第85章

'Well, Mister Mordicai, what then? The ides of March are come, but not gone! Stay, if you plase, Mister Mordicai, till Lady-day, when it becomes due; in the meantime, I have a handful, or rather an armful, of bank-notes for you, from my Lord Colambre.'

'Humph!' said Mordicai; 'how's that? he'll not be of age these three days.'

'Don't matter for that; he has sent me to look over your account, and to hope that you will make some small ABATEMENT in the total.'

'Harkee, Sir Terence you think yourself very clever in things of this sort, but you've mistaken your man; I have an execution for the whole, and I'll be d--d if all your cunning shall MAKE me take up with part!'

'Be easy, Mister Mordicai!--you shan't make me break your bones, nor make me drop one actionable word against your high character;for I know your clerk there, with that long goose-quill behind his ear, would be ready evidence again' me.But I beg to know, in one word, whether you will take five thousand down, and GIVELord Clonbrony a discharge?'

'No, Mr.Terence! nor six thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine pounds.My demand is L7130, odd shillings: if you have that money, pay it; if not, I know how to get it, and along with it complete revenge for all the insults I have received from that greenhorn, his son.'

'Paddy Brady!' cried Sir Terence,'do you hear that? Remember that word, REVENGE!--Mind, I call you to witness!'

'What, sir, will you raise a rebellion among my workmen?'

'No, Mr.Mordicai, no rebellion; and I hope you won't cut the boy's ears off for listening to a little of the brogue--So listen, my good lad.Now, Mr.Mordicai, I offer you here, before little goose-quill, L5000 ready penny--take it, or leave it; take your money, and leave your revenge; or, take your revenge, and lose your money.'

'Sir Terence, I value neither your threats nor your cunning.

Good morning to you.'

'Good morning to you, Mr.Mordicai--but not kindly! Mr.Edwards, the solicitor, has been at the office to take off the execution;so now you may have law to your heart's content! And it was only to plase the young lord that the OULD one consented to my carrying this bundle to you,'--showing the bank-notes.

'Mr.Edwards employed!' cried Mordicai.'Why, how the devil did Lord Clonbrony get into such hands as his? The execution taken off! Well, sir, go to law I am ready for you; Jack Latitat is AMATCH for your sober solicitor.'

'Good morning again to you, Mr.Mordicai; we're fairly out of your clutches, and we have enough to do with our money.'

'Well, Sir Terence, I must allow you have a very wheedling way--Here, Mr.Thompson, make out a receipt for Lord Clonbrony: Inever go to law with an old customer, if I can help it.'

This business settled, Mr.Soho was next to be dealt with.

He came at Lady Clonbrony's summons; and was taking directions, with the utmost SANG FROID, for packing up and sending off the very furniture for which he was not paid.

Lord Colambre called him into his father's study; and, producing his bill, he began to point out various articles which were charged at prices that were obviously extravagant,'Why, really, my lord, they are ABUNDANTLY extravagant; if Icharged vulgar prices, I should be only a vulgar tradesman.I, however, am not a broker, nor a Jew.Of the article superintendence, which is only L500, I cannot abate a dolt; on the rest of the bill, if you mean to offer READY, I mean, without any negotiation, to abate thirty per cent; and I hope that is a fair and gentlemanly offer.'

'Mr.Soho, there is your money!'

'My Lord Colambre! I would give the contents of three such bills to be sure of such noblemanly conduct as yours.Lady Clonbrony's furniture shall be safely packed, without costing her a farthing.'

With the help of Mr.Edwards, the solicitor, every other claim was soon settled; and Lord Clonbrony, for the first time since he left Ireland, found himself out of debt, and out of danger.

Old Nick's account could not be settled in London.Lord Colambre had detected numerous false charges, and sundry impositions; the land, which had been purposely let to run wild, so far from yielding any rent, was made a source of constant expense, as remaining still unset: this was a large tract, for which St.

Dennis had at length offered a small rent.

Upon a fair calculation of the profits of the ground, and from other items in the account, Nicholas Garraghty, Esq., appeared at last to be, not the creditor, but the debtor to Lord Clonbrony.

He was dismissed with disgrace, which perhaps he might not have felt, if it had not been accompanied by pecuniary loss, and followed by the fear of losing his other agencies, and by the dread of immediate bankruptcy.

Mr.Burke was appointed agent in his stead to the Clonbrony as well as the Colambre estate.His appointment was announced to him by the following letter:--To MRS.BURKE, AT COLAMBRE.

DEAR MADAM, The traveller whom you so hospitably received some months ago was Lord Colambre--he now writes to you in his proper person.He promised you that he would, as far as it might be in his power, do justice to Mr.Burke's conduct and character, by representing what he had done for Lord Clonbrony in the town of Colambre, and in the whole management of the tenantry and property under his care.

Happily for my father, my dear madam, he is now as fully convinced as you could wish him to be of Mr.Burke's merits; and he begs me to express his sense of the obligations he is under to him and to you.He entreats that you will pardon the impropriety of a letter, which, as I assured you the moment I saw it, he never wrote or read.This will, he says, cure him, for life, of putting his signature to any paper without reading it.

He hopes that you will forget that such a letter was ever received, and that you will use your influence with Mr.Burke to induce him to continue to our family his regard and valuable services.Lord Clonbrony encloses a power of attorney, enabling Mr.Burke to act in future for him, if Mr.Burke will do him that favour, in managing the Clonbrony as well as the Colambre estate.