II.

FOR this simple reason. He had bought
and paid for a high place, and could therefore
sit as high as he liked. He might come
in at his own hours and strut through my
rooms with his vulgar hands behind his own
vulgar self, and mentally appraise the old
pictures on the walls, the old furniture, the
old plate in the chests below. That is to
say, he had full claim and title to do this; for
he had advanced money, and had bought off
hostile people who would have verily sacked
the place, stripped the walls, and melted
down the wrought gold and silver. But for
him there would have been auctions of the
handsome furniture and effects. The drawing-
room furniture, of exquisite design and
antique pattern, the rich hangings, the
unrivalled collection of articles of virtu (for
which the well-known taste of the proprietors
was a guarantee, &c.) the fine buhl cabinets,
the matchless porcelain,—all these articles, set
out in sweet and unctuous periods in the
catalogue, would have the honour of being
submitted to public competition by their
obedient servant, Provincial Rostrum. Such
an opportunity for collectors of choice objets
d'art might never occur again. This went
within a hair's breadth of being the anthem at
Holm Hollies. The nobility and gentry went
near to being summoned by sound of bell at
the gate and choristers in green baize
aprons.

The ugly wolf had actually made entrance
disguised in a Jewish mask, with a red
comforter on, and thick knobbed stick under his
arm, and was busy, pen in hand, making
inventories, and setting his mark on all things.
He was for eating up all things in the house,
that scowling Israelite, and was not to be put
off this time. Writ, sir, signed by high
sheriff of the county—fieri facias—levari
issued—a distringas—and the rest of their
jargon.

I was running about distractedly—being
then young in years and fresh from school—
not knowing whither to turn, with my father
lying sick up-stairs, almost in the
extremity of death. The wolf was busy with his
work, and had well nigh run his ink-horn
dry; when, of a sudden, there entered,
quietly, this newly-made baronet, who took
the creature with the red comforter to one
side, and spoke words to him. There was
no vulgar obtrusion of his money; no
ostentatious thrusting of his purse upon me.
The thing was done as though a gentleman
had had the handling of it.

The wolf went his way satisfied; but we
had only shifted masters. We had only gotten
a smooth upstart, instead of wolf Moses: a
common trick, you see, with all these fungi,
that have sprouted from the night before
only. They know full well we would not—
could it be helped—let one of them within a
rood of us; and so, 'tis likely enough, they
will take this shabby fashion of laying us
under obligation to help them to rub skirts
with gentle blood.

There were no reciprocal hospitalities, or
even courtesies, in my father's time: but an
unaccountable cloud of reserve. It was as
though there had been the ghost of some
ancient family feud hovering between them:
a ghost not yet laid, or likely to be laid. My
father would growl to himself as he read in
provincial prints of provincial honours paid
to mushroom dignity; of chairs being taken
by mushroom dignity; of subscription lists
being capped munificently by mushroom
dignity. In contrast to which, that old
excellence of birth, unballasted by money-
bags, was held cheaper: people, gently pushing
past him with excuses to reach to the
better man of the two. This was all so much
gall and vinegar to the man of pure blood;
but pure blood without money at its back.
The more so, as there came to be no
immediate means of getting the chain from
our necks. Once, indeed, full half of the
debt had been gathered, and then a bank
broke. Said my father, at last, when I
importuned him: "Let the fellow wait like other
tradesmen!" Still we had to welcome
him cordially, and get up abundant show of
smiles and hearty taking of his plebeian
hand. And here, again, in all honour and
fairness, must it be written, that this person
showed no sense of his hold on us: no
familiarity or undue presuming: never putting in
claim for that money of his, save indirectly by
this coming over to look after his debtors.
It made my father rage and grind his teeth
with fury, that periodical coming up the
avenue; and, I do believe, the last and
sweetest act of his life was one little bit of
triumph over this Leathern Baronet. There
had been a fund raised for operatives in
distress and out of work; and it was said
Sir Thomas Hackleton, Baronet, would head
the list with one hundred pounds. No doubt
he would. It was no more to him than one
hundred halfpence.

Now, to us had been coming importunate
letters from certain carriage builders who
had furnished us, some years before, with
a state coach, blazoned out with armorial
bearings, as was fitting persons of our quality.
This thing had been done by way of patronage
to certain provincial builders plying
their trade in the neighbouring town: and
the provincial builders must break or go to the
wall, they said, if they were not helped. Still
these were loathe to inconvenience so noble a
family. Therefore with difficulty had been
got together—scraped from Heaven knows
what sources—some two hundred pounds or
so, which was to go to the whining builders.
When, lo! comes this news of operatives out
of work, and Sir Thomas Hackleton, Leathern
Baronet, heading the list! My father, ill in
bed of his last sickness, went nigh to dying
at once of it; but, during a tossing night,