78 Henry Riddell on 



Greorge was now 20 years old, and rumour begins to fit 

 him with a wife. His sister Matty, otherwise Helena, has 

 returned from Scotland, and tells the news of the place to her 

 sister Ellen, who is in Bath with another sister, Mrs. Clarke. 



" Ballydrain, August 26th, '98. 

 My Dear Ellen, 



AVe are once more in a fair Avay of being murdered. I 

 suppose you have heard before now of them reptiles of the 

 French being landed in the County of Mayo. It was only 

 yesterday we heard it and all the military went past to-day. 

 I hope there is no reason to fear now for there is such a 

 small number of French they would be entirely subdued . . . 

 If it was not for the thoughts of what is going forward in 

 the world, and the stories we hear (one twentyninth part of 

 which is not true), we are all very well and quiet, nobody 

 ever attempts to molest us. We won't make fools of our- 

 selves this time and run away though Walter wants us to 



go Many a time I wish you were here, but that 



is just selfishness that I immediately check myself and think 

 how much happier you are there and how pleasant it is for 

 Mary to have you ..." She is alarmed about an intimacy 

 between her beloved brother and a young lady she deems 

 undesirable, and does not mince her language, " that nasty 

 little plague, for I can call her nothing else and her beastly 

 mother, how I do hate them both. I am quite sure it is a 

 scheme laid between them to get George, and they do stuff 

 his head with such notions that if he goes into any mischief 

 it will be entirely owing to them." 



She manoeuvres to keep him from such company, 

 we have got him kept at home this week past. One day 

 Avhen Mr. Y. would keep him busy in the office, another my 

 aunt would engage him and a third we would contrive to 

 keep him amused, but in spite of our hearts he has gone to- 

 day on pretence of bearing news to Belfast, fqr Miss C : 



