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Macroeconomics 9th Edition Abel Solutions Manual Full Chapter PDF
Macroeconomics 9th Edition Abel Solutions Manual Full Chapter PDF
Solutions Manual
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Chapter 7
The Asset Market, Money, and Prices
Learning Objectives
I. Goals of Chapter 7
A. Define money, discuss its functions, and describe how it is measured in the United States (Sec.
7.1)
B. Discuss the factors that affect how people choose which assets they own (Sec. 7.2)
C. Examine macroeconomic variables that affect the demand for money (Sec. 7.3)
D. Discuss the fundamentals of asset market equilibrium (Sec. 7.4)
D. Discuss the relationship between money growth and inflation (Sec. 7.5)
Teaching Notes
I. What Is Money? (Sec. 7.1)
A. Money: assets that are widely used and accepted as payment
B. The functions of money
1. Medium of exchange
a. Barter is inefficient—it requires a double coincidence of wants
b. Money allows people to trade their labor for money and then use the money to buy goods
and services in separate transactions
c. Money thus permits people to trade with less cost in time and effort
d. Money also allows specialization, since trading is much easier, so people don’t have to
produce their own food, clothing, and shelter
Theoretical Application
There have been a number of attempts to supply detailed microfoundations theory for money. An
explicit theory that shows the superiority of money to barter has been developed by Nobuhiro
Kiyotaki and Randall Wright (“On Money as a Medium of Exchange,” Journal of Political
Economy, August 1989, pp. 927–954). They show how introducing fiat money unambiguously
improves society’s welfare. Much recent research builds on this type of money model.
2. Unit of account
a. Money is the basic unit for measuring economic value
b. This simplifies comparisons of prices, wages, and incomes
c. The unit-of-account function is closely linked with the medium-of-exchange function
d. But countries with very high inflation may use a different unit of account, so they don’t
have to constantly change prices
3. Store of value
a. Money can be used to hold wealth
b. Most people use money only as a store of value for a short period and for small amounts,
because it earns less interest than money in the bank
Theoretical Application
Money’s usefulness as a store of value declines the higher the inflation rate. In hyperinflations
(very high inflations), people try to avoid the use of money; on receiving their wages, they rush to
buy things before prices rise. And they tend to use currencies other than their own, a phenomenon
known as currency substitution.
Policy Application
For an introduction to how technological changes affect the role for money in the economy, see
the article by James J. McAndrews, “Making Payments on the Internet,” Federal Reserve Bank
of Philadelphia Business Review, January/February 1997.
Analytical Problem 1 looks at portfolio changes and how they affect M1 and M2
D. In touch with data and research: where have all the dollars gone?
1. In 2015, U.S. currency averaged about $4000 per person
2. Some is held by businesses and the underground economy, but 30% or more is held abroad
3. Foreigners hold dollars because of inflation in their local currency and political instability
4. The data show large fluctuations in M1 when major events occur abroad, for example,
military conflicts
5. The United States benefits from foreign holdings of our currency, since we essentially get an
interest-free loan
E. The money supply
1. Money supply money stock amount of money available in the economy
2. How does the central bank of a country increase the money supply?
a. Use newly printed money to buy financial assets from the public—an open-market
purchase
b. To reduce the money supply, sell financial assets to the public to remove money from
circulation—an open-market sale
c. Open-market purchases and sales are called open-market operations
d. Could also buy newly issued government bonds directly from the government (i.e., the
Treasury)
(1) This is the same as the government financing its expenditures directly by printing
money
(2) This happens frequently in some countries (though is forbidden by law in the
United States)
3. Throughout the text, use the variable M to represent money supply; this might be M1, M2, or
some other aggregate
II. Portfolio Allocation and the Demand for Assets (Sec. 7.2)
How do people allocate their wealth among various assets? The portfolio allocation decision
A. Expected return
1. Rate of return an asset’s increase in value per unit of time
a. Bank account: Rate of return interest rate
b. Corporate stock: Rate of return dividend yield percent increase in stock price
2. Investors want assets with the highest expected return (other things equal)
3. Returns aren’t always known in advance (e.g., stock prices fluctuate unexpectedly), so
people must estimate their expected return
B. Risk
1. Risk is the degree of uncertainty in an asset’s return
2. People don’t like risk, so prefer assets with low risk (other things equal)
3. The risk premium is the amount by which the expected return on a risky asset exceeds the
return on an otherwise comparable safe asset
Theoretical Application
Their separate work in developing financial theory brought the 1990 Nobel Prize in Economics
to Harry Markowitz, Merton Miller, and William Sharpe. Their main contributions were to
recognize the trade-off between risk and expected return (Markowitz), to develop the Capital
Asset Pricing Model as a general equilibrium theory for pricing assets (Sharpe), and to examine
the corporate financial decision about whether to raise funds via debt or equity (Miller). For an
overview of their research, see Hal Varian, “A Portfolio of Nobel Laureates: Markowitz, Miller,
and Sharpe,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, Winter 1993, pp. 159–169.
