tell you he was sellin' them before my face for fourpence
a-piece."

"Go back, you scoundrel! or I'll horsewhip you; and if you're longer
than an hour, I'll have you ducked in the horse-pond!"

Andy vanished, and made a second visit to the post-office. When he
arrived, two other persons were getting letters, and the postmaster was
selecting the epistles for each, from a large parcel that lay before him
on the counter; at the same time many shop customers were waiting to be
served.

"I'm come for that letther," said Andy.

"I'll attend to you by-and-by."

"The masther's in a hurry."

"Let him wait till his hurry's over."

"He'll murther me if I'm not back soon."

"I'm glad to hear it."

While the postmaster went on with such provoking answers to these
appeals for dispatch, Andy's eye caught the heap of letters which lay on
the counter: so while certain weighing of soap and tobacco was going
forward, he contrived to become possessed of two letters from the heap,
and, having effected that, waited patiently enough till it was the great
man's pleasure to give him the missive directed to his master.

Then did Andy bestride his hack, and in triumph at his trick on the
postmaster, rattled along the road homeward as fast as the beast could
carry him. He came into the squire's presence, his face beaming with
delight, and an air of self-satisfied superiority in his manner, quite
unaccountable to his master, until he pulled forth his hand, which had
been grubbing up his prizes from the bottom of his pocket; and holding
three letters over his head, while he said, "Look at that!" he next
slapped them down under his broad fist on the table before the squire,
saying--

"Well! if he did make me pay elevenpence, by gor, I brought your honour
the worth o' your money anyhow!"

CHAPTER II

Andy walked out of the room with an air of supreme triumph, having laid
the letters on the table, and left the squire staring after him in
perfect amazement.

"Well, by the powers! that's the most extraordinary genius I ever came
across," was the soliloquy the master uttered as the servant closed the
door after him; and the squire broke the seal of the letter that Andy's
blundering had so long delayed. It was from his law-agent on the subject
of an expected election in the county, which would occur in case of the
demise of the then sitting member;--it ran thus:

"Dublin, _Thursday_.

"My dear Squire,--I am making all