“Nor I either, but you see the Parson would have his way.  I suppose, if the priest were out, and he told you to run the dogs through the gooseberry-bushes, you’d do it?”

“I’m blessed if I would, my lord!  Every man to his trade.  Not but what Mr Armstrong knows pretty well what he’s about.”

“Well but, Martin, I’ll tell you what I want of you.  I want a little money, without bothering those fellows up in Dublin; and I believe you could let me have it; at any rate, you and your mother together.  Those fellows at Guinness’s are stiff about it, and I want three hundred pounds, without absolutely telling them that they must give it me.  I’d give you my bill for the amount at twelve months, and, allow you six per cent.; but then I want it immediately.  Can you let me have it?”

“Why, my lord,” said Martin, after pausing awhile and looking very contemplative during the time, “I certainly have the money; that is, I and mother together; but—­”

“Oh, if you’ve any doubt about it—­or if it puts you out, don’t do it.”

“Divil a doubt on ’arth, my lord; but I’ll tell you I was just going to ask your lordship’s advice about laying out the same sum in another way, and I don’t think I could raise twice that much.”

“Very well, Martin; if you’ve anything better to do with your money, I’m sure I’d be sorry to take it from you.”

“That’s jist it, my lord.  I don’t think I can do betther—­but I want your advice about it.”

“My advice whether you ought to lend me three hundred pounds or not!  Why, Martin, you’re a fool.  I wouldn’t ask you to lend it me, if I thought you oughtn’t to lend it.”

“Oh—­I’m certain sure of that, my lord; but there’s an offer made me, that I’d like to have your lordship’s mind about.  It’s not much to my liking, though; and I think it’ll be betther for me to be giving you the money,” and then Martin told his landlord the offer which had been made to him by Daly, on the part of Barry Lynch.  “You see, my lord,” he concluded by saying, “it’d be a great thing to be shut of Barry entirely out of the counthry, and to have poor Anty’s mind at ase about it, should she iver live to get betther; but thin, I don’t like to have dailings with the divil, or any one so much of his colour as Barry Lynch.”

“This is a very grave matter, Martin, and takes some little time to think about.  To tell the truth, I forgot your matrimonial speculation when I asked for the money.  Though I want the cash, I think you should keep it in your power to close with Barry:  no, you’d better keep the money by you.”

“After all, the ould woman could let me have it on the security of the house, you know, av’ I did take up with the offer.  So, any way, your lordship needn’t be balked about the cash.”

“But is Miss Lynch so very ill, Martin?”

“’Deed, and she is, Mr Frank; very bad intirely.  Doctor Colligan was with her three times yestherday.”