unable to keep his legs any longer,
Lary sunk down, a dead weight, into his seat.

"But what do you want with Pat Lary, Master Shirley; some job in the
garden, I suppose?"

"Nay, Patrick," returned Josiah, not a little provoked at this speech;
"thou wast determined to provide a long job at my expense, when thou
left this hatchet in my garden;" and he produced the hatchet, and gave
it into the hand of the bewildered Lary.

"This is my hatchet, sure enough, Master Shirley; but I am pretty
certain I never left it in your garden."

"Doubtlessly it was done unintentionally," returned Josiah. "Those who
commit bad actions seldom willingly leave a witness of their guilt."

The Irishman coloured deeply, and, turning to Josiah, said, with great
vehemence--

"I should be sorry to use unbecoming language, Master Shirley; but
really I cannot comprehend what you mean."

Josiah then proceeded to inform him of the whole affair, from beginning
to end; and concluded by saying, he supposed Lary was in drink, and
therefore unconscious of the mischief he had occasioned.

The poor Irishman seemed lost with surprise at this strange account; and
he tried in vain to remember the events of the night; and, after having
turned the hatchet round and round, and carefully examined it at all
points, he turned to his wife, and said--

"I surely did not take this hatchet with me to the fair; did I, Fanny?"

"I cannot answer for what you did at the fair, Patrick," said his wife,
sorrowfully; "I know I left you at midnight in a very questionable
state, with some worthless idle fellows: did you stay at home, and mind
your business, you would not get into such disgraceful scrapes as
these."

Pat shrugged up his shoulders, and sighed heavily; then, turning to
Josiah, said--

"Your honour, I drank too much last night, and behaved like a madman, as
these blows will sufficiently witness, though I cannot remember how I
came by them, or what I did last night; but if this is my hatchet, which
I see by the mark it is, why I know 'tis no use denying the fact. I am
heartily sorry for it, and, if you will forgive me this once, I will
devote all my leisure hours in restoring your garden to its original
neatness."

Josiah accepted his submission; and, after a long lecture on the ill
effects of drinking, he said:--

"And now, friend Lary, I would thank thee to restore my cousin Rachel's
rabbits, which I suppose thee took by mistake last night."

"Rab