g for him; and who had brought her dog
into the house, that he might not fly at him, or bark at his return. She
had a roast chicken ready for her guest, and it was--but this she never
told him the only chicken she had left; all the others had been sent
with the DUTY-FOWL as a present to the under-agent's lady. While he was
eating his supper, which he ate with the better appetite, as he had had
no dinner, the good woman took down from the shelf a pocket-book, which
she gave him: 'Is not that your book?' said she. 'My boy Brian found it
after you in the potato furrow, where you dropped it.'

'Thank you,' said Lord Colambre; 'there are bank notes in it, which I
could not afford to lose.'

'Are there?' said she; 'he never opened it--nor I.'

Then, in answer to his inquiries about Grace and the young man, the
widow answered, 'They are all in heart now, I thank ye kindly, sir, for
asking; they'll sleep easy to-night anyway, and I'm in great spirits for
them and myself--for all's smooth now. After we parted you, Brian saw
Mr. Dennis himself about the LASE and memorandum, which he never denied,
but knew nothing about. "But, be that as it may," says he, "you're
improving tenants, and I'm confident my brother will consider ye; so
what you'll do is, you'll give up the possession to-morrow to myself,
that will call for it by cock-crow, just for form's sake; and then go up
to the castle with the new LASE ready drawn, in your hand, and if all's
paid off clear of the rent, and all that's due, you'll get the new LASE
signed; I'll promise you that upon the word and honour of a gentleman."
And there's no going beyond that, you know, sir. So my boy came home
as light as a feather, and as gay as a lark, to bring us the good news;
only he was afraid we might not make up the rent, guineas and all; and
because he could not get paid for the work he done, on account of
the mistake in the overseer's tally, I sold the cow to a
neighbour--dog-cheap; but needs must, as they say, when old Nick
DRIVES,' said the widow, smiling. 'Well, still it was but paper we got
for the cow; then that must be gold before the agent would take or touch
it so I was laying out to sell the dresser, and had taken the plates and
cups, and little things off it, and my boy was lifting it out with Andy
the carpenter, that was agreeing for it, when in comes Grace, all rosy,
and out of breath--it's a wonder I minded her run out, and not missed
her. "Mother," says she, "here'