“Certainly! certainly! you shall have your money
before you want it, long and long; and my only reason
for borrowing it from you at all is, that I don’t
like to trouble Mr. Ludgate, till he has settled accounts
with Allen, who keeps all our money from us in a strange
way; and, in my opinion, uses Leonard exceedingly
ill and unfairly.”
“Allen!” cried Lucy, stopping short.
“Oh, Belle! how can you say so? How can
you think so? But you know nothing of him, else
you could not suspect him of using any one ill, or
unfairly; much less your husband, the son of his old
friend.”
“Bless me! how she runs on! and how she colours!
I am sure I didn’t know I was upon such tender
ground! I did not know Allen was such a prodigious
favourite!”
“I only do him justice in saying that I am certain
he could not do an unfair or unhandsome action.”
“I know nothing of the matter, I protest; only
this—that short accounts, they say, make
long friends; and I hope I sha’n’t affront
any body by saying, it would be very convenient if
he could be got to settle with Mr. Ludgate, who, I
am sure, is too much the gentleman to ask any thing
from him but his own; which, indeed, if it was not
for me, he’d be too genteel to mention.
But, as I said before, short accounts make long friends;
and, as you are so much Allen’s friend, you can
hint that to him.”
“I shall not hint, but say it to him as plainly
as possible,” replied Lucy; “and you may
be certain that he will come to settle accounts with
Mr. Ludgate before night.” “I am sure
I shall be mighty glad of it; and so will Mr. Ludgate,”
said Belle; and thus they parted.
Mrs. Ludgate with triumph announced to her husband,
upon his return home, that she had brought affairs
to a crisis with Allen; and that he would come to
settle his accounts this evening. The surprise
and consternation which appeared in Mr. Ludgate’s
countenance, convinced the lady that her interference
was highly disagreeable.
Allen came punctually in the evening to settle his
accounts. When he and Leonard were by themselves,
he could not help expressing some astonishment, mixed
with indignation, at the hints which had been thrown
out by Mrs. Ludgate.
“Why, she knows nothing of the matter,”
said Ludgate. “I’ve no notion of
talking of such things to one’s wife; it would
only make her uneasy; and we shall be able to go on
some way or other. So let us have another bottle
of wine, and talk no more of business for this night.”
Allen would by no means consent to put off the settlement
of accounts, after what had passed. “Short
accounts,” said he, “as Mrs. Ludgate observed,
make long friends.”
It appeared, when the statement of affairs was completed,
that Allen had advanced above three hundred pounds
for Leonard; and bills to a large amount still remained
unpaid.
