ther-cock that I am aware of; and if there were I could not see it at this time o' night."

Weather-cock, indeed! If the wind brought ye your dinner, as it often does mine, I'll engage ye wouldn't want a weather-cock to tell ye when to say grace. Whisht! now, I cannot help laughing at the lubbers, no offence to your honour's honour, that talk of the Irish sailing out of Cork when it blows a hard gale, and has time these three days, right into the mouth of the harbour! Why Mick's cutter couldn't do it, and if that can't the divil can't. I wouldn't spake trason, but ye 're a pretty set of wiseacres, arn't ye?"

done

any

"I protest there seems to be some reason in this statement," said Goldingham, dropping his pistol, and feeling considerably re-assured; “but what then is this landing at Lyme, and what is the meaning of the firing and the rockets ?"

“Arrah! the divil a halfporth can I tell ye; --becase why-I know no more than your father's son; but if what I was larning at Holland

a while

agone is sartain sure, it's more like to be a Protestant landing than a Roman one; and tin

to one ye 'll find the Duke of Monmouth at th head of it, and not any of the Papists out o Cork, God's blessing be on the top of them!"

This conjecture being confirmed by the arri val of a servant whom the Squire had detached to gather intelligence, Norry Molloy was libe rated, and told she might go about her business a permission of which she did not appear to be in any immediate hurry to avail herself, for she drew herself up, and looking reproachfully at Goldingham, exclaimed-“ After a body has been trated in this way, seized and carried clane off afore she could cry trapstick, is it honour your 'ud send her about her business without a rap to drink your honour's health next her heart, or buy a dish of bacon and banes ?"—The party to whom this speech was addressed, was too much delighted at being freed from his terrors about a Popish plot, not to take the hint it conveyed he slipped a handful of silver into Norry's palm, who curtsied out of the apartment with a profusion of thanks and blessings on her tongue, but an expression of contemptuous

ridicule on her features that betrayed her low opinion of the capacities of her auditors.

"Aha!” cried Goldingham, delivering himself of a hearty "Hem !" and fumbling to get at his waistcoat pocket for a lump of sugar,-" this is a very different thing from a Popish plot, and we need not have broken up our party in such a hurry. What has become of Lady Crockatt ?" Upon inquiry it turned out that her Ladyship had slipped down stairs at the first alarm, and finding that her own carriage had not arrived, had persuaded Timothy to harness the horses and convey her home in Goldingham's chariot, for which she pretended to have his express authority and orders. One of the servants, however, had been charged to assure his master that the horses should be returned the moment she had reached home, and had procured fresh ones to carry her forward.

"Upon my honour,” cried Isaac, in high dudgeon, "it was very considerate of her ladyship to let me have my tired cattle as soon as she had done with them. Methinks she might have offered me a seat in my own carriage."

VOL. I.

K

66

Whoop! neighbour," said the Squire, "the thought did occur to her, since she specially charged Boulderson to apologize for not doing so, as Cynthia, her spaniel, was now become so fat that there was hardly room for three.---Haugh! Haugh!"

"Confound her assurance!" said Goldingham, "this is rare in one who thinks selfishness the besetting sin of the age, and thanks Heaven that she holds it in particular abomination.”

The house was now gradually cleared of the remaining visitants, who took their departure with little feeling of apprehension, since it had been confirmed from several quarters that the rumoured invasion of the Papists was in truth a landing of the Duke of Monmouth, who came with a small array of men and arms to set himself up in opposition to King James. "He can never succeed, he can never succeed," said Goldingham to himself, as he paced his drawingroom, still bustling in his grotesque armour, although he had ventured to deposit his pistols, "but there will be a terrible panic in London, and I must write to Charley Duncombe, the

Exchequer banker, to sell me a lot of tallies. They will be down again to fifty discount, as they were in the year seventy-two, when poor Alderman Backwell was ruined. India Stock and Actions will fall too. Why did this desperado land before I had sold all mine. Reuben! it is our duty to support the Government in this trying emergency. Timothy told me yesterday that the old coach-horse had fallen lame. We must send him over to-morrow morning to the commander of the district, and offer him in my name for his Majesty's service. Every loyal man should contribute something. We shall have much to do; we must be up with the lark, so we had better hurry to bed as soon as we can, after we have carefully locked and barricaded the doors. Wheugh! is this the tranquillity I was to have in the country? But after all, Reuben, this is much better than a Popish plot, hem!"