won't do for me to remain here any
longer--the air does not agree with my constitution."

"And where on earth am I to get two hundred pounds at a minute's
notice?" said Cumberland; "you are as well aware the thing is impossible
as I am."

"I am aware of this, sir," replied the Captain with an oath, "that I'll
have my money; ay, and this very day too, or I'll expose you--curse me
if I don't. I know your uncle's address: yes! you may well turn pale,
and gnaw your lip--other people can plot and scheme as well as
yourself: if I'm not paid before I leave this place, and that will be
by to-night's mail, your uncle shall be told that his nephew is an
insolvent gambler; and the old tutor, the Rev. Dr. Mildman, shall have a
hint that his head pupil is little better than a blackleg."

"Now listen to me, Spicer," said Cumberland quietly; "I know you might
do what you have threatened, and that to me it would be neither more nor
less than ruin, but--and this is the real question--pray what possible
advantage (save calling people's attention to the share, a pretty large
one, you have had in making me what I am) would it be to you?"

"To me, sir? eh! why, what do you mean, sir? your uncle is a man of
honour, and, of course, as such would pay his nephew's debts for him,
more particularly when he knows that if he refuses to do so that nephew
will be sent to jail; yes, to jail, sir."

"There; blustering is of no use with me, so you may save yourself that
trouble, Captain," replied Cumberland; "as to sending me to jail, that
is absurd; you can't arrest a minor for debt, and I shall not be of
age these two years. My uncle is, as you say, what is called a man of
honour, but he is not one of those over-scrupulous fools who will pay
any demand, however dishonest and unreasonable, rather than tarnish the
family honour, forsooth! No! he will pay what the law compels him, and
not a farthing more I leave you to decide whether the law is likely
to be of much use to you in the present ~84~~case. Now, listen to me;
though you cannot obtain the money by the means you proposed, you can,
as I said before, do me serious injury; therefore, if for no other
reason but to stop your mouth, I would pay you the whole if I could,
but I have not the power of doing so at present. What I propose then is
this--Oaklands will pay me, in a day or two, one hundred pounds; this
I will hand over to you at once, and will give you a written promise to
pay you the rest