he meant
to disregard his friend Sir James Brooke's parting words. He promised
himself faithfully, that if anything should occur to give him reason to
suspect designs, such as those to which the warning pointed, he would be
on his guard, and would prove his generalship by an able retreat. But to
imagine attacks where none were attempted, to suspect ambuscades in the
open country, would be ridiculous and cowardly.

'No,' thought our hero; 'Heaven forfend I should be such a coxcomb as to
fancy every woman who speaks to me has designs upon my precious heart,
or on my more precious estate!' As he walked from his hotel to Lady
Dashfort's house, ingeniously wrong, he came to this conclusion, just as
he ascended the stairs, and just as her ladyship had settled her future
plan of operations.

After talking over the nothings of the day, and after having given two
or three CUTS at the society of Dublin, with two or three compliments
to individuals, who, she knew, were favourites with his lordship, she
suddenly turned to him--

'My lord, I think you told me, or my own sagacity discovered, that you
want to see something of Ireland, and that you don't intend, like most
travellers, to turn round, see nothing, and go home content.'

Lord Colambre assured her ladyship that she had judged him rightly, for,
that nothing would content him but seeing all that was possible to be
seen of his native country. It was for this special purpose he came to
Ireland.

'Ah!--well--very good purpose--can't be better; but now, how to
accomplish it. You know the Portuguese proverb says, "You go to hell for
the good things you intend to do, and to heaven for those you do." Now
let us see what you will do. Dublin, I suppose, you've seen enough of
by this time; through and through--round and round this makes me first
giddy and then sick. Let me show you the country--not the face of it,
but the body of it--the people. Not Castle this, or Newtown that, but
their inhabitants. I know them; I have the key, or the picklock to their
minds. An Irishman is as different an animal on his guard, and off his
guard, as a miss in school from a miss out of school. A fine country
for game, I'll show you; and, if you are a good marksman, you may have
plenty of shots "at folly as it flies."'

Lord Colambre smiled. 'As to Isabel,' pursued her lady-ship, 'I shall
put her in charge of Heathcock, who is going with us. She won't thank me
for that, but you will. Nay, no fibs