I am afraid I'll have to sell the few
acres that are left to me, and if that gets to the Baron's ears, good-by
to my chance of his bequeathing me the fortune he has managed to scrape
together between windfalls and lucky investments. The late Baroness had
a pot of money, you know."
"I know there's not much property to go with the title."
"A beggarly five thousand a year. I say, Ormonde, are you disposed for a
good thing? Lend me three thousand on good security? Six per cent., old
man!"
"I am not so disposed, my dear fellow! I have a wife and my boy to think
of now."
"Exactly," returned the other, with a sneer. "You have a new edition of
Colonel Ormonde's precious self."
"Oh, your sneers don't touch me! You always had your humors; still I am
willing to help a kinsman, and I will give you a chance if you like.
What do you say to a rich young wife--none of your crooked sticks?"
"It's an awful remedy for one's financial disease, to mortgage one's
self instead of one's property; still I suppose I'll have to come to it.
Who is the proposed mortgagee?"
"My wife's sister."
"Oh!"
The tone of this "Oh!" was in some unaccountable way offensive to
Colonel Ormonde. "Miss Liddell comes of a very good old county family I
can tell you," he said, quickly; "a branch of the Somerset Liddells; and
when I saw her last she was the making of an uncommon fine woman.
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