“Eh! of course you do, Freddy, boy,” continued Lawless; “and it's not such a bad dodge either, is it? Your governor lays down the broad principle that the highest bidder shall be the purchaser, and on this ground backs the drysalter; now if I drive over this morning, propose in due form for your cousin's hand, and outbid the aforesaid drysalting individual, the governor must either sacrifice his consistency, or accept my offer.”
“Well, and suppose he does, what good have you done then?” asked I.
“Eh, good?” returned Lawless, “every good to be sure; and first and foremost knocked over the drysalter—if I'm accepted, he must be rejected, that's a self-evident fact. Well, once get rid of him, and it's all plain sailing—I find a hundred reasons for delaying to fulfil my engagement; in a month's time I come into my property (the jolly old aunt who left it me tied it up till I was five and twenty—and the old girl showed her sense too, for ten to one I should have made ducks and drakes of it when I was young and foolish); very well—I appoint Freddy agent and receiver of the rents—(the fellow that has it now makes five hundred a year of it, they tell me); and then suddenly change my mind, jilt Miss Markham, and if Governor Coleman chooses to cut up rough, he may bring an action of 'breach of promise,' lay the damages at five thousand, and so get a nice little round sum to buy the young woman's wedding clothes when she marries Freddy. That's the way to do business, isn't it, eh?”
“'Pon my word it's a grand idea,” said Coleman; “how came you ever to think of it? But, my dear Lawless, are you really in earnest about the receivership?”
“In earnest? to be sure I am; I always intended it.”
“I'm sure I'm very much obliged to you,” replied Freddy, in a tone of grateful surprise; “it's the kindest thing in the world; but about the first part of your plan, I don't know what to say.”
“You never can think of carrying out such a mad scheme,” remonstrated I; “I thought, of course, you were only in jest.”
“Can you propose anything better, eh?” asked Lawless.
“Why, I don't know,” returned I, musing. “Suppose Freddy were to go and tell his father of his attachment, and say that the receivership, with a small share in the business, would enable him to support a wife comfortably—how would that do?”
“No use,” said Freddy; “as long as that aggravating drysalter, with his two thousand per annum, is in the field, my father would consider it his duty to say 'No'.”