Tales and Novels, vol 4 | Page 4

and goes to bed sober, Falls as the leaves do, falls
as the leaves do, and dies in October; But he that goes to bed, and goes
to bed mellow, Lives as he ought to do, lives as he ought to do, and
dies an honest fellow."
Sir Patrick died that night: just as the company rose to drink his health
with three cheers, he fell down in a sort of fit, and was carried off; they
sat it out, and were surprised, on inquiry, in the morning, to find that it
was all over with poor Sir Patrick. Never did any gentleman live and
die more beloved in the country by rich and poor. His funeral was such
a one as was never known before or since in the county! All the
gentlemen in the three counties were at it; far and near, how they

flocked! my great grandfather said, that to see all the women even in
their red cloaks, you would have taken them for the army drawn out.
Then such a fine whillaluh![C] you might have heard it to the farthest
end of the county, and happy the man who could get but a sight of the
hearse! But who'd have thought it? just as all was going on right,
through his own town they were passing, when the body was seized for
debt--a rescue was apprehended from the mob; but the heir who
attended the funeral was against that, for fear of consequences, seeing
that those villains who came to serve acted under the disguise of the
law: so, to be sure, the law must take its course, and little gain had the
creditors for their pains. First and foremost, they had the curses of the
country: and Sir Murtagh Rackrent, the new heir, in the next place, on
account of this affront to the body, refused to pay a shilling of the debts,
in which he was countenanced by all the best gentlemen of property,
and others of his acquaintance; Sir Murtagh alleging in all companies,
that he all along meant to pay his father's debts of honour, but the
moment the law was taken of him, there was an end of honour to be
sure. It was whispered (but none but the enemies of the family believe
it), that this was all a sham seizure to get quit of the debts, which he
had bound himself to pay in honour.
It's a long time ago, there's no saying how it was, but this for certain,
the new man did not take at all after the old gentleman; the cellars were
never filled after his death, and no open house, or any thing as it used
to be; the tenants even were sent away without their whiskey.[D] I was
ashamed myself, and knew not what to say for the honour of the family;
but I made the best of a bad case, and laid it all at my lady's door, for I
did not like her any how, nor any body else; she was of the family of
the Skinflints, and a widow; it was a strange match for Sir Murtagh; the
people in the country thought he demeaned himself greatly,[E] but I
said nothing: I knew how it was; Sir Murtagh was a great lawyer, and
looked to the great Skinflint estate; there, however, he overshot himself;
for though one of the co-heiresses, he was never the better for her, for
she outlived him many's the long day--he could not see that to be sure
when he married her. I must say for her, she made him the best of
wives, being a very notable, stirring woman, and looking close to every
thing. But I always suspected she had Scotch blood in her veins; any

thing else I could have looked over in her from a regard to the family.
She was a strict observer for self and servants of Lent, and all fast days,
but not holidays. One of the maids having fainted three times the last
day of Lent, to keep soul and body together, we put a morsel of roast
beef into her mouth, which came from Sir Murtagh's dinner, who never
fasted, not he; but somehow or other it unfortunately reached my lady's
ears, and the priest of the parish had a complaint made of it the next
day, and the poor girl was forced, as soon as she could walk, to do
penance for it, before she could get any peace or absolution, in the
house or out of it. However, my lady was very charitable in her own
way. She had a charity school for poor children, where they were
taught to read and write gratis, and where they were kept well to
spinning gratis for my lady in