rld,
especially when they've nothing else to go by. If you talk small, your
credit will be small; but if you talk large, it will be just in
proportion."

"I perceive, father."

"It's not much property we possess in this said county of Galway, that's
certain; but you must talk of this property as if I was the squire, and
not the steward; and when you talk of the quantity of woodcocks you have
bagged, you must say on _our_ property."

"I understand, father."

"And you must curse your stars at being a younger brother; it will be an
excuse for your having no money, but will make them believe it's in the
family, at all events."

"I perceive," replied Patrick.

"There's one thing more, Pat; it's an Irish regiment, so you must get
out of it as soon as possible by exchange."

"For why?"

"This for why. You will be among those born too near home, and who may
doubt all you say, because your story may interfere with their own. Get
into an English regiment by all means, and there you'll be beyond the
reach of contradiction, which ain't pleasant."

"True enough, father."

"Treasure up all I have told you--it's worldly wisdom, and you have your
fortune to make; so now recollect, never hold back at a forlorn hope;
volunteer for everything; volunteer to be blown from a cannon's mouth,
so that they will give you promotion for that same; volunteer to go all
over the world, into the other world, and right through that again into
the one that comes after that, if there is any, and then one thing will
be certain, either that you'll be colonel or general, or else--"

"Else what, father?"

"That you won't require to be made either, seeing that you'll be past
all making; but luck's all, and lucky it is, by the bye, that I have a
little of the squire's rent in hand to fit you out with, or how we
should have managed, the saints only know. As it is, I must sink it on
the next year's account; but that's more easy to do than to fit you out
with no money. I must beg the tenants off, make the potato crop fail
entirely, and report twenty, by name at least, dead of starvation.
Serve him right for spending his money out of Old Ireland. It's only
out of real patriotism that I cheat him--just to spend the money in the
country. And now, Patrick, I've done; now you may go and square your
accounts with Judith, for I know now where the cat jumps; but I'll leave
old Time alone for doing his work."

Such was the advice of the Squireen t