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The Heronsmere rent-roll is enormous." "It rather serves her right, doesn't it?" commented Ann, with a feeling that for once poetic justice had been meted out. Lady Susan smiled. "Yes. Though I always feel a bit sorry for people who get their deserts. You never realise how heavy the bill is going to be when you're running it up."
Thompson received his client with the dignity and emotion due to such a rent-roll and the unexpectedness of the honour. He was a thin stately man of law, garbed as one who gave audience to acred bishops, and carrying on his countenance the stamp of paternity to the parchment skins, and of a virtuous attachment to Port wine sufficient to increase his respectability in the eyes of moral Britain.
He showed me what an advantage this would be to the property, because it would leave your hands free for many improvements in which I heartily go with the progress of the age, for which, as merely tenant for life, you could not raise the money except upon ruinous terms; new cottages for labourers, new buildings for tenants, the consolidation of some old mortgages and charges on the rent-roll, etc.
'On the premises, as the advertisement says; that's at the house of Ellangowan, your honour, as I understand it. 'And who exhibits the title-deeds, rent-roll, and plan? 'A very decent man, sir; the sheriff-substitute of the county, who has authority from the Court of Session. 'And this gentleman's name is 'Mac-Morlan, sir; he's a man o' character, and weel spoken o'.
The poet Keats had not this sort of protection for his person he lay bare to weather the serpent stung him, and the poison-tree dropped upon this little western flower: when the mercenary servile crew approached him, he had no pedigree to show them, no rent-roll to hold out in reversion for their praise: he was not in any great man's train, nor the butt and puppet of a lord he could only offer them 'the fairest flowers of the season, carnations and streaked gilliflowers, 'rue for remembrance and pansies for thoughts, they recked not of his gift, but tore him with hideous shouts and laughter,
But all his qualities, positive or negative, would have availed him nothing without that position which enabled him to take his ease in that inn, the world which presented, to every detection of his want of intrinsic nobleness, the irreproachable respectability of a high name, a splendid mansion, and a rent-roll without a flaw.
In all but name indeed the leaders of this class were the equals of the peers whom they superseded. Men like the Wentworths in the north, or the Hampdens in the south, boasted as long a rent-roll and wielded as great an influence as many of the older nobles.
And under this sort of compulsion the simple creature, with his rent-roll, Consols, family diamonds, and all, hops with a fairly good grace into the matrimonial toils. The second contrivance to which he is apt to fall a victim is the infatuation trap.
It was well known that Sir Thomas's estate was large, being of a value, according to that public and well-authenticated rent-roll which the neighbours of a rich man always carry in their heads, amounting to twelve or fourteen thousand a-year. Now Sir Thomas had come into the unencumbered possession of this at an early age, and had never been extravagant himself or in his family.
The jealousy with which younger men were regarded would have been humorous had it not come already so near to plunging India into anarchy. He did not even trouble to overlook the garrison. He took his leave, and rode away the long two-day ride to his own place, where a sadly attenuated rent-roll and a very sadly thinned-down company of servants waited his coming.
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