Mfj Two Days Salmon Fishing. 33 



and Milesian joined in the bowl. In primitive inns man- 

 ners were primitive too, and the custom was to leave the 

 guest with a large bottle of whisky and the kettle and 

 sugar, and to ask him next morning " how many glasses of 

 punch to charge for ; " and as the whisky often possibly 

 '•' never j;)?r? the Queen a sixpence," it was good for all 

 parties. My guests were well middle-aged, evidently of the 

 commercial grade, and it was not long before it was dropped 

 incidentally by the lady, " that her brother-in-law had been 

 to a ball at the Castle, and her uncle had been in the 

 miletia." She asked for trumps so plainly, that I was 

 obliged to admit, with some blushes, that I had been patted 

 on the head by the late Archbishop of Canterbury when a 

 boy — which was strictly true, by the way, as he confirmed 

 me along with the inhabitants of some five or six adjoining 

 parishes. The lady retii-ed for the night ; Bid.ly put some 

 fresh peat on the fire, and brought in a fresh kettle of 

 boiling water, my guest smoked a little of his cigar at 

 intervals — your well-seasoned Irishman who likes the 

 national beverage is generally too busy with the groceries 

 to smoke much, — and I sat me do\\Ti quietly to a well 

 coloured Irish short clay. We spoke in a subdued tone, as 

 the rooms were small and the walls thin, and we did not 

 wish to disturb the lady fair ; in fact, the walls were so thin 

 that (without lifting the veil which screened the privacy of 

 my lady's chamber), we could hear the whistling of a stout 

 staylace through the eyelet-holes, in the air, and eventually 

 the fall of a heavy paii' of stays ; and I am bound to 

 record that we kept a respectful silence while the re2)resen- 

 tative of the fair sex, with a fine brogue, said her prayers, 

 which were very audible — a practice much to be commended, 

 — and to our mutual joy a good wholesome family snore 

 eventually proclaimed that the night was our own. 



We got friendly and confidential, and my guest remarked, 



D 



