s dining last week at Mrs. Prijean's, in
Merrion Square; you know Mrs. Prijean?"

"I think I met her at Carton, four years ago."

"Well, she is very heavy: what do you think, Lady Cashel, she--"

"Adolphus can't bear people of that sort, but he'll be delighted with
the bishop: it's so delightful, his having christened him. Adolphus
means to live a good deal here now. Indeed, he and his father have so
much in common that they can't get on very well apart, and I really
hope he and the bishop'll see a good deal of each other;" and the
countess left the bishop's wife and sat herself down by old Mrs.
Ellison.

"My dear Mrs. Ellison, I am so delighted to see you once again at Grey
Abbey; it's such ages since you were here!"

"Indeed it is, Lady Cashel, a very long time; but the poor colonel
suffers so much, it's rarely he's fit to be moved; and, indeed, I'm not
much better myself. I was not able to move my left shoulder from a week
before Christmas-day till a few days since!"

"You don't say so! Rheumatism, I suppose?"

"Oh, yes--all rheumatism: no one knows what I suffer."

"And what do you use for it?"

"Oh, there's nothing any use. I know the very nature of rheumatism now,
I've had it so long--and it minds nothing at all: there's no preventing
it, and no curing it. It's like a bad husband, Lady Cashel; the best
way is to put up with it."

"And how is the dear colonel, Mrs. Ellison?"

"Why, he was just able to come here, and that was all; but he was dying
to see Lord Cashel. He thinks the ministers'll be shaken about this
business of O'Connell's; and if so, that there'll be a general
election, and then what'll they do about the county?"

"I'm sure Lord Cashel wanted to see the colonel on that very subject;
so does Adolphus--Lord Kilcullen, you know. I never meddle with
those things; but I really think Adolphus is thinking of going into
Parliament. You know he's living here at present: his father's views
and his own are so exactly the same on all those sort of things, that
it's quite delightful. He's taking a deal of interest about the county
lately, is Adolphus, and about Grey Abbey too: he's just the same his
father used to be, and that kind of thing is so pleasant, isn't it, Mrs
Ellison?"

Mrs Ellison said it was, and at the same moment groaned, for her
shoulder gave her a twinge.

The subject of these eulogiums, in the meantime, did not make his
appearance till immediately before dinner was announced, a