Roland Cashel, Volume I (of II). Lever Charles James
business people and red-tapery,” said Mrs. Kenny feck to her husband.
“I am afraid,” said the silky attorney, “I am very much afraid I must trespass on his kindness to accompany me to the Master’s office. There are some little matters which will not wait.”
“Oh, they must,” said Mrs. Kennyfeck, peremptorily. “Who is the Master, – Liddard, is n’t it? Well, tell him to put it off; Mr. Cashel must really have a little peace and quietness after all his fatigues.”
“It will only take an hour, at most, Mrs. Kennyfeck,” remonstrated her submissive mate.
“Well, that is nothing,” cried Cashel. “I ‘m not in the least tired, and the day is long enough for everything.”
“Then we have a little affair which we can manage at home here about the mortgages. I told you – ”
“I believe you did,” replied Cashel, laughing; “but I don’t remember a word of it. It’s about paying some money, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s the redemption of two very heavy claims,” exclaimed Kennyfeck, perfectly shocked at the indifference displayed by the young man, – “claims for which we are paying five and a half per cent.”
“And it would be better to clear them off?” said Cashel, assuming a show of interest in the matter he was far from feeling.
“Of course it would. There is a very large sum lying to your credit at Falkner’s, for which you receive only three per cent.”
“Don’t you perceive how tiresome you are, dear Mr. Kennyfeck?” said his wife. “Mr. Cashel is bored to death with all this.”
“Oh, no! not in the least, madam. It ought to interest me immensely; and so all these things will, I ‘m sure. But I was just thinking at what hour that fellow we met on the packet was to show us those horses he spoke of?”
“At four,” said Mr. Kennyfeck, with a half-sigh of resignation; “but you ‘ll have ample time for that. I shall only ask you to attend at the judge’s chambers after our consultation.”
“Well, you are really intolerable!” cried his wife. “Why cannot you and Jones, and the rest of you, do all this tiresome nonsense, and leave Mr. Cashel to us? I want to bring him out to visit two or three people; and the girls have been planning a canter in the park.”
“The canter, by all means,” said Cashel. “I ‘m sure, my dear Mr. Kennyfeck, you ‘ll do everything far better without me. I have no head for anything like business; and so pray, let me accompany the riding-party.”
“The attendance at the Master’s is peremptory,” sighed the attorney, – “there is no deferring that; and as to the mortgages, the funds are falling every hour. I should seriously advise selling out at once.”
“Well, sell out, in Heaven’s name! Do all and anything you like, and I promise my most unqualified satisfaction at the result.”
“There, now,” interposed Mrs. Kennyfeck, authoritatively, “don’t worry any more; you see how tiresome you are!”
And poor Mr. Kennyfeck seemed to see and feel it too; for he hung his head, and sipped his tea in silence.
“To-day we dine alone, Mr. Cashel,” said Mrs. Kennyfeck; “but to-morrow I will try to show you some of the Dublin notorieties, – at least, such as are to be had in the season. On Friday we plan a little country party into Wicklow, and have promised to keep Saturday free, if the Blackenburgs want us.”
“What shall we say, then, about Tubberbeg, Mr. Cashel?” said Kennyfeck, withdrawing him into a window-recess. “We ought to give the answer at once.”
“Faith! I forgot all about it,” said Cashel. “Is that the fishery you told me of?”
“Oh, no!” sighed the disconsolate man of law. “It’s the farm on the terminable lease, at present held by Hugh Corrigan; he asks for a renewal.”
“Well, let him have it,” said Cashel, bluntly, while his eyes were turned towards the fire, where the two sisters, with arms entwined, stood in the most graceful of attitudes.
“Yes, but have you considered the matter maturely?” rejoined Kennyfeck, laying his hand on Cashel’s arm. “Have you taken into account that he only pays eight and seven pence per acre, – the Irish acre, too, – and that a considerable part of that land adjoining the Boat Quay is let, as building plots for two and sixpence a foot?”
“A devilish pretty foot it is, too,” murmured Cashel, musingly.
“Eh! what?” exclaimed Kennyfeck, perfectly mystified at this response.
“Oh! I meant that I agreed with you,” rejoined the young man, reddening, and endeavoring to appear deeply interested. “I quite coincide with your views, sir.”
Kennyfeck seemed surprised at this, for he had not, to his knowledge, ventured on any opinion.
“Perhaps,” said he, taking breath for a last effort, “if you ‘d kindly look at the map of the estate, and just see where this farm trenches on your own limits, you could judge better about the propriety of the renewal.”
“Oh, with pleasure!” exclaimed Cashel, while he suffered himself to be led into the study, his face exhibiting very indifferent signs of satisfaction.
“Shall we assist in the consultation, Mr. Cashel?” said Mrs. Kennyfeck, smiling in reply to his reluctant look at leaving.
“Oh, by all means!” cried he, enthusiastically; “do come, and give me your advice. Pray, come.”
“Come, girls,” said the mother, “although I perceive Mr. Kennyfeck is terribly shocked at the bare thought of our intrusion; but be of good courage, we only accompany Mr. Cashel to save him from any long imprisonment.” And so she moved majestically forward, her daughters following her.
An alchemist would probably have received company in his laboratory, or a hermit admitted a jovial party in his cell, with less of constraint and dissatisfaction than did Mr. Kennyfeck watch the approach of his wife and daughters to the sanctum of his study.
Save at rare intervals, when a disconsolate widow had come to resolve a question of administration, or a no less forlorn damsel had entered to consult upon an action for “breach of promise,” St. Kevin himself had never been less exposed to female intervention. It needed, then, all his reverence and fear of Mrs. Kennyfeck to sustain the shock to his feelings, as he saw her seat herself in his office-chair, and look around with the air of command that he alone used to exhibit in these regions.
“Now for this same map, Mr. Kennyfeck, and let us bear the question for which this Privy Council has been convened.”
“This is the map,” said Mr. Kennyfeck, unfolding a large scroll, “and I believe a single glance will enable Mr. Cashel to perceive that some little deliberation would be advisable before continuing in possession a tenant whose holding completely destroys the best feature of the demesne. This red line here is your boundary towards the Limerick road; here, stands the house, which, from the first, was a great mistake. It is built in a hollow without a particle of view; whereas, had it been placed here, where this cross is marked, the prospect would have extended over the whole of Scariff Bay, and by the west, down to Killaloe.”
“Well, what’s to prevent our building it there yet?” interrupted Cashel. “I think it would be rare fun building a house, – at least if I may judge from all the amusement I’ve had in constructing one of leaves and buffalo-hides, in the prairies.”
Mrs. Kennyfeck and her eldest daughter smiled their blandest approbation, while Olivia murmured in her sister’s ear, “Oh, dear, he is so very natural, isn’t he?”
“That will be a point for ulterior consideration,” said Mr. Kennyfeck, who saw the danger of at all wandering from the topic in hand. “Give me your attention now for one moment, Mr. Cashel. Another inconvenience in the situation of the present house is, that it stands scarcely a thousand yards from this red-and-yellow line here.”
“Well,