“But I tell you they do make such a demand, and have made it. The man whom I saw, and who told me that he was Tozer’s friend, but who was probably Tozer himself, positively swore to me that he would be obliged to take legal proceedings if the money were not forthcoming within a week or ten days. When I explained to him that it was an old bill that had been renewed, he declared that his friend had given full value for it.” “Sowerby said that you would probably have to pay ten pounds to redeem it. I should offer the man some such sum as that.” “My intention is to offer the man nothing, but to leave the affair in the hands of my lawyer with instructions to him to spare none;—neither myself nor any one else. I am not going to allow such a man as Sowerby to squeeze me like an orange.” “But, Lufton, you seem as though you were angry with me.” “No, I am not. But I think it is as well to caution you about this man; my transactions with him lately have chiefly been through you, and therefore—” “But they have only been so through his and your wish: because I have been anxious to oblige you both. I hope you don’t mean to say that I am concerned in these bills.” “I know that you are concerned in bills with him.” “Why, Lufton, am I to understand, then, that you are accusing me of having any interest in these transactions which you have called swindling?” “As far as I am concerned there has been swindling, and there is swindling going on now.” “But you do not answer my question. Do you bring any accusation against me? If so, I agree with you that you had better go to your lawyer.” “I think that is what I shall do.” “Very well. But upon the whole, I never heard of a more unreasonable man, or of one whose thoughts are more unjust than yours. Solely with the view of assisting you, and solely at your request, I spoke to Sowerby about these money transactions of yours. Then at his request, which originated out of your request, he using me as his ambassador to you, as you had used me as yours to him, I wrote and spoke to you. And now this is the upshot.” “I bring no accusation against you, Robarts; but I know you have dealings with this man. You have told me so yourself.” “Yes, at his request to accommodate him, I have put my name to a bill.” “Only to one?” “Only to one; and then to that same renewed, or not exactly to that same, but to one which stands for it. The first was for four hundred pounds; the last for five hundred.” “All which you will have to make good, and the world will of course tell you that you have paid that price for this stall at Barchester.”