is not awake.'

'What then,' says he, 'can't he be wakened, and I standing at the door?'

'I'll not: be disturbing his honour for you, Jason,' says I; 'many's
the hour you've waited in your time, and been proud to do it, till his
honour was at leisure to speak to you. His honour,' says I, raising my
voice, at which his honour wakens of his own accord, and calls to me
from the room to know who it was I was speaking to. Jason made no more
ceremony, but follows me into the room.

'How are you, Sir Condy?' says he; 'I'm happy to see you looking so
well; I came up to know how you did to-day, and to see did you want for
anything at the Lodge?'

'Nothing at all, Mr. Jason, I thank you,' says he; for his honour had
his own share of pride, and did not choose, after all that had passed,
to be beholden, I suppose, to my son; 'but pray take a chair and be
seated, Mr. Jason.'

Jason sat him down upon the chest, for chair there was none, and after
he had set there some time, and a silence on all sides.

'What news is there stirring in the country, Mr. Jason M'Quirk?' says
Sir Condy, very easy, yet high like.

'None that's news to you, Sir Condy, I hear,' says Jason. 'I am sorry to
hear of my Lady Rackrent's accident.'

'I'm much obliged to you, and so is her ladyship, I'm sure,' answered
Sir Condy, still stiff; and there was another sort of a silence, which
seemed to lie the heaviest on my son Jason.

'Sir Condy,' says he at last, seeing Sir Condy disposing himself to go
to sleep again, 'Sir Condy, I daresay you recollect mentioning to me
the little memorandum you gave to Lady Rackrent about the L500 a year
jointure.'

'Very true,' said Sir Condy; 'it is all in my recollection.' 'But if my
Lady Rackrent dies, there's an end of all jointure,' says Jason.

'Of course,' says Sir Condy.

'But it's not a matter of certainty that my Lady Rackrent won't
recover,' says Jason.

'Very true, sir,' says my master.

'It's a fair speculation, then, for you to consider what the chance of
the jointure of those lands, when out of custodiam, will be to you.'

'Just five hundred a year, I take it, without any speculation at all,'
said Sir Condy.

'That's supposing the life dropt, and the custodiam off, you know;
begging your pardon, Sir Condy, who understands business, that is a
wrong calculation.'

'Very likely so,' said Sir Condy; 'but, Mr. Jason, if you have anything
to say to me this morning about it, I'd be obliged to you to