"Willingly! It is the name by which I have accustomed myself to love
you. Now, listen to me. I am dishonoured until at least the mere
pecuniary debt, due to you from my father, is paid. Hist! Hist!--Alban
Morley says so--Darrell says so. Darrell says, 'he cannot own me as
kinsman till that debt is cancelled.' Darrell lends me the means to do
it; he would share his kinsman's ignominy if he did not. Before I could
venture even to come hither, the sum due to you from my father was
repaid. I hastened to town yesterday evening--saw Mr. Darrell's lawyer.
I have taken a great liberty--I have invested this sum already in the
purchase of an annuity for you. Mr. Darrell's lawyer had a client who
was in immediate want of the sum due to you; and, not wishing permanently
to burthen his estate by mortgage, would give a larger interest by way of
annuity than the public offices would; excellent landed security. The
lawyer said it would be a pity to let the opportunity slip, so I ventured
to act for you. It was all settled this morning. The particulars are on
this paper, which I will leave with you. Of course the sum due to you is
not exactly the same as that which my father borrowed before I was born.
There is the interest--compound interest; nothing more. I don't
understand such matters; Darrell's lawyer made the calculation--it must
be right."

Waife had taken the paper, glanced at its contents, dropped it in
confusion, amaze. Those hundreds lent, swelled into all those thousands
returned! And all methodically computed--tersely--arithmetically-down to
fractions. So that every farthing seemed, and indeed was, his lawful
due. And that sum invested in an annuity of L500 a year--income which,
to poor Gentleman Waife, seemed a prince's revenue!

"It is quite a business-like computation, I tell you, sir; all done by a
lawyer. It is indeed," cried Lionel, dismayed at Waife's look and