“Come, Scanlan, you 've thought over all this ere now. Tell me, man, what do you advise?” Scanlan was silent. “Out with it, Scanlan. I know, I feel that you have a resource in store against all these perils! Out with it, man.” “Have I any need to remind you of your promise, Mr. Massingbred?” asked the other, stealthily. “Not the slightest, Scanlan. I never forget a pledge.” “Very well, sir; that's enough,” said Scanlan, speaking rapidly, and like one anxious to overcome his confusion by an effort. “We have just one thing to do. We must buy out Merl. Of course as reasonably as we can, but buy him out we must. What between his own short experiences of Ireland, and the exposure that any litigation is sure to bring with it, he's not likely to be hard to deal with, particularly when we are in possession, as I suppose we may be, through _your_ intimacy with the Captain, of all the secret history of these transactions. I take it for granted that he 'll be as glad of a settlement that keeps all 'snug,' as ourselves. Less than the twenty-two thousand we can't expect he'll take.” “And how are we to raise that sum without Mr. Martin's concurrence?” “I wish that was the only difficulty,” said Scanlan. “What do you mean?” “Just this: that in his present state no act of his would stand. Sure his mind is gone. There isn't a servant about him could n't swear to his fancies and imaginations. No, sir, the whole thing must be done amongst ourselves. I have eight thousand some hundred pounds of my own available at a moment; old Nelligan would readily--for an assignment of the Brewery and the Market Square--advance us ten thousand more;--the money, in short, could be had--more if we wanted it--the question--” “As to the dealing with Merl?” broke in Jack. “No, sir, not that, though of course it is a most important consideration.” “Well, what then?” “As to the dealing with Maurice Scanlan, sir,” said he, making a great effort. “There's the whole question in one word.” “I don't see that there can be any grave obstacle against that. You know the property.” “Every acre of it.” “You know how you'd like your advance to be secured to you--on what part of the estate. The conditions, I am certain, might be fairly left in your own hands; I feel assured you'd not ask nor expect anything beyond what was equitable and just.” “Mr. Massingbred, we might talk this way a twelvemonth, and never be a bit nearer our object than when we began,” said Scanlan, resolutely. “I want two things, and I won't take less than the two together. One is to be secured in the agency of the estate, under nobody's control whatever but the Martins themselves. No Mister Repton to say 'Do this, sign that, seal the other.' I 'll have nobody over me but him that owns the property.” “Well, and the other condition?”