Part 43 (2/2)
”No, you confounded old rascal, you cannot; try, and do your worst,”
cried I, enraged at the word swindler.
”Vell, Mr Newland, if you have not de ten tousand a year, you have de house and de monish; you vill not cheat a poor man like me.”
”I have sold my house.”
”You have sold de house--den you have neither de house or de monish.
Oh! my monish, my monis.h.!.+ Sare, Mr Newland, you are one d.a.m.ned rascal;” and the old wretch's frame quivered with emotion; his hand behind his back shaking as much as the other which, in his rage, he shook in my face.
Enraged myself at being called such an opprobrious term, I opened the door, twisted him round, and applying my foot to a nameless part, he flew out and fell down the stairs, at the turning of which he lay, groaning in pain.
”Mine Got, mine Got, I am murdered,” cried he. ”Fader Abraham, receive me.” My rage was appeased, and I turned pale at the idea of having killed the poor wretch. With the a.s.sistance of Timothy, whom I summoned, we dragged the old man up stairs, and placed him in a chair, and found that he was not very much hurt. A gla.s.s of wine was given to him, and then, as soon as he could speak, his ruling pa.s.sion broke out again. ”Mishter Newland--ah, Mishter Newland, cannot you give me my monish--cannot you give me de tousand pound, without de interest? you are very welcome to de interest. I only lend it to oblige you.”
”How can you expect a d.a.m.ned rascal to do any such thing?” replied I.
”d.a.m.ned rascal! Ah! it vash I who vash a rascal, and vash a fool to say the word. Mishter Newland, you vash a gentleman, you vill pay me my monish. You vill pay me part of my monish. I have de agreement in my pocket, all ready to give up.”
”If I have not the money, how can I pay you?”
”Fader Abraham, if you have not de monish--you must have some monish; den you will pay me a part. How much vill you pay me?”
”Will you take five hundred pounds, and return the agreement?”
”Five hundred pounds--lose half--oh! Mr Newland--it was all lent in monish, not in goods; you will not make me lose so much as dat?”
”I'm not sure that I will give you five hundred pounds; your bond is not worth two-pence, and you know it.”
”Your honour, Mishter Newland, is worth more dan ten tousand pounds: but if you have not de monish, den you shall pay me de five hundred pounds which you offer, and I will give up de paper.”
”I never offered five hundred pounds.”
”Not offer; but you mention de sum, dat quite enough.”
”Well, then, for five hundred pounds, you will give up the paper?”
”Yes; I vash content to loshe all de rest, to please you.”
I went to my desk, and took out five hundred pounds in notes. ”Now, there is the money, which you may put your hands on when you give up the agreement.” The old man pulled out the agreement and laid it on the table, catching up the notes. I looked at the paper to see if it was all right, and then tore it up. Emmanuel put the notes, with a heavy sigh, into his inside coat pocket, and prepared to depart. ”Now, Mr Emmanuel, I will show that I have a little more honour than you think for. This is all the money I have in the world,” said I, taking out of my desk the remaining thousand pounds, ”and half of it I give to you, to pay you the whole money which you lent me. Here is five hundred pounds more, and now we are quits.”
The eyes of the old man were fixed upon me in astonishment, and from my face they glanced upon the notes; he could, to use a common expression, neither believe his eyes nor his ears. At last he took the money, again unb.u.t.toned, and pulled out his pocket-book, and with a trembling hand stowed them away as before.
”You vash a very odd gentleman, Mishter Newland,” said he; ”you kick me down stairs, and--but dat is noting.”
”Good-bye, Mr Emmanuel,” said I, ”and let me eat my dinner.”
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