136 AN ANGLER'S BASKET. 



and he therefore went over to look things up. To one of his 

 largest holders, he said, after the usual preliminaries, " Now, 

 Dolan, I must have some rent ; you have paid nothing for 

 three years, and times are very bad in England, and I must 

 live." " Well, your honour," was Michael's answer, " times 

 are worse here than ivver they were. I tell ye, sorr, a while 

 back we could have a landlord shot for a sovereign, and now, 

 begorra, it costs ^"5." He came away without the rent. 



Two friends of mine were staying at a quiet little inn up 

 the remote valley of the H odder. Feeling a bit dull one 

 night, they sought the ancient couple who kept the house 

 and inquired if they knew whist and had a pack of cards. 

 Both questions were answered in the affirmative, so down 

 they sat, my friends being partners ; they ,were both club 

 players, and when the old man unhesitatingly proposed six- 

 penny points they agreed at once, and thought they had a 

 good thing on. But they could make nothing of the game 

 as played by their companions, and went down like chaff 

 before the wind, being at the end of an hour and a half 

 about 75. each out of pocket. Then they retired to cogitate 

 on the vanity of human hopes, and the fact that, after all, 

 they knew nothing about whist. Next morning they met 

 the grown-up son of the old people, and, telling him all 

 about it, asked if he could throw any light on it. " Why," 

 said he, " they have never had but one pack o' cards sin' 

 they were married five and forty years ago, and they knaws 

 t' backs on 'em as well as t' fronts." 



A yonng Irishman died ; the order for his coffin was 

 given to another Irishman, who was a first-rate joiner but 

 no scholar. He got on all right until he came to painting 

 the name and age on the coffin plate. He got down 