C. Liquidity
1. Liquidity is the ease and quickness with which an asset can be traded
2. Money is very liquid
3. Assets like automobiles and houses are very illiquid—it may take a long time and large
transaction costs to trade them
4. Stocks and bonds are fairly liquid, some more so than others
5. Investors prefer liquid assets (other things equal)
D. Time to maturity
1. Time to maturity: the amount of time until a financial security matures and the investor is
repaid the principal
2. Expectations theory of the term structure of interest rates: the idea that investors compare
returns on bonds with differing times to maturity; in equilibrium, holding different types of
bonds over the same period yields the same expected return
3. Because long-term interest rates usually exceed short-term interest rates, a risk premium
exists: the compensation to an investor for bearing the risk of holding a long-term bond
E. Types of assets and their characteristics
1. People hold many different assets, including money, bonds, stocks, houses, and consumer
durable goods
2. Money has a low return, but low risk and high liquidity
3. Bonds have a higher return than money, but have more risk and less liquidity
4. Stocks pay dividends and can have capital gains and losses, and are much more risky than
money
5. Ownership of a small business is very risky and not liquid at all, but may pay a very high
return
6. Housing provides housing services and the potential for capital gains, but is quite illiquid
7. Households must consider what mix of assets they wish to own; text Table 7.2 shows the mix
in 2006, 2009, and 2015. The table illustrates the large declines in the value of stocks,
pension funds, and housing in the financial crisis and shows how the value of stocks and
pension funds rebounded by 2015 to a level substantially higher than it was in 2006, while
the value of housing had almost returned to its 2006 level
F. In touch with data and research: the housing crisis of 2007–2011
1. People gained tremendous wealth in their houses in the 2000s
2. As house prices rose, houses became increasingly unaffordable, leading mortgage lenders to
create subprime loans for people who wouldn’t normally qualify to buy houses
3. Most subprime loans had adjustable interest rates, with a low initial interest rate that would
later rise in a process known as mortgage reset
4. As long as housing prices kept rising, both lenders and borrowers thought the subprime loans
would work out, as the borrowers could always sell their houses to pay off the loans
5. But housing prices stopped rising as much, leading more subprime borrowers to default, so
banks began to tighten their lending standards, reducing the demand for housing and leading
housing prices to start falling (text Figure 7.1)
6. Many homeowners lost their homes and financial institutions lost hundreds of billions of
dollars because of mortgage loan defaults
7. Because many mortgage loans had been securitized and were parts of mortgage-backed
securities, the increased default rate on mortgages led to a financial crisis in Fall 2008, as
many investors simultaneously tried to sell risky assets, including mortgage-backed
securities and stocks
Data Application
Was the housing crisis caused by insiders trying to capitalize on foolish homeowners or a failure by
bank regulators? According to Christopher L. Foote, Kristopher S. Gerardi, and Paul S. Willen, in
their paper “Why Did So Many People Make So Many Ex Post Bad Decisions? The Causes of the
Foreclosure Crisis,” Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Public Policy Discussion Paper 12-2, May
2012, many people made bad decisions in an atmosphere that appeared to be a bubble in housing
prices. Given views about future housing prices that turned out to be too optimistic, homeowners,
lenders, and investors all made bad decisions.
G. Asset demands
1. Trade-off among expected return, risk, liquidity, and time to maturity
2. Assets with low risk and high liquidity, such as checking accounts, have low expected
returns
3. Investors consider diversification: spreading out investments in different assets to reduce risk
4. The amount a wealth holder wants of an asset is his or her demand for that asset
5. The sum of asset demands equals total wealth
6. Alternative expression:
3. Plot of velocities for M1 and M2 (text Figure 7.2) shows fairly stable velocity for M2, erratic
velocity for M1 beginning in early 1980s
4. Plot of money growth (text Figure 7.3) shows that instability in velocity translates into erratic
movements in money growth
Analytical Problem 2 asks for explanations for the upward trend in M1 velocity prior to
the 1980s.
c. But velocity of M1 is not constant; it rose steadily from 1960 to 1980 and has been erratic
since then
(1) Part of the change in velocity is due to changes in interest rates in the 1980s
(2) Financial innovations also played a role in velocity’s decline in the early 1980s
d. M2 velocity is closer to being a constant, but not over short periods
Data Application
Using the idea that M2 velocity is stable, economists at the Federal Reserve Board developed an
inflation model based on M2 growth. The model suggested that the price level would adjust to an
equilibrium level, P*, that was determined mainly by the level of M2. See Jeffrey J. Hallman,
Richard D. Porter, and David H. Small, “Is the Price Level Tied to the M2 Monetary Aggregate
in the Long Run?” American Economic Review, September 1991, pp. 841–858. However, almost
immediately after this article came out, M2 velocity began behaving very unpredictably, and the
Federal Reserve deemphasized the use of M2 for policy purposes.
