ers and Murphy's activity, got up a mode of interruption
seldom made use of, but of which they availed themselves on the present
occasion. It was determined to put the oath of allegiance to all the
Roman Catholics, by which some loss of time to the Eganite party was
effected.

This gave rise to odd scenes and answers, occasionally:--some of the
fellows did not know what the oath of allegiance meant; some did not
know whether there might not be a scruple of conscience against making
it; others, indignant at what they felt to be an insulting mode of
address, on the part of the person who said to them, in a tone savouring
of supremacy--"_You're_ a Roman Catholic?"--would not answer immediately,
and gave dogged looks and sometimes dogged answers; and it required
address on the part of Egan's agents to make them overcome such
feelings, and expedite the work of voting. At last the same herculean
fellow who gave O'Grady the fierce answer about the _blunderbuss tenure_
he enjoyed, came up to vote, and fairly bothered the querist with his
ready replies, which, purposely, were never to the purpose. The
examination ran nearly thus:--

"You're a Roman Catholic?"

"Am I?" said the fellow.

"Are you not?" demanded the agent.

"You say I am," was the answer.

"Come, sir, answer--What's your religion?"

"The thrue religion."

"What religion is that?"

"My religion."

"And what's _your_ religion?"

"My mother's religion."

"And what was your mother's religion?"

"_She tuk whisky in her tay._"

"Come, now, I'll find you out, as cunning as you are," said the agent,
piqued into an encounter of wits with this fellow, whose baffling of
every question pleased the crowd.

"You bless yourself, don't you?"

"When I'm done with, I think I ought."

"What place of worship do you go to?"

"The most convaynient."

"But of what persuasion are you?"

"My persuasion is that you won't find it out."

"What is your belief?"

"My belief is that _you're_ puzzled."

"Do you confess?"

"Not to you."

"Come! now I have you. Who would you send for if you were likely to
die?"

"Doctor Growlin'."

"Not for the priest?"

"I must first get a messenger."

"Confound your quibbling!--tell me, then, what your opinions are--your
conscientious opinions I mean."

"They are the same as my landlord's."

"And what are your landlord's opinions?"

"Faix, his opinion is, that I won't pay him the last half-year's rint;
and I'm of th