rry off Miss Isabella to Scotland, in
spite of her relations, as she desired.

'It's all over with our poor Judy!' said I, with a heavy sigh, making
bold to speak to him one night when he was a little cheerful, and
standing in the servants' hall all alone with me as was often his
custom.

'Not at all,' said he; 'I never was fonder of Judy than at this present
speaking; and to prove it to you,' said he--and he took from my hand
a halfpenny change that I had just got along with my tobacco--'and to
prove it to you, Thady,' says he, 'it's a toss-up with me which I
should marry this minute, her or Mr. Moneygawl of Mount Juliet's Town's
daughter--so it is.'

Oh-boo! boo!' [Boo! Boo!--an exclamation equivalent to PSHAW or
NONSENSE] says I, making light of it, to see what he would go on to
next; 'your honour's joking, to be sure; there's no compare between our
poor Judy and Miss Isabella, who has a great fortune, they say.'

'I'm not a man to mind a fortune, nor never was,' said Sir Condy,
proudly, 'whatever her friends may say; and to make short of it,' says
he, 'I'm come to a determination upon the spot.' With that he swore such
a terrible oath as made me cross myself. 'And by this book,' said he,
snatching up my ballad-book, mistaking it for my prayer-book, which lay
in the window,--'and by this book,' says he, 'and by all the books that
ever were shut and opened, it's come to a toss-up with me, and I'll
stand or fall by the toss; and so Thady, hand me over that pin [PIN,
read PEN.--It formerly was vulgarly pronounced PIN in Ireland] out of
the ink-horn;' and he makes a cross on the smooth side of the halfpenny;
'Judy M'Quirk,' says he, 'her mark.'

[HER MARK.--It was the custom in Ireland for those who could not write
to make a cross to stand for their signature, as was formerly the
practice of our English monarchs. The Editor inserts the facsimile of an
Irish mark, which may hereafter be valuable to a judicious antiquary--

Her
Judy X M'Quirk,
Mark.

In bonds or notes signed in this manner a witness is requisite, as the
name is frequently written by him or her.]

God bless him! his hand was a little unsteadied by all the whisky-punch
he had taken, but it was plain to see his heart was for poor Judy. My
heart was all as one as in my mouth when I saw the halfpenny up in the
air, but I said nothing at all; and when it came down I was glad I had
kept myself to myself, for to be sure now it was all ove