d I 'll tell you."

"Here, then, here's fippence; and now for the explanation."

"Molly Crownahon, yer honor, was, like us poor craytures, always
grateful and contented wid the Lord's goodness to us, even in taking
away our chief comfort and blessing,--the darling up there on the horse!
(Ah, 'tis an elegant sate ye have, without stirrups!) And she went
one day to say a handful of prayers oyer his grave,--the husband's, ye
mind,--and sure if she did, when she knelt down on the grass she sprung
up again as quick as she went down, for the nettles was all over the
place entirely. 'Bad scran to ye, Peter!' says she, as she rubbed her
legs,--'bad scran to ye! living or dead, there was always a sting in
ye.'"

[Illustration: 414]

As the latter part of this speech was addressed in a tone of apostrophe
to the statue of King William, it was received by the assembled crowd
with a roar of laughter.

By this time I had entered the house, and only bethought me how little
suited was the great hotel of the city to pretensions as humble as mine.
It was now, however, too late to retreat, and I entered the coffee-room,
carrying my knapsack in my hand. As I passed up the room in search of
a vacant table, the looks of astonishment my appearance excited on each
side were most palpable evidences that the company considered me as
an interloper. While some contented themselves with a stare of steady
surprise, others, less guarded in their impertinence, whispered with,
and even winked at their neighbors, to attract attention towards me.

Offensive as this unquestionably was, it amazed even more than it
annoyed me. In France, such a display of feeling would have been
impossible; and the humblest soldier of the army would not have been so
received had he deemed fit to enter Beauvilliers' or Very's.

Whether hurt at this conduct, and consequently more alive to affront
from any quarter, or that the waiters participated in the sentiments
of their betters, I cannot exactly say; but I certainly thought their
manner even less equivocally betrayed the same desire of impertinence.
This was not long a mere suspicion on my part; for on inquiring whether
I could have a room for the night, the waiter, touching my knapsack,
which lay on the ground beside me, with his foot, replied,--

"Is this your luggage, sir?"

Amazement so completely mastered my indignation at this insolence, that
I could make no answer but by a look. This had its effect, howeve