42 AN EVENING AT BELLEEK. 



here : the Parson has been humbugging you ; 

 for Mother Johnstone, besides being the ci- 

 vilest woman, and the best cook in the three 

 baronies, ' the best wife, the best Christian, 

 and the best maker of cold rum-punch' (only 

 she makes it hot, and with whisky) is, into 

 the bargain, as thorough-going a Protestant 

 as ever drowned a lily." 



" Drowned a lily ?" said the Squire, inter- 

 rogatively. 



"Ay, drowned a lily," said the Parson, qui- 

 etly; " a religious ceremony in these parts/' 



" What the devil !" said the Squire ; " this 

 is the first I have heard of it." 



The Parson loved to get a rise out of his 

 Orange and Protestant friend ; so, drawing 

 himself up in his chair in the attitude of a 

 professor delivering a lecture, he began, 

 didactically : — 



" The country of Ireland is divided into 

 two religions : that of the higher classes 

 is Anythingarianism ; that of the lower, 

 pure Popery. For further particulars on 

 this subject see Swift, from whom I quote 

 this passage. The principal difference be- 

 tween these two sects is, that the latter 

 worship a multiplicity of saints (being 

 only too glad of any pretext whatever for 



