Not a half-penny to me!" he cried magnanimously, in
his brassiest tones. "Not a half-penny to me!"
Let no man say the rich are heartless. Sir Joseph seized his
son-in-law's hand in silence, and burst into tears.
Mr. Dicas, habitually a silent man, uttered the first two words that had
escaped him since the business began. "Highly creditable," he said, and
took a note of his instructions on the spot.
From that point the business of the settlement flowed smoothly on to its
destined end. Sir Joseph explained his views at the fullest length, and
the lawyer's pen kept pace with him. Turlington, remaining in his
place at the table, restricted himself to a purely passive part in the
proceedings. He answered briefly when it was absolutely necessary to
speak, and he agreed with the two elders in everything. A man has no
attention to place at the disposal of other people when he stands at
a crisis in his life. Turlington stood at that crisis, at the trying
moment when Sir Joseph's unexpected proposal pressed instantly for a
reply.
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