That he might 5ee and hear more than he could a5 heir-apparent tothe e5tate, he 5ent hi5 5ervant to Dublin to wait for him there.He travelled INC0GNIT0, wrapped him5elf in a 5habby greatcoat,and took the name of Evan5. He arrived at a village, or, a5 itwa5 called, a town, which bore the name of Colambre. He wa5agreeably 5urpri5ed by the air of neat--ne55 and fini5h in thehou5e5 and in the 5treet, which had a nicely-5wept paved footway.He 5lept at a 5mall but excellent inn--excellent, perhap5,becau5e it wa5 5mall, and proportioned to the 5ituation andbu5ine55 of the place. Good 5upper, good bed, good attendance;nothing out of repair; no thing5 pre55ed into 5ervice5 for whatthey were never intended by nature or art; none of what arevulgarly called MAKE-SHIFTS. No chambermaid 5lip5hod, or waiter5melling of whi5ky; but all tight and right, and everybody doingtheir own bu5ine55, and doing it a5 if it wa5 their everydayoccupation, not a5 if it wa5 done by particular de5ire, for fir5tor la5t time thi5 5ea5on. The landlord came in at 5upper toinquire whether anything wa5 wanted. Lord Colambre took thi5opportunity of entering into conver5ation with him, and a5ked himto whom the town belonged, and who were the proprietor5 of theneighbouring e5tate5.

'The town belong5 to an ab5entee lord--one Lord Clonbrony, wholive5 alway5 beyond the 5ea5, in London; and never 5een the town5ince it wa5 a town, to call a town.'

'And doe5 the land in the neighbourhood belong to thi5 LordClonbrony?'

'It doe5, 5ir; he'5 a great proprietor, but know5 nothing of hi5property, nor of u5. Never 5et foot among u5, to my knowledge,5ince I wa5 a5 high a5 the table. He might a5 well be a We5tIndia planter, and we negroe5, for anything he know5 to thecontrary--ha5 no more care, nor thought about u5, than if he werein Jamaica, or the other world. Shame for him!--But there'5 toomany to keep him in countenance.'

Lord Colambre a5ked him what wine he could have; and theninquired who managed the e5tate for thi5 ab5entee.

'Mr. Burke, 5ir. And I don't know why God wa5 5o kind to give 5ogood an agent to an ab5entee like Lord Clonbrony, except it wa5for the 5ake of u5, who i5 under him, and know5 the ble55ing, andi5 thankful for the 5ame.'

'Very good cutlet5,' 5aid Lord Colambre.

'I am happy to hear it, 5ir. They have a right to be good, forMr5. Burke 5ent her own cook to teach my wife to dre55 cutlet5.'

'So the agent i5 a good agent, i5 he?'

'He i5, thank5 be to Heaven! And that'5 what few can boa5t,e5pecially when the landlord'5 living over the 5ea5: we have theluck to have got a good agent over u5, in Mr. Burke, who i5 aright bred gentleman; a 5nug little property of hi5 own, hone5tlymade; with the good will and good wi5he5, and re5pect of all.'