nce
round, and then, paying his respects to my mother, took the seat which I
had brought him.

"A good boy, Ben," he said, patting my head. "I came to see how you
were getting on in your new house, Mrs Burton, as is my duty as a
neighbour. Your servant, Mr Gillooly. I was after thinking that the
next time you came into Ballybruree ye would be giving me a call to
settle about that little affair. There's nothing like the present time,
and may be you will stop at my office as you go by, and arrange the
matter offhand."

The lawyer's eyes twinkled as he spoke. Mr Gillooly began to fidget in
his chair, and his countenance grew redder and redder. He cast a glance
at his whip and hat. Suddenly seizing them, he paid a hurried adieu to
my mother, and turning to the lawyer, added, "Your servant, Tim Laffan.
I will be after remembering what you say"; and away he bolted out of the
door.

I almost expected to hear the lawyer utter a crow of victory, for his
comical look of triumph clearly showed his feelings. I had reason to
believe that he also was a suitor for the hand of my mother, but I do
not think he gained much by his stratagem. Her feelings were aroused
and irritated, and at length he also took his departure, after
expressing a tender interest in her welfare.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

My mother's good looks, amiable disposition, and reputed fortune raised
up a host of admirers, greatly to her annoyance, for she had, or fully
thought she had, made up her mind to live a widow; or at all events, as
she told my Aunt Ellen, if she married anyone it should be a sailor, in
respect to my father's memory. I liked Ellen more than any of my other
relations. She was more like my mother than the rest of her sisters.
She had much of my mother's beauty, though with more animal spirits, and
was altogether on a larger scale, as I think I have said. She was
engaged to marry a certain Mr Pat Kilcullin, who I heard was a
gentleman of property some distance further west; and that he had a real
castle and a good estate, somewhat encumbered to be sure, as became his
old family and position. How many hundreds or thousands a year it might
once have produced I do not know; but as he and his father before him,
and his grandfather, and other remote ancestors had generally taken care
to spend double their income, it could not but be supposed that he and
they were occasionally in difficulties. As, however, his father had
lived, so my int