“As if it was five fadom, under ground,” replied Ned.  “I will put it along with our own trifle of silver; and after that, let Nancy alone for keeping it safe, so long as it’s there;” saying which, Ned secured the packet, and showed the stranger his bed.

About five o’clock the next morning their guest was up, and ordered a snack in all haste; “Being a military man,” said he, “and accustomed to timely hours, I shall ride down to the town, and put a letter into the post-office in time for the Dublin mail, after which you may expect me to breakfast.  But, in the meantime, I am not to go with empty pockets,” he added; when mounting his horse at the door—­“bring me some silver, landlord, and be quick.”

“How much, plase your honor?”

“Twenty or thirty shillings; but, harkee, produce my packet, that I may be quite certain my property is safe.”

“Here it is, your honor, safe and sound,” replied Ned, returning from within; “and Nancy, sir, has sent you all the silver she has, which was One Pound Five; but I’d take it as a favor if your honor would be contint with twenty shillings, and lave me the odd five, for you see the case is this, sir, plase your honor, she,” and Ned, with a shrewd, humorous nod, pointed with his thumb over his shoulder, as he spoke—­ “she wears the ——­ what you know, sir.”

“Ay, I thought so,” replied the stranger; “but a man of your size to be henpecked must be a great knave, otherwise your wife would allow you more liberty.  Go in, man; you deserve no compassion in such an age of freedom as this.  I sha’n’t give you a farthing till after my return, and only then if it be agreeable to your wife."*

* Ned M’Keown was certainly a very remarkable individual, and became, in consequence of his appearance in these pages, a person of considerable notoriety during the latter years of his life.  His general character, and the nature of his unsuccessful speculations, I have drawn with great truth.  There is only one point alone in which I have done him injustice, and that is in depicting him as a henpecked husband.  The truth is, I had a kind of good humored pique in against Ned, and for the following reasons:—­The cross-roads at which he lived formed a central point for all the youngsters of the neighborhood to assemble for the purpose of practising athletic exercises, of which I, in my youth, was excessively fond.  Now Ned never would suffer me to join my young acquaintances in these harmless and healthful sports, but on every occasion, whenever he saw me, he would run out with,a rod or cudgel and chase me from the scene of amusement.  This, to a boy so enthusiastically devoted to such diversions as I was, often occasioned me to give him many a hearty malediction when at a safe distance.  In fact, he continued this practice until I became too much of a man to run away, after which he durst only growl and mutter abuse, whilst I snapped my fingers at him.  For this reason, then,