He found the whole family assembled
at breakfast, and after the usual salutations, was asked to join them,
which invitation, however, having already breakfasted, he declined. Hycy
had of late been very much abroad--that is to say he was out very much
at night, and dined very frequently in the head-inn of Ballymacan,
when one would suppose he ought to have dined at home. On the present
occasion he saluted honest Gerald with a politeness peculiarly ironical.
"Mr. Cavanagh," said he, "I hope I see you in good health, sir. How
are all the ladies?--Hannah, the neat, and Kathleen--ah, Kathleen, the
divine!"
"Troth, they're all very well, I thank you, Hycy; and how is yourself?"
"Free from care, Mr. Cavanagh--a chartered libertine."
"A libertine!" exclaimed the honest farmer; "troth I've occasionally
heard as much; but until I heard it from your own lips divil a word of
it I believed."
"He is only jesting, Mr. Cavanagh," said his brother; "he doesn't mean
exactly, nor indeed at all, what you suppose he does."
"Does he mean anything at all, Ned?" said his father, dryly, "for of
late it's no aisy matther to understand him."
"Well said, Mr. Burke," replied Hycy; "I am like yourself, becoming
exceedingly oracular of late--but, Mr. Cavanagh, touching this exquisite
union which is contemplated between Adonis and Juno the ox-eyed--does
it still hold good, that, provided always she cannot secure the corrupt
clod-hopper, she will in that ease condescend upon Adonis?"
"Gerald," said the father, "as there's none here so handy at the
nonsense as to understand him, the best way is to let him answer
himself.
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