an illaygal brother to
the Great Counsellor. There now, you have it."

"Is it to Counsellor O'Connell?"

"Ay, to Counsellor O'Connell--divil a one else. He's as like him as two
pays, barrin' the color o' the hair. Sure the Counsellor puts every
one down that crosses him, and so does Buck English. Miss Katherine,
darlin,' won't you buy something? Here's the best of everything; don't
be afeard of high prices. My maxim always is--to buy dear and sell
chape, for the sake o' the fair sect. Come, gintlemen, Cannie
Soogah's pack is a faist for the leedies--hem--I mane a feest for the
ladies--hillo--ha! ha! ha! there's a touch of Buck English himself for
you. Well, of coorse, what's a faist for the ladies must surely be a
thrate to the gintlemen."

Alick here availed himself of M'Carthy's experience, and presented Miss
O'Driscol with a beautiful bracelet; O'Driscol and Fergus purchased some
pocket-handkerchiefs and other matters, and our Jolly Pedlar went on his
way rejoicing.

Fergus O'Driscol who was a shrewd and keen observer, could perceive,
during the foregoing interview, that there was on the pedlar's
countenance an expression of grave, hard, solemn irony, which it was
difficult to notice, or having noticed it, to penetrate, or in any way
analyse or understand. To him it was a complete enigma, the solution of
which seized very strongly on his imagination, and set all his powers
of reasoning and investigation to work. All admitted there was a mystery
about Buck English; but Fergus felt a strong impression that there was
one equally impenetrable about the pedlar himself. Having little else,
however, than a passing thought, a fancy, on which to ground this
surmise, he prudently concealed it, from an apprehension of being
mistaken, and, consequently, of subjecting himself to ridicule.

Fergus now brought Alick out to the garden, where they seemed to enjoy
a very merry dialogue if several fits of hearty laughter may be said to
constitute mirth; after this Alick went home; not, however, we should
say until he first contrived to enjoy a short _tete-a-tete_ with Miss
O'Driscol.

When the hour for the departure of the magistrate to test the resolution
of the "men in buckram," who had resolved upon his assassination, had
arrived, he most magnanimously got a double case of pistols, and in
spite of all remonstrance from both son and daughter, he mounted his
horse--Duke Schomberg--and in a most pompous and heroic spirit rode