“I was at the house, yesterday.”

“The deuce you were!  And who did you see?—­The father?  Did you bring him to terms? did you do business with Mr. Shopkeeper?”

“His manner was brutal:  his language, the language of a bully—?”

“So much the better.  Those men are easiest dealt with:  if he will only fly into a passion with me, I engage for success beforehand.  But the end—­how did it end?”

“As it began:—­in threats on his part, in endurance on mine.”

“Ah! we’ll see how he likes my endurance next:  he’ll find it rather a different sort of endurance from yours.  By-the-bye, Basil, what money had you to offer him?”

“I made no offer to him then.  Circumstances happened which rendered me incapable of thinking of it.  I intended to go there again, to-day; and if money would bribe him to silence, and save my family from sharing the dishonour which has fallen on me, to abandon to him the only money I have of my own—­the little income left me by our mother.”

“Do you mean to say that your only resource is in that wretched trifle, and that you ever really intend to let it go, and start in the world without a rap?  Do you mean to say that my father gave you up without making the smallest provision for you, in such a mess as your’s?  Hang it! do him justice.  He has been hard enough on you, I know; but he can’t have coolly turned you over to ruin in that way.”

“He offered me money, at parting; but with such words of contempt and insult that I would have died rather than take it.  I told him that, unaided by his purse, I would preserve him, and preserve his family from the infamous consequences of my calamity—­though I sacrificed my own happiness and my own honour for ever in doing it.  And I go to-day to make that sacrifice.  The loss of the little I have to depend on, is the least part of it.  He may not see his injustice in doubting me, till too late; but he shall see it.”

“I beg your pardon, Basil; but this is almost as great an insanity, as the insanity of your marriage.  I honour the independence of your principle, my dear fellow; but, while I am to the fore, I’ll take good care that you don’t ruin yourself gratuitously, for the sake of any principles whatever!  Just listen to me, now.  In the first place, remember that what my father said to you, he said in a moment of violent exasperation.  You had been trampling the pride of his life in the mud:  no man likes that—­my father least of any.  And, as for the offer of your poor little morsel of an income to stop these people’s greedy mouths, it isn’t a quarter enough for them.  They know our family is a wealthy family; and they will make their demand accordingly.  Any other sacrifice, even to taking the girl back (though you never could bring yourself to do that!), would be of no earthly use.  Nothing but money will do; money cunningly doled out, under the strongest possible stipulations.  Now, I’m just the man to do that, and I have got the money—­or, rather, my father has, which comes to the same thing.  Write me the fellow’s name and address; there’s no time to be lost—­I’m off to see him at once!”