Agnes: A Tale of the Streets — page 243: what you’re looking at

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

182 AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND FLUASURE. perley. “I could not help myself. It would have | There was another consideration :—I have alway ' been ruinous to my character ag 4 lawyer to keep | been afraid of meeting your son Mr, Rodericl possession of the deed which long years beforehand | because if he only acquired the certainty that . Waldron had got Barrington to sign,” “To be sure!” ejaculated thé Baronet, “the very deed on which it was relied to keep Bavring- ton in gaol ali his life—and by keeping him in gaol, to paralyse him and rob him of his enargy to fight the groat legal battle with me!” “And for how many years, Sir John,” said Timperley, “did I-thus paralyse his energies ? But it #asa game thet. could not last for ever. If I had refused to give ‘up that deed, the Cart. wrights would have applied to the court—bills would have been filed against me—I should have been compelled to put in answersa—and my ilong- standing complicity with you would have :been dragged to light. Then there would have >een exposure for yourself and for me—and allito no purpose ; for 1 could not have held my ion in respect to that deed, and Barrington weuld have gained his freedom all the same: thts you see, Bir John, it was better to give up the deed with & seoming good grace than to hold out and finally yield to force.” | Mr. Timperley did not think it worth while to explain how, instead of having been swayed by all these convictions, it was in reality to the demand of bis niece Cicely that he had bent and to her threatening language that ho had yielded when surrendering up the deed. “ Well then,” said Sir John Dalham, softening in his looks.and tone as he slowly reclined back again upon hie pillow, “your explana- tion, Mr. Timperley, places your conduct in a new point of view ; and I think that perhaps you may have been right in what you did.” “You see, Sir John,” continued the lawyer, “that the moment Mr. Barrington became pos- sessed of a considerable sum of ready money to pay off the liabilities which kept him in a debtor’s gaol, it was impossible for me to make head against him. Besides, he took his business out of my hands;-——and in short, Sir Jvhn, it was to my interest to glide out of the affair with as good.a grace as possible, for fear lest those Cartwrights should have probed the matter more deeply and scrutinized my profdasional conduct from the very firet. But to sum up the whole of this question in a few words, % :was impossible thet all the professional skit whiff might openly or covertly have been enlisted in your cause—im- possible likewise that all the money which you might have employed for such "ae purposg——could have kept Mr. Barrington anothey "yr in prison |” “Well, I daresay it is so,” said thi net. “Tam eure of it!—for you could not =| had any motive in playing me falee. But thy have you stopped away? why did you not « near me after Barrington’s release from is this that bad made me suspicious ;”— the Baronet was thrown into the most viureuy fit of coughing, which lastefi two or three minutes and left his eyes as if they were set in sockets of gore. ; ‘I have been very, busy,” answored Timperley ; “and that was one reason why I stopped away. Besides, I could not serve your purposes any fur- ther; and it was useless for me to call upon you. had for a long series of years played into you hands while I was ostensibly acting as Mr. Bar- rington's solicitor, he might expose me--—” “What! do you think my son hag still any sympathies with those Barringtons?’’ ejaculated Sir John, again starting up to a sitting posture. ‘Ah! don’t you recollect that I told you some time ago,” he continued, without waiting for an answer,—“TI daresay it must be upwards of a twelvemonth——” Yee, yes, Sir John,” interjected Timperley : “I remember the day very well! You told me bow you had sworn that if your son ever dared plead before you on behalf of those Barring- tons————”” sl ‘I woald cover him with my maledictions!” cried Sir John, with a fiendish expression of coun- tenance, and with an emphasis which left no doubé as to his seriousness. “ And now more than ever, if possible, am I embittered against the old viltain Barrington; for he has refused all compro- mise—he is pushing thingy to extremes—he is doing his very utmost to beggar me!” ‘And what do your attorneys now say of tho business,.Sir John ?” asked. Timperley. “They don’t Weak with confidence,” replied the Baronet: “I can tell by their manner that they are apprehensive as to the result. You of courso know that judgment will be delivered in two or three days P” “Y'know it. But why do you tell me that you surmise evil by the manner of your lawyers? Are thay not frank of speech in a case where— where-——~” and Mr. Tiwperley hesitated for a moment,— where, I may say———” “ Waby, they are afraid of speaking,” exclaimed the Baronet; “for the very same reason that you have just hesitated and stopped short! For if you had finished your sentence you would have spoken of mine as a case wherein all my fortunes aro in- volved. Good heaven! if I were to lose the suit —if judgment were to be pronounced against me, —it would be the death of me! it would bo the death of me at once!” added the Baronet. There was a pause, during which Mr. Timperley figetted with his hat as be satin a great easy chair by the side of the bed; for he would fain have asked more questions, but he did not like to put them. ‘I tell you what, Igmperley,” resumed the Paronet 5 “T know what is passing in your mind. ou are wondering whether I should be utterly and totally ruined if I were to lose this lawsuit P It is this idea that is killing me. I have had no one whom I could consult on the subject—no one to give me any friendly advice! Several times I thought of sending for you, Timperley; but I was held back because I fancied that you had used me unhandsomely or treacherously in referenco to giving up the deed which enabled Barringtun to effect his release. Then, as to my own lawyers, I did not choose to consult id ‘ You did not P” interjected Timperley. ‘“ And might I, Sir John, ask wherefore you thus re- trained from consulting your own attorneys ?” * Bocause—because,” answered the Baronet, “ it would have been showing them the nak: dues# Oo COnmniclooe® SS CO