TEN THOUSAND POUNDS AND A DINNER 209 



was good and great, that every word was to the very 

 letter true. But of all the innumerable tales, old and 

 new, these gentry were in the habit of relating to him, I 

 think none took his fancy so much as Coghlan's inimit- 

 ably told story of his double-event trial for a dinner and 

 a wife. It appears that he had seen in some newspaper 

 that a gentleman intended on the day of her marriage to 

 give the husband of his only daughter 20,000. He 

 therefore dressed in a becoming style, being a smart, 

 good-looking fellow, and introduced himself the next day, 

 and the nature of his business, by saying he could save 

 the liberal father 10,000 a bait sufficient to ensure him 

 a good start. He was asked to luncheon, and after full 

 justice was done to the viands and wines, 



' Now,' said his host, ' how can you save me 10,000 ?' 



' By taking your daughter,' he replied, ' at that sum, 

 instead of the 20,000 that you have agreed to give her 

 husband.' 



A hasty exit with considerable force was the result ; 

 but ' 10,000 to nothing was always worth taking on the 

 off-chance of getting it,' as he remarked. 



Another story, told by one of these amusing friends, 

 was to the effect that he, the relater, had never met 

 a man that he could not get something out of. For the 

 express purpose of proving this, he made a trial on an 

 old miserly customer in business as a silversmith in 

 Exeter. He entered the shop, and after minutely de- 

 scribing with his fingers the shape of two bars of gold, 

 weighing together about 3 lb., a little more or less, and 

 of one of silver a trifle lighter, asked for a particular 

 estimate of their value. The silversmith immediately 

 invited him to dinner, then just ready, which was en- 

 joyed, with the dessert that followed, immensely. Then 

 came business. 



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