sum of money he required, but would not hear of
increasing his income. They argued, discussed, and quarrelled over the
matter, for a long time; till, at last, the anxious father, in his
passion, told his son that he might go his own way, and that he would
take no further trouble to help so unconscionable a child. Lord
Kilcullen rejoined by threatening immediately to throw the whole of the
property, which was entailed on himself, into the hands of the Jews.

Long they argued and bargained, till each was surprised at the
obstinacy of the other. They ended, however, by splitting the
difference, and it was agreed, that Lord Cashel was at once to hand
over thirty thousand pounds, and to take his son's bond for the amount;
that the other debts were to stand over till Fanny's money was
forthcoming; and that the income of the newly married pair was to be
seven thousand five hundred a-year.

"At least," thought Lord Kilcullen to himself, as he good-humouredly
shook hands with his father at the termination of the interview--"I
have not done so badly, for those infernal dogs will be silenced, and I
shall get the money. I could not have gone back without that. I can go
on with the marriage, or not, as I may choose, hereafter. It won't be a
bad speculation, however."

To do Lord Cashel justice, he did not intend cheating his son, nor did
he suspect his son of an intention to cheat him. But the generation was
deteriorating.

XIV. THE COUNTESS

It was delightful to see on what good terms the earl and his son met
that evening at dinner. The latter even went so far as to be decently
civil to his mother, and was quite attentive to Fanny. She, however,
did not seem to appreciate the compliment. It was now a fortnight since
she had heard of her brother's death, and during the whole of that time
she had been silent, unhappy, and fretful. Not a word more had been
said to her about Lord Ballindine, nor had she, as yet, spoken about
him to any one; but she had been thinking about little else, and had
ascertained,--at least, so she thought,--that she could never be happy,
unless she were reconciled to him.

The more she brooded over the subject, the more she felt convinced that
such was the case; she could not think how she had ever been induced
to sanction, by her name, such an unwarrantable proceeding as the
unceremonious dismissal of a man to whom her troth had been plighted,
merely because he had not called to see her. As fo