be supposed, I slackened my pace, laying the blame on a slack girth, and which I made a show of tightening, in order to allow of the old woman's approach. The only words she uttered were," She has it-she is yours! Be off-be off! If the master sees me, I'am kilt!" she did not even wait for her reward, but wheeled away and took to the earth like an old fox, under the covert of a high impending bank, where she crouched as if fearful of observation. I remounted, and was soon up with my party.

I perceived with pleasure that poor Nanny was travelling in perfect personal comfort, although her stern immoveability of countenance showed no signs either of pleasure or pain; equally proof to the expression of hope or fear. Her father, who, apparently, had made up his mind for an awful change of life, had endeavoured, by the help of an occasional half-noggin of the native, to keep his spirits afloat. His daughter, true to her promise had not encouraged the slightest hope of his obtaining a discharge, although it must have wrung her kind heart to hear his deep and heavy sighs whenever he approached her to give instructions for the management of the house after losing him! Another day's trial, my poor Nanny, thought I, and your heart shall be at ease.

We reached our stage at dusk, and were not long in providing quarters, which I preferred paying for under one roof, rather than run risks by taking scattered billets.

To a poor Irishman a bed is never an object of concern, particularly at such a season of the year. A barn plentifully strewed with clean straw, and here and there a blanket, was found quite sufficient to supply the wants and gratify the wishes of recruits and escort. The latter furnished two sentries during the short summer's night to prevent desertion. The morning parade, however, found every man on the roll present and fresh for the march, which I extended that day to a village within the short distance of five miles to headquarters.

Poor Nany's countenance, for the first time, betrayed symptoms of change during this last march, overspread by a deadly paleness at one moment and at the next burning with the flush of fever; she tottered rather than walked to her father's side, when we halted for the night, and clung to him, as if he alone of all earthly objects, were the most dear to her; and so he was! At that moment, I wished to have said a few words to her, but had too much to do in making my arrangements for the accommodation and security of my men to afford me time. But, imagine! with what a look of fervent gratitude she turned her tearless heavy eye to heaven, when she heard me say to the sergeant," Old Fleming need not sleep in the barn with the

recruits-he may go with his daughter to her lodging." Her pale and quivering lips moved in silence; and grasping the arm of her father, who seemed unconscious of his movements, she hurried him off as if still fearful of a recall.

THE village or small town in which we were to quarter for the night, consisted of fifty or sixty straggling houses and cabins, two of which were inns, as the good landladies termed them. In the second best (I must not say worst, for the honour of the country,) poor Nanny found a lodging for herself and parent.

At an early hour the next morning I sent of a messenger to my friend of many names, the adjutant, to request a fife and drum to beat my party into town. I was in no hurry to proceed forward; so leaving my sergeant and the experienced Corporal Dumphy to dress up the recruits in their clothing, which I did not allow them to wear on the march, I bent my steps down the village towards the ale-house, where Nanny and the old truant, her father, had housed themselves. The poor girl was dressed in her best, as neat and tidy as if prepared to go to chapel as a bride; and, to my, eye she seemed an object not unworthy the honest civilities of a better man than Sergeant Macnab. After a long, and I dare say very prosy lecture to old Fleming, I gave him his regular release (never having been attested,) and accepted the money to reimburse the sergeant, and receiving also the customary twenty shillings smart money, for all of which I had my reasons. "And now, old man, you are free: go home with your best of daughters; make your family happy, and God bless you!"

The old man was so overpowered by delight, by astonishment, and gratitude, that he stood rolling his leaden eyes in stupid amazement, hardly knowing what to think; while, from the eyes of his generous and devoted daughter burst a flood of tears, which all her past affliction had failed to extract. She fell on her knees, ere I could prevent the unwished-for prostration; and with her firm and sinewy hands pressed mine al

ternately to her lips and heart, incapable of uttering a syllable of thanks. I was not of an age and temperament to stand cold and unmoved at such a scene. I raised poor Nanny from her humble posture; and when her tongue found words, she said, in her homely but fervent way, "O! may the blessing of the child, of the father, and the whole family, be about you by day and by night; and may the prayers of poor Nanny defend you in the hour of danger!"

The blessings of the innocent are surely registered in heaven! The old man hastily rushed out of the room, for what purpose I could not guess; but I took advantage of his temporary absence to force on the sublime-minded Nanny a paper containing all the money her poor father had handed to me, "And, now, dear Nanny," said I, "excellent girl! we part to meet no more!" I involuntarily opened my arms to embrace her, when she fell almost senseless on my shoulder; then pressing me with more than feminine force, she clasped me to her throbbing bosom, while her tears bedewed my cheek, bestowing on me a kiss, the ardour of which must, for the moment, have made my lips pale. It was not the kiss of gross or vulgar passion; nor yet the ecstatic trembling touch of doting first love! it was such a kiss as the devotee would have bestowed on the shrine of his saint; or the fond mother have imprinted on the lip of the child of her heart, as the last token of maternal tenderness when parting to meet no meet no more!

