bend gules, with four escallops of
the field,--the ancient coat of my house. They were painted in a shield
about as big as my hat, on a smart chariot handsomely gilded, surmounted
with a coronet, and supported by eight or nine Cupids, cornucopias, and
flower-baskets, according to the queer heraldic fashion of those days.
It must be he! I felt quite feint as I went up the stairs. I was going
to present myself before my uncle in the character of a servant!

'You are the young man whom M. de Seebach recommended?'

I bowed, and handed him a letter from that gentleman, with which my
captain had taken care to provide me. As he looked at it I had leisure
to examine him. My uncle was a man of sixty years of age, dressed
superbly in a coat and breeches of apricot-coloured velvet, a white
satin waistcoat embroidered with gold like the coat. Across his breast
went the purple riband of his order of the Spur; and the star of the
order, an enormous one, sparkled on his breast. He had rings on all his
fingers, a couple of watches in his fobs, a rich diamond solitaire in
the black riband round his neck, and fastened to the bag of his wig; his
ruffles and frills were decorated with a profusion of the richest lace.
He had pink silk stockings rolled over the knee, and tied with gold
garters; and enormous diamond buckles to his red-heeled shoes. A sword
mounted in gold, in a white fish-skin scabbard; and a hat richly laced,
and lined with white feathers, which were lying on a table beside him,
completed the costume of this splendid gentleman. In height he was
about my size, that is, six feet and half an inch; his cast of features
singularly like mine, and extremely distingue. One of his eyes was
closed with a black patch, however; he wore a little white and red
paint, by no means an unusual ornament in those days; and a pair of
moustaches, which fell over his lip and hid a mouth that I afterwards
found had rather a disagreeable expression. When his beard was removed,
the upper teeth appeared to project very much; and his countenance wore
a ghastly fixed smile, by no means pleasant.

It was very imprudent of me; but when I saw the splendour of his
appearance, the nobleness of his manner, I felt it impossible to keep
disguise with him; and when he said, 'Ah, you are a Hungarian, I see!' I
could hold no longer.

'Sir,' said I, 'I am an Irishman, and my name is Redmond Barry, of
Ballybarry.' As I spoke, I burst into tears; I can't tell why;