Policy Application
The Federal Reserve’s job of conducting monetary policy is made more complicated by sweep
programs. For an introduction to these problems, see “Sweep Accounts Lower Reserve Balances,
Complicate Fed Funds Targeting” in the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Financial Update,
July–September 1999.
2. With all the other variables in Eq. (7.9) determined, the asset market equilibrium condition
determines the price level
a. P M/L(Y, r e) (7.10)
b. The price level is the ratio of nominal money supply to real money demand
c. For example, doubling the money supply would double the price level
For exercises dealing with price level determination, see Numerical Problems 3 and 5 and
Analytical Problem 4.
Theoretical Application
You might wonder why we don’t show a diagram of money demand and money supply on the
horizontal axis and the real interest rate on the vertical axis at this point in the textbook. The
reason is that we need to talk about general equilibrium first, so we wait to introduce such a
diagram until Chapter 9. Otherwise, students would correctly wonder why the goods market
equilibrium diagram determines the real interest rate and at the same time the asset market
equilibrium diagram also determines the real interest rate. Instead, for now, we just give them the
idea that the asset market equilibrium determines the price level. Later, we will show how both
markets come into equilibrium simultaneously.
2. Both the growth rates of money demand and money supply affect inflation, but (in cases of
high inflation) usually growth of nominal money supply is the most important factor
a. For example, if the income elasticity of money demand were 2/3 and real output grew
15%, real money demand would grow 10% ( 2/3 15%); or if income fell 15%, real
money demand would fall 10%
b. So money demand doesn’t vary much, no matter how well or poorly an economy is doing,
but nominal money supply growth differs across countries by hundreds of percentage
points, so large inflation differences must be due to money supply, not
money demand
3. Text Figure 7.4 shows the link between money growth and inflation in these countries;
inflation is clearly positively associated with money growth
4. So why do countries allow money supplies to grow quickly, if they know it will cause
inflation?
a. They sometimes find that printing money is the only way to finance government
expenditures
b. This is especially true for very poor countries, or countries in political crisis
Data Application
For a review of the causes of inflation in the short run and long run in countries throughout the
world, see Larry Ball’s article, “What Causes Inflation?” Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
Business Review, March/April 1993, pp. 3–12.
Data Application
There are many surveys of economists’ forecasts for inflation. The most well known monthly
survey is Blue Chip Economic Indicators. Two surveys that are available free of charge are the
quarterly Survey of Professional Forecasters, which began in 1968, and the semi-annual
Livingston Survey, which began in 1946. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia produces
both, and historical datasets on the surveys are available on the Internet at
http://www.phil.frb.org/ econ/forecast/index.html.
3. Text Figure 7.5 plots U.S. inflation and nominal interest rates
a. Inflation and nominal interest rates have tended to move together
b. But the real interest rate is clearly not constant
c. The real interest rate was negative in the mid-1970s and then became much higher and
positive in the late-1970s to early-1980s; the real interest rate turned negative again
following the financial crisis of 2008
Data Application
A careful attempt to measure the world real interest rate was undertaken by Robert J. Barro and
Xavier Sala-i-Martin, “World Real Interest Rates,” in O. Blanchard and S. Fischer, eds., NBER
Macroeconomics Annual, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1990, pp. 15–61.
2. The three functions of money are (1) the medium of exchange function, which contributes to a better-
functioning economy by allowing people to make trades at a lower cost in time and effort than in a
barter economy; (2) the unit of account function, which provides a single, uniform measure of value;
and (3) the store of value function, by which money is a way of holding wealth that has high liquidity
and little risk.
3. The size of the nation’s money supply is determined by its central bank; in the United States, the
central bank is the Federal Reserve System. If all money is in the form of currency, the money supply
can be expanded if the central bank uses newly minted currency to buy financial assets from the
public or directly from the government itself. To reduce the money supply, the central bank can sell
financial assets to the public or the government, taking currency out of circulation.
