pty and insolent as ever. It was the
English pale performed over again at the Upper Castle Yard, and all
without its limits were the kerns and "wild Irish" of centuries ago.

How is a craft like this ever to take the sea, thought I, with misery
and mutiny everywhere! With six feet of water in the hold, the crew are
turning out for higher wages, and ready to throw overboard the man who
counsels them to put a hand to the pump!

But what had I to do with all this? Nor would I allude to it here, save
to mention the straits and difficulties which beset me, to account for
changes that I had never anticipated.

We dined everywhere, from that viceregal palace in a swamp, to the musty
halls of the Chief Secretary in the Castle. We partook of a civic feast,
a picnic at the waterfall; we had one day with the military! And here,
by the way, I recognized an old acquaintance of other days, the Hon.
Captain De Courcy. He was still on the staff, and still constant to his
ancient flame, who, with a little higher complexion and more profuse
ringlets,--it is strange how color and hair go on increasing with
years,--looked pretty much what I remembered her of yore.

"You had better wait for your groom, Mons. Le Comte," said De Courcy to
me at the review, as I was dismounting to speak to some people in the
crowd of carriages. "Don't trust those fellows. I once had a valuable
mare stolen by one of those vagrants, and, what was worse, the rascal
rode her at a steeplechase the same day."

"Pas possible!" exclaimed I, at the bare thought of such an indignity.
"What became of the young villain?"

"I forget, now, whether I let him off, or whether he was publicly
whipped; but I am certain he never came to good."

I felt a flush of anger rise to my cheek at this speech, but I checked
my passion; and well I might, as I thought upon my _own_ condition and
upon _his_. To have expended any interest or sympathy as to the
boy, besides, would have been absurd, and I was silent. Among our
invitations, was one to the house of a baronet who resided in a midland
county, only a few miles from my native place. We arrived at night at
Knockdangan Castle, an edifice of modern gothic style, which means a
marvellously expensive residence, rendered almost uninhabitable by the
necessity of having winding stairs, narrow corridors, low ceilings, and
pointed windows. The house was full of company, the greater part of
whom had arrived unexpectedly; still, our recept