The Irish standard., 1896-09-19
.Do you mean to threaten me, sir, Il
- i

sa, ..Do you mean to threaten me, sir, In
my own Officer
II mean to say, Mr. Longworth. that
/ have made q statement which anu
going to prove to you. I mean that You
shall listen to me, and listen TO me now"
'.And, say. if you have anything to
charge against my nephew. come and
say itwhen he is here"
81, when he is here, Mr.. Longworth, II
will be too late to say it; at present you
can repair the injury he has done. When
he returns to England you cannot do so.
no matter how much you might wish TO
make the attempt"
The old man stood irresolute for mo-
ment; then he sat down in his chair
again.
VERY WE'LL" he said, with sigh, II
am not so combative as I once was. Go
on with your story"
"My story is very short" said Went
worth. 1T simply amounts to this:
You know your nephew formed part
nership with us in relation to the Cana
dian mine?"
IT know nothing about it, tell you,'
answered Mr.. Longworth.
Very well, you know it now"
II know you say So" ,
"Do you doubt my word?"
twill tell you more about that when
hear what you have to say. Go on.
swell, your nephew, pretending 10
aid us in forming this company, did
everything to retard our progress. Tic
engaged offices that took long time
to fit up, and which we had, at last, to
take hand in ourselves. Then he left
for week, leaving no address, and re-
fusing to answer the letters I sent to his
office for him. On one pretext or all
other the forming of the company was
delayed. until, at length, when the OPP
ton by which Mr.. Kenyon held the mine
had only {; month to run, your nephew
Melville, ostensibly to see and report
upon the property. After waiting q
certain length of time and hearing moth
ing from him Che had promised to cable
us), Kenyon went to America to get a re-
newal of the option. This cablegranl
explains his success. He finds, on going
there. that your nephew has secured
the option OF the mine in his own name,
and, as Kenyon says. we are cheated.
Now, have you any doubt whether your
nephew is a scoundrel or not?"
Mr.. Longworth unused for a few mo-
ments on what the young man had told
him.
eff what you say is exactly true, there
is no doubt that William has been guilty
of piece of very sharp practice"
Sharp practice!" cried the other.
"You might as we'll call robbery sharp
practical"
''Aiy dear sir, l have listened to you;
now I ask you to listen to me. If, as
I say, what you have stated is true, my
nephew has done something which [
think an honorab BILE man would not do:
but as to that I cannot judge until I
hear his side Of the story. 1t may put
q different complexion on the matter,
and I have no. doubt it will; but, even
gran ting your version is true in every
particular, what have to do with it?
I am not responsible for my nephew's
actions. He has entered into a business
connection, it seems, with two young
men and has outwitted them. That is
probably what the world would say
about it. Perhaps, as you say, he has
been guilty of something worse. and
has cheated his partners. But even adj
hitting every thing to be true, do not
see how am responsible in any way
Legally, you are not; morally,
think, You are" ..
Why"
eff he were your son"
':But he is not my son; he IL my
nephew
IF your son had committed a theft,
would you not do everything in your
Do,yer to counterfeit the evil he had
done?"
81 might and might not. Some IA
theirs pay their sons debts, others do
not. cannot say what action 1should
take in purely supposititious case"
VERY well, all l have to say is, our
option runs out in two or three days.
Twenty thousand pounds will secure
the mine for us. 1 want that 100000
before the option ceases"
''And do you expect me to pay you
100000 for this?''
q, Eyes, do" 80,
-. Old Mr.. Longwortf leaned back in his
office chair and looked at the young
man in anlazenlent.
ITO think that you, man OF the city.
would come to me, another man OF the
city, with such an absurd idea in your
head, is simply grotesque.'
s''rhen the name of the Longworths is
nothing to you--the good name, 1
.nean?''
1.-THE good name of the Longworths,
my dear sir, is verything to me; but
! think it will be able to take care Of it,
self without any assistance from you"
There was silence for few moments.
Then Wentworth said in voice of sup
pressed anguish: II thought, Mr..
Longworth, one of your family was a
seoundrel. J. now wish to say l believe
The epithet covers uncle as we'll as
nephew. You have Il chance to repais
The mischief one of your family has
done. You have answered me with con-
tempt. You have not shown me the
slightest indication of wishing to make
amends"
He unlocked the door. ..-.
"Come, now" said old Mr.. Longworth,
rising. that will do. that will do, Mr..
Wentworth" Then he pressed an cleo
trio bell. and when the clerk appeared,
he said: "Show this young gentleman