you. By Jove, Levison, you must be making an immense fortune.'

Mr. Levison shook his head, as he groaned out, 'I work hard, Captin; but
times is terrible.'

'Fiddlededee! Come! I want you to assist me a little, old fellow. No
humbug between us.'

'Oh!' groaned Mr. Levison, 'you could not come at a worse time; I don't
know what money is.'

'Of course. However, the fact is, money I must have; and so, old fellow,
we are old friends, and you must get it.'

'What do you want, Captin?' slowly spoke Mr. Levison, with an expression
of misery.

'Oh! I want rather a tolerable sum, and that is the truth; but I only
want it for a moment.'

'It is not the time, 'tis the money,' said Mr. Levison. 'You know me and
my pardner, Captin, are always anxious to do what we can to sarve you.'

'Well, now you can do me a real service, and, by Jove, you shall never
repent it. To the point; I must have 1,500L.'

'One thousand five hundred pounds!' exclaimed Mr. Levison. ''Tayn't in
the country.'

'Humbug! It must be found. What is the use of all this stuff with me? I
want 1,500L., and you must give it me.'

'I tell you what it is, Captin,' said Mr. Levison, leaning over the back
of a chair, and speaking with callous composure; 'I tell you what it is,
me and my pardner are very willing always to assist you; but we want to
know when the marriage is to come off, and that's the truth.'

'Damn the marriage,' said Captain Armine, rather staggered.

'There it is, though,' said Mr. Levison, very quietly. 'You know,
Captin, there is the arrears on that 'ere annuity, three years next
Michaelmas. I think it's Michaelmas; let me see.' So saying, Mr. Levison
opened an escritoire, and brought forward an awful-looking volume, and,
consulting the terrible index, turned to the fatal name of Armine. 'Yes!
three years next Michaelmas, Captin.'

'Well, you will be paid,' said Ferdinand.

'We hope so,' said Mr. Levison; 'but it is a long figure.'

'Well, but you get capital interest?'

'Pish!' said Mr. Levison; 'ten per cent.! Why! it is giving away the
money. Why! that's the raw, Captin. With this here new bill annuities is
nothink. Me and my pardner don't do no annuities now. It's giving money
away; and all this here money locked up; and all to sarve you.'

'Well; you will not help me,' said Ferdinand, rising.

'Do you raly want fifteen hundred?' asked Mr. Levison.

'By Jove, I do.'

'Well now, Captin, when is this marriage to come off?'