productive.
As soon as our scheme for reletting was matured, Frank
summoned the occupants of the farms, in bodies of ten, to present themselves at the ‘Nest, in order to take their new leases.
We had ridden round the estate, and conversed with the tenantry, and had let my intentions be known previously, so that
little remained to be discussed. The farms were all relet for
three lives, and on my own plan, no one objecting to the rent,
which, it was admitted all round, was not only reasonable, but
low. Circumstances were then too recent to admit of the past’s
being forgotten; and the day when the last lease was signed
was one of general satisfaction. I did think of giving a landlord’s dinner, and of collecting the whole settlement in a body,
for the purpose of jovial and friendly communion; but old Andries threw cold water on the project.
«T’at would do, Mortaunt», he said, «if you hat only raal
New Yorkers, or Middle States men to teal wit’; but more t’an
half of t’ese people are from t’e Eastern States, where t’ere are
no such t’ings as lantlorts and tenants, on a large scale you unterstant; and t’ere isn’t a man among ‘em all t’at isn’t looking
forwart to own his farm one tay, by hook or by crook. T’ey’re as
jealous of t’eir tignities as if each man wast a full colonel, and
will not t’ank you for a tinner at which t’ey will seem to play
secont fi ttle».
241
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
Although I knew the Chainbearer had his ancient Dutch
prejudices against our Eastern brethren, I also knew that there
was a good deal of truth in what he said. Frank Malbone, who
was Rhode Island born, had the same notions, I found on inquiry; and I was disposed to defer to his opinions. Frank Malbone was a gentleman himself, and men of that class are always superior to low jealousies; but Frank must know better
how to appreciate the feelings of those among whom he had
been bred and born than I could possibly know how to do it
myself. The project of the dinner was accordingly abandoned.
It remained to make a new arrangement and a fi nal settlement with Mr. Jason Newcome, who was much the most
thriving man at Ravensnest; appearing to engross in his single
person all the business of the settlement. He was magistrate,
supervisor, deacon, according to the Congregational plan,
or whatever he is called, miller, store-keeper, will-drawer,
tavern-keeper by deputy, and adviser-general, for the entire
region. Everything seemed to pass through his hands; or, it
would be better to say, everything entered them, though little
indeed came out again. This man was one of those moneyed
gluttons, on a small scale, who live solely to accumulate; in my
view, the most odious character on earth; the accumulations
having none of the legitimate objects of proper industry and
enterprise in view. So long as there was a man near him whom
he supposed to be richer than himself, Mr. Newcome would
have been unhappy; though he did not know what to do with
the property he had already acquired. One does not know
whether to detest or to pity such characters the most; since,
while they are and must be repugnant to every man of right
242
THE CHAINBEARER; OR, THE LITTLEPAGE MANUSCRIPTS
feelings and generous mind, they carry in their own bosoms
the worm that never dies, to devour their own vitals.
Mr. Newcome had taken his removal from the agency in
seeming good part, affecting a wish to give it up from the moment he had reason to think it was to be taken from him. On
this score, therefore, all was amicable, not a complaint being
made on his side. On the contrary, he met Frank Malbone with
the most seeming cordiality, and we proceeded to business
with as much apparent good-will as had been manifested in
any of the previous bargains. Mr. Newcome did nothing directly; a circuitous path being the one he had been accustomed to
travel from childhood.
«You took the mill-lot and the use of fi ve hundred acres of
woodland from my grandfather for three lives; or failing these,
for a full term of one-and-twenty years, I fi nd, Mr. Newcome»,
I remarked, as soon as we were seated at business, «and for
a nominal rent; the mills to be kept in repair, and to revert to
the landlord at the termination of the lease».
«Yes, Major Littlepage, that was the bargain I will allow,
though a hard one has it proved to me. The war come on» –
this man was what was called liberally educated, but he habitually used bad grammar – «The war come on, and with it hard
times, and I didn’t know but the major would be willing to
consider the circumstances, if we make a new bargain».
«The war cannot have had much effect to your prejudice, as
grain of all sorts bore a high price; and I should think the fact
that large armies were near by, to consume everything you
had to sell, and that at high prices, more than compensated
for any disadvantage it might have induced. You had the ben-
243
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
efi ts of two wars, Mr. Newcome; that of 1775, and a part of
that of 1756».
My tenant made no answer to this, fi nding I had refl ected on the subject, and was prepared to answer him. After
a pause, he turned to more positive things.
«I suppose the major goes on the principle of supposing
a legal right in an old tenant to enj’y a new lease? I’m told he
has admitted this much in all his dealin’s».
«Then you have been misinformed, sir. I am not weak
enough to admit a right that the lease itself, which, in the nature of things, must and does form the tenant’s only title, contradicts in terms. Your legal interest in the property ceases altogether in a few days from this time».
