the misfortune of being unpopular. Other men, thoughtless, and
headlong, and irritable as he, have lived and had friends; but there was
something about O'Grady that was felt, perhaps, more than it could be
defined, which made him unpleasing--perhaps the homely phrase
"cross-grained" may best express it, and O'Grady was essentially a
cross-grained man. The estate, when he got it, was pretty heavily
saddled, and the "galled jade" did not "wince" the less for his riding.

A good jointure to his mother was chargeable on the property, and this
was an excuse on all occasions for the Squire's dilatory payment in
other quarters. "Sir," he would say, "my mother's jointure is sacred--it
is more than the estate can well bear, it is true, but it is a sacred
claim, and I would sooner sacrifice my life, my _honour_, sir, than see
that claim neglected!" Now all this sounded mighty fine, but his mother
could never see her jointure regularly paid, and was obliged to live in
the house with him: she was somewhat of _an oddity_, and had apartments
to herself, and, as long as she was let alone, and allowed to read
romances in quiet, did not complain; and whenever a stray ten-pound note
_did_ fall into her hands, she gave the greater part of it to her
younger grand-daughter, who was fond of flowers and plants, and
supported a little conservatory on her grand-mother's bounty, she paying
the tribute of a bouquet to the old lady when the state of her botanical
prosperity could afford it. The eldest girl was a favourite of an uncle,
and _her_ passion being dogs, all the presents her uncle made her in
money were converted into canine curiosities; while the youngest girl
took an interest in the rearing of poultry. Now the boys, varying in age
from eight to fourteen, had their separate favourites too--one loved
bull-dogs and terriers, another game-cocks, the third ferrets, and the
fourth rabbits and pigeons. These multifarious tastes produced strange
results. In the house, flowers and plants, indicating refinement of
taste and costliness, were strongly contrasted with broken plaster,
soiled hangings, and faded paint; an expensive dog might be seen lapping
cream out of a shabby broken plate; a never-ending sequence of wars
raged among the dependent favourites, the bull-dogs and terriers
chopping up the ferrets, the ferrets killing the game-cocks, the
game-cocks killing the tame poultry and rabbits, and the rabbits
destroying the garden, assisted by t