"Lord c.u.mber must be a happy man to have two such valuable agents upon his property."
"Talkin" of Lord c.u.mber and his property, if you wish to know all about them, here"s your man comin" over by the cross road here--he"s goin"
to M"Clutchy"s I suppose, and, as you appear to be goin" in the same direction, I"ll hand you over to him. Good morrow, Darby?"
"Good morrow, kindly, Poll, and--eh--who"s this you"ve got wid you?" he continued, eyeing Susanna, "a stranger to me, any how. Well, Poll, and how are you?"
"There"s no use in complainin", Darby; I"m middlin"--and how is yourself?"
"Throth, Poll, I"ve a lump in my stomach that I fear will settle me yet, if I don"t get it removed somehow. But, sure, the hathens, I forgive them." In the meantime he slyly rubbed his nose and winked both eyes, as he looked towards Susanna, as much as to say, "I know all."
Poll, however, declined to notice the recognition, but renewed the discourse--
"Why, Darby, how did the lump come into your stomach? Faith, in these hard times, there"s many a poor divel would be glad to have such a complaint--eh?"
"And, is it possible you didn"t hear it?" he asked with surprise, "howandever, you shall. I was carrying a letther from Mr. M"Slime, that good, pious crature"--another shrewd look at Susanna, "Mr. M"Slime to Mr. M"Clutchy, another good gintleman, too, and who should attack me on the way but that turncoat hathen Bob Beatty, wid a whole posse of idolathers at his heels. They first abused me because I left them in their darkness, and then went to search me for writs, swearin" that they"d make me ait every writ I happened to have about me. Now, I didn"t like to let Mr. M"Slime"s letther fall into their hands, and, accordingly, I tore it up and swallowed it, jist in ordher to disappoint the hathens. Howandever, I"m sufferin" for it, but sure you know, Poll, it"s our duty--I don"t mane yours, for you"re a hathen and idolather still--but mine; it"s my duty to suffer for the thruth, anyhow."
Poll"s laughter was loud and vehement on hearing these sentiments from a man she knew so well; but, to tell the truth, Darby, who felt that, in consequence of his last interview with Lucre, he was in for it, came to the resolution of doing it heavy, as they say, or, in other words, of going the whole hog.
"This appears to be a strange country, observed the traveller.
"Wait," said Poll, "till you come to know it, and you"ll say that."
"No, but wait," observed Darby, "till the spread comes, and then you may say it."
"What do you mean by the spread?" asked! the stranger.
"Why, the spread o" the gospel--of religion, to be shure," replied Darby; "and in this counthry," he added, "a glorious spread it is, the Lord be praised! Are you travellin far in this direction, sir, wid summission?"
"I am going as far as Springfield, the residence of a Mr. Hickman, to whom I have a letter of introduction. Do you know him?"
"He was an agent on this property," replied Darby; "but Mr. M"Clutchy came afther him; and, indeed, the tenants is mighty well satisfied wid the change. Hickman, sir, was next to a hathen--made no differ in life between an idolather and a loyal Protestant, but Mr. M"Clutchy, on the other hand, knows how to lean to his own, as he ought to do. And in regard o" that, I"d advise you when you see Mr. Hickman, jist to be on your guard as to what he may say about the Castle c.u.mber property, and them that"s employed an it. Between you and me, he"s not over scrupulous, and don"t be surprised if he lays it hot and heavy on Mr.
M"Clutchy and others, not forgettin" your humble sarvant, merely in regard of our honesty and loyalty, for I"m a staunch Protestant, myself, glory be to G.o.d, and will support the Castle c.u.mber inthrest through thick and thin. Now, sir," he added, "there"s two ways to Hickman"s; and between you and me agin" Mr. Hickman is a real gentleman, exceptin" his little failings about M"Clutchy; but who is widout them? I dunna, but it would be as well if he had remained agent still; and when you see him, if you happen to say that Darby O"Drive tould you so, I think he"ll understand you. Well--there"s two ways, as I said, to this place--one by this road, that turns to the right--which, indeed, is the shortest--the other is by Const.i.tution Cottage, which is M"Clutchy"s place, where I am goin" to."
The stranger, after thanking Darby for his information, took the shorter road, and in about an hour or so reached Springfield.