«Y-a-a-s – y-a-a-s – sir, I conclude it doose», said the ‘squire,
leaning back in his chair, until his body was at an angle of
some sixty or seventy degrees with the fl oor – «I conclude it
doose accordin’ to the covenants; but between man and man,
there ought to be suthin’ more bindin’«.
«I know of nothing more binding in a lease than its covenants, Mr. Newcome».
«Wa-a-l» – how that man would ‘wa-a-a-l’ when he
wished to circumvent a fellow-creature; and with what a Jesuitical accent did he pronounce the word! «Wa-a-a-l – that’s
accordin’ to folk’s idees. A covenant may be hard; and then, in
my judgment, it ought to go for nothin’. I’m ag’in all hard
covenants».
«Harkee, frient Jason», put in the Chainbearer, who was
an old acquaintance of Mr. Newcome’s, and appeared thoroughly to understand his character – «Harkee, frient Jason;
244
THE CHAINBEARER; OR, THE LITTLEPAGE MANUSCRIPTS
do you gift back unexpected profi ts, ven it so happens t’at more
are mate on your own pargains t’an were look for?»
«It’s not of much use to convarse with you, Chainbearer, on such subjects, for we’ll never think alike», answered
the ‘squire, leaning still farther back in his chair; «you’re what
I call a particular man, in your notions, and we should never
agree».
«Still, there is good sense in the Chainbearer’s question»,
I added. «Unless prepared to answer ‘yes,’ I do not see how
you can apply your own principle with any justice. But let
this pass as it will, why are covenants made, if they are not to
be regarded?»
«Wa-a-l, now, accordin’ to my notion, a covenant in a lease
is pretty much like a water-course in a map; not a thing to be
partic’lar at all about; but as water-courses look well on a map,
so covenants read well in a lease. Landlords like to have ‘em,
and tenants a’n’t particular».
«You can hardly be serious in either case, I should hope,
Mr. Newcome, but are pleased to exercise your ingenuity on
us for your own amusement. There is nothing so particular in
the covenants of your lease as to require any case of conscience to decide on its points».
«There’s this in it, major, that you get the whull property
back ag’in, if you choose to claim it».
«Claim it! the whole property has been mine, or my predecessors’, ever since it was granted to us by the crown. All your
rights come from your lease; and when that terminates, your
rights terminate».
245
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
«Not accordin’ to my judgment, major; not accordin’ to my
judgment. I built the mills at my own cost, you’ll remember».
«I certainly know, sir, that you built the mills at what you
call your own cost; that is, you availed yourself of a natural
mill-seat, used our timber and other materials, and constructed the mills, such as they are, looking for your reward in their
use for the term of a quarter of a century, for a mere nominal
rent – having saw-logs at command as you wanted them, and
otherwise enjoying privileges under one of the most liberal
leases that was ever granted».
«Yes, sir, but that was in the bargain I made with your
grand’ther. It was agreed between us, at the time I took the place,
that I was to cut logs at will, and of course use the materials on
the ground for buildin’. You see, major, your grand’ther wanted the mills built desperately; and so he gave them conditions
accordin’ly. You’ll fi nd every syllable on’t in the lease».
«No doubt, Mr. Newcome; and you will also fi nd a covenant in the same lease, by which your interest in the property
is to cease in a few days».
«Wa-a-l, now, I don’t understand leases in that way. Surely it was never intended a man should erect mills, to lose all
right in ‘em at the end of fi ve-and-twenty years».
«That will depend on the bargain made at the time. Some
persons erect mills and houses that have no rights in them at
all. They are paid for their work as they build».
«Yes, yes – carpenters and millwrights, you mean. But
I’m speakin’ of no such persons; I’m speakin’ of honest, hardworkin’, industrious folks, that give their labor and time to
build up a settlement; and not of your mechanics who work
246
THE CHAINBEARER; OR, THE LITTLEPAGE MANUSCRIPTS
for hire. Of course, they’re to be paid for what they do, and
there’s an eend on’t».
«I am not aware that all honest persons are hard-working, any more than that all hard-working persons are honest.
I wish to be understood that, in the fi rst place, Mr. Newcome,
phrases will procure no concession from me. I agree with you,
however, perfectly, in saying that when a man is paid for his
work, there will be what you call ‘an end of it.’ Now twentythree days from this moment, you will have been paid for all
you have done on my property according to your own agreement; and by your own reasoning, there must be an end of
your connection with that property».
«The major doesn’t mean to rob me of all my hard earnin’s!»
