God be
marciful to thim that 'ud complain. No, no; the best way is to wait till
Sam's _masther_* takes him; an' who knows but that 'ud be sooner nor we
think."

* The devil;--a familiar name for him when mentioned in
connection with a villain.

"They say," another would reply, "that the Colonel is a good gintleman
for all that, an' that if he could once know the truth, he'd pitch the
'yallow boy' to the 'ould boy.'"

No sooner was it known by his tenantry that the head landlord was
disposed to redress their grievances, and hear their complaints, than
the smothered attachment, which long neglect had nearly extinguished,
now burst forth with uncommon power.

"Augh! by this an' by that the throe blood's in him still. The rale
gintleman to dale wid, for ever! We knew he only wanted to come at the
thruth, an' thin he'd back us agin the villain that harrished us! To the
divil wid skamin' upstarts, that hasn't the ould blood 'in thim! What
are they but sconces an' chates, every one o' thim, barrin' an odd one,
for a wondher!"

The Colonel's estate now presented a scene of gladness and bustle. Every
person who felt in the slightest degree aggrieved, got his petition
drawn up; and, but that we fear our sketch is already too long, we
could gratify the reader's curiosity by submitting a few of them. It
is sufficient to say, that they came to him in every shape--in all the
variety of diction that the poor English language admits of--in the
schoolmaster's best copy-hand, and choicest sesquipedalianism of
pedantry--in the severer, but more Scriptural terms of the parish
clerk--in the engrossing hand and legal phrase of the attorney--in the
military form, evidently redolent of the shrewd old pensioner--and
in the classical style of the young priest:--for each and all of the
foregoing were enlisted in the cause of those who had petitions to send
in "to the Colonel himself, God bless him!"

Early in the morning of the day on which the Colonel had resolved to
compare the complaints of his tenantry with the character which his
agent gave him of the complainants, he sent for the former, and the
following dialogue took place between them.

"Good morning, Mr. Carson! Excuse me for requesting your presence to-day
earlier than usual. I have taken it into my head to know something of my
own tenantry, and as they have pestered me with petitions, and letters,
and complaints, I am anxious to have your opinion, as you know them