Birney looked at him, and said, very gravely, “Pray, sir, what is your business with me?  My time, sir, is valuable.  My time is money—­a portion of my landed property, sir.”

“Haw!  Very good; but you Hirish are so fiery and impatient!  However, I will come to the point.  You are about to joust that young scamp, by the way, out of the title and property.  I say so, because I am up to the thing.  Yet you want dockiments to establish your case—­haw?”

“Well, sir, and suppose we do; you, I presume, as the friend of Lord Dunroe, are not coming to furnish us with them?”

“That is, Mr. Birney, as we shall understand one another.  You failed in your mission to France?”

“I shall hear any proposal, sir, you have to make, but will answer no questions on the subject until I understand your motive for putting them.”

“Good—­very cool and cautious—­but suppose, now, that I, who know you ’ave failed in procuring the dockiments in question, could supply you with them—­haw!—­do you understand me now?”

“Less than ever, sir, I assure you.  Observe that you introduced yourself to me as the friend of Lord Dunroe.”

“Merely to connect myself with the proceedings between you.  I ’ave or am about to discard him, but I shaunt go about the bush no longer.  I’m a native of Lon’on, w’at is tarmed a cockney—­haw, haw!—­and he ’as treated me ill—­very ill—­and I am detarmined to retaliate.”

“How, sir, are you determined to retaliate?”

“The truth is, sir, I’ve got the dockiments you stand in need of in my possession, and can furnish you with them for a consideration.”

“Why, now you are intelligible.  What do you want, Murray?  I’m engaged.”

“To speak one word with you in the next room, sir.  The gentleman wants you to say yes or no, in a single line, upon Mr. Fairfield’s business, sir—­besides, I’ve a private message.”

“Excuse me for a moment, sir,” said Birney; “there’s this morning’s paper, if you haven’t seen it.”

“Well, Bob,” said he, “what is it?”

“Beware of that fellow,” said he:  “I know him well; his name is Bryan; he was a horse jockey on the Curragh, and was obliged to fly the country for dishonesty.  Be on your guard, that is all I had to say to you.”

“Why, he says he is a Londoner, and he certainly has the accent,” replied the other.

“Kerry, sir, to the backbone, and a disgrace to the country, for divil a many rogues it produces, whatever else it may do.”

“Thank you, Murray,” said Birney; “I will be doubly guarded now.”

This occurred between Birney and one of his clerks, as a small interlude in their conversation.

“Yes, sir,” resumed Birney, once more taking his place at the desk, “you can now be understood.”

“Haw!—­yes, I rayther fancy I can make myself so!” replied Norton.  “What, now, do you suppose the papers in question may be worth to your friends?”