It is not our intention to detail his interview with Mr. Hickman. For the present it is sufficient to say, that he produced to that gentleman a letter of introduction from Lord c.u.mber himself, who removed all mystery from about him, by stating that he was an English artist, who came over on a foolish professional tour, to see and take sketches of the country, as it appeared in its scenery, as well as in the features, character, and costume of its inhabitants. He had also introductions to M"Clutchy, M"Slime, Squire Deaker, M. Lucre, and several other prominent characters of the neighborhood.
As this gentleman amused himself by keeping an accurate and regular journal of all events connected with the Castle c.u.mber property, or which occurred on it, we feel exceedingly happy in being able to lay these important chronicles before our readers, satisfied as we are, that they will be valued, at least on the other side of the channel, exactly in proportion to the scanty opportunities he had of becoming acquainted with our language, manners, and character. The MS. is now before us, and the only privilege we reserve to ourselves is simply to give his dialogue an Irish turn, and to fill up an odd chasm here and there, occasioned by his ignorance of circ.u.mstances which have come to our knowledge through personal cognizance, and various other sources. The journal now in our possession is certainly the original one; but we know that copies of it were addressed successively, as the events occurred, to a gentleman in London, named Spinageberd, under cover to Lord c.u.mber himself, who kindly gave them the benefit of his frank, during the correspondence. Our friend, the journalist, as the reader will perceive, does not merely confine himself to severe facts, but gives us all the hints, innuendoes, and rumors of the day, both personal, religious and political. With these, our duty is simply to confirm or contradict them where we can, and where we cannot, to leave them just as we found them, resting upon their intrinsic claims to belief or otherwise. Having premised thus far, we beg leave to introduce to our reader"s special acquaintance, Evory Easel, Esq., an English Artist and Savan, coming to _do_ a portion of the country, ladies and gentleman, as has been often done before.
Batch No. I. Evory Easel, Esq., to Sam Spinageberd, Esq.
"Old Spinageberd:
"Here I am at last, in the land of fun and fighting---mirth and misery--orange and green. I would have written to you a month ago, but, that such a course was altogether out of my calculation. The moment I arrived, I came to the determination of sauntering quietly about, but confining myself to a certain locality, listening to, and treasuring up, whatever I could see or hear, without yet availing myself of Lord c.u.mber"s introductions, in order that my first impressions of the country and the people, might result from personal observation, and not from the bias, which accounts heard here from either party, might be apt to produce. First, then, I can see the folly, not to say the injustice, which I ought to say, of a landlord placing his property under the management of a furious partisan, whose opinions, political and religious are not merely at variance with but, totally opposed to, those whose interests are entrusted to his impartiality and honesty. In the management of a property circ.u.mstanced as that of Castle c.u.mber is, where the population is about one-half Roman Catholic, and the other half Protestant and Presbyterian, between us, any man, my dear Spinageberd, not a fool or knave, must see the madness of employing a fellow who avows himself an enemy to the creed of one portion of the tenantry, and a staunch supporter of their opponents. Is this fair, or can justice originate in its purity from such a source? Is it reasonable to suppose that a Roman Catholic tenantry, who, whatever they may bear, are impatient of any insult or injustice offered to their creed, or, which is the same thing, to themselves on account of that creed,--is it reasonable, I say, to suppose that such a people could rest satisfied with a man who acts towards them only through the medium of his fierce and ungovernable prejudices? Is it not absurd to imagine for one moment that property can be fairly administered through such hands, and, if not property, how much less justice itself. You may judge of my astonishment, as an Englishman, when I find that the administration of justice is in complete keeping with that of property; for, I find it an indisputable fact, that nineteen magistrates, out of every twenty, are Orangemen, or party men of some description, opposed to Roman Catholic principles. And, yet, the Roman Catholic party are expected to exhibit attachment to the government which not merely deprives them of their civil rights, but literally places the execution of the laws in the hands of their worst and bitterest enemies. I say so deliberately; for I find that nothing so strongly recommends a man to the office of magistrate, or, indeed, to any office under government, as the circ.u.mstance of being a strong, conspicuous anti-Catholic. In writing to you, my dear Spinageberd, you may rest a.s.sured that I will give expression to nothing but truths which are too well known to be contradicted. The subject of property in Ireland, is one, which, inasmuch as it is surrounded with great difficulties, is also ent.i.tled to great consideration.
