eyond all truth and reality, that when the
very worst and most daring organization did occur, he could do nothing
more than go over the same ground again. The consequence was, that
worthy Turbot, so long habituated to these overdrawn narratives, began
to look upon them as the friends of the boy who shouted out "wolf!" did
upon the veracity of his alarms. He set down his intrepid and courageous
proctor as nothing else than a cowardly poltroon, whose terrors
exaggerated everything, and whose exaggerated accounts of fraud,
threats, and violence had existed principally in his own imagination.
Such were the circumstances under which Purcel and Dr. Turbot now met.

The worthy rector of Ballysoho was a middle-sized man, with coal-black
hair, brilliant, twinkling eyes of the same color, and as pretty a
double chin as ever graced the successor of an apostle. Turbot was by
no means an offensive person; on the contrary, he must of necessity have
been very free from evil or iniquity of any kind, inasmuch as he never
had time to commit sin. He was most enthusiastically addicted to hunting
and shooting, and felt such a keen and indomitable relish for the good
things of this world, especially for the luxuries of the table, that
what between looking after his cuisine, attending his dogs, and enjoying
his field sports, he scarcely ever might be said to have a single day
that he could call his own. And yet, unreasonable people expected that a
man, whose daily occupations were of such importance to--himself, should
very coolly forego his own beloved enjoyments in order to attend to the
comforts of the poor, with whom he had scarcely anything in common. Many
other matters of a similar stamp were expected from him, but only
by those who had no opportunity of knowing the multiplicity of his
engagements. Such persons were unreasonable enough to think that he
ought to have occasionally appropriated some portion of his income to
the relief of poverty and destitution, but as he said himself, he could
not afford it. How could any man afford it who in general lived up to,
and sometimes beyond, his income, and who was driven to such pinches
as not unfrequently to incur the imputation of severity and oppression
itself, by the steps he was forced to take or sanction for the recovery
of his tithes.

In person he was, as we have said, about or somewhat under the middle
size. In his gait he was very ungainly. When walking, he drove forward
as if his he