4. The four characteristics of assets that are most important to wealth holders are (1) expected return,
(2) risk, (3) liquidity; and (4) time to maturity. Money has a low expected return compared with other
assets, low risk since it always maintains its nominal value, is the most liquid of all assets, and has the
lowest (zero) time to maturity.
5. The expectations theory of the term structure of interest rates originates in the idea that investors
compare bonds with different times to maturity and choose the ones that yield the highest return. In
equilibrium, the theory implies that the expected rate of return on an N-year bond should equal the
average of the expected rates of return on one-year bonds during the current year and the N – 1
succeeding years.
The expectations theory is not sufficient because on average, long-term interest rates exceed short-
term interest rates, in violation of the theory’s implications. To form a more accurate theory, a risk
premium must be added to the analysis.
6. The macroeconomic variables that have the greatest impact on money demand are the price level, real
income, and the nominal interest rate on other assets. The higher the price level, the higher the
demand for money, since more units of money are needed to carry out transactions. The higher the
level of real income, the higher the need for liquidity, and so the higher is money demand. When the
nominal interest rate on other assets is high, the quantity of money demanded is low, because the
opportunity cost of holding money (i.e., the interest you forgo on other assets because you are
holding money instead) is high.
7. Velocity is a measure of how often money “turns over” in a period. It is equal to nominal GDP
divided by the nominal money supply. The quantity theory of money assumes that velocity is
constant, which implies that real money demand is proportional to real income and is unaffected by
the real interest rate.
8. Equilibrium in the asset market is described by the condition that real money supply equals real
money demand because when supply equals demand for money, demand must also equal supply for
nonmonetary assets. The aggregation assumption that is needed for this is that we can lump all wealth
into two categories: (1) money and (2) nonmonetary assets.
9. In equilibrium, the price level is proportional to the nominal money supply; in particular it equals the
nominal money supply divided by real money demand. Similarly, the inflation rate is equal to the
growth rate of the nominal money supply minus the growth rate of real money demand.
10. Factors that could increase the public’s expected rate of inflation include a rise in money growth or a
decline in income growth. With no effect on the real interest rate, the increase in the expected
inflation rate would increase the nominal interest rate by the same amount.
Numerical Problems
1. For a two-year bond, according to the expectations theory, the interest rate would be the average of
the two one-year bonds, which is (6% 4%)/2 5%. Adding the risk premium of 0.5% gives an
interest rate on the two-year bond of 5.5%.
For the three-year bond, according to the expectations theory, the interest rate would be the average
of the three one-year bonds, which is (6% 4% 3%)/3 4.33%. Adding the risk premium of 1.0%
gives an interest rate on the three-year bond of 5.33%.
The yield curve would show the interest rate on a one-year bond of 6%, the interest rate on a two-year
bond of 5.55%, and the interest rate on a three-year bond of 5.33%, so it would be downward sloping,
which is called “inverted” in the market.
2. (a) Real money demand is
Md/P 500 0.2Y 1000i
500 (0.2 1000) (1000 0.10)
600.
Nominal money demand is
Md (Md/P) P 600 100 60,000.
Velocity is
V PY/Md 100 1000/60,000 1 2/3.
(b) Real money demand is unchanged, because neither Y nor i has changed.
Nominal money demand is
Md (Md/P) P 600 200 120,000.
Velocity is unchanged, because neither Y nor Md/P has changed, and we can write the equation
for velocity as
V PY/Md Y/(Md/P).
(c) It is useful to use the last expression for velocity,
V Y/(Md/P) Y/(500 0.2Y 1000i).
(1) Effect of increase in real income:
When i 0.10,
V Y/[500 0.2Y – (1000 0.10)]
Y/(400 0.2Y)
1/[(400/Y) 0.2].
When Y increases, 400/Y decreases, so V increases. For example, if Y 2000, then V 2.5,
which is an increase over V 1 2/3 that we got when Y 1000.
(2) Effect of increase in the nominal interest rate:
When Y 1000, V 1000/[500 (0.2 1000) 1000i]
1000/(700 1000i)
1/(0.7 i).
When i increases, 0.7 i decreases, so V increases. For example, if i 0.20, then V 2,
which is an increase over V 1 2/3 that we got when i 0.10.
(3) Effect of increase in the price level:
There is no effect on velocity, since we can write velocity as a function just of Y and i.
Nominal money demand changes proportionally with the price level, so that real money
demand, and hence velocity, is unchanged.
3. (a) Md $100,000 $50,000 [$5000 (i im) 100]. (Multiplying by 100 is necessary since i and
im are in decimals, not percent.) Simplifying this expression, we get
Md $50,000 $500,000(i im).
