M'Enerney's shop in O'Shaughlin's town and buy her a new shawl. "Do so," said sir Condy, " and tell Tim to take no money from you, for I must pay him for the shawl myself." At this my shister throws me over a look, and I says nothing, but turned the tobacco in my mouth, whilst Judy began making a many words about it, and saying how she could not be beholden for shawls to any gentleman. I left her there to consult with my shister, did she think there was any thing in it, and my shister thought I was blind to be asking her the question, and I thought my shister must see more into it than I did; and recollecting all past times and every thing, I changed my mind, and came over to her way of thinking, and we settled it that Judy was very like to be my lady Rackrent after all, if a vacancy should have happened.

The next day, before his honour was up, somebody comes with a double knock at the door, and I was greatly surprised to see it was my son Jason.

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"You

Jason, is it you?” said I; "what brings you to the Lodge?" says I; "is it my lady Rackrent? we know that already since yesterday." "May be so," says he, "but I must see sir Condy about it." can't see him yet," says I; "sure he is not awake.” "What then," says he, "can't he be wakened? and I standing at the door." "I'll not be disturbing his honour for you, Jason," says I; "many's the hour you've waited in your time, and been proud to do it, till his honour was at leisure to speak to you. His honour," says I, raising my voice, at which his

honour wakens of his own accord, and calls to me from the room to know who it was I was speaking to. Jason made no more ceremony, but follows me into the room. "How are you, sir Condy?" says he; "I'm happy to see you looking so well; I came up to know how you did to-day, and to see did you want for any thing at the Lodge." "Nothing at all, Mr. Jason, I thank you," says he ; for his honour had his own share of pride, and did not choose, after all that had passed, to be beholden, I suppose, to my son; "but pray take a chair and be seated, Mr. Jason." Jason sat him down upon the chest, for chair there was none, and after he had sat there some time, and a silence on all sides, "What news is there stirring in the country, Mr. Jason M'Quirk ?" says sir Condy very easy, yet high like. "None that's news to you, sir Condy, I hear," says Jason: "I am sorry to hear of my lady Rackrent's accident." "I'm much obliged to you, and so is her ladyship, I'm sure," answered sir Condy, still stiff; and there was another sort of a silence, which seemed to lie the heaviest on my son Jason.

"Sir Condy," says he at last, seeing sir Condy disposing himself to go to sleep again," sir Condy, I dare say you recollect mentioning to me the little memorandum you gave to lady Rackrent about the 500l. a-year jointure." « Very true," said sir Condy; "it is all in my recollection." "But if my lady Rackrent dies, there's an end of all jointure," says Jason. "Of course," says sir Condy. "But it's not a matter of certainty that my lady Rackrent won't

recover," says Jason. Very true, sir," says my master. "It's a fair speculation, then, for you to consider what the chance of the jointure on those lands, when out of custodiam, will be to you." Just five hundred a-year, I take it, without any speculation at all," said sir Condy. "That's supposing the life dropt, and the custodiam off, you know; begging your pardon, sir Condy, who understands business, that is a wrong calculation." "Very likely so," said sir Condy; "but, Mr. Jason, if you have any thing to say to me this morning about it, I'd be obliged to you to say it, for I had an indifferent night's rest last night, and wouldn't be sorry to sleep a little this morning." "I have only three words to say, and those more of consequence to you, sir Condy, than me. You are a little cool, I observe; but I hope you will not be offended at what I have brought here in my pocket," and he pulls out two long rolls, and showers down golden guineas upon the bed. "What's this?" said sir Condy; "it's long since "--but his pride stops him. "All these are your lawful property this minute, sir Condy, if you please," said Jason. "Not for nothing, I'm sure," said sir Condy, and laughs a little-" nothing for nothing, or I'm under a mistake with you, Jason.” "Oh, sir Condy, we'll not be indulging ourselves in any unpleasant retrospects," says Jason; "it's my present intention to behave, as I'm sure you will, like a gentleman in this affair. Here's two hundred guineas, and a third I mean to add, if you should think proper to make over to me all your right and

title to those lands that

know of." you

"I'll con

sider of it," said my master; and a great deal more, that I was tired listening to, was said by Jason, and all that, and the sight of the ready cash upon the bed worked with his honour; and the short and the long of it was, sir Condy gathered up the golden guineas, and tied them up in a handkerchief, and signed some paper Jason brought with him as usual, and there was an end of the business; Jason took himself away, and my master turned himself round and fell asleep again.

I soon found what had put Jason in such a hurry to conclude this business. The little gossoon we had sent off the day before with my master's compliments to Mount Juliet's town, and to know how my lady did after her accident, was stopped early this morning, coming back with his answer through O'Shaughlin's town, at Castle Rackrent, by my son Jason, and questioned of all he knew of my lady from the servant at Mount Juliet's town; and the gossoon told him my lady Rackrent was not expected to live over night; so Jason thought it high time to be moving to the Lodge, to make his bargain with my master about the jointure afore it should be too late, and afore the little gossoon should reach us with the news. My master was greatly vexed, that is, I may say, as much as ever I seen him, when he found how he had been taken in; but it was some comfort to have the ready cash for immediate consumption in the house, any way.

And when Judy came up that evening, and

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brought the childer to see his honour, he unties the handkerchief, and, God bless him! whether it was little or much he had, 'twas all the same with him, he gives 'em all round guineas a-piece. "Hold up your head," says my shister to Judy, as sir Condy was busy filling out a glass of punch for her eldest boy-" Hold up your head, Judy; for who knows but we may live to see you yet at the head of the Castle Rackrent estate? May be so," says she, "but not the way you are thinking of." I did not rightly understand which way Judy was looking when she makes this speech, till a-while after. “Why, Thady, you were telling me yesterday, that sir Condy had sold all entirely to Jason, and where then does all them guineas in the handkerchief come from?" "They are the purchase-money of my lady's jointure," says I. Judy looks a little bit puzzled at this. "A penny for your thoughts, Judy," says my shister; "hark, sure sir Condy is drinking her health." He was at the table in the room,* drinking with the exciseman and the gauger, who came up to see his honour, and we were standing over the fire in the kitchen. "I don't much care is he drinking my health or not," says Judy; "and it is not sir Condy I'm thinking of, with all your jokes, whatever he is of me." "Sure you wouldn't refuse to be my lady Rackrent, Judy, if you had the offer?" says I. "But if I could do "How better?" says I and my

better!" says she.

*The room-the principal room in the house.