«Mr. Newcome, rob is a hard word, and one that I beg may
not be again used between you and me. I have no intention to
rob you, or to let you rob me. The pretence that you are not,
and were not acquainted with the conditions of this lease,
comes rather late in the day, after a possession of a quarter of
a century. You know very well that my grandfather would
not sell, and that he would do no more than lease; if it were
your wish to purchase, why did you not go elsewhere, and get
land in fee? There were, and still are, thousands of acres to be
sold, all around you. I have lands to sell, myself, at Mooseridge,
as the agent of my father and Colonel Follock, within twenty
miles of you, and they tell me capital mill-seats in the bargain».
«Yes, major, but not so much to my notion as this – I kind
o’ wanted this!»
«But, I kind o’ want this, too; and, as it is mine, I think, in
common equity, I have the best claim to enjoy it».
247
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
«It’s on equity I want to put this very matter, major –
I know the law is ag’in me – that is, some people say it is; but
some think not, now we’ve had a revolution – but, let the law
go as it may, there’s such a thing as what I call right between
man and man».
«Certainly; and law is an invention to enforce it. It is right
I should do exactly what my grandfather agreed to do for me,
fi ve-and-twenty years ago, in relation to these mills; and it is
right you should do what you agreed to do, for yourself».
«I have done so. I agreed to build the mills, in a sartain
form and mode, and I done it. I’ll defy mortal man to say otherwise. The saw-mill was smashing away at the logs within two
months a’ter I got the lease, and we began to grind in four!»
«No doubt, sir, you were active and industrious – though, to
be frank with you, I will say that competent judges tell me neither mill is worth much now».
«That’s on account of the lease» – cried Mr. Newcome, a little too hastily, possibly, for the credit of his discretion – «how
did I know when it would run out? Your gran’ther granted it
for three lives, and twenty-one years afterward, and I did all
a man could to make it last as long as I should myself; but here
I am, in the prime of life, and in danger of losing my property!»
I knew all the facts of the case perfectly, and had intended to deal liberally with Mr. Newcome from the fi rst. In his
greediness for gain he had placed his lives on three infants,
although my grandfather had advised him to place at least
one on himself; but, no – Mr. Newcome had fancied the life of
an infant better than that of a man; and in three or four years
after the signature of the lease, his twenty-one years had be-
248
THE CHAINBEARER; OR, THE LITTLEPAGE MANUSCRIPTS
gun to run, and were now near expiring. Even under this certainly unlooked-for state of things, the lease had been a very
advantageous one for the tenant; and, had one of his lives
lasted a century, the landlord would have looked in vain for
any concession on that account; landlords never asking for,
or expecting favors of that sort; indeed most landlords would
be ashamed to receive them; nevertheless, I was disposed to
consider the circumstances, to overlook the fact that the mills
and all the other buildings on the property were indifferently built, and to relet, for an additional term of twentyone years, woodlands, farms, buildings, and other privileges,
for about one-third of the money that Mr. Newcome himself
would have been apt to ask, had he the letting instead of myself. Unwilling to prolong a discussion with a man who, by
his very nature, was unequal to seeing more than one side of
a subject, I cut the matter short by telling him my terms without further delay.
Notwithstanding all his acting and false feeling, the ‘squire
was so rejoiced to learn my moderation that he could not but
openly express his feelings; a thing he would not have done
did he not possess the moral certainty I would not depart from
my word. I felt it necessary, however, to explain myself.
«Before I give you this new lease, Mr. Newcome», I added,
holding the instrument signed in my hand, «I wish to be understood. It is not granted under the notion that you have any
right to ask it, beyond the allowance that is always made by
a liberal landlord to a reasonably good tenant; which is simply
a preference over others on the same terms. As for the early
loss of your lives, it was your own fault. Had the infants you
249
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
named, or had one of them, passed the state of childhood,
it might have lived to be eighty, in which case my timberland would have been stripped without any return to its true
owner, but your children died, and the lease was brought
within reasonable limits. Now the only inducement I have
for offering the terms I do, is the liberality that is usual with
landlords, what is conceded is conceded as no right, but as
an act of liberality».
This was presenting to my tenant the most incomprehensible of all reasons for doing anything. A close and sordid calculator himself, he was not accustomed to give any man credit
for generosity; and, from the doubting, distrustful manner in
which he received the paper, I suspected at the moment that
he was afraid there was some project for taking him in. A rogue
is always distrustful, and as often betrays his character to honest men by that as by any other failing. I was not to regulate my
own conduct, however, by the weaknesses of Jason Newcome,
and the lease was granted.
I could wish here to make one remark. There ought certainly to be the same principle of good fellowship existing between
the relations of landlord and tenant that exist in the other relations of life, and which creates a moral tie between parties
that have much connection in their ordinary interests, and
that to a degree to produce preferences and various privileges of a similar character. This I am far from calling in question; and, on the whole, I think, of all that class of relations,
the one in question is to be set down as among the most binding and sacred. Still, the mere moral rights of the tenant must
depend on the rigid maintenance of all the rights of the land-
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