HUNTING. 139 



immediately pocketed, and, touching his 

 ragged feather, pointed down one of the roads, 

 and said quite sensibly, ** That's the right 

 road, my lady." And so I found it. This 

 man, I was subsequently informed, made quite 

 a respectable maintenance by stationing him- 

 seK at the cross-roads on daily duty, and 

 informing every passer-by that he ** axed 

 for a ha'penny " but was generously treated to 

 a ** pinny," together with the story of Mrs. 

 Johnston and her letter, accompanied by all 

 the shruggings, and scratchings, and snif&ngs, 

 which never failed to provoke the laughter of 

 the hearer and to elicit the coveted coin. 



The Irish, with all their little faihngs, are 

 a hospitable people, and full of pungent wit. 

 I was one evening wending my way to Sallins 

 station, after a long and wearisome day's 

 hunting. My tired horse was suffering from 

 an over-reach, and I was taking him as quietly 

 as I could, consistently with my anxiety to be 

 in time to catch the train by which I desired 

 to return to town. So utterly jaded were we 

 both — I and my steed — that the way appeared 

 very long indeed, and I asked the first country- 



