"
"I shall not rely on Mr. Sowerby again; you may be sure of that."
"What I mean is that you must teach yourself to recognize the debt as
your own. If you can do that, with your income you can surely pay it,
with interest, in two years. If Lord Lufton will assist you with his
name, I will so arrange the bills that the payments shall be made
to fall equally over that period. In that way the world will know
nothing about it, and in two years' time you will once more be a free
man. Many men, Mr. Robarts, have bought their experience much dearer
than that, I can assure you."
"Mr. Forrest, it is quite out of the question."
"You mean that Lord Lufton will not give you his name."
"I certainly shall not ask him; but that is not all. In the first
place, my income will not be what you think it, for I shall probably
give up the prebend at Barchester."
"Give up the prebend! give up six hundred a year!"
"And, beyond this, I think I may say that nothing shall tempt me to
put my name to another bill. I have learned a lesson which I hope I
may never forget."
"Then what do you intend to do?"
"Nothing!"
"Then those men will sell every stick of furniture about the place.
They know that your property here is enough to secure all that they
claim.
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