of square
pasteboard, which, having straightened and flattened upon his knee, he
presented to me with a graceful bow, adding, jocosely, "an ambassador
without his credentials would never do."

It was an invitation to dinner at Mr. Rooney's for the memorable Friday
for which my friend O'Grady had already received his card.

"Nothing will give me more pleasure----"

"No, will it though? how very good of you! a small cosy party--Harry
Burgh, Bowes Daley, Barrington, the judges, and a few more. There now,
no ceremony, I beg of you. Come along, Joe. Good morning, Mr. Hinton:
not a step further."

So saying, Mr. Rooney backed and shuffled himself out of my room, and,
followed by his faithful attendant, hurried down stairs, muttering a
series of self-gratulations, as he went, on the successful result of his
mission. Scarcely had he gone, when I heard the rapid stride of another
visitor, who, mounting four steps at a time, came along chanting, at the
top of his voice,

"My two back teeth I will bequeath
To the Reverend Michael Palmer;
His wife has a tongue that'll match them well,
She's a devil of a scold, God d--n her!"

"How goes it, Jack my hearty?" cried he, as he sprang into the room,
flinging his sabre into the corner, and hurling his foraging cap upon
the sofa.

"You have been away, O'Grady? What became of you for the last two days?"

"Down at the Curragh, taking a look at the nags for the Spring Meeting.
Dined with the bar at Naas; had a great night with them; made old Moore
gloriously tipsy, and sent him into court the next morning with the
overture to Mother Goose in his bag instead of his brief. Since daybreak
I have been trying a new horse in the Park, screwing him over all the
fences, and rushing him at the double rails in the pathway, to see if he
can't cross the country."

"Why the hunting season is nearly over."

"Quite true; but it is the Loughrea Steeple-chase I am thinking of. I
have promised to name a horse, and I only remembered last night that
I had but twenty-four hours to do it. The time was short, but by good
fortune I heard of this grey on my way up to town."

"And you think he'll do?"

"He has a good chance, if one can only keep on his back; but what
between bolting, plunging, and rushing through his fences, he is not a
beast for a timid elderly gentleman. After all, one must have something:
the whole world will be there; the Rooneys are going; and that p