(b) Bd $50,000 $500,000(i im).
Adding these together we get Md Bd $100,000, which is Mr. Midas’s initial wealth.
(c) This can be solved either by setting money supply equal to money demand, or by setting bond
supply equal to bond demand.
Md Ms
$50,000 $500,000(i im) $20,000
$30,000 $500,000 i [Setting im 0]
i 0.06 6%
Bd Bs
$50,000 $500,000i $80,000
$500,000i $30,000
i 0.06 6%
4. (a) From the equation MV PY, we get M/P Y/V. At equilibrium, Md M, so Md/P Y/V
10,000/5 2000. Md P (Md/P) 2 2000 4000.
(b) From the equation MV PY, P MV/Y.
When M 5000, P (5000 5)/10,000 2.5.
When M 6000, P (6000 5)/10,000 3.
5. (a) P/P Y Y/Y 0.5 6% 3%. The price level will be 3% lower.
(b) P/P r r/r (0.1) 0.1 1%. The price level will be 1% higher.
(c) With changes in both income and the real interest rate, to get an unchanged price level would
require Y Y/Y r r/r 0, so [0.5 (Y – 100)/100] [0.1 0.1] 0, so Y 102.
6. (a) e M/M 10%. i r e 15%. M/P L 0.01 150/0.15 10. P 300/10 30.
(b) e /M 5%. i r e 10%. M/P L 0.01 150/0.10 15. P 300/15 20. The
slowdown in money growth reduces expected inflation, increasing real money demand, thus
lowering the price level.
7. (a) With a constant real interest rate and zero expected inflation, inflation is given by the equation
M/M Y Y/Y. To get inflation equal to zero, the central bank should set money growth so
that M/M Y Y/Y 2/3 0.045 0.03 3%. Note that the interest elasticity isn’t relevant,
since interest rates don’t change.
(b) Since V PY/M, V/V P/P Y/Y – M/M
0 0.045 0.03
0.015
Analytical Problems
1. (a) People would probably take money out of checking accounts and put it into money market
mutual funds and money market deposit accounts. Money market mutual funds and money
market deposit accounts are included in M2 but are not part of M1. The result is a decrease in
M1, but no change in M2. M2 does not increase because M1 is part of M2, so the decrease in M1
offsets the increase in the rest of M2.
(b) This would reduce both M1 and M2, as people would have reduced need for money in checking
accounts, and home equity lines of credit are not included in either M1 or M2.
(c) If people fear a stock market collapse, they will want greater liquidity, so they will hold more
money. Also, since stocks are an alternative asset to money, and the expected return to stocks has
fallen, money demand will increase. Both effects will lead to people investing less in stocks and
more in cash, checking accounts, and other items that provide liquidity and safety, so M1 and M2
will both rise.
(d) People would have less need for money in checking accounts, and would put more in savings
deposits. So M1 will decrease, while M2 will remain unchanged. (Again, M1 is part of M2, so
reducing the amount that is in M1, and increasing the amount that is in M2 but not in M1, has no
effect on M2.)
(e) If currency demand falls, this decreases M1, thus also decreasing M2.
2. The general rise in velocity from 1959 to 1980 is most likely due to changes in income, in interest
rates, and in financial institutions. Higher income led to a less than proportional rise in real money
demand, so velocity increased. Rising inflation and rising nominal interest rates in this period led
people to seek alternatives to non–interest-bearing money, such as money market mutual funds.
The result was lower money demand, and thus higher velocity. Financial innovations also reduced the
need for money. Examples include the development of cash management accounts and the use of
automated teller machines.
3. (a) New cigarettes mean an increase in the money supply. With higher nominal money supply and
no change in real money demand, the equilibrium price level must rise.
(b) If people anticipate prices rising when the new cigarettes arrive, they will hold less money so that
they will not lose purchasing power when prices go up. But if their real money demand is
reduced, with the same nominal money supply the equilibrium price level must rise. The result is
that when prices are anticipated to rise in the future, people may take actions that cause prices to
rise immediately.
4. (a) A temporary increase in government purchases reduces national saving, causing the real interest
rate to rise for a fixed level of income. If the real interest rate is higher, then real money demand
will be lower. So prices must rise to make money supply equal money demand. The result is that
output is unchanged, the real interest rate increases, and the price level increases.
(b) When expected inflation falls, real money demand increases. With no effect on employment or
saving and investment, output and the real interest rate remain unchanged. With higher real
money demand and an unchanged nominal money supply, the equilibrium price level must
decline. So output and the real interest rate are unchanged and prices decline.
