en, with some astonishment I heard the boy upon the wheeler ask
whither he should drive me to.

"Tell his honor to wake up; we're in Cork now."

"In Cork! Impossible, already!"

"Faith, may be so; but it's Cork, sure enough."

"Drive to the 'George.' It's not far from the commander-in-chief's
quarters."

"'Tis five minutes' walk, sir. You'll be there before they're put to
again."

"Horses for Fermoy!" shouted out the postilions, as we tore up to the door
in a gallop. I sprang out, and by the assistance of the waiter, discovered
Sir Henry Howard's quarters, to whom my despatches were addressed. Having
delivered them into the hands of an aide-de-camp, who sat bolt upright in
his bed, rubbing his eyes to appear awake, I again hurried down-stairs, and
throwing myself into the chaise, continued my journey.

"Them's beautiful streets, any how!" said Mike, "av they wasn't kept so
dirty, and the houses so dark, and the pavement bad. That's Mr. Beamish's,
that fine house there with the brass rapper and the green lamp beside it;
and there's the hospital. Faix, and there's the place we beat the police
when I was here before; and the house with the sign of the Highlander is
thrown down; and what's the big building with the stone posts at the door?"

"The bank, sir," said the postilion, with a most deferential air as Mike
addressed him. "What bank, acushla?"

"Not a one of me knows, sir; but they call it the bank, though it's only an
empty house."

"Cary and Moore's bank, perhaps?" said I, having heard that in days long
past some such names had failed in Cork for a large amount.

"So it is; your honor's right," cried the postilion; while Mike, standing
up on the box, and menacing the house with his clinched fist, shouted out
at the very top of his voice:

"Oh, bad luck to your cobwebbed windows and iron railings! Sure, it's my
father's son ought to hate the sight of you."

"I hope, Mike, your father never trusted his property in such hands?"

"I don't suspect he did, your honor. He never put much belief in the banks;
but the house cost him dear enough without that."

As I could not help feeling some curiosity in this matter, I pressed Mickey
for an explanation.

"But maybe it's not Cary and Moore's, after all; and I may be cursing
dacent people."

Having reassured his mind by telling him that the reservation he made by
the doubt would tell in their favor should he prove mistaken, he afforded
me the following inf