AH! SHEELAH, THOU'RT MY DARLING. Ah! Sheelah, thou 'rt my darling, part : Though doom'd to cross the ocean, My heart is thine where'er I go; My heart is thine where'er I go; When toss'd upon the billow, And angry tempests round me blow, Let not the gloomy willow O'ershade thy lovely lily brow: I'll soon return with glory, And, like sweet William, wed thee too : Ah! Sheelah, thou 'rt my darling, My heart is thine where'er I go. When summer days gave leisure Is far upon the stormy main, Farewell, ye lofty mountains, Your flow'ry wilds we wont to rove, Ye woody glens and fountains, The dear retreats of mutual love.Alas! we now must sever O Sheelah! to thy vows be true! My heart is thine for ever One fond embrace, and then adieu; Ah! Sheelah, thou 'rt my darling, One fond embrace, and then adieu. The Landlord and the Agent. MARIA EDGEWORTH. [MARIA EDGEWORTH, the daughter of Richard Lovell Edgeworth, was an author for half a century. She was associated with her father in writing "Practical Education," published in 1798. Her novels have survived many changes of fashion and opinions ;-her merits, as a delineator of Irish character and habits, always having in view the great cause of social improvement, will give her a high place amongst the writers of the days of George III. The evening of her life was as happy as her long career had been useful. She died in 1849, aged 83.] My poor master was in great trouble after my lady left us. The execution came down; and everything at Castle Rackrent was seized by the gripers, and my son Jason, to his shame be it spoken, amongst them. I wondered, for the life of me, how he could harden himself to do it; but then he had been studying the law, and had made himself attorney Quirk; so he brought down at once a heap of accounts upon my master's head. To cash lent, and to ditto, and to ditto, and to ditto, and oats, and bills paid at the milliner's and linen-draper's, and many dresses for the fancy balls in Dublin for my lady, and all the bills to the workmen and tradesmen for the scenery of the theatre, and the chandler's and grocer's bills, the tailor's, besides butcher's and baker's, and, worse than all, the old one of that base wine merchant that wanted to arrest my poor master for the amount on the election day, for which amount Sir Condy afterwards passed his note of hand bearing lawful interest from the date thereof; and the interest and compound interest was now mounted to a terrible deal on many other notes and bonds for money borrowed, and there was besides hush money to the sub-sheriffs, and sheets upon sheets of old and new attorney's bills, with heavy balances, as per former account furnished, brought forward with interest thereon; then there was a powerful deal due to the crown for sixteen years' arrear of quit-rent of the town-lands of Carrickshaughlin, with driver's fees, and a compliment to the receiver every year for letting the quit-rent run on, to oblige Sir Condy, and Sir Kit afore him. Then there were bills for spirits and ribands at the election time, and the gentlemen of the committee's accounts unsettled, and their subscription never gathered-, and there were cows to be paid for, with the smith and farrier's bills to be set against the rent of the demesne, with calf and hay money; then there was all the servants' wages, since I don't know when, coming due to them, and sums advanced for them by my son Jason for clothes, and boots, and whips, and odd moneys for sundries expended by them in journeys to town and elsewhere, and pocket-money for the master continually, and messengers and postage before his being a parliament man; I can't myself tell you what besides; but this I know, that when the evening came on which Sir Condy had appointed to settle all with my son Jason, and when he comes into the parlour, and sees the sight of bills and loads of papers all gathered on the great dining-table for him, he puts his hands before both his eyes, and cried out, 66 Merciful Jasus! what is it I see before me?" Then I sets an arm-chair at the table for him, and with a deal of difficulty he sets him down, and my son Jason hands him over the pen and ink to sign to this man's bill and t'other man's bill, all which he did without making the least objections. Indeed, to give him his due, I never seen a man more fair and honest and easy in all his dealings, from first to last as Sir Condy, or more willing to pay every man his own as far as he was able, which is as much as any one can do. "Well," says he, joking-like with Jason, "I wish we could settle it all with a stroke of my gray goose quill. What signifies making me wade through all this ocean of papers here; can't you now, who understand drawing out an account, debtor and creditor, just sit down here at the corner of the table, and get it done out for me, that I may have a clear view of the balance, which is all I need be talking about, you know?" "Very true, Sir Condy, nobody understands business better than yourself," says Jason. "So I've a right to do, being born and bred to the bar," says Sir Condy. "Thady, do step out and see are they bringing in the things for the punch, for we've just done all we have to do this evening." I goes out accordingly, and when I came