(c) When labor supply rises, full-employment output increases. Also, with higher output, saving will
increase, so the real interest rate will decline. Both higher output and a lower real interest rate
increase real money demand. The price level must decline to equate money supply with money
demand. The result is an increase in output and a decrease in both the real interest rate and the
price level.
(d) When the interest rate paid on money increases, real money demand rises. With no effect on
employment or saving and investment, output and the real interest rate remain unchanged. With
higher real money demand and an unchanged nominal money supply, the equilibrium price level
must decline. So output and the real interest rate are unchanged and prices decline.
2. In the 1960s and early 1970s, M1 growth was more closely related to inflation. In the 1980s, M2 growth was
more closely related to inflation. The relationships are stronger in the long run than in the short run. The
relationship between M2 growth and inflation weakened after 1990.
3.
a. Interest rates move in the same direction as inflation. That is not surprising because if real interest rates do
not change too much, and because the nominal interest rate equals the real interest rate plus the inflation rate
(if actual and expected inflation rates are similar), then nominal interest rates will move in the same
direction as inflation.
b. The three-month rate is more sensitive to current changes in inflation. The ten-year rate would be sensitive
to long-run changes in inflation, but many inflation movements are short-lived.
„Cecil had geld noodig en daarom gaf ik alles, wat ik had, aan hem
en nam daarvoor aandeel in zijn onderneming.
„Ik maak deel uit van het Syndicaat. In alles, wat Cecil ondernomen
heeft, sinds hij in de Staten kwam, ben ik voor de helft
geïnteresseerd.
„Wat zei je, Lily?” vroeg hij daarna op scherpen toon met een
wantrouwenden blik op Raffles, die zoo vertrouwelijk met zijn vrouw
had zitten praten—„alles samen deelen. Wàt samen deelen?
Waarover heb je met lord Aberdeen gesproken?”
„Ik heb hem verteld van mijn relatiën met Cecils onderneming”, zei de
hertogin bedaard, „en hem uitgelegd, hoe het komt, dat ik
geïnteresseerd ben bij het licht en den motor!”
„O, zoo!”
Toen boog hij ook voor den hertog en even later suisde de blauwe
auto weg.
„Vervloekt”, mompelde Raffles, terwijl hij door het raampje van het
voertuig naar buiten staarde, „verdoemd—deze Silverton heeft ook al
een deel van de kwaal van zijn geslacht te pakken. De kerel is
mateloos jaloersch. Alle Silverton’s zijn jaloersch en dat heeft al
meermalen tot hun verderf geleid, tot— —”
Het woord bleef hem op de lippen, want met een schok stond de auto
stil.
Het scheelde maar een meter of wat of een botsing was
onvermijdelijk geweest.
„Hoe heb je het in je hoofd kunnen halen om zoo lang met dien vent
te praten?” vroeg de hertog zijn gemalin. „En waar ter wereld of
wanneer heb je hem leeren kennen? Je weet wel, dat ik niet van die
familiariteiten houd. Het past niet, Lily, dat jij bezoek ontvangt van wie
dan ook.”
Zijn oogen hadden een vreemde uitdrukking, die Lily daarin nog niet
had bespeurd. Het scheen, alsof zij van buiten bedekt waren door
een vlies, waardoor de man niet dan onduidelijk en vaag kon
onderscheiden wat om hem heen voorviel.
Zijn wangen waren bleek en zijn lippen vast op elkaar gesloten als
van iemand, die een vast besluit had genomen en dit wenscht ten
uitvoer te brengen.
„Lieve hemel, Bertie! Waar ben jij geweest! Dat mag ik wel vragen!”
riep ze uit.
„Ja!”
„Ik heb nog niet eens gezegd, dat ik iets verloren heb.”
„Ik heb je beloofd, niet hoog te zullen spelen. In het geheel geen
kaart aan te raken zou eenvoudig onmogelijk zijn voor een man in
mijn positie. Iedereen speelt, als hij naar zijn club gaat. Maar hoog
spelen doe ik niet meer … tenminste voorloopig niet. En vanmiddag
zou ik ook niet boven mijn maximum zijn gegaan, als ik niet zulk een
ongehoorde tegenspoed had gehad.
„Breng mij een glas cognac met spuitwater”, beval hij koel.
Als zij wilde probeeren, hem uit te hooren, of hem onder curateele te
stellen, zou ze wel begrijpen, dat zulke praktijken bij hem niet
aansloegen.
Langzaam welden tranen op in haar oogen, toen zij zag, met hoeveel
gulzigheid de hertog den grooten tumbler in één langen teug leeg
dronk.
