nothing short of Aberdeen granite could stand
the wear and tear."

""What a charming girl!" exclaimed Tulloch,
as soon as we were in the street. " I never saw
such eyes, such hair, such a figure! And the
young one is a fairy. Really you did not say
enough for them."

"Take care, man. Kate is hard to please,
so do not lose your heart, and think you have a
safe game."

"Game! Why, don't you think she is far
too sensible not to know the value of a comfortable
home, and enough to keep her? However,
they seem pretty comfortable. I suppose
old Mahon has a trifle to leave them— not much
— but still a trifle?"

"I know very little of his affairs," I was
beginning, when my companion suddenly hailed
an omnibus.

"May as well go that way, as we are not in
a hurry."

I assented. And as we rode along meditated
on the little there was to know of poor Mahon's
affairs.

He got occasional work in the office of a well-known
and eccentric solicitor; and Kate, who
had a genius for languages, obtained frequent
employment in translating French and German,
while Ellie had music pupils. So, among
them, they kept the wolf from the door, and
enjoyed life amazingly.

But Kate was the providence of the family.
If this rich Scotchman were to take a fancy to
her, would it not be well for all parties? For
that iron-jawed bright-eyed man, yes. But for
her, though the ease and security of her material
life would be secured, I shuddered at the idea
of such profanation. I could see that, to him,
she would be so much fair flesh; eyes, teeth,
lips, hair, up to the market value, he was
disposed to put upon her; but the proud tender
spirit, the pure frank heart with its wealth of
love, the bright joyous nature, the keen intelligence,
what would these be to him who only
wanted a beautiful echo?

Next morning the following note was put into
my hand:

"Dear Longmore,— I was very sorry to miss
you and Jammie Tulloch to-day. The girls tell
me he has turned out a fine young man. Bring
him over to dinner on Thursday; a leg of mutton
at six, and a hearty welcome. Tell him I
suppose he can do without finery, for an old
friend. You will be glad to hear that I have a
good long job with Timbs; shouldn't be surprised,
if I play my cards well, that he takes me
on permanently, say as manager. Anyhow, I
see the tide's turning. The girls send their love,
the darlings! Luck ought to come, if it was only
for their sakes. Yours always sincerely,
                                  " CORNELIUS MAHON."

I lost no time in communicating this invitation
to Tulloch, who was highly pleased to accept it,
and we agreed to go together the following day.

I saw immediately on entering that my
Hibernian relative had imbibed a large draught
of hope's elixir; there was a certain uprearing
of the head, a sparkle in his bright blue eye, a
curl of suppressed fun and good humour about
his mobile mouth, which bespoke magnificent
schemes. Poor Mahon! His plans were
generally on the inverted pyramid system; from
a pin's point of a base, what a spreading superstructure
he could raise. Nature is a beneficent
compensator. Mahon had little of this
world's goods, but then fancy and temperament
supplied him with true riches.

Tulloch could count on hard cash for every
well-considered project his practical imagination
suffered him to indulge, but beyond, were no
pleasant wanderings, no heart warming anticipations
for him.

While these thoughts came unsought, the
object of them was bestowing the heartiest of
welcomes on Jammie Tulloch. He had sprung
with the agility of youth from his easy-chair, his
slight tall figure almost as upright as of yore,
his fine aquiline face beaming with the light of
the child-like heart within.

"Delighted to see you, Tulloch, my boy!' he
exclaimed. " Faith, you are a fine-looking
fellow. I always said you'd fill out, and there
was room for it. Lord! what a bag of bones you
were! Here's little Ellie, she was only an infant
when you saw her, but Kate says she remembers
you. And now you are come home for good,
what do you intend to do? Go into parliament?"

This, laughing heartily, Tulloch disclaimed;
and after some general talk, Mahon cried,

"Ring the bell, Ellie darling, here's Tulloch
ready to pick the bones of the chair he's sitting
on with the hunger."

The bell was answered by a promising jingle,
and dinner appeared.

There was a round plump leg of mutton,
delicately browned, and a piece of creamy white
crimped cod, with rich oyster-sauce, and there
was veal cutlets with forcemeat, and there was
a delightful fondu, and there was a goosberry
tart with cream, and there was a nice little
dessert of oranges and grapes.

The viands were irreproachable, and if the attendance
were reproachable, there was an honest
jollity about the whole thing that was charming.
The jumping up for bread, the hunting in
improbable corners for the corkscrew, the indiscriminate
opening of beer bottles by every one
in turn, the benevolent striving to save Matilda
from additional runs up and down stairs, gave
a cheerful pic-nic aspect to the entertainment.
Then the joyous hospitality of our host!
How he beamed upon us from behind the leg
of mutton, and praised it, and said what a
bargain it was (indeed this was the case with
everything at table), and dropped unexpected
tit-bits and spoonfuls of gravy on the plates
within reach, and made surprising " long arms"
to those that were not, and pressed us to drink
the beer and the sherry, and apologised for not
having port, but that little miser Kate would
not let him have any, " tho', faith, he was the
first of his name that ever was without a bottle
of the best; not that you are a miser, mee
darling, but prudent, and here's your health, my