But that worthy gentleman's turn was now served; and as he had grace enough to wish to avoid witnessing the fall of the house which he had undermined, he was at the trouble of bestowing a few learned terms of art upon Sir Arthur, that at least he might not be tormented before his time.

He took leave of him, with assurances that he would return to Knockwinnock the next morning, with such information as would not fail to relieve Sir Arthur from all his distresses.
"For, since I have consulted in such matters, I ave never," said Mr.
Herman Dousterswivel, "approached so near de arcanum, what you call de great mystery,--de Panchresta--de Polychresta--I do know as much of it as Pelaso de Taranta, or Basilius--and either I will bring you in two and tree days de No.III.of Mr.Mishdigoat, or you shall call me one knave myself, and never look me in de face again no more at all." The adept departed with this assurance, in the firm resolution of making good the latter part of the proposition, and never again appearing before his injured patron.

Sir Arthur remained in a doubtful and anxious state of mind.

The positive assurances of the philosopher, with the hard words Panchresta, Basilius, and so forth, produced some effect on his mind.

But he had been too often deluded by such jargon, to be absolutely relieved of his doubt, and he retired for the evening into his library, in the fearful state of one who, hanging over a precipice, and without the means of retreat, perceives the stone on which he rests gradually parting from the rest of the crag, and about to give way with him.
The visions of hope decayed, and there increased in proportion that feverish agony of anticipation with which a man, educated in a sense of consequence, and possessed of opulence,--the supporter of an ancient name, and the father of two promising children,--foresaw the hour approaching which should deprive him of all the splendour which time had made familiarly necessary to him, and send him forth into the world to struggle with poverty, with rapacity, and with scorn.