ad won the lady. At length, just as it grew dark, his horse's hoofs
were heard clattering up the avenue.

"You must not be disappointed," said the major, as we were all rushing
out to welcome him. "Girls are not always to be won by once asking."

Maurice threw his rein to Larry, who had taken up his old office of
groom, with what we thought a disconsolate air.

"Well, my dear boy, has she accepted you?"

"Yes, I'm sure she has. She could not have said no," exclaimed my
mother, taking him by the hand.

"Faith, then, she has," cried Maurice, "and I ought to be, and fancy I
am, the happiest man under the sun. But I am to quit the army, and turn
my sword into a ploughshare, and gather oats instead of laurels; and I
am not quite certain how I shall take to that sort of life."

We all congratulated him on his good fortune, and assured him that he
would soon get accustomed to a domestic state of existence.

After this I had very little of his society, as he rode off every
morning to Blatherbrook. He used to look bright and happy enough when
he came back, and Denis and I agreed that he was by degrees getting
accustomed to the thoughts of his expected change of life. This was
very good fun for Maurice, but I began to find it rather dull, and even
to wish myself afloat again. However, I wanted to wait for the wedding,
which, to my great satisfaction, I found was fixed for an early day. I
managed to spend the intermediate time much as before,--fishing or
sailing and shooting on the Shannon, with Larry as crew and old Mike
O'Hagan as pilot, when we explored not only the banks of the beautiful
river, but the various lochs which opened out of it. At last the happy
day arrived which was to see my brother united to his lady love. The
ceremony was to take place at her father's house, as was the custom of
those days among people of rank and fashion. Everything was arranged on
a splendid scale. All our neighbours from far and near assembled at
Castle Ballinahone, to see the bridal party set off, and to wish us good
luck. We had wedding favours down from Dublin, and wedding clothes of
resplendent hue, no one just then troubling themselves much as to how
they were to be paid for. My sisters were adorned with silks and
satins, and looked unusually handsome; but my mother, as became her
position, was attired in a costume of silver satin, so that when she put
it on the evening before, the light of the lamps made her resembl