“Mr. Dennis named the rent. But any thing your honour plases— any thing at all that we can pay.”
“Oh, it’s out of the question — put it out of your head. No rent you can offer would do, for I have promised it to the surveyor.”
“Sir, Mr. Dennis knows my lord gave us his promise in writing of a renewal, on the back of the ould lase.”
“Produce it.”
“Here’s the lase, but the promise is rubbed out.”
“Nonsense! coming to me with a promise that’s rubbed out. Who’ll listen to that in a court of justice, do you think?”
“I don’t know, plase your honour; but this I’m sure of, my lord and Miss Nugent, though but a child at the time, God bless her! who was by when my lord wrote it with his pencil, will remember it.”
“Miss Nugent! what can she know of business?— What has she to do with the management of my Lord Clonbrony’s estate, pray?”
“Management!— no, sir.”
“Do you wish to get Miss Nugent turned out of the house?”
“Oh, God forbid!— how could that be?”
“Very easily; if you set about to make her meddle and witness in what my lord does not choose.”
“Well, then, I’ll never mention Miss Nugent’s name in it at all, if it was ever so with me. But be plased, sir, to write over to my lord, and ask him; I’m sure he’ll remember it.”
“Write to my lord about such a trifle — trouble him about such nonsense!”
“I’d be sorry to trouble him. Then take it on my word, and believe me, sir; for I would not tell a lie,link, nor cheat rich or poor, if in my power, for the whole estate, nor the whole world: for there’s an eye above.”
“Cant! nonsense!— Take those leases off the table; I never will sign them. Walk off, ye canting hag; it’s an imposition — I will never sign them.”
“You will, then, sir,” cried Brian, growing red with indignation; “for the law shall make you, so it shall; and you’d as good have been civil to my mother, whatever you did — for I’ll stand by her while I’ve life; and I know she has right, and shall have law. I saw the memorandum written before ever it went into your hands, sir, whatever became of it after; and will swear to it too.”
“Swear away, my good friend; much your swearing will avail in your own case in a court of justice,” continued Old Nick.
“And against a gentleman of my brother’s established character and property,” said St. Dennis. “What’s your mother’s character against a gentleman’s like his?”
“Character! take care how you go to that, any way, sir,” cried Brian.
Grace put her hand before his mouth, to stop him.
“Grace, dear, I must speak, if I die for it; sure it’s for my mother,” said the young man, struggling forward, while his mother held him back; “I must speak.”
“Oh, he’s ruined, I see it,” said Grace, putting her hand before her eyes, “and he won’t mind me.”
“Go on, let him go on, pray,Fake Designer Handbags, young woman,” said Mr. Garraghty,knockoff handbags, pale with anger and fear, his lips quivering,shox torch 2; “I shall be happy to take down his words.”
“Write them; and may all the world read it, and welcome!”
His mother and wife stopped his mouth by force.
“Write you, Dennis,” said Mr. Garraghty, giving the pen to his brother; for his hand shook so he could not form a letter. “Write the very words, and at the top” (pointing) “after warning, with malice prepense.”
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