lloon-backed chair, his heels over the fender
and his hands in his breeches' pockets--'But, Barney, you know, you're
so clever--there's no one like you!' And he was fond of just nibbling at
speculations in a small safe way, and used to pull out a roll of
bank-notes, when he was lucky, and show his winnings to his wife, and
chuckle and swear over them, and boast and rail, and tell her, if it was
not for the cursed way his time was cut up with hospital, and field
days, and such trumpery regimental duties, he could make a fortune while
other men were thinking of it; and he very nearly believed it. And he
was, doubtless, clear-headed, though wrong-headed, too, at times, and
very energetic; but his genius was for pushing men out of their places
to make way for himself.

But with all that he had the good brute instincts too, and catered
diligently for his brood, and their 'dam'--and took a gruff
unacknowledged pride in seeing his wife well dressed--and had a strong
liking for her--and thanked her in his soul for looking after things so
well; and thought often about his boys, and looked sharply after their
education; and was an efficient and decisive head of a household; and
had no vices nor expensive indulgences; and was a hard but tolerably
just man to deal with.

All this time his uneasiness and puzzle about Dangerfield continued,
and, along with other things, kept him awake often to unseasonable hours
at night. He did not tell Mrs. Sturk. In fact, he was a man, who, though
on most occasions he gave the wife of his bosom what he called 'his
mind' freely enough, yet did not see fit to give her a great deal of his
confidence.

Dangerfield had his plans too. Who has not? Nothing could be more
compact and modest than his household. He had just a housekeeper and two
maids, who looked nearly as old, and a valet, and a groom, who slept at
the 'Phoenix,' and two very pretty horses at livery in the same place.
All his appointments were natty and complete, and his servants, every
one, stood in awe of him; for no lip or eye-service would go down with
that severe, prompt, and lynx-eyed gentleman. And his groom, among the
coachmen and other experts of the 'Salmon House,' used to brag of his
hunters in England; and his man, of his riches, and his influence with
Lord Castlemallard.

In England, Dangerfield, indeed, spent little more money than he did in
Chapelizod, except in his stable; and Lord Castlemallard, who admired
his stingin