94 LIFE IN IRELAND 



life to George the Fourth !' ' 'Tis a mockery,' replied 

 His Majesty, ' to drink the same in return, for the ladies 

 are angelic pictures of Hygeia herself.' ' Suppose, Sire,' 



said Moles G , the town clerk, ' you drink — " God 



send them a good deliverance ! " ' ' Dammee, G n ! 



they are nearly all single women ! ' ' Bedershin ! ' (may 

 be so) interrupted Brian Boru, 'single ladies have 

 troubles they want to be delivered of as well as double 

 ladies ; your Majesty can't do better than drink the 

 " Linen manufacture of Ireland ! " it is a true national 

 toast in every woman's mouth.' ' Aye, and on every 



man and woman's back,' said G e, ' so here goes ; 



I'll always be its patron.' 'True, Sire; and for every 

 bit of linen that undergoes your gracious inspection, 

 you '11 have a blessing from the female bleachers, and 

 mayhap the male ones also, who have damaged webs to 

 dispose of.' 



Before the entertainment was over it was quite dark, 

 and there was no utility in seeing the King home to the 

 Park, so that our two heroes drove to Moran's to ponder 

 on the pleasures of the day. Here they found Captain 

 Gram in the very same chair they had left him in the 

 morning ; in fact, he had never stirred a peg, and jocu- 

 larly remarked, ' If I had gone, I should have been 

 amongst the shut out boys at the Castle gate, and I 

 thought a fine cod with lobster sauce and a cooper of 

 claret as good company, or better, than a hungry man 

 would meet with in Dame Street.' Sir Shawn acqui- 

 esced in the Captain's mode of reasoning; and over a 

 cheerful bottle they entertained him with a detail of 

 the procession. 



' In truth,' said Gram, ' His Majesty makes a toil of 



