Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 78: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

—d ——— eel nan ——— 70 AGNES; OB, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. jaded appetite, appeared upon that board: there was & numerous assortment of exquisite wines and ligseurs; and a stout, well-fed lacquey, in gorgeous livery and with powdered hair, stood be- hind the old Baronet’s chair. * Ab, Mr. Timperley!” said Sir John Dalham the moment the solicitor was announced: “ you are welcome. Pray walkin. Give Mr. Timperley a chair—and then leave us,” he added, turning to his domestic. “Being up in this neighbourhood, Sir John, on some little business,” said Mr. Timperley, when he and the Baronet were alone together, “I thought I would just drop in upon you. I called in Berkeley Square last evening, and was told that you were at St. John’s Wood “Yes,” observed the Baronet, “I frequent this place as much as possible in the fine weather. But what tidings have you brought me ?” “ Everything progresses, Sir John, as you could wish,” replied Mr. Timperley, rubbing his hands and bending a significant look upon the Baronet. “I was there yesterday—lI saw the old man , “ Ah! and he doubtless still clings to hope?” eried the Baronet, with a chuckle which threw ?? him into a violent fit of coughing that left him | exhausted for three or four minutes afterwards, while his eyes looked horribly bleared and blood- shot. Mr. Timperley did not however seem to take | the slightest notice of this incident: but with his | double eye-glasses he appeared to be absorbed in the contemplation of a very fine picture, though | not of a very decent subject, that was suspended to the wall opposite to where he sat. For the lawyer knew Sir John Dalham well, and was | aware that nothing annoyed him so much as to take notice of his ailments or infirmities. «‘ Well—and so you were with the old man yes- terday P” of the breath which the violent fit of coughing had well-nigh utterly expelled from his attenuated frame. ® And how does he look? He does not wear as well as I do, I’ll be bound?” added the Baronet, with a most malignant expression of counte- nance. Mr. Timperley might have said that if he were an actuary in a Life-office he would infinitely rather grant am assurance on behalf of Mr, Bar- riogton than on that of Sir John Dalham: but it did not suit the lawyer’s purpose to tell the truth where he knew it would be unpalatable. He therefore exclaimed, “ How does he look? Likea eorpse, Sir John! It 1s impossible he can last much longer.” “But you are keeping up the old game, my dear Mr. Timperley?” said the Baronet eagerly aud anxiously, ‘“ You are oo “Doing everything in your interest, as in duty }ound,” replied the solicitor, with a low deferential yew, as if fo a patron whom it suited him full well wz serve. “The old manisfull of hope for the next Term—always the next Term, you know, Sit John (?—and bere Mr. Timperley chuckled with a euudued delight as if making himself merry at the expense of his unfertunate client the prisoner in Whitecross Street. “ Ffat ha!” also chuckled Sir John: “ the newt Term—ehP Well, and of course you encourage —_ + said Sir John, at length regaining some | that hope? You tell him his case is a good one?” * And then I draw up his pleas and affidayits,’’ rejoined Timperley, “in a way that makes it a very bad one.” * To be sure! to be sure!” said Sir John, ruv- bing his hands. “ Keep the old villain in gaol !— keep him out of his just rights! I am not to be _beggared for him. But what about the compro- mise, Mr. Timperley ?” “IT touched him upon that ground,” answered the lawyer: “but as I feared and anticipated, he was inaccessible. As delicately as I could—and yet with a certain degree of firmness, as if exer- cising the authority of an attorney towards his client—I suggested that were he to offer to accept one-third = | “Yes, yes—I would give that,” interjected Sir John Dalham, “to avoid any farther risk —al- though you, my dear Mr. Timperley, have takeao good care that the case shall hang on so long. But what said he in respect to the compromise ?” ** He would perish sooner—or something to that effect,” rejoined Timperley. “I appealed to him _for the sake of his grandchildren: but it was of no avail—the old man is as obstinate as he can be. ae by the bye, Sir John, there was one thing which rather alarmed me | Eh? eh? what is that?” inquired the Ba- ronet, who in the sudden nervousness which seized upon him, spilt half the contents of the wine-glass | which he was conveying to his lips. “Barrington actually threatened to take his business out of my hands,” responded Timperley, “and entrust it to another solicitor. He fancied that he saw some hesitation in my conduct * But he does not suspect you ?” cried Sir John: “he does not think that you are playing him false ?” “No,” answered Timperley: “we parted very good friends—and I promised to send him the new affidavits in the course of a few days. My only fear is that the greater his experience in studying all these law-matters, the more probable it is that he will detect the points which I pur- posely leave open for your counsel to seize upon as the ground of demanding a postponement of the final judgment and for moving to put in fresh affidavits.” * Don’t be afraid, my dear Mr. Timperley,” said Sir John Dalham, though he himself was still nervous and quivering: “trust to your own inge- nuity. It has never failed you yet; and besides, I am always ready and willing, you know, to sharpen its edge with something of this sort.” Thus speaking, the Baronet drew forth a num- ber of bank-notes, which he handed to Timperley, who received them with a low bow. “It is a pity—a very great pity,” continued Sir John, “ that the old man cannot be starved into a surrender. We anticipated great things, you know, when you withdrew the guinea a week 2 ‘‘ Yos—but it was impossible to foresee that this girl Winifred, bis grandchild,” interjected Tim- perley, ‘ ‘ would be enabled to supply him with funds. For my part I can’t make it out. From all I learn, the girl is virtuous; and yet it is im- possible that by the exercise of her needle she can maintain the old man and herself as respectably as she does. She must have some friends—or else she must be the mistress of some person who sup- \ Com Ebooks EE ee ee ae ES - . ee (E(0)