“Colambre! God bless you, my dear boy! at all events. But how came you here?--And what do you mean?” said his father. “Burn it!” cried Sir Terence, pinching the sealing-wax; “for I burnt myself with the pleasure of the surprise.” Garraghty, without saying a word, was picking up the guineas that were scattered upon the floor. “How fortunate I am,” cried Lord Colambre, “to have arrived just in time to tell you, my dear father, before you put your signature to these papers, before you conclude this bargain, all I know, all I have seen of that man!” “Nick Garraghty, honest old Nick; do you know him, my lord?” said Sir Terence. “Too well, sir.” “Mr. Garraghty, what have you done to offend my son? I did not expect this,” said Lord Clonbrony. “Upon my conscience, my lord, nothing to my knowledge,” said Mr. Garraghty, picking up the guineas; “but showed him every civility, even so far as offering to accommodate him with cash without security; and where will you find the other agent, in Ireland, or any where else, will do that? To my knowledge, I never did any thing, by word or deed, to offend my Lord Colambre; nor could not, for I never saw him but for ten minutes, in my days; and then he was in such a foaming passion, begging his lordship’s pardon, owing to the misrepresentations he met with of me, I presume, from a parcel of blackguards that he went amongst, _incognito_, he would not let me or my brother Dennis say a word to set him right; but exposed me before all the tenantry, and then threw himself into a hack, and drove off here, to stop the signing of these leases, I perceive. But I trust,” concluded he, putting the replenished money-bag down, with a heavy sound on the table, opposite to Lord Clonbrony, “I trust my Lord Clonbrony will do me justice; that’s all I have to say.” “I comprehend the force of your last argument fully, sir,” said Lord Colambre. “May I ask, how many guineas there are in the bag?--I don’t ask whether they are my father’s or not.” “They are to be your lordship’s father’s, sir, if he thinks proper,” replied Garraghty. “How many, I don’t know that I can justly, positively say--five hundred, suppose.” “And they would be my father’s, if he signed those leases--I understand that perfectly, and understand that my father will lose three times that sum by the bargain. My dear father, you start--but it is true--is not this the rent, sir, at which you are going to let Mr. Garraghty have the land?” placing a paper before Lord Clonbrony. “It is--the very thing.” “And here, sir, written with my own hand, are copies of the proposals I saw from responsible, respectable tenants, offered and refused. Is it so, or is it not, Mr. Garraghty?--deny it, if you can.” Mr. Garraghty grew pale; his lips quivered; he stammered; and, after a shocking convulsion of face, could at last articulate--only, “That there was a great difference between tenant and tenant, his lordship must be sensible--especially for so large a rent.”