During this tender scene, in bolted the old father, with a glass in one hand, and a bottle of stuff in the other, to which the landlady had given the brevet-rank of port; and which, in the fulness of his gratitude, he had purchased as a treat to me. "Here, Captain," said he, filling a bumper, "and now give her another," for he had entered at the conclusion of my sentimental embrace, "wishing Nanny a good husband and soon."

"That I will, with all my heart," I replied, and after repeating the toast, but not the embrace, drank off the pernicious compound to the dregs, and departed.

As I walked, skipped, hopped, or heaven knows how, found my way along the dirty and desolate street, on my return to my quarters, my feet seemed scarcely to touch the ground; my head was giddy, my heart swam in a sea of delight. O! of all earthly joys, surely that of making a virtuous being supremely happy is the most exquisite. Ambition, love, pleasure, even the enchanting Maria, were all forgotten in this moment of sweet delirium. I could only think of the fond and faithful Nanny returning to her native roof, bringing in her hand that penitent parent, who had hitherto only brought affliction on their humble house, but whose presence would be greeted as

the harbinger of joy and days of happiness to the domestic circle.

On repairing to the barrack-room, a mass of human hair, which lay, coiled up, like a huge black spaniel, in a corner, the mowings of Mr. Husho's unsparing scissors from the heads of my rugged recruits, was speedily repaired by a profuse lather of soap over the remaining crop, which, when nearly cold, was well plastered with a thick coat of flour; a knife scraped the margin of the face into the semblance of whiskers. Thus rendered soldier-like, the cap was screwed upon the head of the passive wearer, and then the barber's task was done. A new shirt, never yet washed, and stiff as buckram, a white cloth vest, white duck trousers, and slop-jacket, with just cuffs and collar to mark the regiment, completed the toilet; not forgetting a stock of coarse black leather, of such unbending inflexibility, that the blow of a sledge hammer alone could reduce it to any degree of obedience.

All was now ready; the bill paid, roll called-" All present, sir," (except Fleming, discharged.) We were just setting off, when I recollected that the return cer would be most convenient for poor Nanny and her father; so, satisfying the carman for its use, at the moderate rate of two shillings to Manor Rawdon, I sent it down the village to the heroic girl, with my good wishes that last kind office done, I never saw her more.

CHAPTER XXV.

"He made me mad

To see him shine so brisk, and smell so sweet,
And talk so like a waiting gentlewoman."

WE marched at the most moderate pace, as I was unwilling that perspiration should defraud Mr. Husho of those honours which he exhibited on the white-washed cheeks and heads of my new-clad band. We were about two hours marching four miles and a half. When arrived at a cross-road, about half a mile from head-quarters, we saw in a state of loitering repose, a score, or, perhaps, thirty, brother-soldiers,-if such a motley group ought to be honoured with the name-apparently waiting our arrival.

My messenger of the morning then came forward with a note from the captain-adjutant (the most good-natured man that ever cracked a joke, or his cane, on an awkward squad) to me, to say, that as Ensign O'Regan was also on the march with a batch of men from Mullingar, he, the adjutaut, had sent him orders to halt for me; and as our united parties, some forty or fifty men, would cut a formidable appearance, he had sent two drums and fifes, and one of the recruiting flags, in order that we might march into town with an imposing aspect.

The aforesaid Ensign O'Regan, whom, I afterwards learned, was not fool enough to stick to the sword as a profession, was a fat, jolly-looking gentleman of forty, who had already raised and sold, for various regiments, some scores of men; and the bowld Captain O'Regan, and his tall swaggering sergeant, Jemmy Clanchy, were known in every sheebeen from Mayo to Mullingar. To this gentleman I made my salute; and on asking the date of his commission, in order to settle the order of command, (what a command!) he most good-humouredly rcplied, "The devil receive the commission I have; only tell me where to go, and I'll do just as you please. I know nothing about manœuvring my men; I only wish they were out of my hands. On requesting him to order his men to fall in, he spoke to them in Irish, and they soon formed in rank; each man, or nearly each, armed with a shillelagh in his hand, which it would be much more agreeable to see than feel. My spalpeens were absolutely crack guardsmen in comparison to Captain O'Regan's squad; and being all in regimentals, while only a sprinkling of red jackets were to be seen amongst his, the post of honour was readily accorded: but to save all jealousies as to command, we rode abreast in front of our united party, until we reached the town, when we dismounted and marched sword in hand, the drummers battering their sheepskins most furiously, while the fifers, whenever they could be heard, gave "The girl that I left behind me," with all the pathos their cracked shrill piploes were capable of imparting.

A squat, cubical-formed, half-witted fellow, called Shaun O'Neil, was honoured with the charge of the colours, which he waved from side to side, as our party wound its way through the sinuosities of this bustling market-town, exposed to the grins of the whole population: and I really felt it a relief, when, escaping from the main street, we scaled the steep and stony acclivity on which the castle-barracks are perched.

But a fresh mortification awaited me there. On gaining the castle-gate, all the officers of the regiment at head-quarters had assembled to behold us. In front of the group stood the commanding officer, Major Muskerry; a soldier of six weeks*