. Faith I will say, that
in my time, in reland--I don't know how it may be now--the aroma of a
good property stood to the descendants long after the substance had left
them; and if they only stuck fast to the place where the family had once
been great, it took at least a couple of generations before they need
think of looking out for a livelihood.

"Aunt Judy's revenue was something like eighty pounds a year; but in
Tralee she was not measured by the rule of the 'income tax.' 'Wasn't she
own sister to Peter O'Kelly of the Castle; didn't Brien O'Kelly call at
the house when he was canvassing for the member, and leave his card;'
and wasn't the card displayed on the little mahogany table every
evening, and wiped and put by, every morning, for fifteen years; and
sure the O'Kellys had their own burial ground, the 'O'Kelly's pound,' as
it was called, being a square spot inclosed within a wall and employed
for all 'trespassers' of the family, within death's domain. Here was
gentility enough in all conscience, even had the reputation of her
evening parties not been the talk of the town. These were certainly
exclusive enough, and consisted as I have told you.

"Aunt Judy loved her rubber, and so did her friends; and eight o'clock
every evening saw the little party assembled at a game of 'longs,' for
penny points. It was no small compliment to the eyesight of the players,
that they could distinguish the cards; for with long use they had become
dimmed and indistinct. The queens, had contracted a very tatterdemalion
look, and the knaves, had got a most vagabond expression for want
of their noses, not to speak of other difficulties in dealing,
which certainly required an expert hand, all the corners having long
disappeared, leaving the operation something like playing at quoits.

"The discipline of such an establishment, I need scarcely say, was very
distasteful to me. I was seldom suffered to go beyond the door, more
rarely still, alone: my whole amusement consisted in hearing about the
ancient grandeur of the O'Kellys, and listening to a very prosy history,
of certain martyrs, not one of whom I didn't envy in my heart; while in
the evening I slept beneath the whist-table, being too much afraid of
ghosts to venture up stairs to bed.

"It was on one of those evenings, when the party were assembled as
usual; some freak of mine--I fear I was a rebellious subject--was being
discussed between the deals, it chanced that by some accide