So saying, he produced a very handsome shawl, together with a rather large assortment of jewelry and other matters connected with the female toilet, of considerable taste and expense.

“Here,” he added, “are some cotton and silk stockins’—­but upon my profits, it’s not to every foot an’ leg I’d produce them.  I’m a great coortier, ladies, you must know, and am in love wid every purty girl I meet—­but sure that’s only natural; however, as I was sayin’, it’s not to a clype or a pair of smooth-in’ irons I’ll produce such stockins’ as these!  No, no, but a purty foot an’ leg is always sure to get the worth o’ their money from the Cannie Soogah!”

“Well done, Cannie!” said the proctor, “dix me, but you’re a pleasant fellow—­come girls, you must buy something—­handsel him.  You got no handsel to-day, Cannie?” he added, winking at the pedlar to say no.

“Barrin’ the first foundation in the kitchen within,” he replied; “for you must know that’s what I call my breakfast, handsel of any kind didn’t cross my palm this day.”

“In that case, the girls must certainly buy something,” added Purcel.

“But we’ve no money, papa.”

“But,” replied the pedlar, “you have what’s betther—­good credit with the Cannie Soogah—­och, upon my profits I’d rather have one sweet coaxin’ smile from that purty little mouth of yours, Miss Julia, than money in hand any day!  Ah!  Misther Purcel, darlin’, isn’t it a poor thing not to have an estate of ten thousand a year?” and here he looked wistfully at the smiling Julia, and shrugged his shoulders like a man who knew he was never likely to gain his wishes.

“I would buy something,” said Mary, “but, like Julia, I am penniless.”

“Never say so, Miss Mary, to me; only name what you’d like—­lave the price to my honesty, and the payment to my patience, and upon my profits you won’t complain, I’ll go bail.”

“Yes,” observed Julia, “or what if papa would treat us to something?  Come, papa, for the sake of old times; let us see whether you have forgotten any of your former, craft.”

“Good, Judy! ha! ha! ha!—­well done! but Cannie, have you nothing for the gentlemen?”

Now, we must pause for a little to state, that the moment M’Carthy, who was now present, heard the jolly pedlar’s voice, he started, and felt considerably surprise.  The tones of it were neither familiar to him nor yet were they strange.  That he had heard them somewhere, and on some occasion, he could almost have sworn.  Occasionally a turn of the man’s voice would strike him as not being new to him, but again, for the next minute or two, it was such as he could not remember to have ever heard.  This we say by way of parenthesis.

“For the gentlemen!  Lord help you, Mr. Purcel, I never think of them when the ladies is before me—­who would!  However, I’m well prepared even for them.  Here is a case o’ razors that ’ud cut half an inch before the edge; now, if you find me another pair that’ll do the seem—­hem! the same—­I’ll buy the Bank of Ireland and give it to you for a new-year’s-gift.”