‘Did you see any man pass the road, friend?’ said he to the postillion.

‘Oh! who would I see? or why would I tell?’ replied Larry, in a sulky tone.

‘Came, come, be smart!’ said the man with the silver whip, offering to put half a crown into the postillion’s hand; ’point me which way he took.’

‘I’ll have none a’ your silver! don’t touch me with it!’ said Larry.  ’But, if you’ll take my advice, you’ll strike across back, and follow the fields, out to Killogenesawee.’

The exciseman set out again immediately, in an opposite direction to that which the man who carried the still had taken.  Lord Colambre now perceived that the pretended informer had been running off to conceal a still of his own.

‘The gauger, plase your honour,’ said Larry, looking back at Lord Colambre; ‘the gauger is a still-hunting!’

‘And you put him on a wrong scent!’ said Lord Colambre.

’Sure, I told him no lie; I only said, “If you’ll take my advice.”  And why was he such a fool as to take my advice, when I wouldn’t take his fee?’

‘So this is the way, Larry, you give a lift to the laws!’

’If the laws would give a lift to me, plase your honour, maybe I’d do as much by them.  But it’s only these revenue laws I mean; for I never, to my knowledge, broke another commandment; but it’s what no honest poor man among his neighbours would scruple to take—­a glass of potsheen.’

‘A glass of what, in the name of Heaven?’ said Lord Colambre.

POTSHEEN, plase your honour;—­becaase it’s the little whisky that’s made in the private still or pot; and Sheen, becaase it’s a fond word for whatsoever we’d like, and for what we have little of, and would make much of:  after taking the glass of it, no man could go and inform to ruin the cratures, for they all shelter on that estate under favour of them that go shares, and make rent of ’em—­but I’d never inform again’ ’em.  And, after all, if the truth was known, and my Lord Clonbrony should be informed against, and presented, for it’s his neglect is the bottom of the nuisance—­’

‘I find all the blame is thrown upon this poor Lord Clonbrony,’ said Lord Colambre.

‘Becaase he is absent,’ said Larry.  ’It would not be so was he PRISINT.  But your honour was talking to me about the laws.  Your honour’s a stranger in this country, and astray about them things.  Sure, why would I mind the laws about whisky, more than the quality, or the judge on the bench?’

‘What do you mean?’