“Me, Rosha!” exclaimed her husband; “God forgive you for that! but when I see that one of my childre’ wont spake a word to me with respect or civility—­no, not even in his natural voice, it is surely time for ma to try if I can’t find affection in his brother.”

“Ay,” said she, “that’s your own way of it; but it’s easy seen that your eggin’ up Ned agin his brother, bringin’ ill will and bad feelin’ among a family that was quiet before; ay, an’ I suppose you’d be glad to see my heart broke too, and indeed I didn’t care it was,” and as she spoke the words? were accompanied by sobbings and tears.

“Alas!” said Hyoy, still in the mock heroic—­“where is the pride and dignity of woman?  Remember, oh maternal relative, that you are the mother of one Gracchus at least!  Scorn the hydraulics, I say; abandon the pathetic; cast sorrow to the winds, and—­give me another cup of tea.”

Edward shook his head at him, as if remonstrating against this most undutiful and contemptuous style of conversation to his mother.  “Don’t give way to tears, my dear mother,” he said; “indeed you do my father injustice; he has neither said nor done anything to turn me against Hycy.  Why should he?  So far from that, I know that he loves Hycy at heart, all that he wishes is that Hycy would speak to him in his natural voice, and treat him with respect, and the feeling that surely is due to him.  And so Hycy will, father; I am sure he respects and loves you in spite of this levity and affectation.  All we want is for each to give up a little of his own way—­when you become more respectful, Hycy, my father’s manner will change too:  let us be at least sincere and natural with each other, and there is nothing that I can see to prevent us from living very happily.”

“I have some money saved,” said Burke, turning to his wife—­“a good penny—­too, more than the world thinks; and I declare to my God I would give it twice over if I could hear that young man,” pointing to Hycy, “speak these words with the same heart and feelings of him that spoke them; but I fear that ‘ud be a hopeless wish on my part, an’ ever will.”

“No, father,” said Edward, “it will not—­Hycy and you will soon understand one another.  Hycy will see what, his duty towards you is, and, sooner than be the means of grieving your heart, he will change the foolish and thoughtless habit that offends you.”

“Well, Edward, may God grant it,” exclaimed his father rising up from breakfast, “and that’s all I have to say——­God grant it!”

“Why, Sir Oracle, junior,” said Hycy, after his father had gone out, “or rather Solomon Secundus, if you are now an unfledged philosopher on our hand, what will you not be when your opinions are grown?”

“My dear brother,” replied Edward, I cannot see what on earth you can propose to yourself by adopting this ridiculous style of conversation I cannot really see any object you can have in it.  If it be to vex or annoy my father, can you blame him if he feels both vexed and annoyed at it.