nately a staff appointment became vacant, and Colonel Macleod was gazetted to the command of the 18th "vice Selby promoted."

The veteran parted from his companions in arms with unfeigned regret. To the senior officers he was endeared by many a recollection of "Auld lang syne;" and on the younger he looked with the feelings of a too indulgent father, who forgives juvenile aberrations he should correct, from a mistaken but excusable affection. My dear boys," he said, as on the morning of his departure he addressed himself to a group of wild ones, among whom my father was a leader" be more upon your guard. Remember it is not the old man' with whom you will have to deal in future. Others may not make allowances for the exuberance of youthful spirits. Be cautious, my darling boys, and when I'm far away, recollect my parting admonition." They did so before long, as the sequel will demonstrate.

The

Colonel Selby intended quitting the barrack by the backgate, for his heart was too full to permit his looking at the regiment for the last time with tolerable composure. men were formed on parade, when their beloved commander was observed issuing from his quarters, leaning on my father's arm. Then a singular scene of military excitement ensued. The soldiers piled their arms, and rushed forward in one wild tumultuary mass. A chair was procured, and the colonel elevated on the shoulders of the tallest of the grenadiers. The band formed in front, and followed by the whole corps, officers and drum-boys, lightbobs and pioneers, women and children, and all the tag-rag and bobtail appertaining to a regiment, they proceeded in glorious confusion round the streets, and passed the inn with deafening cheers, just as the old man's successor stepped from a hackney. chaise.

Whether it was that no enthusiastic tokens of regret had marked the new commander's parting with the regiment he had quitted, certain it is, that this public demonstration of attachment to his predecessor did not operate favourably on his temper, when afterward receiving the complimentary visits of his new companions. He was a hard, weather-beaten, thin, tall, bilious Scotsman, who had passed every gradation of service from a drum-boy to the command. He was a teasing martinet, and an unforgiving disciplinarian. A constitutional harshness in temper and appearance was so remarkable, that an Irish corporal, in describing him to a comrade, declared that " he was cut out of a crab-tree, while the car

penter, to get all the knots in the stick, had kept as near the root as possible."

It so happened that an elderly gentlewoman of some property, who had never been seduced into matrimony, resided in the town. She was a personage of goodly size, great hospitality, and inveterate devotion to the card-table. Shortly before Colonel Selby's departure, a feud had broken out between this lady and some juniors of the regiment. She loved loo-they patronized country-dancing-and at her last fête, taking umbrage at the obstinacy with which she rejected the introduction of a fiddle, they unceremoniously left the room, declaring one and all, that they would stand loo no longer.

This was bad enough in all conscience; but here the delinquency did not end. Unfortunately, in their "exit in a huff," they passed the supper-room. The door was open, the servants otherwise engaged, and the table already covered. This was a tempting sight certainly, and it was hard, at that late hour, to retire fasting. A consultation ensued. To return up-stairs was determined to be "infra dignitatem," to depart supperless a thing not to be tolerated. The course of action was soon decided—one seized a ham, another chose a turkey, my father adopted a chicken-pie, and a fourth selected a cooper of port. None departed empty-handed; and so rapidly was the larceny effected, that the delinquents were quietly refreshing themselves with the abstracted property, and taking their ease in the next inn, before the astonished mistress of the house was advertised, that the better moiety of her entertainment had departed with her rebellious guests.

Deep was the indignation of the hostess. She, one of the Macnamaras of Clare, to be treated with incivility, and that too in her own house, was

"To beard the lion in his den,
The Douglass in his hall!"

That night she never closed an eye, and early next morning indited a letter to her kinsman Captain Anthony O'Dogherty, quondam of the Buffs, to require that he should exact due satisfaction for the injury, and take immediate vengeance on the persons of the offenders. But on reflection, she recollected that honest Anthony's pistol-hand had been already damaged in action; and even were he in full force, he was but one man, and what was that among so many. Legal redress came next under consideration, and her solicitor, Billy Davock was consulted in form.

Billy was a short, punchy little man, wore a light-coloured scratch-wig, took brown snuff, and was reputed the best opinion in cases of assault and battery, "this side of Dublin." He heard the story attentively, took a long and deliberate pinch of high-toast, shook his head, and requested to have the advantage of a night's reflection, for which he subsequently introduced an item in his bill, under the denomination of "loss of sleep, 13s. 4d."

Next morning, Billy Davock visited his fair client right early. He had turned the case over attentively; and flagrant as it was he nevertheless admitted that doubts and dubitations had arisen. Great caution would be necessary in framing the indictment. If Major Cæsar Blake, whom might the Lord mend! was charged in the counts with stealing the ham, he would escape condign punishment, if he, the major, could satisfy the jury that he had merely purloined the turkey. Besides, the delinquents might prove an alibi. By the evidence of the company, she, Miss Macnamara, it is true, might establish the fact of the said Cæsar, with others named in the indictment, having been on her premises the night of the larceny. But then the barrackguard would swear any thing they were directed to swear by their officers, as a matter of course. Consequently they, the defendants, would prove, by the affidavits of a sergeant, corporal, and twelve privates, that they had never left the mess-room. If the prosecution failed, the traversers would have a good action for defamation and loss of character, and heavy damages would be recovered. Under these perplexing circumstances, he, Billy Davock, would advise a case to be submitted to counsel; and he would accordingly, if his client so instructed him, take the opinion of certain persons whom he enumerated as being learned in the law.

