is a bar upon his escutcheon
which excludes him from the lists. I began now to experience this in
all its poignancy. Among the acquaintances I had formed, one of my most
intimate was a young baronet, who had just succeeded to a large estate
in the county Kilkenny. Sir Harvey Blundell was an Anglo-Irishman in
more than one sense: from his English father he had inherited certain
staid and quiet notions of propriety, certain conventional ideas
regarding the observance of etiquette, which are less valued in Ireland;
while, from his mother, he succeeded to an appreciation of native
fun and drollery, of all the whims and oddities of Irish life, which,
strange enough, are as well understood by the Anglo-Irishman, as by one
'to the manner born.'

"I met Sir Harvey at a supper party in College. Some song I had sung of
my own composing, or some story of my inventing, I forget which, tickled
his fancy: he begged to be introduced to me, drew his chair over to my
side of the table, and ended by giving an invitation to his house for
the partridge-shooting, which was to begin in a few days; I readily
assented--it was a season in which I had nothing to do, my friend Dan
had gone over to the Highlands to make a purchase of some ponies; I was
rather flush of cash, and consequently in good spirits. It was
arranged, then, that I should drive him down in my drag, a turn-out with
four spanking greys, of whose match and colour, shape and action, I was
not a little vain.

"We posted to Carlow, to which place I had sent on my horses, and
arrived the same evening at Sir Harvey's house, in time for dinner. This
was the first acquaintance I had made, independent of my profession. Sir
Harvey knew me, as Mr.. O'Kelly whom he met at an old friend's chambers
in College; and he introduced me thus to his company, adding to his
intimates in a whisper I could overhear--'devilish fast fellow, up to
every thing--knows life at home, and abroad, and has such a team!' Here
were requisites enough, in all conscience, to win favour among any set
of young country-gentlemen, and I soon found myself surrounded by a
circle, who listened to my opinions on every subject, and recorded my
judgments, with the roost implicit faith in their wisdorn, no matter on
what I talked, women, wine, the drama, play, sporting, debts, duns, or
duels, my word was law.

"Two circumstances considerably aided me in my present supremacy: first,
Sir Harvey's friends were all young men fro