"
In this she spoke truth. Honest and hearty was the welcome he received
from them, as with sparkling eyes and a warm grasp they greeted him
on his return. Not only had Paddy Mullin and Jemmy Kelly run up in
haste--the latter, who had been digging in his garden, without waiting
to put on his hat or coat--but other families in the neighborhood, young
and old, crowded in to welcome him home---from Dublin--for in that lay
the principal charm. The bottle was again produced, and a holiday spirit
now prevailed among them. Questions upon questions were put to him with
reference to the wonders they had heard of the great metropolis--of
the murders and robberies committed upon travellers--the kidnapping of
strangers from the country--the Lord Lieutenant's Castle, with three
hundred and sixty-four windows in it, and all the extraordinary sights
and prodigies which it is supposed to contain. In a few minutes after
this friendly accession to their numbers had taken place, a youth
entered about nineteen years of age--handsome, tall, and well-made--in
fact, such a stripling as gave undeniable promise of becoming a fine,
powerful young man. On being handed a glass of whiskey he shook hands
with M'Mahon, welcomed him home, and then drank all their healths by
name until he came to that of Dora, when he paused, and, coloring,
merely nodded towards her.
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