e strange little
air, 'The river ran between them;' and then she left the harpsichord and
went into the garden through the glass door, but the flowers had only
half their interest, and the garden was solitary, and she felt restless,
as if she were going to make a journey, or looking for strange news; and
then she bethought her again of Mrs. Colonel Stafford, that she might
have by this time returned from Dublin, and there was some little
interest about the good old lady, even in this, that she had just
returned by the same road that he had gone away by, that she might have
chanced to see him as he passed; that at least she might happen to speak
of him, and to know something of the likelihood of his return, or even
to speculate about him; for now any talk in which his name occurred was
interesting, though she did not know it quite herself. So she went down
to the King's House, and did find old Mrs. Stafford at home: and after
an entertaining gossip about some 'rich Nassau damask,' at Haughton's in
the Coombe, that had taken her fancy mightily, and how she had chosen a
set of new Nankeen plates and fine oblong dishes at the Music Hall, and
how Peter Raby, the watchman, was executed yesterday morning, in web
worsted breeches, for the murder of Mr. Thomas Fleming, of
Thomas-street, she did come at last to mention Devereux: and she said
that the colonel had received a letter from General Chattesworth, 'who
by-the-bye,' and then came a long parenthesis, very pleasant, you may be
sure, for Lily to listen to; and the general, it appeared, thought it
most likely that Devereux would not return to Chapelizod, and the Royal
Irish Artillery; and then she went on to other subjects, and Lily staid
a long time, thinking she might return to Devereux, but she did not
mention him again. So home went little Lily more pensive than she came.

It was near eight o'clock, when who should arrive at the door, and
flutter the crows in the old elms with an energetic double knock, but
Aunt Rebecca, accompanied by no less a personage than Dr. Toole in full
costume, and attended by old Dominick, the footman.

The doctor was a little bit ruffled and testy, for having received a
summons from Belmont, he had attended in full blow, expecting to
prescribe for Aunt Rebecca or Miss Gertrude, and found, instead, that he
was in for a barren and benevolent walk of half a mile on the Inchicore
road, with the energetic Miss Rebecca, to visit one of her felonious