Into the accuracy of this distinction it is needless to inquire: and then the ingenuous youth went on to observe-- "But all's right as it is now; you may as well not have seen the property, and better, too, as things have turned out roughly, governor: the match is off, and you may well congratulate me. Such an escape--I just discovered it, and was barely in time: you hadn't been gone two hours when I found it all out, through a clever devil of a lawyer, who was hired by my father's son to look into incumbrances, and keep a sharp look-out for a mutual settlement; that old harridan of a ladyship is over head and ears in debt; and, it seems, I was to have paid all straight, or _i. e._ you, governor, ey? As to the Yorkshire acres, the old woman had but a life interest in the mere bit that wasn't deeply mortgaged--and not a very long life either, seeing she is seventy. So, bless your clever boy again, old governor, he's free." The knight had nothing to object: Jack's ready lie had plenty of reasons in it: and so he blessed his clever boy again. "But I say, governor, I rather think that you've astonished us all: what on earth made you turn so soft of a sudden, and write that letter?" "What letter? ey? what?"--Sir Thomas might well inquire. "That's a good joke, governor--you keep it up to the last, I see; what a close old file it is! What letter? why, the letter you wrote to Maria and her lord, telling them to marry." "Marry? ey? what, Maria? what--what is it all?" The poor old man was thoroughly bewildered. "Well done, governor--bravo! you can carry it off as cleverly as if you were an actor; do you mean to say now you didn't leave a letter behind you here upon your table, bidding Maria marry in your absence to spare your paternal feelings (kind old boy, it is, too!) and enclosing them one hundred pounds for the honey-moon?" The mystified father made some inarticulate expression of ignorant amazement, and our stock-jobber went on: "So of course they're married and off--Mr. and Mrs. Cle----" A whirlwind of disastrous imprecations cut all short; and then in a voice choked with passion he gasped out-- "But--but are they married--are they married? how do you know it? can't we catch 'em first, ey? what!" "How do I know it? that's a good un now, father, when I had it under your hand to give the girl away myself instead of you. Do you mean to say you didn't write that letter?" "Boy, I tell you, I've written nothing--I know nothing; you speak in riddles." "Well then, governor, if I do, I'll to guess 'em: I begin to see how it was all brought about--but they did it cleverly too, and were quite too many for me. Only listen: that fellow Clements, ay, and Miss Maria too (artful minx, I know her), must have forged a letter as if from you to get poor fools, me and my mother, to see 'em spliced, while you were tooling to Yorkshire." "Impossible--ey? what? I'll--I'll--I'll--"