nty Sligo did not,
I believe, allow his wife or his children (who must have had the
MacDermott blood in their veins, even if somewhat diluted) to sit at
table with him. This method introduces the last element of confusion
into the household arrangements, and on two occasions we have had our
custard pudding or stewed fruit served in our bedrooms a full hour after
we had finished dinner. We have reasons for wishing to be first to enter
the dining-room, and we walk in with eyes fixed on the ceiling, by
far the cleanest part of the place. Having wended our way through an
underbrush of corks with an empty bottle here and there, and stumbled
over the holes in the carpet, we arrive at our table in the window.
It is as beautiful as heaven outside, and the table-cloth is at least
cleaner than it will be later, for Mrs. Waterford of Mullinavat has an
unsteady hand.

When Oonah brings in the toast rack now she balances it carefully,
remembering the morning when she dropped it on the floor, but picked up
the slices and offered them to Salemina. Never shall I forget that
dear martyr's expression, which was as if she had made up her mind to
renounce Ireland and leave her to her fate. I know she often must wonder
if Dr. La Touche's servants, like Mrs. Mullarkey's, feel of the potatoes
to see whether they are warm or cold!

At ten thirty there is great confusion and laughter and excitement, for
the sportsmen are setting out for the day and the car has been waiting
at the door for an hour. Oonah is carolling up and down the long
passage, laden with dishes, her cheerfulness not in the least impaired
by having served seven or eight separate breakfasts. Molly has spilled
a jug of milk, and is wiping it up with a child's undershirt. The Glasgy
man is telling them that yesterday they forgot the corkscrew, the salt,
the cup, and the jam from the luncheon basket,--facts so mirth-provoking
that Molly wipes tears of pleasure from her eyes with the milky
undershirt, and Oonah sets the hot-water jug and the coffee-pot on the
stairs to have her laugh out comfortably. When once the car departs,
comparative quiet reigns in and about the house until the passing
bicyclers appear for luncheon or tea, when Oonah picks up the napkins
that we have rolled into wads and flung under the dining-table,
and spreads them on tea-trays, as appetising details for the weary
traveller. There would naturally be more time for housework if so large
a portion of the day