back Jason was pointing to the balance, which was a terrible sight to my poor master. "Pooh! pooh! pooh!" says he, "here's so many noughts they dazzle my eyes, so they do, and put me in mind of all I suffered, larning of my numeration table, when I was a boy at the day-school along with you, Jason-units, tens, hundreds, tens of hundreds. Is the punch ready, Thady?" says he, seeing me. "Immediately;— the boy has the jug in his hand; it's coming up-stairs, please your honour, as fast as possible," says I, for I saw his honour was tired out of his life; but Jason, very short and cruel, cuts me off with "Don't be talking of punch, yet a while; it's no time for punch yet a bit-units, tens, hundreds," goes he on, counting over the master's shoulder, " units, tens, hundreds, thou sands". "where "A-a-ah! hold your hand," cries my master in this wide world am I to find hundreds, or units itself, let alone thousands?" "The balance has been running on too long," says Jason, sticking to him as I could not have done at the time, if you'd have given both the Indies and Cork to boot; "the bal ance has been running on too long, and I'm distressed myself on your account, Sir Condy, for money, and the thing must be settled now on the spot, and the balance cleared off," says Jason. "I'll thank you if you'll only show me how," says Sir Condy. "There's but one way," says Jason, "and that's ready enough: when there's no cash, what can a gentleman do, but go to the land?" "How can you go to the land, and it under custodian to yourself already," says Sir Condy, "and another custodian hanging over it? and no one at all can touch it, you know, but the custodees." "Sure can't you sell, though at a loss? sure you can sell, and I've a purchaser ready for you," says Jason. "Have ye so?" said Sir Condy; "that's a great point gained; but there's a thing now beyond all, that perhaps you don't know yet, barring Thady has let you into the secret." "Sarrah bit of a secret, or anything at all of the kind, has he larned from me these fifteen weeks come St John's Eve," says I: "for we have scarce been upon speaking terms of late; but what is it your honour means of a secret?" "Why, the secret of the little keepsake I gave my Lady Rackrent the morning she left us, that she might not go back empty-handed to her friends." "My Lady Rackrent, I'm sure, has baubles and keepsakes enough, as those bills on the table will show," says Jason; "but whatever it is," says he,. taking up his pen, "we must add it to the balance, for to be sure it can't be paid for." "No, nor can't till after my decease," said Sir Condy; "that's one good thing." Then colouring up a good deal, he tells Jason of the memorandum of the five hundred a year jointure he had settled upon my lady; at which Jason was indeed mad, and said a great deal in very high words, that it was using a gentleman, who had the management of his affairs, and was moreover his principal creditor, extremely ill, to do such a thing without consulting him, and against his knowledge and consent. To all which Sir Condy had nothing to reply, but that upon his conscience, it was in a hurry and without a moment's thought on his part, and he was very sorry for it, but if it was to do over again he would do the same; and he appealed to me, and I was ready to give my evidence, if that would do, to the truth of all he said. So Jason with much ado was brought to agree to a compromise. "The purchaser that I have ready," says he, "will be much displeased, to be sure, at the incumbrance on the land, but I must see and manage him; here's a deed ready drawn up; we have nothing to do but to put in the consideration money and our names to it." "And how much am I going to sell?-the lands of O'Shaughlin's town, and the lands of Gruneaghoolaghan, and the lands of Crookagnawaturgh," says he, just reading to himself,-"and-oh,-murder, Jason! sure you won't put this in -the castle, stable, and appurtenances of Castle Rackrent." "Oh, murder!" says I, clapping my hands, "this is too bad, Jason." "Why so?" said Jason, "when it's all, and a great deal more at the back of it, lawfully mine." "Look at him," says I, pointing to Sir Condy, who was just leaning back in his arm-chair, with his arms falling beside him like one stupified; "is it you, Jason, that can stand in his presence, and recollect all he has been to us, and all we have been to him, and yet use him so at the last?" "Who will you find to use him better, I ask you?" said Jason; "if he can get a better purchaser, I am content; I only offer to purchase, to make things easy and oblige him: though I don't see what compliment I am under, if you come to that; I have never had, asked, or charged more than sixpence in the pound, receiver's fees; and where would he have got an agent for a penny less?" "Oh, Jason! Jason! how will you stand to this in the face of the country and all who know you?" says I; "and what will people think and say, when they see you living here in Castle Rackrent, and the lawful owner turned out of the seat of his ancestors, without a cabin to put his head into, or so much as a potato to eat?" Jason, whilst I was saying this, and a great deal more, made me signs, and winks, and frowns; but I took no heed; |