“Hard times! true, my friend, hard times they are indeed; very hard—yea, even as a crushing rock to those who are severely tried. But affliction is good, my friends, and if it be for our soul's health, then, indeed, it is good to be afflicted.”
To this, neither Mrs. Lenehan nor her brother made any reply; and Solomon was left to console himself with a holy groan or two—given in that peculiar style which hypocrisy only can accomplish, but which is altogether out of the sphere, and beyond the capacity of true repentance.
“Mr. M'Slime,” said Palmer, “my sister has at present”—which was the fact—although Solomon did not believe it—“a more advantageous opportunity of investing those eight hundred pounds which the poor woman has scraped together, and she wishes to draw them out of the funds without any delay; she wishes to sell out.”
“Of course,” said Solomon; “and, indeed, Mrs. Lenehan, I am delighted to hear it. How are you about to have the money invested, ma'am? Only give me the names of the parties, with the nature of the securities, and I shall have the whole matter safely managed with as little delay as may be.”
“She wishes first, Mr. M'Slime, to get the money into her own hands,” said Palmer, “and, I believe, I may as well state that, as a conscientious Christian woman, she does not feel justified in availing herself any longer of your professional services, Mr. M'Slime.”
“Indeed,” observed the widow, “I don't see how I could, Mr. M'Slime; I trust I am a Christian woman, as he says, and for a Christian woman to continue you, as her attorney, would be, I fear, to encourage hypocrisy and sin; and I feel that it would not be permitted to me to do so, unless I abuse my privileges.”
“Heigho,” thought Solomon, “here am I punished, as it were, in my own exact phraseology; verily, the measure is returning unto me.”
“Well, Mrs. Lenehan, this is part of my individual dispensation—may it be precious to me! There is a mystery in many things, and there is a mystery in this; a mystery which, I trust, shall yet be cleared up, even so as that I shall indulge in much rejoicing when I look back upon it. Mr. Palmer, you, I trust, are a Christian man, and you, Mrs. Lenehan, a Christian woman—Now, let me ask, did you ever hear that it is possible for an innocent man to be condemned as though he were guilty? Oh! I could argue strongly on this—but that I know now is not the hour.”
“Well, but to business, Mr. M'Slime; my sister wants the money into her own hands.”
“And in her own hands it shall be placed, Mr. Palmer; but this, you are aware, cannot be done for a few days—until, at all events, I go to Dublin.”