The House by the Church-Yard

granduncle could have told me, for he had a marvellous memory, but he died, a pleasant old gentleman of four-score and upwards, when I was a small urchin. I remember

lped now, and the papers I’ve got are silent upon the point. But there were jollifications to no end both in Palmerstown and Chapelizod

ch, the dapper, florid little priest of the parish, with his silk waistcoat and well-placed paunch, and his keen relish for funny stories, side-dishes, and convivial glass; and Dan Loftus, that simple, meek, semi-barbarous young scholar, his head

le, a good tough enigma. It was a theme they never tired of. Loftus had already two folios of extracts copied from all the records to which Dr. Walsingham could procure him access. They could not have worked harder, indeed, if they were getting up evidence to prove their joint title to Lord Castlemallard

steady, I allow — but enough to delight the rector, and inspire him with a tender reverence for the indefatigable and versatile yout

time longer. He was coming over to visit the Irish estates — perhaps to give Nutter a wrinkle or two. He was a bachelor, and his lordship averred would be a prodigious great match for some of our Irish ladies. Chapelizod would be his headquarters while in Ireland. No, he was not sure — he rather thought he was not of the Thorley family; and so on for a mighty long time. But though he tired them prodigiously, he contrived to evoke before their minds’ eyes a very gigantic, though somewhat hazy figure, and a good deal stimulated the interest with which a new arrival was commonly looked for in

of-the-way lore, and retained it with a someti

herefore, stands in need of an excitator, which excitator may be either good or evil; but is more frequently Satan himself, by reason of some previous oppignoration or compact with witches. The power, indeed, is in the witch, and not conf

dinner, overpower the vivacity of any tranquil gentleman who loves a nap after that meal — gently draw the curtains of his senses, and extinguish the bed-room candle of his consciousness. In the doctor’s address and quotati

ped vehemently plump little Lieutenant Puddock, in one of those stage fren

er literal, very courteous, a chevallier, indeed, sans reproche. He had a profound faith in his genius for tragedy, but those who liked him best could not help thinking that his plump cheeks, round, little light eyes, his lisp, and a certain lack-a-daisical, though solemn expression of surprise, which Nature, i

stand well in her gratheth, by Jove, Thir, you mutht give yourthelf up to her body and thoul. How the deuthe can a fel

ns’ and lovely wom

an he pothibly have a chance againth geniuses, no doubt — vathly thuperior by nature’—(Puddock, the rogue, beli

in’; and I that had twiste his brains, could not come round it, though I got up every morning for a month at four o’clock, and was obleeged to give over be rason of a soart iv a squint I was gettin’ be looking continually at the fiddle-stick. I began with a double bass, the way

, ‘study — time to devote — industry in great things a

n Nature, dear Puddock, so pass the bott

lley play-house — incog., I mean, of course. There’s that wonderful little Mr. Garrick — why he’s the talk of the three kingdoms as long as I

inch over Rocius, honestly, let us hope. ‘But this is building castles in the air; joking apart, however, I

poke that sympathetic speech

ustice Greedy,’

was it?— that smo

g clout,’ pers

ou know — and stabbed hims

in —’tis written

but English, I’m thinking of — a pilla

by Othello’s borrowing his properties from the kitchen; ‘I venture to say you were well entertained: and for my part, Sir, th

ith a most gratified derisiveness, for he cher

s; O’Flaherty, the illiterate, blundering in with sincere applause; and

table being by this time in high chat, and the chairs a little irregular, Puddock slipped off his, and addressing himself to Devereu

w, i’ the grave, a

ch — as the reader may not be aware

d, as presentl

led with an imaginary hoop on grandly backward, and in spite of a surprising flick-flack cut in the attempt to recover his

ed up, with a snort an

with a melancholy bow, in reply to a fiery and start

und with a wan smile; and I fancy he thought a lady had somehow intro

company,’ said the general, a little surly, and looking full upon the plump Monimia

’ says Father Roach, testily, for he had been himself frighte

egan to a

let’s fill our glasses — my Lord Castlemallar

tty wine,’

a song? I say, gentlemen, there are fine voices among y

ng, I’m told,’ said Captain Cluf

ld one, and not yet quite off the hooks), ‘Mr. L

g a note. So when he opened his eyes, looked round, and blushed, there was a g

ld writer upon fasting in Lent, and was, in fact, a reproof to all hypocrisy. Hereupon there was a great ringing of glasses and a jolly round of laughter rose up in the cheer that welcom

ghty good dogs, which he lent freely, being a good-natured fellow. He liked good living and jolly young fellows, and was popular among the officers, who used to pop in freely enough at his reverence

ooked in on some such business upon his reverence — a little suddenly — and fou

e had been caught in the very act of criminal conversation with the hare-pie. He rose with a spring, like a Jack-ina-box, as they entered, and knife and fork in hand, and with shining chops, stared at them with an angry, bothered

‘unreasonable remarks’ of his parishioners (a roar of laughter); that he was, perhaps, rightly served for not having publicly availed himself of his bishop’s dispensation (renewed peals of merriment). By this foolish delicacy (more of that detestable horse-laughter), he had got himself into a false position; and so on, till the ad misericordiam peroration addressed to ‘Captain Devereux, dear,’ and ‘Toole, my honey.’ Well, they quizzed him unmercifully; they sat down and eat all that was left of the hare-pi

reams of laughter from the company. Indeed the lord mayor, a fat slob of a fellow, though not much given to undue merriment, laughed his ribs into such a state of breathless torture, that he implored of Toole, with a wave of his hand — he could not speak — to give him breathing time, which that voluble performer disregarding, his lordship had to rise twice, and get to the window, or, as he afterwards s

the officers and Toole a grand Lent dinner of fish, with no less than nineteen different plats, baked, boiled, ste