"'Pon my soul, what a cursed bore! But can't one do anything with it before then?"
"What! Sue on it before it's due?"
"No—egad! I mean, raise the wind on it. Surely Lord De la Zouch's name is"——
"Whew!" thought Gammon, "that stroke certainly had never occurred to me!—Ay, he's right, the little fool! Old Fang will advance £8,000 or £9,000, or more even—I'll see to it, by Jove!" Then he said aloud—"It may be possible, certainly, my dear Titmouse; but I see very great obstacles in the way."
"Some cussed law point—eh?"
"Yes—but I assure you I will turn my best attention to it," he added; and proceeded to bring back Titmouse to the point at which he had started off. "And speaking of poor Aubrey—it's certainly true that you have been, I may say, extravagantly liberal to him—forbearing beyond example; and I can't think that any one can be expected, when he knows a wave of his hand will put some eleven thousand pounds into his pocket, to stand by idle forever! It is not in human nature"——
"No; 'pon my life it isn't," quoth Titmouse, with a puzzled air, quite unable to make out whether Gammon intended to favor or discourage the notion of immediately proceeding against Aubrey; which Gammon observing, he continued—"At all events I should say, that if you consider that your own necessities"—
"Demme! I should think so!" interposed Titmouse.
"Required it—and, as you very properly observed, you are the best judge; certainly"——he paused; surely—thought he—Titmouse now saw his drift!