George Meredith

Celt and Saxon George Meredith

Book Excerpt: ...estate, ' Mr. Adister said, to compliment him by touching on his affairs.'A small one; not a quarter of a county, ' said Patrick.'Productive, sir?'''Tis a tramp of discovery, sir, to where bog ends and cultivation begins.''Bequeathed to you exclusively over the head of your elder brother, I understand.'Patrick nodded assent. 'But my purse is Philip's, and my house, and my horses.''Not bequeathed by a member of your family?''By a distant cousin, chancing to have been one of my godmothers.''Women do these things, ' Mr. Adister said, not in perfect approbation of their doings.'And I think too, it might have gone to the elder, ' Patrick replied to his tone.'It is not your intention to be an idle gentleman?''No, nor a vagrant Irishman, sir.''You propose to sit down over there?''When I've more brains to be of service to them and the land, I do.'Mr. Adister pulled the arm of his chair. 'The professions ar