The Kellys and the O'Kellys

orses, for Handicap Lodge; and, as they travelled in Blake's very comfortable barouche, they reached their destination in time for a late dinner, without either adventure or discomfort.

ott, the English trainer, at an expense, which, if the horse should by chance fail to be successful, would be of very serious consequence to his lordship. But Lord Ballindine had made up his mind, or rather, Blake had made it up for him, and the

nd saw that both did what was allotted to them. He took very good care that he was never charged a guinea, where a guinea was not necessary; and that he got a guinea's worth for every guinea he laid out. In fact, he trained his own horses,

ey, and had been civilly told by his agent's managing clerk, before he left town, that there was some difficulty in the way of his immediately getting the sum required. This annoyed him, for he could not carry on the game without money. And th

t she must be aware that he was in the neighbourhood, and could not but be hurt at his apparent indifference. And then he knew that her guardian would make use of his present employment-his sojourn at such a den o

ly stood by and saw Brien Boru go through his

, Blake, was not a soothing or a comfortable friend, under these circumstances: he gave him a good deal of practical advice, but he could not sympathise with him. Blake was a sharp, hard, sensible man, who reduced everything to pound

sixty years of age, who usually inhabited a lodge near the Curragh; and who kept a horse or two on the turf, more for the sake of the standing which it gave him in the society he liked best, than from any intense love

nutes of got-up enthusiasm respecting Br

?" said Lor

got rid of a first-rate lady. You're very lucky, no doubt, in

ive how any one could have heard that his intended marriage was broken off-at any rate how he could have heard it spoken of so publicly, as to induce him to mention it in that sort of way, to h

cond piece of luck, Mr Tie

t, himself a little astonish

a lady's name, which you intended either to be impertinent, or injurious. Were it not that I

if I have unintentionally said anything, which you feel to be either. But, surely,

Mr Tierney, wh

ss Wyndham's cousin, and Lord Cashel's son,

by Lord Cashel. Frank and Lord Kilcullen had never been intimate; and the former was aware that the other had always been averse to the prop

d it to be generally made known. I presumed, therefore, that it had been mutually agreed between you, that the event was not to come off-that the match was not to be run; and, with my peculiar views, you know, on the subject of matrimony, I thought it a fair point for congratulation. If Lord Kilcullen had misled me

him for his open explanation, and, merely muttering something about private

loss to conceive how they could have done so-how even Lord Cashel could have reconciled it to himself to do so, without the common-place courtesy of writing to him on the subject. And then, when he thought of her, "his own Fanny," as he had so often called her, he was still more bewildered: she

in passages more binding even than promises, warmer even than vows, which seemed to make him as miserable now as they had made him happy at the time of their occurrence. "I would not believe it," he continued, meditating, "if twenty Kilcullens said it, or if fifty Mat Tierneys swore to it!" and then he rode on towards the lodge, in a state of mind for which I am quite

unable to come to any satisfactory conclusion on his own unassisted judgment, he must consult Blake, who, by the

s friend standing at the door of one of

never be able to bring a horse out as he should be, on the Curragh, till they've regular trained gallops. The slightest frost

d Frank; "come here, Dot, a m

s the matter?-he'

that I know of. I wish the b

you got in your head now? Someth

you hear

t what you'

had declared, at a large dinner-party, yesterday, that th

t Tierney would say? Mat was

the truth, as far as Lord Kilcullen was concerned. I mean, I'm sure Kilcullen said it,

you'd better do; the questi

r do? call on Kilcull

am the lock of hair you have in your desk, and next your heart, or wherever you keep it; write her a p

moment. You've as much heart in you as one of your own horses. I wish

assure you I have endeavoured, and, if you will allow me, I will still endeavour, to make it as agreeable to you as I am able; and as to my speaking seriously, upon my wor

ff with Miss Wyndham, when every one knows I'm engage

ear there's hardly time for that; and secondly, in conseq

don't even

be great incompatibility between you, as Lord Ballindine, with a wife and family-and fi

Ireland. It's only the interference of Lord Cashel that makes me determined not to pull in till I am married. If he had let me h

arried, I'll give you the best advice in my power as

ou think I ought to do

ony as the w

ish to marry

er the better

age now, in a few days,

der a new blue coat, and

n a passion; and then he took up his hat, to rush out of the ro

ssion. What I said was only meant to show you how easy I

f a horse! I'll go over there at once, and I'll show Lord Cashel that at any rate he shall not

what?-th

d like noth

ried by your peers-and p

wish to fight any one, but I

an to marry her, and if, as I believe, she is really fond of you, Lord Cashel and all the family can't prevent it. She is probably angry that you have not been over there; h

t shall

ave heard it, and beg him to assure Lord Kilcullen that he is mistaken in his notion that the match is off; and beg also that the report may not be repeated. Do this; and do it as if you

d so slow, and so dull-especially sitting alone, as he does of a morning, in that large, dingy, uncomfortable,

n knows he has nothing within his head to trust to,-when he has neither sense nor genius, he puts on a wig, ties up his neck in a whit

I not ask to

t of the morning's work. But don't ask to see her as a favour. When you've done with the lord (and don't let your conference be very long)-when you've done with the lord, tell him you'll say a word to th

bout these wretch

u-and he won't if you play your game well-tell him that you're quite aware your inco

rien Boru, a

't go into particulars-stick to generals. He'll never ask you those ques

rank should ride over the next morning, and do exactly what his friend proposed. If, however, one might judge from his apparent dread of the interview with Lord Cashel, there was but little chance

said Blake; "for I'm beginning to think the symptom

he same as others-have two childre

u might say two dozen; but as to the living happy, that'

otheen [21]. It's odd if I can't get plent

bad preparative for potheen punch. You're not the man to live, with a family, on a small income, a

inst the R

t the sub-sheriff, and his officers-an army much mo

, I'm marrying a girl with quite as large

ut up Kelly's Court, raise the rents, take a moderate house in London; and Lord Cashel, when his party are in, will get you made a court stick of, and you'll lead just such a life as your grandfather. If it's not very glorious, at any rate it's a useful kind of life. I hope Miss Wyndham will like it. You'll have to christen your children Ernest and Albert, a

excepting yourself, to put up with that kind of thing. Whatever I may h

he sheriff's officers. Of the two, there's certainly more fun in it; and you can go out with the harriers on a Su

der whether you'd bear it as well, if I told you you'd die a bro

u were threatening me with a fate which my conduct and

f my getting shut up by bailiffs in Kelly's Court, and dying drunk. I'll bet yo

ng fifty pounds out of you, then! In the meantime,

mentioned again that evening, he should retreat to his own room, and spend the hours by himself; so, for the rest of that day, Lord Ballindine was again driven back upon Brien Boru