; and I'd do
anything for him. You've made a good thing of that Pall Mall Gazette! I
tried papers too; but mine didn't do. I don't know why. I tried a Tory
one, moderate Liberal, and out-and-out uncompromising Radical. I say,
what d'ye think of a religious paper, the Catechism, or some such name?
Would Honeyman do as editor? I'm afraid it's all up with the poor cove
at the chapel." And I parted with Mr. Sherrick, not a little edified by
his talk, and greatly relieved as to Honeyman's fate. The tradesmen of
Honeyman's body were appeased; and as for Mr. Moss, when he found that
the curate had no effects, and must go before the Insolvent Court,
unless Moss chose to take the composition which we were empowered
to offer him, he too was brought to hear reason, and parted with the
stamped paper on which was poor Honeyman's signature. Our negotiation
had like to have come to an end by Clive's untimely indignation, who
offered at one stage of the proceedings to pitch young Moss out of
window; but nothing came of this most ungentlemanlike behaviour on
Noocob's part, further than remonstrance and delay in the proceedings;
and Honeyman preached a lovely sermon at Lady Whittlesea's the very next
Sunday. He had made himself much liked in the sponging-house, and Mr.
Lazarus said, "if he hadn't a got out time enough, I'd a let him out
for Sunday, and sent one of my men with him to show him the way ome, you
know; for when a gentleman behaves as a gentleman to me, I behave as a
gentleman to him."

Mrs. Ridley's account, and it was a long one, was paid without a
single question, or the deduction of a farthing; but the Colonel rather
sickened of Honeyman's expressions of rapturous gratitude, and received
his professions of mingled contrition and delight very coolly. "My boy,"
says the father to Clive, "you see to what straits debt brings a man,
to tamper with truth to have to cheat the poor. Think of flying before
a washerwoman, or humbling yourself to a tailor, or eating a poor man's
children's bread!" Clive blushed, I thought, and looked rather confused.

"Oh, father," says he, "I--I'm afraid I owe some money too--not much;
but about forty pound, five-and-twenty for cigars, and fifteen I
borrowed of Pendennis, and--and I've been devilish annoyed about it all
this time."

"You stupid boy," says the father "I knew about the cigars bill, and
paid it last week. Anything I have is yours, you know. As long as there
is a guinea, there is hal