y a joke among the people, that are not fond of
them at all. Lord Clonbrony himself is a very good jantleman, if he was
not an absentee, resident in London, leaving us and everything to the
likes of them.'

Lord Colambre listened with all possible composure and attention; but
the postillion having now made his linch-pin of wood, and FIXED HIMSELF;
he mounted his bar, and drove on, saying to Lord Colambre, as he looked
at the road-makers--

'Poor CRATURES! They couldn't keep their cattle out of pound, or
themselves out of jail, but by making this road.'

'Is road-making, then, a very profitable business?--Have road-makers
higher wages than other men in this part of the country?'

'It is, and it is not--they have, and they have not--plase your honour.'

'I don't understand you.'

'No, becaase you're an Englishman--that is, a Welshman--I beg your
honour's pardon. But I'll tell you how that is, and I'll go slow
over these broken stones for I can't go fast: it is where there's no
jantleman over these under-agents, as here, they do as they plase; and
when they have set the land they get rasonable from the head landlords,
to poor cratures at a rack-rent, that they can't live and pay the rent,
they say--'

'Who says?'

'Them under-agents, that have no conscience at all. Not all--but SOME,
like Dennis, says, says he, "I'll get you a road to make up the rent:"
that is, plase your honour, the agent gets them a presentment for so
many perches of road from the grand jury, at twice the price that would
make the road. And tenants are, by this means, as they take the road by
contract, at the price given by the county, able to pay all they get by
the job, over and above potatoes and salt, back again to the agent, for
the arrear on the land. Do I make your honour SENSIBLE?' [Do I make you
understand?]

'You make me much more sensible than I ever was before,' said Lord
Colambre; 'but is not this cheating the county?'

'Well, and suppose,' replied Larry, 'is not it all for my good, and
yours too, plase your honour?' said Larry, looking very shrewdly.

'My good!' said Lord Colambre, startled. 'What have I to do with it?'

'Haven't you to do with the roads as well as me, when you're travelling
upon them, plase your honour? And sure, they'd never be got made at all,
if they weren't made this ways; and it's the best way in the wide world,
and the finest roads we have. And when the RAEL jantlemen's resident in
the country, there'