„Kijk eens, Lily, het spreekt vanzelf, dat ik er niet aan denk, mij te
willen stellen tusschen jou en je kennissen, maar die bezoeken van
heeren—”
„Lord Aberdeen is een heel oude kennis, Bertie. Hij woonde indertijd
in Clandon Street.”
„Hij was commensaal bij ons, Bertie, onder een anderen naam. Te
New York heb ik je immers al verteld, dat wij hier kamers
verhuurden!”
„Je wilt toch niet zeggen, Lily, dat je vroeger commensaals gehouden
hebt,—kamers verhuurd?”
„Denk er aan, Lily, dat je waardigheid als vrouw en je positie als mijn
vrouw je, naar mijn oordeel, moeten weerhouden om je vrienden van
Clandonstreet opnieuw in te halen—al zijn het ook lords.
„Bertie! Bertie!” riep ze, hem nasnellende. „Wat wil je doen? Waar ge
je heen?”
„Ik ga naar mijn club terug om daar den dag verder door te brengen!”
sprak hij.
Raffles had zich voor onbepaalden tijd met zijn jongen secretaris
Charly Brand in Nederland gevestigd en vertoefde nu sinds ruim
veertien dagen in zijn vorstelijk huis in Londen.
Morgen zou Charly, die thans onder den naam van baron Charlton in
Londen vertoefde, zijn erfenis, groot vijfduizend pond sterling, worden
uitbetaald. Twee dagen later wilden de vrienden dan weder naar
Amsterdam oversteken, waar, in het Willemsparkkwartier, het groote
prachtige heerenhuis hen wachtte.
„Wel, Edward”, begon hij. „We zijn nu toch eens veilig in Londen.
Weet je wel, hoe dikwijls ons huis omsingeld werd door allerlei
gedaanten uit Scotland Yard, die op hoog bevel van onzen vriend
Baxter naar hier waren gezonden? De arme kerel!!”
„En hoe Marholm, die brave „vloo”, mij steeds op de een of andere
manier van het dreigende gevaar kennis wist te geven”, voegde lord
Lister er aan toe.
„Och, Charly, dat waren toch wel prettige dagen. Zoo vol afwisseling!
Zoo vol van dreigend gevaar en kwade verrassingen.
„Ik kan niet zeggen, dat ik over mijn verblijf in Nederland ontevreden
ben.
„Integendeel!
„Ik heb heerlijk van de rust genoten, Edward en als ik morgen mijn
kapitaal in bezit heb, bestaat er geen gelukkiger mensch in het
Vereenigde Koninkrijk!”
Raffles belde.
Toen het uur voor den lunch voorbij was, kwam een krantenjongen,
hard loopende, de stille Regent-street binnenstormen uit alle macht
schreeuwende en half verstaanbare klanken uitstootende.
Het geluid van zijn stem verbrak de stilte, die heerschte in het vertrek,
waar de vrienden zwijgend en lezend bijeen zaten.
Raffles rukte het blad open en daar zag hij het staan, ernstig, sober,
met groote dikke letters:
Zie hier wat het blad schreef over de gebeurtenissen in het huis
Silverton:
„Met leedwezen zien wij ons verplicht, het overlijden te berichten van
Hertog Silverton, die in den vroegen ochtend is gestorven. De Hertog was,
zooals onze lezers weten, slechts een week lang ongesteld.
Verleden Dinsdag nam de ziekte een gunstige wending en kon men een
spoedige en algeheele genezing van den patient verwachten. Doch in den
avond van dien dag deden zich verschijnselen voor van onverklaarbare
slaapzucht, die hand over hand toenam, zoodat de kundige geneesheeren,
die den patient behandelden, ernstige vermoedens begonnen te koesteren
omtrent vergiftiging door narcotische middelen.
Tot dusverre is nog niets met zekerheid bekend, maar tal van zeer
verontrustende geruchten loopen in de stad. Van zeer goed ingelichte zijde
vernemen wij, dat een gerechtelijk onderzoek zal worden bevolen en dat,
indien dit mocht geschieden, een proces kan worden verwacht van een
hoogst merkwaardig en sensationeel karakter.”
Hieronder volgde een beschrijving van minder belang voor het groote
publiek, waarin de stamboom van den Hertog werd uiteengezet.
Maar dan kwam weder in vette letters het volgende hoofdje van een
uitvoerig bericht:
Eerst drie of vier dagen geleden begon de geneesheer, die den Hertog
voortdurend behandeld had, teekenen van opium-vergiftiging bij zijn patient
op te merken. Hij vroeg den Hertog, of deze de gewoonte had, in het
geheim eenig narcotisch middel te gebruiken, waarop echter ontkennend
werd geantwoord.
