erself. She deserved to be bracketed with Lord Brougham and
Professor Faraday, for she had kept her mind intent on her subject,
and had come to a resolution. "I won't say nothing to nobody,
noways," was the expression of her mind's purpose. "Only I'll tell
missus as how he was the man as come to Wales." And she did tell so
much to her mistress--as we have before learned.

Mr. Mollett had gone down from Cork to Castle Richmond in one
of those delightful Irish vehicles called a covered car. An
inside-covered car is an equipage much given to shaking, seeing that
it has a heavy top like a London cab, and that it runs on a pair of
wheels. It is entered from behind, and slopes backwards. The sitter
sits sideways, between a cracked window on one side and a cracked
doorway on the other; and as a draught is always going in at the ear
next the window, and out at the ear next the door, it is about as
cold and comfortless a vehicle for winter as may be well imagined.
Now the journey from Castle Richmond to Cork has to be made right
across the Boggeragh Mountains. It is over twenty miles Irish; and
the road is never very good. Mr. Mollett, therefore, was five hours
in the covered car on his return journey; and as he had stopped for
lunch at Kanturk, and had not hurried himself at that meal, it was
very dark and very cold when he reached the house in South Main
Street.

I think I have explained that Mr. Mollett senior was not absolutely
a drunkard; but nevertheless, he was not averse to spirits in cold
weather, and on this journey had warmed himself with whisky once or
twice on the road. He had found a shebeen house when he crossed the
Nad river, and another on the mountain-top, and a third at the point
where the road passes near the village of Blarney, and at all these
convenient resting-spots Mr. Mollett had endeavoured to warm himself.

There are men who do not become absolutely drunk, but who do become
absolutely cross when they drink more than is good for them; and of
such men Mr. Mollett was one. What with the cold air, and what with
the whisky, and what with the jolting, Mr. Mollett was very cross
when he reached the Kanturk Hotel, so that he only cursed the driver
instead of giving him the expected gratuity.

"I'll come to yer honour in the morning," said the driver.

"You may go to the devil in the morning," answered Mr. Mollett; and
this was the first intimation of his return which reached the ears of
his expectant so