‘Jason, is it you?’ said I; ‘what brings you to the Lodge?’ says I.  ’Is it my Lady Rackrent?  We know that already since yesterday.’

‘Maybe so,’ says he; ‘but I must see Sir Condy about it.’

‘You can’t see him yet,’ says I; ‘sure he is not awake.’

‘What then,’ says he, ‘can’t he be wakened, and I standing at the door?’

‘I’ll not:  be disturbing his honour for you, Jason,’ says I; ’many’s the hour you’ve waited in your time, and been proud to do it, till his honour was at leisure to speak to you.  His honour,’ says I, raising my voice, at which his honour wakens of his own accord, and calls to me from the room to know who it was I was speaking to.  Jason made no more ceremony, but follows me into the room.

‘How are you, Sir Condy?’ says he; ’I’m happy to see you looking so well; I came up to know how you did to-day, and to see did you want for anything at the Lodge?’

‘Nothing at all, Mr. Jason, I thank you,’ says he; for his honour had his own share of pride, and did not choose, after all that had passed, to be beholden, I suppose, to my son; ’but pray take a chair and be seated, Mr. Jason.’

Jason sat him down upon the chest, for chair there was none, and after he had set there some time, and a silence on all sides.

‘What news is there stirring in the country, Mr. Jason M’Quirk?’ says Sir Condy, very easy, yet high like.

‘None that’s news to you, Sir Condy, I hear,’ says Jason.  ’I am sorry to hear of my Lady Rackrent’s accident.’

‘I’m much obliged to you, and so is her ladyship, I’m sure,’ answered Sir Condy, still stiff; and there was another sort of a silence, which seemed to lie the heaviest on my son Jason.

‘Sir Condy,’ says he at last, seeing Sir Condy disposing himself to go to sleep again, ’Sir Condy, I daresay you recollect mentioning to me the little memorandum you gave to Lady Rackrent about the L500 a year jointure.’

‘Very true,’ said Sir Condy; ‘it is all in my recollection.’  ’But if my Lady Rackrent dies, there’s an end of all jointure,’ says Jason.

‘Of course,’ says Sir Condy.

’But it’s not a matter of certainty that my Lady Rackrent won’t recover,’ says Jason.

‘Very true, sir,’ says my master.

’It’s a fair speculation, then, for you to consider what the chance of the jointure of those lands, when out of custodiam, will be to you.’

‘Just five hundred a year, I take it, without any speculation at all,’ said Sir Condy.

’That’s supposing the life dropt, and the custodiam off, you know; begging your pardon, Sir Condy, who understands business, that is a wrong calculation.’

‘Very likely so,’ said Sir Condy; ’but, Mr. Jason, if you have anything to say to me this morning about it, I’d be obliged to you to say it, for I had an indifferent night’s rest last night, and wouldn’t be sorry to sleep a little this morning.’