will stand for that young divil Charley,
and then me fingers--"

"Oh, hang your fingers," Girdlestone exclaimed with emphasis.
"It's very interesting, major, but it would be more intelligible if you
wrote it out."

"And so I shall, me boy!" the major cried enthusiastically, by no means
abashed at the sudden interruption. "I'll draw it up on a bit o'
foolscap paper. Let's see; Fenchurch Street, eh? Address to the
offices, of course. Though, for that matter, 'Girdlestone, London,'
would foind you. I was spakin' of ye to Sir Musgrave Moore, of the
Rifles, the other day, and he knew you at once. 'Girdlestone?' says he.
'The same,' says I. 'A merchant prince?' says he. 'The same,' says I.
'I'd be proud to meet him,' says he. 'And you shall,' says I. He's the
best blood of county Waterford."

"More blood than money, I suppose," the young man said, smoothing out
his crisp black moustache.

"Bedad, you've about hit it there. He went to California, and came back
with five and twinty thousand pounds. I met him in Liverpool the day he
arrived. 'This is no good to me, Toby,' says he. 'Why not?' I asks.
'Not enough,' says he; 'just enough to unsettle me.' 'What then?' says
I. 'Put it on the favourite for the St. Leger,' says he. And he did
too, every pinny of it, and the horse was beat on the post by a short
head. He dropped the lot in one day. A fact, sir, 'pon me honour!
Came to me next day. 'Nothing left!' says he. 'Nothing?' says I.
'Only one thing,' says he. 'Suicide?' says I. 'Marriage,' says he.
Within a month he was married to the second Miss Shuttleworth, who had
five thou. in her own right, and five more when Lord Dungeness turns up
his toes."

"Indeed?" said his companion languidly.

"Fact, 'pon me honour! By the way--ah, here comes Lord Henry Richardson.
How d'ye do, Richardson, how d'ye do? Ged, I remember Richardson when
he was a tow-headed boy at Clongowes, and I used to lam him with a
bootjack for his cheek. Ah, yes; I was going to say--it seems a demned
awkward incident--ha! ha!--ridiculous, but annoying, you know. The fact
is, me boy, coming away in a hurry from me little place, I left me purse
on the drawers in the bedroom, and here's Jorrocks up in the
billiard-room afther challenging me to play for a tenner--but I won't
without having the money in me pocket. Tobias Clutterbuck may be poor,
me dear friend, but"--and here he puffed out his chest and tapped on it
with his round, s