's interest, without a look or thought to my own.'

'By St. Patrick! the spirit of a prince, and an Irish prince, spoke
there,' cried Sir Terence; 'and if I'd fifty hearts, you'd have all in
your hand this minute, at your service, and warm. Blindfold you! after
that, the man that would attempt it DESARVES to be shot; and I'd have no
sincerer pleasure in life than shooting him this moment, was he my best
friend. But it's not Clonbrony, or your father, my lord, would act that
way, no more than Sir Terence O'Fay--there's the schedule of the debts,'
drawing a paper from his bosom; 'and I'll swear to the lot, and not a
man on earth could do that but myself.'

Lord Colambre opened the paper. His father turned aside, covering his
face with both his hands.

'Tut, man,' said Sir Terence; 'I know him now better than you; he will
stand, you'll find, the shock of that regiment of figures--he is steel
to the backbone, and proof spirit.'

'I thank you, my dear father,' said Lord Colambre, 'for trusting me thus
at once with a view of the truth. At first sight it is, I acknowledge,
worse than I expected; but I make no doubt that, when you allow me to
examine Mr. Garraghty's accounts and Mr. Mordicai's claims, we shall
be able to reduce this alarming total considerably, my dear father. You
think we learn nothing but Latin and Greek at Cambridge; but you are
mistaken.'

'The devil a pound, nor a penny,' said Sir Terence; 'for you have to
deal with a Jew and old Nick; and I'm not a match for them. I don't know
who is; and I have no hope of getting any abatement. I've looked over
the accounts till I'm sick.'

'Nevertheless, you will observe that fifteen hundred guineas have been
saved to my father, at one stroke, by his not signing those leases.'

'Saved to you, my lord; not your father, if you plase,' said Sir
Terence. 'For now I'm upon the square with you, I must be straight as an
arrow, and deal with you as the son and friend of my friend; before,
I was considering you only as the son and heir, which is quite another
thing, you know; accordingly, acting for your father here, I was making
the best bargain against you I could; honestly, now, I tell you. I knew
the value of the lands well enough; we were as sharp as Garraghty, and
he knew it; we were to have had THE DIFFERENCE from him, partly in cash
and partly in balance of accounts--you comprehend--and you only would
have been the loser, and never would have known it, maybe, till