Preview ORMOND VOL. 2
Oxmono! VoL- 9 Ltbrartan Utearpara Joykcishus Public Lidrasp Govt. of West Beogzal _ CHAP. I. « WHAT! no music, uo dancing at Castle Hermitage to night; and all the ladies sitting in a formal circle, petri- fying into perfect statues,” cried Sir Ulick O’Shane, as he entered the draw- ing-room, between ten and eleven o’clock. at night, accompanied by what he called his rear-guard, veterans of the old school of good fellows, who at those times in Ireland, times long since past, deemed it essential to health, happiness, and manly character, to swallow, and shew themselves able to stand after swallow- VoL. IL. B 2 “" ORMOND. ing, a certain number of bottles of claret per day or night. “Now then,’ continued Sir Ulick, of all the figui re or art, the formal circle is rsally*the most obnoxious to conversgjfon, and, to me, the most formidable g. all my faculties are spell-bound—here I am like a bird in a circle of chalk that dare not move so much as its head or its eyes, and can’t, for the life of it, take to its legs.” A titter ran rouud that part of the circle where the young ladies sat—Sir Ulick was a favourite with them, and they rejoiced when he came among them; because, as they observed, “ he always said something pleasant, or set something pleasant a-going.” «Lady O’Shane, for mercy’s sake, let us have no more of these perma- nent sittings at Castle Hermitage, my dear—” « Sir Ulick, I am sure I should be very glad if it were possible,” replied Lady O’Shane, “ to have no more per- ORMOND. 3 manent sittings at Castle Hermitage, but when gentlemen are at their bottle, I really don’t know what the ladies, can do but sit in“a circle.” ~ “‘ Can’t they dance in a circle, of any way—or have not they an elegant re- source in their music; there’s many here who, to my knowledge, can caper as well as they modulate,” said Sir Ulick, “to say nothing of cards for those that like them.” : “Lady Annaly does not like cards,” said Lady O’Shane, “and I could not ask any of these young ladies to waste their breath, and their execution, sing- ing and playing before the gentlemen came out.” “ These young ladies would not; Pm sure, do us old fellows the honour of waiting for us; and the young beaux deserted to your tea-table a long hour ago—so why you have not been danc- ing is a mystery beyond my compre- hension.” B2
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