Travers, already acquainted with the committal of old Dalton, as he was with all the circumstances of his decline and eviction from his farm, was sitting in his office, about twelve o’clock, when our friend, the pedlar, bearing a folded paper in his hand, presented himself, with a request that he might be favored with a private interview.  This, without any difficulty, was granted, and the following dialogue took place between them:—­

“Well, my good friend,” said the agent; “what is the nature of this private business of yours?”

“Why, plase your honor, it’s a petition in favor of ould Condy Dalton.”

“A petition!  Of what use is a petition to Dalton?  Is he not now in gaol, on a charge of murder?  You would not have me attempt to obstruct the course of justice, would you?  The man will get a fair trial, I hope.”

“I hope so, your honor; but this petition is not about the crime the unfortunate man is in for; it’s an humble prayer to your honor, hopin’ you might restore him—­or, I ought rather to say, his poor family, to the farm that they wor so cruelly put out of.  Will your honor read it, sir, and look into it, bekaise, at any rate, it sets forth too common a case.”

“I am partly acquainted with the circumstances, already; however, let me see the paper.”

“The pedlar placed it in Mr. Travers’ hands,—­who on looking over it, read, somewhat to his astonishment, as follows:—­

“The humble petition of Cornelius Dalton, to his Honor, Mr. John Robert Travers, Esq., on behalf of himself, his Wife, and his afflicted family; now lying in a state of almost superhuman Destitution—­by Eugenius M’Grane, Philomath and classical Instructor in the learned Languages of Latin, English, and the Hibernian Vernacular, with an inceptive Initiation into the Rudiments of Greek, as far as the Gospel of St. John the Divine; attended with copious Disquisitions on the relative Merits of moral and physical Philosophy, as contrasted with the pusillanimous Lectures of that Ignoramus of the first Water, Phadrick M’Swagger, falsely calling himself Philomath—­cum multis aliis quos enumerare longum est: 

“Humbly Sheweth—­

“That Cornelius Dalton, late of Cargah, gentleman agriculturist, held a farm of sixty-six Irish acres, under the Right Honorable (the reverse could be proved with sound and legitimate logic) Lord Mollyborough, an absentee nobleman, and proprietor of the Tullystretchem estate.  That the said Cornelius Dalton entered upon the farm of Cargah, with a handsome capital and abundant stock, as became a man bent on improving it, for both the intrinsic and external edification and comfort of himself and family.  That the rent was originally very high; and, upon complaint of this, several well indited remonstrances, urged with most persuasive and enthusiastic eloquence, as the inditer hereof can testify, were most insignificantly and superciliously disregarded.  That the said Mr.