Page 179 - The snake's pass

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MY NEW PROPERTY. 167
" Go on," said I, concealing my delight as well as I
could.
He accordingly named a sum which, to me, accus-
tomed only as I had hitherto been to the price of land
in a good English county, seemed very small indeed.
" He evidently thought he was driving a hard bargain,
for he said with a cunning look :
" I suppose ye'll want to see lawyers and the like.
So you may ; but only to see that ye get ye bargin
hard and fast. I'll not discuss the terrums wid anyone
else ; an' if y' accept, ye must sign me a writin' now, that
ye buy me land right here, an' that ye'll pay the money
widin a month before ye take possession on the day
we fix."
" All right," said I. " That will suit me quite well.
Make out your paper in duplicate, and we will both sign.
Of course, you must put in a clause guaranteeing title,
and allowing the deed to be made with the approval of
my solicitor, not as to value, but as to form and
completeness.
! " he said, and sat down to draw up his
" That's fair
papers. He was evidently a bit of a lawyer—a gombeen
man must be—and he knew the practical matters of law
affecting things in which he was himself interested. His
Memorandum of Agreement was, so far as I could judge,
quite complete and as concise as possible. He designated
the land sold, and named the price which was to be paid
into the account in his name in the Galway Bank before
twelve o'clock noon on the 27th September, or which