elt his anger
rousing up within him. He was indignant to think that yonder old
gentleman whom he was about to meet, should have made him such a
tool and puppet, and so compromised his honour and good name. The
old fellow's hand was very cold and shaky when Arthur took it. He was
coughing; he was grumbling over the fire; Frosch could not bring his
dressing-gown or arrange his papers as that d----d confounded impudent
scoundrel of a Morgan. The old gentleman bemoaned himself, and cursed
Morgan's ingratitude with peevish pathos.

"The confounded impudent scoundrel! He was drunk last night, and
challenged me to fight him, Pen; and, begad, at one time I was so
excited that I thought I should have driven a knife into him; and the
infernal rascal has made ten thousand pound, I believe--and deserves to
be hanged, and will be; but, curse him, I wish he could have lasted
out my time. He knew all my ways, and, dammy, when I rang the bell, the
confounded thief brought the thing I wanted--not like that stupid German
lout. And what sort of time have you had in the country? Been a good
deal with Lady Rockminster? You can't do better. She is one of the
old school--vieille ecole, bonne ecole, hey? Dammy, they don't make
gentlemen and ladies now; and in fifty years you'll hardly know one man
from another. But they'll last my time. I ain't long for this business:
I am getting very old, Pen, my boy; and, gad, I was thinking to-day, as
I was packing up my little library, there's a bible amongst the books
that belonged to my poor mother; I would like you to keep that, Pen. I
was thinking, sir, that you would most likely open the box when it was
your property, and the old fellow was laid under the sod, sir," and the
Major coughed and wagged his old head over the fire.

His age--his kindness, disarmed Pen's anger somewhat, and made Arthur
feel no little compunction for the deed which he was about to do. He
knew that the announcement which he was about to make would destroy the
darling hope of the old gentleman's life, and create in his breast a
woful anger and commotion.

"Hey--hey--I'm off, sir," nodded the Elder; "but I'd like to read
a speech of yours in the Times before I go--'Mr. Pendennis said,
Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking'--hey, sir? hey, Arthur? Begad,
you look dev'lish well and healthy, sir. I always said my brother Jack
would bring the family right. You must go down into the west, and buy
the old estate, sir. Nec tenui