"If there be any one prejudice in the character of an Irish peasant stronger or more dangerous than another--and he has many, they say, that are both strong and dangerous--it is that which relates to property and the possession of it. This prejudice is, indeed, so conscious of its own strength, and imbued in this opinion with so deep a conviction of its justice, that, in ordinary circ.u.mstances, it scorns the aid of all collateral and subordinate principles and even flings religion aside, as an unnecessary ally, justice, therefore, or oppression, or partiality in the administration of property, const.i.tutes the greatest crime known to the agrarian law, and is consequently resisted by the most unmitigable and remorseless punishment. The peasant who feels, or believes himself to be treated with injustice, or cruelty, never pauses to reflect upon the religion of the man whom he looks upon as his oppressor. He will shoot a Catholic landlord or agent from behind a hedge, with as much good will as he would a Protestant. Indeed, in general, he will prefer a Protestant landlord to those of his own creed, knowing well, as he does, that the latter, where they are possessed of property, const.i.tute the very worst cla.s.s of landlords in the kingdom. As religion, therefore, is not at all necessarily mixed up with the Irishman"s prejudices as this subject--it is consequently both dangerous and wicked to force it to an adhesion with so dreadful a principle as that which resorts to noon-day or midnight murder. This is unfortunately what such fellows as this M"Clutchy do. They find the Irish peasant with but one formidable prejudice in relation to property, and by a course of neglect, oppression, and rapacity, joined to all the malignant rancor of religious bigotry and party feeling, they leave him goaded by a hundred.
I believe in my soul that there are many fire-brands like M"Clutchy in this country, who create the crime, in order to have the gratification of punishing it, and of wreaking a legal vengeance upon the unfortunate being who has been guilty of it, in order that they may recommend themselves as loyal men to the government of the day. If this be so, how can the country be peaceable? If it be peaceable, such men can have no opportunity of testing their loyalty, and if they do not test their loyalty, they can have no claim upon the government, and having no claim upon the government, they will get nothing from it. The day will come, I hope, when the very existence of men like these, and of the system which encouraged; them, will be looked upon with disgust and wonder--when the government of our country will make no invidious distinctions of creed or party, and will not base the administration of its principles upon the encouragement of hatred between man and man.
"Hickman, the former agent, was the first to whom I presented Lord c.u.mber"s letter. He is a gentleman by birth, education, and property; a man of a large and a liberal mind, well stored with information and has the character of being highly, if not punctiliously honorable. His age is about fifty-five, but owing to his regular and temperate habits of life, and in this country temperance is a virtue indeed, he scarcely, looks beyond forty. Indeed, I may observe by the way, that in this blessed year of ----, the after-dinner indulgences of the Irish squirearchy, who are the only cla.s.s that remain in the country, resemble the drunken orgies of Silenus and his satyrs, more than anything else to which I can compare them. The conversation is in general licentious, and the drinking beastly; and I don"t know after all, but the Irish are greater losers by their example than they would be by their absence.
"On making inquiries into the state and management of this property, I found Hickman actuated by that fine spirit of gentlemanly delicacy, which every one, rich and poor, attribute to him. M"Clutchy having succeeded him, he very politely declined to enter into the subject at any length, but told me that I could be at no loss in receiving authentic information on a subject so much and so painfully canva.s.sed.
I find it is a custom in this country for agents to lend money to their employers, especially when they happen to be in a state of considerable embarra.s.sment, by which means the unfortunate landlord is seldom able to discharge or change his agent, should he misconduct himself; and is consequently saddled with a vampire probably for life, or while there is any blood to be got out of him. Hickman, who has other agencies, makes it a point of principle, never to lend money to a landlord, by which means he avoids those imputations which are so frequently and justly brought against those who trade upon the embarra.s.sments of their employers, in order to get them into their power.
