afternoon's walk. We used to keep a running account at each cottage for the eggs we took, and it was always extraordinary to us how very accurately the peasant women kept their accounts. None of them could read or write, all their little transactions were noted in their memories alone, and not even tally-sticks were used. The price of eggs was constantly varying with the season; sometimes they were 6d. a-dozen, sometimes 9d., sometimes ls. or even more, and though, as I said, we bought eggs at many different times, singly or in twos and threes, when payment was to be made there never was the smallest mistake in reckoning up what was the total sum due. Our fish used to be brought to the house by fishwomen from a small village on the coast about two miles distant. Old "Mary the fish" was the principal one, then there were Biddy and young Mary. Picturesque figures these women were, generally dressed in what was known as a bedgown over a short dark-blue stuff skirt, with bare legs and feet. On their heads they wore white caps with red cotton handkerchiefs folded over them, and tied under their chins. They used to visit all the houses in the district, and hawk their fish through the villages, and, like Luckie Mucklebackit, "scauld and ban wi' ilka wife that will scauld and ban wi' her till it's sauld." Sometimes the fish was carried in a donkey-cart, but more often in a creel slung over the shoulder. These fishwomen all loved the national potheen not wisely but too well and not unfrequently showed its effects. My uncle met " Biddy the fish" one day very far gone in liquor and staggering along the 64 road. "Oh, Biddy," he said, are ye drunk again?" “Blind, Mather Archie," was the reply; and then, in a tone of deep thankfulness, "Glory be to God!" Of course we knew all the women, who were employed about the farm or were married to the various dependents, and indeed most of the villagers and cottars within a considerable distance of the house, and we used to do what we could to help them in their troubles, and sympathise in their happiness. There was one rather trying ordeal which we had to go through when we paid a visit of congratulation after a happy event had occurred in a family. "Sure, ye'll drink the baby's health, miss," and a glass was offered containing whisky poured over some brown sugar. In courtesy, we always braced ourselves to put our lips to this not very tempting caudle-cup, but we would gladly have avoided doing so, if possible. Kind-hearted as I think all the people naturally were, they were capable of being what most persons would call cold-blooded to their nearest and dearest under certain circumstances. The daughter of one of our labourers had long been ill, and it was supposed that she was at the point of death. The priest was sent for and she received the last sacrament. Soon afterwards the crisis of her disorder passed and she only required care, nursing, and food to ensure her recovery. But, as the viaticum had been administered, she was considered to be dead and no one would give her anything or do anything for her. She would certainly soon have died from neglect and weakness if my father had not fortunately heard of the matter; and it was only at his strong re I am quite aware that she may not have had real cases of cancer to deal with and there are numberless other objections which might be raised to the supposition that she had a secret of so much value to the world. I can only say that no doubt was ever mentioned at the time, and that all my family believed that she did what she professed to do. monstrances that she was nursed knowledge to the grave with her. back again to life and health. There was a similar instance in the illness of a stalwart labourer called Barry. He also had received the viaticum, and his wife would do nothing more for him, only watching by his bedside till he should pass away. My sister took him some jelly, found him looking better, and insisted on feeding him with the jelly herself in spite of the tears and remonstrances of his wife and daughters. My sister told me that the wistful look in the poor man's face was inexpressibly touching. Barry recovered, and many years later was one of the men who carried my father to his grave. member two instances at least in which she effected a perfect cure, and these were vouched for by the Protestant clergyman of our parish. The cases had been diagnosed by a qualified medical man, who could offer no chance of cure except by an operation. Mrs Corrigan took them in hand, and the clergyman said that her treatment was the application of certain herbal infusions, which resulted in the whole diseased part coming away as if it had been drawn up by the roots. The patients never subsequently suffered in any way. It was often proposed that some scientific man should try to get Mrs Corrigan to disclose her secret, if she really had one to tell, but the opportunity was lost, and she died, taking her The beggars of the country-side were a very important part of its people, and they used to go the round of all the houses, visiting each at regular intervals, and making sure of receiving charity in one form or another. When they made their visits they would come and stand outside the house until they received notice. They knew each of the family familiarly by name, and