have reason heartily to thank my good old
grandfather, the hardware man, as you have for thanking the sire of your
father, the worthy tailor, who had the honor of being appointed one of
Peg Nicholson's knights, ha, ha, ha!"

The laughter now became general and excessive; but not one of them
enjoyed, or seemed at least, to enjoy it with more good-humor than Val;
who, indeed, was never known to exhibit any want of temper to his equals
during his life.

"Well," said he, "ha, ha, ha! now that that breeze has blown over--about
the poteen, Hartley?"

"Thanks, Val; but no poteen, if you please."

"Then, gentlemen," said Val, "to resume business; I was alluding to the
seizure of a Still about a month ago near Drum Dhu, where the parties
just had time to secure the Still itself, but were forced to leave the
head and worm behind them; now, that I give as a fair illustration of
our getting the papers, and missing the arms. Besides," said he, in a
wheedling and confidential tone, addressed to a clique of his friends,
the jobbers, whom he joined at the lower end of the room, "you are all
aware that my fellows are staunch Orangemen, every one of them, and
the government itself feels, for I have reason to know it, that it is
neither politic or prudent to check the spirit which is now abroad among
them; so far from that, I can tell you it is expected that we should
stimulate and increase it, until the times change. The bills against
these men must, therefore, be thrown out."

"I'll agree to that," said a leading man of his own party, "only on one
condition. There are three of my own tenants, Papists to be sure, in for
distilling poteen. Now, we must have them out, Val, for one good turn
deserves another.

"But why?" inquired Val and his friends.

"Why, simply, because the poor fellows were distilling for myself," he
replied; "all the apparatus were mine, and I can't think of allowing
them to be transported for my own act."

"Very well, then a bargain be it," said Val, "so out they go."

Whilst every man was thus working, either for his friends or against his
enemies, or not unfrequently both, Hartley, who, in point of fact, felt
always anxious to do as much good as he could, addressed Sir William:

"Have you no friends in difficulty, Sir William, or who require your
advocacy now? I see the jobbers are hard at work. Some working heaven
and earth to wreak the vengeance of law upon their enemies; others quite
as anxious to tu