"May 13.--There are two newspapers in the town of Castle c.u.mber, conducted upon opposite principles: one of them is called _The Castle c.u.mber True Blue_, and is the organ of the Orange Tory party, and the High Church portion of the Establishment. The other advocates the cause of the Presbyterians, Dissenters, and gives an occasional lift to the Catholics. There is also a small party here, which, however, is gaining ground every day, called the Evangelical, an epithet adopted for the purpose of distinguishing them from the mere worldly and political High Churchmen, who, together with all the loyalty and wealth, have certainly all the indifference to religion, and most of the secular and ecclesiastical corruptions that have disgraced the Church, and left it little better than a large ma.s.s of bribes in the hands of the English minister. In such a state of things, you may judge how that rare grace, piety, is rewarded. There is, besides, no such thing to be found in this country as an Irish bishop, nor, is a bishop ever appointed for his learning or his piety; on the contrary, the unerring principle of their elevation to the mitre, is either political, or family influence, or both. I wish I could stop here but I cannot; there are, unfortunately, still more flagitious motives for their appointment. English ministers have been found who were so strongly influenced by respect for the religion and Church Establishment of the Irish, that they have not blushed to promote men, who were the convenient instruments of their own profligacy, to some of the richest sees in the kingdom. But I am travelling out of my record; so to return. The name of the second paper is the _Genuine Patriot, and Castle c.u.mber Equivocal_; this last journal is, indeed, sorely distressed between the Catholic and Evangelical parties. The fact is, that the Evangelicals entertain such a horror of Popery, as a spiritual abomination, that they feel highly offended that their advocates should also be the advocate of Old Broadbottom, as the Orangemen call the Pope; in consequence, they say, of his sitting upon seven hills. The editors of these papers are too decidedly opposed in general, to be on bad terms with each other; or, to speak more intelligibly, they are not on the same side, and consequently do not hate each other as they ought and would. The town of Castle c.u.mber, like every other country town, is one ma.s.s of active and incessant scandal; and, it not infrequently happens that the _True Blue_ will generously defend an individual on the opposite side, and the _Genuine Patriot_ fight for a High Churchman. The whole secret of this, however is, that it is the High Churchman who writes in the _Patriot_, and the Evangelical in the _True Blue_, each well knowing that a defence by an opposing paper is worth more than one by his favorite organ. In the instance I am about to specify, however, the case was otherwise, each paper adhering to the individual of his own principles. On taking up the _True Blue_ I read the following pa.s.sage, to which I have fortunately obtained a key that will make the whole matter quite intelligible. The article was headed:--
"Susanna and the Elder; or the Conventicle in trouble.
""For some time past we regret, sincerely regret, as Christian men, that a rumor has, by degrees, been creeping into circulation, which we trust is, like most rumors of the kind, without foundation. The reputation of a very pious professional gentleman, well known for his zeal and activity in the religious world, is said to be involved in it, but, we trust, untruly. The gentleman in question, has, we know, many enemies; and we would fain hope, that this is merely some evil device fabricated by the adversaries of piety and religion. The circ.u.mstances alluded to are briefly these: Susanna, says the evil tongue of rumor, was a religious young person, residing in the character of children"s maid in the family. She was of decided piety, and never known to be absent from morning and evening worship; it seems, besides, that she is young, comely, and very agreeable, indeed, to the mere, secular eye her symmetry had been remarkable, but indeed female graces are seldom long lived; she is not now, it seems, in the respectable gentleman"s family alluded to, and her friends are anxious to see her, but cannot. So the idle story goes, but we hesitate not to say that it originates in the vindictive malice of some concealed enemy, who envies the gentleman in question his pure and unsullied reputation. We would not ourselves advert to it at all, but that we hope it may meet his eye, and prompt him to take the earliest measures to contradict and refute it, as we are certain he will and can do."
"This was all exceedingly kind, and certainly so very charitable that the Equivocal could not, with any claim to Christian principles, suffer itself to be outdone in that blessed spirit of brotherly love and forgiveness, which, it trusted, always characterized its pages.
""We are delighted," it said, "at the mild and benevolent tone in which, under the common misconception, a little anecdote, simple and harmless in itself, was uttered. Indeed, we smiled--but we trust the smile was that of a Christian--on hearing our respected and respectable contemporary doling out the mistake of a child, with such an air of solemn interest in the reputation of a gentleman whose name and character are beyond the reach of either calumny or envy. The harmless misconception on which, by a chance expression, the silly rumor was founded, is known to all the friends of the gentleman in question. He himself, however, being one of those deep-feeling Christians, who are not insensible to the means which often resorted to, for wise purposes, in order to try us and prove our faith, is far from looking on the mistake--as, in the weakness of their own strength, many would as a thing to be despised and contemned. No; he receives it as a warning, it may be for him to be more preciously alive to his privileges, and to take care when he stands lest he might fall. Altogether, therefore, he receives this thing as an evidence that he is cared for, and that it is his duty to look upon it as an awakening of his, perhaps, too worldly and forgetful spirit, to higher and better duties; and if so, then will it prove a blessing unto him, and will not have been given in vain. We would not, therefore, be outdone even in charity by our good friend of the _True Blue_; and we remember that when about six months ago, he was said to have been found in a state scarcely compatible with sobriety, in the channel of Castle c.u.mber main street, opposite the office door of the Equivocal, on his way home from an Orange lodge, we not only aided him, as was our duty, but we placed the circ.u.mstance in its proper light--a mere giddiness in the head, accompanied by a total prostration of physical strength, to both of which even the most temperate, and sober, are occasionally liable. The defect of speech, accompanied by a strong tendency to lethargy, we accounted for at the time, by a transient cessation or paralysis of the tongue, and a congestion of blood on the brain, all of which frequently attack persons of the soberest habits. Others might have said it was intoxication, or drunkenness, and so might his character have been injured; but when his incapacity to stand was placed upon its proper footing, the matter was made perfectly clear, and there was, consequently, no doubt about it. So easy is it to distort a circ.u.mstance, that is harmless and indifferent in itself, into a grievous fault, especially where there is not Christian charity to throw a cloak over it."