took the liveliest interest in all our doings. They were never allowed to go to the back of the house and have dealings with the servants, but always received their dole at the front-door from one of ourselves. It would be considered odd nowadays to hand out a plate of victuals from the luncheon-table to a ragged creature on the doorstep, but this was done, besides giving some trifle of money. The plate, knife, and fork were always carefully handed in again after the food was consumed. Some of the beggars were very eccentric characters, and one in particular, Miss Daly, would in England have probably been put into an asylum. She used to go about dressed in scraps of faded finery, and was always a very grotesque figure. Weak in intellect she certainly was, but she had more wits than she generally received credit for possessing, and could sometimes say a sharp thing. One of fighting if it ever came to that. There was ample employment provided for us, however, and I think we were quite sufficiently prepared to take our parts. My father was very particular that all his arrangements should be strictly carried out, and he inspected every detail nightly to see that all was in order. Once or twice he gave a false alarm in the middle of the night, and was very angry with my brothers, who carelessly had not placed their shoes and clothes quite ready to put on. I often wonder now at the matter-of-course way in which we took all these arrangements. None of us were, I think, nervous, though we had to clamber over obstructions when we went to bed, and we never knew that we might not be awakened by the noise of firearms. We believed at the time, and I am pretty sure that it was really the case, that my father would have received secret warning of an attack from some of the country-people, who had a great regard for him, before any thing was attempted against the house. If such a warning had come, we might have been able to send for assistance, but my father was resolved to be ready for any emergency. Some of our garrison used to patrol near the house and towards the village every evening after nightfall. They always had password and, when they returned to the house, they had to give the password before they were allowed to enter. There was great excitement one night when the patrol came home in a great hurry, saying that the rebellion had certainly broken out, for a squadron of theth had just passed the gate. We all thought that my father would have at once prepared for the worst, but when he heard that the squadron was on its way from barracks to a village some miles beyond our house in the opposite direction, he said we might all go to bed; if the soldiers had been going the other way, there might have been some cause for alarm, but, as it was, we need not be anxious. There was an alarm-signal preconcerted between our house and our friends in the village to give mutual warning in case of danger. A bell tolled in the village would inform us of an outbreak there, and a gun-shot from our house would tell the world that we were threatened with attack. How often I have wakened at night, having dreamed that I heard the alarm-bell, and remained for long anxiously wondering whether the noise ringing in my ears was real or imaginary! Everybody knows that the Fenian conspiracy came to nothing; but our fears were by no means groundless and, though our our preparations were never put to the test, it was unquestionably right and prudent that they should have been made. We knew afterwards that our county was described in the conspirators' roll of their strength as "weak but willing." Α very little want of precaution on the part of the Government, and the loyal people might have given to the Fenians the strength that was wanting to them. No Irish house would be complete without its share of the supernatural, and I am bound to say that I believed at the time of their occurrence, and I still believe, that many unaccountable and well-authenticated circumstances have come within my personal knowledge, however they may now be explained by persons who do not allow that "there are more things in heaven and earth,” &c. The ghost or revenant which belonged to our house I have never seen though I have often heard it. A certain gentleman, known familiarly as "Red Cap," used to drive up to the hall-door and from thence to the stables, which were at some little distance, and sometimes he has been seen to drive a pair of grey horses round the stable-yard. There can be no doubt that I, as well as all my family, have often heard most distinctly a carriage drive past the house, with the regular beat of the horses' feet and the grinding of wheels, when there was no possible known origin for the peculiar and well-marked sounds. So accustomed were we to the occurrence that we paid no attention to it, and I remember that frequently, when we had company in the evening, a stranger would ask who was the late arrival and would be told, "Oh, it's nothing. It's only Red Cap," very much to his or her astonishment when the ex planation was given. The story ran that, in olden days, a member of a county family had been shot at our gate and that his unquiet spirit still often revisited the scene of his death. But "Red Cap's" visits had no particular meaning and did not portend either disaster