Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-01-03

does. We'll, it is not a bad price-e30, ,OO0- it is a good figure for any woman in the present state of the market" And with @ hard and bitter laugh, and q prescience of sorrow to come lying at the heart, she threw down the remains of the scarlet Turk and turned away.
 CHAPTER XII.
 GEORGE PROPHECIES.
 Ida, for obvious reasons, said nothing to her father of her interview with Edward Cossey, and thus it came to pass that on the morning following the lawn tennis party, there was a very serious consultation be- tween the faithful George and his master. It appeared to Ida, who was lying awake in her room, to commence somewhere about day break, and it certainly continued, with short intervals for refreshment, till II o'clock in the forenoon. First the squire explained the whole question to George at great length, and with most extraordinary multiplicity of detail, for he began with his first loan from the house of Cossey G Son, which he had contracted great many years before. All this while George sat with very long face, and tried to look as though he were fol- lowing the thread of the argument, which was not possible, for his master had long ago lost it himself, and was mixing up the loan of 1868 with the loan of 1S74 and the money raised on the severance of the entail with both in way which would have driven any, body except George, who was used to this sort of thing, perfectly mad However, he sat it through; and when at last the account was finished, remarked that things 'sartinly did look queer"
 Thereupon the squire called him stupid owl, and having by means of some test ques- tions discovered that he knew very little of the details which had just been explained to him at such portentous length, he, in spite of the protest of the wretched George, who urged that they. "didn't seem to be gitting no forrader somehow" began and went though every word of it again.
 This brought them to breakfast time, and after breakfast Georges accounts were thor oughly gone into, with the result that confu- sion was soon worse confounded, for either George could not keep accounts or the squire could not follow them. Ida, sitting in the drawing room, could continually hear her fathers ejaculatory outbursts after this kind
 "Why, you stupid donkey, you've added it up all wrong; it's $50, not 35O;;" followed by a "No, no, squire, you be a looking on the wrong side-them there are the debits," ," and so on till both parties were fairly played out, and the only thing that remained clear was that the balance was considerably on the wrong side.
 This was the state of affairs when the door bell rang and Edward Cossey, looking par ticularly handsome and rather ove,power- ing, was shown into the room.
 The squire shook hands with him this time, though coldly enough, and George touched his forelock and said: "Sarvant. master told him that be might retire, though be was to be sure not to go out of hearing, as he should want him again presently.
 Every we'll, sir," answered George, "I'll just step up to the poplays. I told a man to be round there today, as want to see if can come to an understanding with him about this years fell in the big wood"
 "There," said the squire with an expression of infinite disgust, "there, that's just like your way, your horrid, cadging way; the idea of telling a man to be round about the Poplars' some time or other today, because you wanted to speak to him about fell Why didn't you write him letter like an or dinary Christian and make an offer, instead of lodging him round a farm for half day like wild Indiana Besides, the Poplars is half a mile off if it's yard"
 "Lord, sir" said George, as he retired, "that ain't the way that folks in these parts like to do business, that aint, Letter writing Is all very well for Londoners and other furriners, but 1t don't do here Be- sides, sir, shall hear you we'll enough up there. Sarvent, sr"-this to Edward Cossey and he was gone.
 Edward burst out laughing; and the squire looked after his retainer with comical air.
 ''No wonder that the place has got in such Q mess with such fellow as that to manage it," he said aloud. "The idea of hunting g man round the Poplars Farm like-like an IrAS uo3o what he is, and that's all he's fit for. How ever, it's his way of doing business, and I sha'n't alter him. We'll. MT. Cossey," he went on, "this is very sad state of affairs, at any rate so far as am concerned. presume of course, that you know of the steps which have been taken by Cossey 6 Son to force foreclosure, for that is what it amounts to, though have not as yet received the formal notice; indeed I presume that those steps have been taken under your advice"
 "Yes, MT. de la Molle, know all about it, and here is the notice calling in the loans," and he placed a folded paper on the table.
 "Ah," said the squire, "I see. AS I re- marked to your manager, MT. Quest, yester- day, think that, considering the nature of the relationship which has existed for SO many generations between our family and the business firm of which you are the mem Der; considering, too, the peculiar circum- stances in which the owners of land find themselves at this moment, and the ruinous loss-to put questions of sentiment aside that must be inflicted by such sale upon the owner of property, that more consideration might have been shown, However, 1t is use less to try to make silk purse out of sow's ear or to get blood from stone, so suppose that must make the best of bad job, and, !" with most polite bow Il really do not know that have anything more to say to you, Mir. Cossey. l will forward the notice to my lawyers; indeed, think that it might have been sent to them in the first instance"
 Edward Cossey had all this while been sit ting on an old oak chair, his eyes fixed upon the ground, and slowly swinging his hat be- tween his legs. Su5 lenly he looked up, and, to the squire's surprise, said quietly:
 II quite agree with you. I don't think that you can say anything too bad about the behavior of my people. A Shoreditch Jew could not have done worse. And look here, Mir. de la Molle, to come to the point and pre- vent misunderstanding, may as well say at once that, with your permission, am anxious to take up these mortgages myself, for two reasons: regard them as a desirable investment even in the present condition of ko O cN