""Such is a specimen of two paragraphs--one from each paper; and considering that the subject was a delicate one, and involving; the character of a professor, we think it was as delicately handled on both sides as possible. I am told it is to be publicly alluded to to-morrow in the congregation of which the subject of it, a Mr. Solomon M"Slime, an attorney, is an elder--a circ.u.mstance which plainly accounts for the heading of the paragraph in the True Blue.
"There were, however, about a week or ten days ago, a couple of paragraphs in the _True Blue_--which, by the way, is Mr. M"Clutchy"s favorite paper--of a very painful description. There is a highly respectable man here, named M"Loughlin--and you will please to observe, my dear Spinageberd, that this M"Loughlin is respected and well spoken of by every cla.s.s and party; remember that, I say. This man is a partner with a young fellow named Harman, who is also very popular with parties.
Harman, it seems, was present at some scene up in the mountains, where M"Clutchy"s blood-hounds, as they are called, from their ferocity when on duty, had gone to take a man suspected for murder. At all events, one of the blood-hounds in the straggle--for they were all armed, as they usually are--lost his life by the discharge--said to be accidental, but sworn to be otherwise, before Mr. Magistrate M"Clutchy--of a loaded carbine. He was to have been tried at the a.s.sizes which have just terminated; but his trial has been postponed until the next a.s.sizes, it is said for want of sufficient evidence. Be this as it may, it seems that M"Loughlin"s beautiful daughter was soon to have been married to her father"s young partner, now in prison. The unfortunate girl, however, manifested the frailty of her s.e.x: for while her former lover was led to suppose that he possessed all the fulness of her affection, she was literally carrying on a private and guilty intrigue with one of the worst looking scoundrels that ever disgraced humanity--I mean Phil, as he is called, only son to Valentine M"Clutchy--who, by the way, goes among the people under the sobriquet of Val the Vulture. I need not say what the effects of this young woman"s dishonor have produced upon her family. Young M"Clutchy was seen by several to go into her own apartment, and was actually found striving to conceal himself there by his father"s blood-hounds who had received information that M"Loughlin had fire-arms in his house. The consequence is, that the girl"s reputation is gone for ever. "Tis true the verdict against her is not unanimous. There is a woman, named Poll Doolin, mentioned, who bears a most unrelenting enmity against M"Loughlin and his family, for having transported one of her sons. She is said to have been the go-between on this occasion, and that the whole thing is a cowardly and diabolical plot between this Phil--whom the girl, it seems, refused to marry before--and herself. I don"t know how this may be; but the d.a.m.ning fact of this ugly scoundrel having been seen to go into her room, with her own consent, and being found there, attempting to conceal himself, by his father"s cavalry, overweighs, in my opinion, anything that can be said in her favor. As it is, the family are to be pitied, and she herself, it seems, is confined to her bed with either nervous or brain fever, I don"t know which--but the disclosure of the intrigue has had such an effect upon her mind, that it is scarcely thought she will recover it. Every one who knew her is astonished at it; and what adds to the distress of her and her family is, that Harman, whose cousin was an eye-witness to the fact of her receiving Phil into her chamber, has written both to her and them, and that henceforth he renounces her for ever.
"There have also been strong rumors touching the insolvency of the firm of M"Loughlin and Harman, and, it is to be feared, that this untoward exposure will injure them even in a worldly point of view. In the _True Blue_ there are two paragraphs of the following stamp--paragraphs that certainly deserve to get the ears of those who either wrote or published them cropped off their heads.
"Unprecedented Feat of Gallantry and Courage!