But, on mature consideration, Miss Macnamara, alarmed at the complexity of the case, abandoned all hope of legal redress. She had, she discovered, but one safe remedy against the parties, and that was their eternal exclusion from her card and supper tables.

It is to be lamented that this merciful determination of the injured gentlewoman did not operate upon the offender as it should. Whether it was that, hardened by impunity, or piqued because at the next entertainment their names were not found among those bidden to the feast, does not appear; but certain it is, that having discussed an additional quantity of old port, they, "suadente diabolo," sallied out at mid

night, to concert and carry on measures of retaliation upon the already sinned against Miss Macnamara.

a

The house of this persecuted lady was situate in the centre of the town; yet being, what is in Connaught termed " lone woman,' to preserve property and person, it hehoved her to have her domicile well secured. Accordingly, the lower windows were defended by iron stanchions that effectually prevented ingress to, or egress from the mansion. Of this the conspirators took advantage: they screwed gimblets silently into the doors and door-posts, front and rear, lashed them together by a stout cord, and thus Miss Macnamara and her guests were illegally deprived of liberty.

This effected, a slater's ladder was procured from an adjacent yard, a horse-sheet saturated with water, and one of the party, who had been formerly in the navy, mounting the roof, clambered to the chimney-top, and effectually choaked the funnel by stuffing it with the wet cloth.

All within the mansion was joy and revelry; supper had ended, and it was as all admitted, excellent and extensive enough to make amply up for the spoliation of its predeces

sor.

The gentlemen were indulging in brandy punch, and the ladies refreshing themselves with portwine negus. Miss Macnamara, having "cleaned out" the company at loo, was of course in glorious spirits; and Colonel Macleod, who occupied the post of honour beside the hostess, apparently infected by the general hilarity, twisted his saturnine features into what he intended for a smile. A probationer from Maynooth had just favoured the revellers with that celebrated drinking song, intituled, "Jolly mortals, fill your glasses," and a débutante from Mrs. Mac Greal's finishing school at Cloonakilty, was arranging her mouth to execute "Will you come to the bower?"-ladies laughed, gentlemen pinched them beneath the table-cloth, fun was the order of the night, care might go hang himself,

"And all went merry as a marriage bell!"

Just then a long continuous volume of dense smoke came rolling down the chimney; "Murder!" cried the chief attendant. 66 Bad luck to them thieves, the sweeps! they promised to be here a week ago." Puff, puff, puff, went the chimney. "Raise the windows!" exclaimed the hostess, who happened to be constitutionally thick-winded. Puff, puff, puff" Holy Virgin! I'm smothered!" ejaculated Captain O'Dowd, who had recently returned to his native

town, with a confirmed asthma and increased pension. Puff, puff, puff-"Open the hall door!" roared the priest. "It's fastened without."

Puff, puff" Try the back one, for the love of heaven!" "It won't open."

The consternation was awful; the company hurried from the supper room; and the Colonel, who from a pulmonary infirmity, was necessitated to make a rapid retreat, having inserted his spurs in the table-cloth, removed it, glasses and all, without the assistance of the servants. Death appear

ed inevitable, and the only reasonable doubt was, whether the coroner would attribute it to fright or suffocation. That nicer etiquette, which in ordinary cases prohibits interviews in bedchambers to all ladies and gentlemen who have not been joined in holy wedlock, was now disregarded, and sufferers of both sexes might be discovered in all departments of the establishment, in search of a more endurable atmosphere. At that moment of general distress, a voice from the street exclaimed, "The top of the morning to you, mother Macnamara ! Will you give us Jolly mortals' again, if you please."

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"It's them thieves of the world from the barrack !" exclaimed the butler. Open the door and let us out, or, by the etarnal frost, I'll swear my life agin yees in the mornin'!" But equally vain would have been threats or solicitations on the blockading party, had not several lanterns been seen approaching. Off the delinquents scampered, leaving their deliverance from captivity to be achieved by the domestics of the détenus, who fortunately were at hand.

If Miss Sally Macnamara was mortally offended at this daring attempt upon the lives and liberties of her loo party, Colonel Macleod was not less incensed at having been confined by his own corps, and smoked by them with as scanty ceremony as they would have extended to a badger. The delinquents were threatened with courts-martial by the commander, and apprized that law proceedings were instituted for false imprisonment by Billy Davock, who, unfortunately for them, had been among the number of the sufferers.

The parting admonition of the old Colonel was now painfully recollected; and, too late, the wild youths discovered that his successor was one of different mould. To some, the consequences of the mad exploit would have been ruinous; and, undervaluing the result, or calculating with false