"Suppose you was to tell me first. I cannot tell nozing till I know."
"You will not speak of it to anybody, Mr. Herder?"
"I will not speak of nozing, Miss Elisabet"."
"Mr. Herder, there is a piece of land which I want to buy; and I have come to ask you, if you can, and if you will, to buy it for me."
"Miss Elisabet"," said the naturalist looking a little surprised at his fair questioner, -- "I will tell you the truth -- I have no money."
"I have, Mr. Herder. But I cannot go into the market and buy for myself."
"Cer-tain-ly, you cannot do that," said Mr. Herder. "But what is it you wish to buy?"
"It is a farm, --" said Elizabeth, feeling glad that her back was to the light; -- "it is a piece of land in the country -- up on the Shatemuc river. I think you have been there, Mr.
Herder, -- it is the place where the Landholms" father lives.
Wut-a-qut-o, they call it -- or Shahweetah; -- Wut-a-qut-o is the mountain opposite."
"Landholm!" cried the naturalist. "Is it Winthrop"s place?"
Elizabeth bowed her head and answered, "His father"s."
"Winthrop"s place! Is _that_ what you want, Miss Elisabet"?"
Elizabeth bowed her head again, this time without answering.
"Suppose they might not want to sell it?" said the naturalist.
"They do not -- but they can"t help themselves. It must be sold -- they can"t pay money that is owing upon it."
"Money!" -- said the naturalist; -- "that is de trouble of all that is in the world. I wish there was no such thing as money!
It makes all the mischief."
"Or the want of it," said Elizabeth.
"No!" said the naturalist, -- "it is not that! I have want money all my life, Miss Elisabet", and I have never got into no trouble at all."
"Except when you fought the duels, Mr. Herder."
"_Dat_ was not no trouble!" said the philosopher. "There was nozing about money there; and it was not no trouble, -- neizer before, neizer after."
"I have had money all my life; and it never made me any trouble."
"Ah, you have not come to the time," said Mr. Herder. "Wait, you will find it. Now you are in trouble because you want to buy this ground, and you could not do it wizout money."
"I can"t do it with, unless you will help me, Mr. Herder -- you or somebody."
"I could get somebody," said Mr. Herder; -- "I know somebody what I could get."
"I don"t know anybody who would be as good as you, sir."
"I do," said the naturalist. "Where is Mr. Haye? -- is he sick?"
"No sir, -- I don"t wish him to know anything about it, Mr.
Herder. -- He is the person making the sale."
"Your father? -- do you mean that Mr. Haye is the man what is selling the ground of Mr. Landholm?"
"Yes sir. And I wish to buy it."
"Then Miss Elisabet", what for do you not ask my friend Winthrop to buy it for you? He knows all business. He will do it."
"I cannot -- I have not the liberty -- He is not enough a friend of mine, for me to ask him such a favour."
"But Miss Elisabet", what will you do wiz all that large ground and water?"
"Buy it, -- first, sir; and then I will see. I want it."
"I see you do," said the naturalist. "Well, then I shall get it for you -- if I can -- I hope your money will not get _me_ in trouble."
"If you are at all afraid of that, Mr. Herder, I will find some other way --"
"I never was afraid of nozing in my life, Miss Elisabet" -- only I do not know neizer how to get money, neizer how to spend it -- in this way. What will Mr. Haye say to me when I go to buy all this great land of him? He will say --"
"You"re not to buy it of him, Mr. Herder."
"No?" said the naturalist. "Of who, then? I thought you said he was going to sell it."
"Yes, he is -- but he has somebody else to do it for him. Here, Mr. Herder, -- here is the advertis.e.m.e.nt; -- see -- don"t read the first part, -- all _that_ has nothing to do with it, -- here is the place. "At the Merchant"s Exchange, in the city of Mannahatta, on the first day of September, 1821, at 12 o"clock noon of that day" -- and then comes the description of the place. It is to be sold at public auction."
"Auc-sion? --" said the naturalist.
"It"s to be sold in public, to whoever offers to give most for it."
"O, I know that," said Mr. Herder.
"And dear Mr. Herder, all I ask of you is to be there, at 12 o"clock the first of September, and buy it for me; and let n.o.body know. Can you do it?"
"I can do so much," said the naturalist. "I think I can. But suppose somebody will give more than you."
"Do not suppose that, sir. I will give more than anybody."
"Are you sure you will?" said the naturalist. "Maybe you do not know."
"I do know, sir, and am sure."
"Well," said the naturalist, shaking his head, -- "I do not know much about buying grounds -- I do know a leetle of some things -- but I do not know what sort of a lesson is this, Miss Elisabet". But I will see if I can do it. Who is going to live up there wiz you?"
"Don"t you suppose I can live alone, Mr. Herder."