"Public rumor has already exonerated us from the delicacy which would otherwise have restrained our pen from alluding to a feat of gallantry and courage performed by a young gentleman who does not live a hundred miles from Const.i.tution Cottage. It seems that a _laison_ once subsisted between him and a young lady of great personal attractions, and, at that time, supposed (erroneously) to be ent.i.tled to a handsome dowry, considering that the fair creature worships at the Mallet Office, and bestows, in the exercise of her usual devotion, some soft blows upon her fair, but not insensible bosom. Our readers will understand us. The young gentleman in question, however, hearing that the lady had been recently betrothed to a partner of her father"s, prompted by that spirit of gallant mischief or dare-devilism for which he is so remarkable, did, under very dangerous circ.u.mstances, actually renew his intimacy, and had several stolen, and, consequently, sweet meetings with the charming creature. This, however, reached his father"s ears, who, on proper information, despatched a troop of his own cavalry to bring the young gentleman home--and so accurate was the intelligence received, that, on reaching her father"s house, they went directly to the young lady"s chamber, from which they led out the object of their search, after several vain but resolute attempts to exclude them from his bower of love. This unfortunate discovery has occasioned a great deal of embarra.s.sment in the family, and broken up the lady"s intended marriage with her father"s partner. But what strikes us, is the daring courage of the hero who thus gallantly risked life and limb, rather than that the lady of his love should pine in vain. Except Leander"s, of old, we know of no such feat of love and gallantry in these degenerate days."
"This other is equally malignant and vindictive
""Messrs. Harman and M"Loughlin.
""We shall be very happy, indeed exceedingly so, to contradict an unpleasing rumor, affecting the solvency of our respected fellow-townsmen, Messrs. Harman and M"Loughlin. We. do not ourselves give any credit to such rumors; but how strange, by the way, that such an expression should drop from our pen on such a subject? No, we believe them to be perfectly solvent; or, if we err in supposing so, we certainly err in the company of those on whose opinions, we, in general, are disposed to rely. We are inclined to believe, and we think, that for the credit of so respectable a firm, it is our duty to state it, that the rumor affecting their solvency has been mistaken for another of an almost equally painful character connected with domestic life, which, by the unhappy attachment of ****** to a young gentleman of a different creed, and proverbially loyal principles, has thrown the whole family into confusion and distress."
"These, my dear Spinageberd, are the two paragraphs, literally transcribed, from the True Blue, and I do not think it necessary to add any comment to them. On tomorrow I have resolved to attend the Dissenting Chapel, a place of worship where I have never yet been, and I am anxious, at all events, to see what the distinctions are between their mode of worship and that of the Church of Englandism. Besides, to admit the truth, I am also anxious to see how this Solomon--this religious attorney, whose person I well know--will deport himself under circ.u.mstances which a.s.suredly would test the firmness of most men, unless strongly and graciously sustained, as they say themselves."
CHAPTER XVI.--Solomon in Trouble
--Is Publicly Prayed for--His Gracious Deliverance, and Triumph--An Orangeman"s View of Protestantism and of Popery--Phil"s Discretion and Valor.
"Monday, half-past eleven o"clock.
"My Dear Spinageberd:
"In pursuance of my intention, I attended the Castle c.u.mber Meeting-house yesterday, and must confess that I very much admire the earnest and una.s.suming simplicity of the dissenting ritual. They have neither the epileptical rant nor goatish impulses of the Methodists, nor the drowsy uniformity from which not all the solemn beauty of the service can redeem the Liturgy of the Church of England. In singing, the whole congregation generally take a part--a circ.u.mstance which, however it may impress their worship with a proof of sincerity, certainly adds nothing to its melody.
"The paragraph of "Susanna and the" Elder" having taken wind, little Solomon, as they call him, attended his usual seat, with a most unusual manifestation of grace and unction beaming from his countenance. He was there early; and before the service commenced he sat with his hands locked in each other, their palms up, as was natural, but his eyes cast down, in peaceful self-communion, as was evident from the divine and ecstatic smile with which, from time to time, he cast up his enraptured eyes to heaven, and sighed--sighed with an excess of happiness which was vouchsafed to but few, or, perhaps, for those depraved and uncharitable sinners who had sent abroad such an unG.o.dly scandal against a champion of the faith. At all events, at the commencement of the service, the minister--a rather jolly-looking man, with a good round belly apparently well lined--read out of a written paper, the following short address to those present:--