all paid away in interest; which being for
convenience suffered to run on, soon doubled the principal, and
Sir Condy was obliged to pass new bonds for the interest, now grown
principal, and so on. Whilst this was going on, my son requiring to be
paid for his trouble and many years' service in the family gratis, and
Sir Condy not willing to take his affairs into his own hands, or to look
them even in the face, he gave my son a bargain of some acres which fell
out of lease at a reasonable rent. Jason set the land, as soon as
his lease was sealed, to under-tenants, to make the rent, and got two
hundred a year profit rent; which was little enough considering his
long agency. He bought the land at twelve years' purchase two years
afterwards, when Sir Condy was pushed for money on an execution, and was
at the same time allowed for his improvements thereon. There was a sort
of hunting-lodge upon the estate, convenient to my son Jason's land,
which he had his eye upon about this time; and he was a little jealous
of Sir Condy, who talked of setting it to a stranger who was just come
into the country--Captain Moneygawl was the man. He was son and heir
to the Moneygawls of Mount Juliet's Town, who had a great estate in
the next county to ours; and my master was loth to disoblige the young
gentleman, whose heart was set upon the Lodge; so he wrote him back
that the Lodge was at his service, and if he would honour him with his
company at Castle Rackrent, they could ride over together some morning
and look at it before signing the lease. Accordingly, the captain came
over to us, and he and Sir Condy grew the greatest friends ever you
see, and were for ever out a-shooting or hunting together, and were
very merry in the evenings; and Sir Condy was invited of course to Mount
Juliet's Town; and the family intimacy that had been in Sir Patrick's
time was now recollected, and nothing would serve Sir Condy but he must
be three times a week at the least with his new friends, which grieved
me, who knew, by the captain's groom and gentleman, how they talked
of him at Mount Juliet's Town, making him quite, as one may say, a
laughing-stock and a butt for the whole company; but they were soon
cured of that by an accident that surprised 'em not a little, as it did
me. There was a bit of a scrawl found upon the waiting-maid of old Mr.
Moneygawl's youngest daughter, Miss Isabella, that laid open the whole;
and her father, they say, was like one out o