Zoodra deze ontdekking door hem gedaan werd, werden alle pogingen in
het werk gesteld om het gevaar te keeren en nauwkeurig acht te slaan op
de verpleegsters en op allen, die met den zieke in aanraking plachten te
komen.
Men wil namelijk weten, dat gisteravond, omstreeks acht uur, de Hertog
zijn geneesheer alleen heeft willen spreken en men vermoedt, dat hij bij die
gelegenheid den dokter ernstige vermoedens omtrent de Hertogin moet
hebben toegefluisterd.
In den loop van den avond evenwel is de Hertogin, gebruik makende van
de tijdelijke afwezigheid der verpleegsters, ondanks het verbod van den
geneesheer, toch doorgedrongen in het ziekenvertrek en heeft zij den
patient een dosis medicijn ingegeven uit een fleschje, dat zij bij zich droeg.
Men vertelt, dat het drinkwater en enkele andere bestanddeelen van het
voedsel, dat de Hertogin haar echtgenoot toediende reeds in den vroegen
morgen aan een scheikundig onderzoek zijn onderworpen en dat in die
bestanddeelen groote hoeveelheden morphine zijn geconstateerd.
Een fleschje met dit vergif, een hoeveelheid bevattende, voldoende om een
geheel huisgezin naar de andere wereld te helpen, maar voorzien van het
onschuldig etiquet „Magnesia poeder” moet eveneens reeds uit het
juweelenkistje van de Hertogin, dat toevallig in een kast op de slaapkamer
van den Hertog was neergezet, zijn te voorschijn gehaald.
Als inderdaad deze geruchten waarheid blijken te bevatten, dan zal Londen
spoedig een der merkwaardigste rechtzaken van de laatste jaren kunnen
beleven.
Dat alles las Raffles en om hem heen scheen de gansche wereld met
al haar kleine beslommeringen in het niet te zinken.
Hij zag weer vóór zich het pension in Clandonstreet, waar het
bevallige meisje in de eetkamer rondging met stofdoek en plumeau
en waar zij de heerlijkste puddingen kon bereiden.
Hij had haar ijver steeds bewonderd, als zij vlug en handig het
ontbijtgoed wegruimde op een wijze, die duidelijk aantoonde, dat zij
vrij was van alle zelfingenomenheid; nooit spreidde zij coquette
maniertjes ten toon, zooals dat zooveel andere dames doen, die
kamers verhuren.
Toen herinnerde hij zich het aangename uurtje in het groote huis van
den Hertog doorgebracht, waar de Hertogin zoo onbevangen met
hem had gebabbeld en waar ze hem had verteld, dat het alles „zoo
heel eenvoudig” in zijn werk was gegaan—het verwerven van Cecils
rijkdommen, waarin zij voor de helft aandeelen had.
Toen—de kwaadaardige uitdrukking in de oogen van den hertog,
terwijl hij den salon binnentrad en zijn onbeschofte houding tegen
Lily.
Maar toen de, tot een bal opgerolde krant op het tapijt neerviel en
lord Edward Lister in peinzende houding voor het venster ging staan,
toen raapte Charly het dagblad op, vouwde het open, streek de
honderden plooien weer glad en begon het bericht te lezen, dat John
C. Raffles zoozeer had doen ontstellen.
Ook toen hij het, tot tweemaal toe, ten einde had gelezen, sprak
Charly Brand nog geen woord.
Een Hertogin-giftmengster!
„In de kracht van zijn leven had hij „het loodje er bij moeten leggen.”
„Charly!”
De secretaris van den Grooten Onbekende schrikte op, toen hij door
de stem van zijn vriend en meester uit zijn gedachten werd
weggerukt.
„Heb je ’t gelezen?”
„Ja.”
„En?”
„Wat heb je?” vroeg Charly, wien dat onderzoekend aankijken door
zijn vriend maar half beviel.
„Wat er is, Charly? Er is, dat ik een gelukkige keuze deed, toen ik jou
tot mijn secretaris en mijn helper benoemde.”
„Ik zal over deze zaak niet met je redetwisten, m’n jongen!
„En ik wensch je verder een goeden middag. We zien elkaar aan het
diner wel terug!”
„De jas met de dievenzakken”, fluisterde Charly, „wat zou hij van plan
zijn?” [17]
[Inhoud]
VIJFDE HOOFDSTUK.
De chef van „het vak”.
Sinds de vlucht van Dorrit met honderd millioen had geen zaak het
voorrecht van zooveel onverdeelde opmerkzaamheid gehad als deze.