Mrs. Burke glanced her eye over the letter, and, being extremely fond of her husband, and sensible of his deserving far different treatment, burst into indignant exclamations—
'See the reward of all your services, indeed!—What an unreasonable, ungrateful man!—So, this is the thanks for all you have done for Lord Clonbrony!'
'He does not know what I have done, my dear. He never has seen what I have done.'
'More shame for him!'
'He never, I suppose, looks over his accounts, or understands them.'
'More shame for him!'
He listens to foolish reports, or misrepresentations, perhaps. He is at a distance, and cannot find out the truth.'
'More shame for him!'
'Take it quietly, my dear; we have the comfort of a good conscience. The agency may be taken from me by this lord; but the sense of having done my duty, no lord or man upon earth can give or take away.'
'Such a letter!' said Mrs. Burke, taking it up again. 'Not even the civility to write with his own hand!—only his signature to the scrawl—looks as if it was written by a drunken man, does not it, Mr. Evans?' said she, showing the letter to Lord Colambre, who immediately recognised the writing of Sir Terence O'Fay.