"Do you think it 's of any consequence?" asked he again, in a harsher tone. "Why, of course, sir, it--is--of some con--" "I mean," broke he in, "does it signify whether I go to jail, and the rest of you to the workhouse,--if there be a workhouse in this rascally land?" Seeing that he had totally forgotten the landlord's presence, I now motioned to that functionary to leave the room. The noise of the door shutting roused up the governor again. He looked wildly about him for an instant, and then snatching up the poker he aimed a blow at a large mirror over the chimney. He struck it with such violence that it was smashed in a dozen pieces, four or five of which came clattering down upon the floor. [Illustration: 256] "I'll be a maniac," cried he. "They shall never say that I ran into this extravagance in my sober senses; I 'll finish my days in a madhouse first." And with these words he made a rush over to a marble table, where a large porcelain vase was standing; by a timely spring I overtook him, and pressed him down on an ottoman, where, I assure you, it required all my force to hold him. After a few minutes, however, there came a reaction; he dropped the poker from his grasp, and said, in a low, faint voice, "There--there--I 'll do nothing now--you may release me." There 's not a doubt of it, Bob, but he really was insane for a few moments, though, fortunately, it passed away as rapidly as it came. "That," said he, with a motion towards the looking-glass,--"that will cost twenty or twenty-five pounds, eh?" "Not so much, perhaps," said I, though I knew I was considerably below the mark. "Well, I 'm sure it saved me from a fit of illness, anyhow," rejoined he, sighing. "If I hadn't smashed it, I think my head would have burst. Go over that, James, and see what it is in pounds." I sat down to a table, and after some calculation made out the total to be two hundred and seven pounds sterling. "And with the looking-glass, about two hundred and thirty," said he, with a sigh. "That's about--taking everything into consideration--five thousand a year." "You must remember," said I, trying to comfort him, "that these are not our expenses solely. There 's Tiverton and his servant, and Mrs. Gore Hampton and her people also." "So there is," added he, quickly; "but they had nothing to do with _that_;" and he pointed to the confounded looking-glass, which somehow or other had taken a fast hold of his imagination. "Eh, James, that was a luxury we had for ourselves!" There was a bitter, sardonic laugh that accompanied these words, indescribably painful to hear. "Come now," said he, in a more composed and natural voice, "let us see what 's to be done. This is a joint account, James; why not have sent it to Lord George--ay, to the widow also? They may as well frank the Dodd family as _we_ pay for _them_,--of course, omitting the looking-glass."