“Well, Christy,” said I, “you will be Earl of Glenthorn, I perceive. You are glad now that I did not take you at your word, and that I gave you a month’s time for consideration.”
“Your honour was always considerate; but if I’d wish now to be changing my mind,” said he, hesitating, and shifting from leg to leg, “it is not upon my own account, any way, but upon my son Johnny’s.”
“My good friend,” said I, “no apology is necessary. I should be very unjust if I were offended by your decision, and very mean if, after the declarations I have made, I could, for an instant, hesitate to restore to you that property which it is your right and your choice to reclaim.”
Christy made a low bow, and seemed much at a loss what he was to say next.
“I hope,” continued I, “that you will be as happy when you are Earl of Glenthorn, as you have been as Christy O’Donoghoe.”
“May be not, plase your honour; but I trust my childer will be happy after me; and it’s them and my wife I’m thinking of, as in duty bound. But it is hard your honour should be astray for want of the fortin you’ve been bred to; and this weighs with me greatly on the other side. If your honour could live on here, and share with us—But I see your honour’s displeased at my naming that. It was my wife thought o’ that; I knew it could not do. But then, what I think is, that your honour should name what you would be pleased to keep to live upon: for, to be sure, you have a right to live as a gentleman, that have always lived as one, as every body knows, and none better than I. Would your honour be so kind, then, as just to put down on a bit of paper what you’d wish to keep; and that same, whatever it is, none shall touch but yourself; and I would not own a child for mine that would begrudge it you. I’ll step down and wait below while your honour writes what you plase.”
The generosity of this man touched me to the heart. I accepted from him three hundred a year; and requested that the annuity I allowed to the unfortunate Lady Glenthorn might be continued; that the house which I had built for Ellinor, and the land belonging to it, might be secured to her rent-free for life; and that all my debts should be paid. I recommended Mr. M’Leod in the strongest manner, as an agent whose abilities and integrity would be to him an invaluable treasure.
Christy, when I gave him the paper on which I had stated these requests, took a pen instantly, and would have signed his name without reading it; but to this I absolutely objected.
“Well, then,” said he, “I’ll take it home, and read it over, and take time, as you desire, to consider. There’s no danger of my changing my mind about this: I hope your honour can’t think there is.”
The next day, on returning it to me, he observed, that it was making very little of him to put down only such a trifle; and he pressed me to make the hundreds thousands:—this I refused.