"Ah! Nice girl. Thanks--yes, you in ay open a bottle of claret. Fine place this, my man. If I were you, I should stick to his lordship. Money is tight in the city, sometimes--eh? Ha--ha--ha! We know--eh? But it will all come right; and if I were you, I should go in for the butlership. It'll come to that by-and-by, I dare say." Mr Braham condescended to wink at the servant, and the valet made bold to wink in reply; and, at last rising, Mr Braham was ushered into Lord Maudlaine's room. "De do, Mr Braham?" said his lordship, languidly; and then, as the door closed on the valet: "Con-found you! what the deuce brought you here?" "Customary conveyance, my lord," said the Jew, coolly. "But what could induce you to come down here and spoil all?" exclaimed the Viscount. "Your honourable lordship's extreme want of punctuality," said the unwelcome visitor. "Punctuality!--what do you mean?" said his lordship, fiercely. "Nothing--nothing," said the Jew, nonchalantly, as he lolled back in his chair, after helping himself to one of the cigars on the table, and preparing to smoke. "I see from your lordship's freedom of conversation, that you possess the happy independent spirit given by money. I see you are quite prepared." "Prepared--prepared for what?" gasped the recumbent debtor. "Oh! only to meet my demands! I did wait a week; but as I did not hear from you, I was obliged to come and remind you." "Remind me of what?" exclaimed the Viscount. "Oh! only that time's up!" Lord Maudlaine sank back upon his pillow, half stupefied. "Impossible," he pondered: he had made no memorandum--he never did of these disagreeable transactions; but it was impossible that six months could have elapsed, and he said so. "Six months, my lord? Why, what put it into your head that the paper had six months to run?" "Why, I asked you to make it six months, and you said you would try." "Well, I did try, my clear lord. But you astonish me! Did you not read the bills over, when you put your name to them?" "Confound you! you know I did not!" cried the Viscount, angrily. "They were only for three months, then?" "That's all, my lord. But there--what does it matter? Give me a cheque for the amount, and have done with it. There will be so much weight off your mind." Lord Maudlaine grinned in a manner that indicated how gladly he would have liked to wring his tormentor's neck, but he crushed down his wrath. "Well, what's to be done? I can't pay." "Very sorry, my lord--but you know the result, without Sir Murray Gernon would--" "Hang you, be quiet!" exclaimed the other, fiercely. "He knows that I am poor; but would you upset all, now that matters have gone so far? You must renew again." "But the cost to your lordship will be ruinous," expostulated the Jew.