or good fortune. It was very different with occurrences at a country house, the property of one of our oldest friends. There, before the death of one of the family, a pack of hounds was said to be always seen hunting in the woods near the house. I had often heard that when the old squire, a contemporary of my grandfather, died, many people saw the hounds in full cry; but I know that, on one Sunday in my own recollection, several people who were well He known saw and heard a pack of hounds hunting through the woods. The owner of the property, a colonel in the army, was one of them, and was, in the first instance, very much annoyed that anybody should have had hounds out on his grounds on such a day. thought that some of the county hounds had possibly got away from their kennels and were hunting on their own account and sent to inquire if this was the case; but no, the hounds had remained quiet all that day. Then he sent to rather a wild young gentleman who kept a pack of harriers and might have forgotten propriety so far as to have them out on a Sunday. But he also could show that he and his harriers had been at home. The curious thing was that a telegram was shortly afterwards received, saying that the colonel's brother and heir had died of cholera in India. The facts of the hunting-hounds having been seen by so many people and the death which immediately followed caused a great deal of remark at the time and have never yet received any commonplace explanation. At the same house, when I myself was staying there on a visit, occurred some incidents which made a very deep impression on me, and indeed on all the other guests. I daresay many readers may know that peacocks are supposed, by unusual conduct, to presage misfortune. Neither I nor most, at any rate, of the other inmates of House at the time I speak of knew of this belief, so the sequel of the circumstances which I shall relate struck us with peculiar force and vividness. A lady staying in the house had a young child with her which had been ailing for some days. One evening she came down-stairs in very low spirits after nursing her child all day and said, "I'm sure I must give up all hope, for the peacock has come round to my side of the house, and all to-day it has been sitting on the windowsill." Of course all the rest of the party pooh-poohed the notion, and tried to cheer her a little. No one was more emphatic in scorning the idea that the peacock could give a bad omen than a young man of the highest promise, and extremely popular with all of us, as he was in every society. Nothing that could be said brought any confidence or comfort to the mother, however, and to our great sorrow her forebodings were justified, for the poor child died during the following night. Even then none of us thought any more about the peacock, or, if we remembered its conduct at all, we only looked upon it as a strange coincidence. The mother with her dead child left the house and about two days afterwards the young man whom I mentioned above told us at breakfast, "If I was inclined to be superstitious, I should be afraid that something was going to happen to me next, for the peacock now insists upon haunt ing my side of the house, and has been sitting on my window-sill." As he was in the best of spirits, and apparently in the highest health, we all joined with him in laughing at the implied warning by the bird. He left us on either that or the following day, and the next we heard of him was that he had suddenly taken ill, and had died in London. The shock of the death of one to whom we were all so much attached was terrible, and I do not think that any one who was of the small party at House at that time cared afterwards to talk of peacocks and their ways. Another house in our old county belongs to Lord and it is said that before the death of the head of the family foxes are always seen sitting on the doorstep of the house. Only one of the Lords has died in my time, and it is well known that two foxes were seen during all the day previous to the good old man's death playing about on the lawns, and in the early morning of the day itself they were seen sitting on the doorsteps. As the house is in the heart of the best hunting country in Ireland, where foxes are most carefully preserved, perhaps it is too much to say that the sight of a fox or foxes has there, at any time, any unusual significance. To pass to what was a case of very curiously justified foreboding. There was a piano-tuner who used to come from Dublin periodically to tune our piano and do the same service in the various country houses. He had an unconquerable dread of being drowned and could never be induced to enter a boat or trust himself on water under any conditions. And yet he met his death by drowning in a very strange manner. He was in an omnibus in Dublin which by some accident was capsized while crossing a bridge over the canal, and, falling over the low parapet, was precipitated into the lock. The water was only a foot or two deep and there was no reason why the passengers should not all have been extricated at the cost of a few broken bones and bruises. the result had not been so ghastly, the peculiarly Irish train of the canal-lock-keeper's reasoning would be in the highest degree droll. He felt he ought to do something when If |