“Give him a glass of spirits,” said Val; “I think, Regan, you have seen some one drinking to-day already.”

“Well, gintlemen, here’s—­if we’re to have a short life, may it be a merry one!—­and may we never ait worse mait than mutton.  Mr. M’Slime, more power to you!—­She’s next door to me”—­and he winked at Solomon—­“an’ barrin’ the paleness, by the powers gettin’ on famous; throth, sir,” in reply to Val—­“only share of two half-pints wid Paddy Colgan, in regard of that day that’s in it—­blowin’ bullocks—­and, I believe, another half-pint wid Para Bellow.  Blood, sir, but that’s a beautiful drop!  Sowl it would take the tear off a widow’s pig—­or the widow herself.  Faith, Mr. M’Clutchy, I could tell where the cow grazes that was milked for that!  Awough!  However, no matther, I’m rantin’ Regan from sweet Anghadarra—­Regan the Rake that never seen to-morrow.  Whish! more power!”

“That will do, Regan; you have not your rent.”

“Oh! d—­n the penny, as usual.—­Success!

“Well, but what’s to be done?  I must come down.”

“Devil afoot you’ll come down, please your honor; but you’ll come up and prize the crap.  It’s worth five times the rent, at any rate—­that’s one comfort.  Hurroo!”

“Upon my honor, Regan, I’m tired of this I have done it several times through kindness to yourself and family, but I cannot, really, do it any more.”

“Very well, sir—­no offence—­what one won’t, another will; I can raise three times the rent on it in four and twenty hours.”

“What an unfortunate man you are, to be sure.  Well, Regan, I shall appraise your crops and take them, or a competent share of them in payment, on this occasion—­but mark me, it shall be the last.”

“More power, I say.—­Long life to you, sir.  You know a hawk from a hand-saw, any how—­and be my sowl, kind father, for you—­whish!  I’m rantin’ Regan from sweet Anghadarra!”

So saying, poor, idle, drinking, negligent, pugnacious Regan, by his own sheer neglect, put his property into the hands of the most relentless harpy that ever robbed and fleeced a tenantry.  This mode of proceeding was, in fact, one of the many methods resorted to by rapacious agents, for filling their own pockets at the expense of the tenant, who, by this means, seldom received more than a fourth part of the value of his crops.  The agent under the mask of obliging him, and saving his crops from the hammer, took them at a valuation when the markets were low; and in order that he might be able to do so, he always kept over the tenant’s head what is called a hanging gale—­which means that he was half a year’s rent in arrear.  The crops were then brought home to the agent’s place, and frequently, to save appearances, to the haggard of some friend of his, where they were kept until the markets got up to the highest price.  So that it was not an unusual thing for the iniquitous agent to double the rent, one-half of which he coolly