164 "^he Real Charlotte. 



making money in Ireland is by selling drink." Lambert 

 spoke with the conviction of one who is sure, not only of 

 his facts, but of his hearer's sympathy. Then seeing his 

 way to a discussion of the matter that had brought him to 

 Bruff, he went on, " I assure you, Lady Dysart, the amount 

 of money that's spent in drink in Lismoyle would frighten 

 you. It's easy to know where the rent goes, and those that 

 aren't drunken are thriftless, and there isn't one of them 

 has the common honesty to give up their land when they've 

 ruined it and themselves. Now, there's that nice farm, 

 Gurthnamuckla, down by the lake-side, all going to moss 

 from being grazed year after year, and the house falling to 

 pieces for the want of looking after ; and as for paying her 

 rent — " he broke off with a contemptuous laugh. 



" Oh, but what can you expect from that wretched old 

 Julia Duffy ? " said Lady Dysart good-naturedly ; " she's 

 too poor to keep the place in order." 



"I can expect one thing of her," said Lambert, with 

 possibly a little more indignation than he felt ; " that she'd 

 pay up some of her arrears, or if she can't, that she'd go 

 out of the farm. I could get a tenant for it to-morrow 

 that would give me a good fine for it and put the house to 

 rights into the bargain." 



" Of course, that would be an excellent thing, and I can 

 quite see that she ought to go," replied Lady Dysart, falling 

 away from her first position ; " but what would happen to 

 the poor old creature if she left Gurthnamuckla ? " 



" That's just what your son says," replied Lambert with 

 an almost irrepressible impatience ; " he thinks she oughtn't 

 to be disturbed because of some promise that she says Sir 

 Benjamin made her, though there isn't a square inch of 

 paper to prove it. But I think there can be no doubt that 

 she'd be better and healthier out of that house ; she keeps 

 it like a pig-stye. Of course, as you say, the trouble is to 

 find some place to put her." 



Lady Dysart turned upon him a face shining with the 

 light of inspiration. 



"The back-lodge!" she said, with Delphic finality. "Let 

 her go into the back-lodge when Hynes goes out of it ! " 



Mr. Lambert received this suggestion with as much 

 admiration as if he had not thought of it before. 



