The next night the post brought a letter to Mr. Burke, from Lord Clonbrony, which he gave to his wife as soon as he had read it, saying, “See the reward of all my services!” Mrs. Burke glanced her eye over the letter, and being extremely fond of her husband, and sensible of his deserving far different treatment, burst into indignant exclamations--“See the reward of all your services, indeed!--What an unreasonable, ungrateful man!--So, this is the thanks for all you have done for Lord Clonbrony!” “He does not know what I have done, my dear. He never has seen what I have done.” “More shame for him!” “He never, I suppose, looks over his accounts, or understands them.” “More shame for him!” “He listens to foolish reports, or misrepresentations, perhaps. He is at a distance, and cannot find out the truth.” “More shame for him!” “Take it quietly, my dear; we have the comfort of a good conscience. The agency may be taken from me by this lord; but the sense of having done my duty, no lord or man upon earth can give or take away.” “Such a letter!” said Mrs. Burke, taking it up again. “Not even the civility to write with his own hand!--only his signature to the scrawl--looks as if it was written by a drunken man, does not it, Mr. Evans?” said she, showing the letter to Lord Colambre, who immediately recognized the writing of Sir Terence O’Fay. “It does not look like the hand of a gentleman, indeed,” said Lord Colambre. “It has Lord Clonbrony’s own signature, let it be what it will,” said Mr. Burke, looking closely at it; “Lord Clonbrony’s own writing the signature is, I am clear of that.” Lord Clonbrony’s son was clear of it, also; but he took care not to give any opinion on that point. “Oh, pray read it, sir, read it,” said Mrs. Burke; “read it, pray; a gentleman may write a bad hand, but no _gentleman_ could write such a letter as that to Mr. Burke--pray read it, sir; you who have seen something of what he has done for the town of Colambre, and what he has made of the tenantry and the estate of Lord Clonbrony.” Lord Colambre read, and was convinced that his father had never written or read the letter, but had signed it, trusting to Sir Terence O’Fay’s having expressed his sentiments properly. “SIR, “As I have no farther occasion for your services, you will take notice, that I hereby request you will forthwith hand over, on or before the 1st of November next, your accounts, with the balance due of the _hanging-gale_ (which, I understand, is more than ought to be at this season) to Nicholas Garraghty, Esq., College-green, Dublin, who, in future, will act as agent, and shall get, by post, immediately, a power of attorney for the same, entitling him to receive and manage the Colambre, as well as the Clonbrony estate, for, “Sir, your obedient humble servant, “CLONBRONY. “_Grosvenor-square_.”