“If I don’t do it myself,” said Father Philemy, who was just after sweeping the top off a turkey egg, “I’ll get them that will.  Come,” said he to the collegian, “give us grace, Peter; you’ll never learn younger.”

This, however, was an unexpected blow to Peter, who knew that an English grace would be incompatible with his “college feeding,” yet was unprovided with any in Latin—­The eyes of the company were now fixed upon him, and he blushed like scarlet on finding himself in a predicament so awkward and embarrassing. “Aliquid, Petre, alliquid; ’de profundis’—­si habes nihil aliud,” said Father Philemy, feeling for his embarrassment, and giving him a hint.  This was not lost, for Peter began, and gave them the De profundis—­a Latin psalm, which Roman Catholics repeat for the relief of the souls in, purgatory.  They forgot, however, that there was a person in company who considered himself as having an equal claim to the repetition of at least the one-half of it; and accordingly, when Peter got up and repeated the first verse, Andy Lalor got also on his legs, and repeated the response.* This staggered Peter a little, who hesitated, as uncertain how to act.

     * This prayer is generally repeated by two persons, who
     recite each a verse alternately.

“Perge, Petre, perge,” said Father Philemy, looking rather wistfully at his egg—­“perge, stultus est et asinus quoque.”  Peter and Andy proceeded until it was finished, when they resumed their seats.

The conversation during breakfast was as sprightly, as full of fun and humor as such breakfasts usually are.  The priest, Phaddhy, and the young collegian, had a topic of their own, whilst the rest were engaged in a kind of by play, until the meal was finished.

“Father Philemy,” said Phaddhy, in his capacity of host, “before we begin we’ll all take a dhrop of what’s in the bottle, if it’s not displasing to yer Reverence; and, sure, I know, ’tis the same that doesn’t come wrong at a station, any how.”

This, more majorum, was complied with; and the glass, as usual, went round the table, beginning with their Reverences.  Hitherto, Father Philemy had not had time to bestow any attention on the state of Kitty’s larder, as he was in the habit of doing, with a view to ascertain the several items contained therein for dinner.  But as soon as the breakfast-things were removed, and the coast clear, he took a peep into the pantry, and, after throwing his eye over its contents, sat down at the fire, making Phaddhy take a seat beside him, for the especial purpose of sounding him as to the practicability of effecting a certain design, which was then snugly latent in his Reverence’s fancy.  The fact was, that on taking the survey of the premises aforesaid, he discovered that, although there was abundance of fowl, and fish, and bacon, and hung-beef—­yet, by some unaccountable and disastrous omission, there