him: in that we
differs; I hates the gorgio, and would like, speaking Romanly, to mix a
little poison with his waters. And now go to Lundra, my children, I goes
to Yorkshire. Take my blessing with ye, and a little bit of a gillie to
cheer your hearts with when ye are weary. In all kinds of weather have
we lived together; but now we are parted. I goes broken-hearted--I can't
keep you company; ye are no longer Rommany. To gain a bad brother, ye
have lost a good mother.'

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

WHAT PROFESSION?--NOT FITTED FOR A CHURCHMAN--ERRATIC COURSE--THE BITTER
DRAUGHT--PRINCIPLE OF WOE--THOU WOULDST BE JOYOUS--WHAT AILS YOU?

So the gypsies departed; Mrs. Herne to Yorkshire, and the rest to London:
as for myself, I continued in the house of my parents, passing my time in
much the same manner as I have already described, principally in
philological pursuits; but I was now sixteen, and it was highly necessary
that I should adopt some profession, unless I intended to fritter away my
existence, and to be a useless burden to those who had given me birth;
but what profession was I to choose? there being none in the wide world
perhaps for which I was suited; nor was there any one for which I felt
any decided inclination, though perhaps there existed within me a lurking
penchant for the profession of arms, which was natural enough, as, from
my earliest infancy, I had been accustomed to military sights and sounds;
but this profession was then closed, as I have already hinted, and, as I
believe, it has since continued, to those who, like myself, had no better
claims to urge than the services of a father.

My father, who, for certain reasons of his own, had no very high opinion
of the advantages resulting from this career, would have gladly seen me
enter the Church. His desire was, however, considerably abated by one or
two passages of my life, which occurred to his recollection. He
particularly dwelt on the unheard-of manner in which I had picked up the
Irish language, and drew from thence the conclusion that I was not fitted
by nature to cut a respectable figure at an English university. 'He will
fly off in a tangent,' said he, 'and, when called upon to exhibit his
skill in Greek, will be found proficient in Irish; I have observed the
poor lad attentively, and really do not know what to make of him; but I
am afraid he will never make a churchman!' And I have no doubt that my
excellent father was right, both in