Lanigan's a kind-hearted old fool, and that's just like him;
but, in the meantime, let me see this chap."

"There he is, your honor, trimming, and taking care of that bed of
'love-lies-bleeding.'"

"Ay, ay; I dare say my daughter set him to that task."

"Na, na, sir. The young leddy hasna seen him yet, nor hasna been in the
gerden for the last week."

"Why, confound it, Malcomson, that fellow's more like a beggarman than a
gardener."

"Saul, but he's a capital hand for a' that. Your honor's no' to tak the
beuk by the cover. To be sure he's awfully vulgar, but, ma faith, he
has a richt gude knowledgeable apprehension o' buttany and gerdening in
generhal."

The squire then approached our under-gardener, and accosted him,

"Well, my good fellow, so you understand gardening?"

"A little, your haner," replied the other, respectfully touching his
hat, or caubeen rather.

"Are you a native of this neighborhood?"

"No, your haner. I'm fwaither up--from Westport, your haner."

"Who were you engaged with last?"

"I wasn't engaged, shir--it was only job-work I was able to do--the
health wasn't gud wid me."

"Have you no better clothes than these?"

"You see all that I have on me, shir."

"Well, come, I'll give you the price of a suit rather than see such a
scarecrow in my garden."

"I couldn't take it, shir."

"The devil you couldn't! Why not, man?"

"Bekaise, shir, I'm under pinance."

"Well, why don't you shave?"

"I can't, shir, for de same raison."

"Pooh, pooh! what the devil did you do that they put such a penance on
you."

"Why, I runned away wit' a young woman, shir."

"Upon my soul you're a devilish likely fellow to run away with a young
woman, and a capital taste she must have had to go with you; but perhaps
you took her away by violence, eh?"

"No, slur; she was willin' enough to come; but her fadher wouldn't
consint, and so we made off wit' ourselves."

This was a topic on which the squire, for obvious reasons, did not
like to press him. It was in fact a sore subject, and, accordingly, he
changed it.

"I suppose you have been about the country a good deal?"

"I have, indeed, your haner."

"Did you ever happen to hear of, or to meet with, a person called
Reilly?"

"Often, shir; met many o' dem."

"Oh, but I mean the scoundrel called Willy Reilly."

"Is dat him dat left the country, shir?"

"Why, how do you know that he has left the country?"

"I don't know myself, shir; but