CHAPTER XVII 



RESIDENCE AT NEATH 



At Easter I bade farewell to Leicester and went to Neath 

 with my brother John, in order to wind up our brother 

 William's affairs. We found from his books that a consid- 

 erable amount was owing to him for work done during the 

 past year or two, and we duly made out accounts of all these 

 and sent them in to the respective parties. Some were paid at 

 once, others we had to write again for and had some trouble 

 to get paid. Others, again, were disputed as being an extrav- 

 agant charge for the work done, and we had to put them in a 

 lawyer's hands to get settled. One gentleman, whose account 

 was a few pounds, declared he had paid it, and asked us to call 

 on him. We did so, and, instead of producing the receipt as 

 we expected, he was jocose about it, asked us what kind of 

 business men we were to want him to pay twice ; and when 

 we explained that it was not shown so in my brother's books, 

 and asked to look at the receipt, he coolly replied, " Oh, I 

 never keep receipts ; never kept a receipt in my life, and never 

 was asked to pay a bill twice till now ! " In vain we urged 

 that we were bound as trustees for the rest of the family to 

 collect all debts shown by my brother's books to be due to 

 him, and if he did not pay it, we should have to lose the amount 

 ourselves. He still maintained that he had paid it, that he 

 remembered it distinctly, and that he was not going to pay it 

 twice. At last we were obliged to tell him that if he did not 

 pay it we must put it in the hands of a lawyer to take what 

 steps he thought necessary ; then he gave way, and said, " Oh, 

 if you are going to law about such a trifle, I suppose I must 

 pay it again ! " and, counting out the money, added, " There 

 it is; but I paid it before, so give me a receipt this time," 

 apparently considering himself a very injured man. This 



241 



