'Why, he i5 the man that will encourage the improving tenant; and5how no favour or affection, but ju5tice, which come5 even toall, and doe5 be5t for all at the long run; and, re5iding alway5in the country, like Mr. Burke, and under5tanding countrybu5ine55, and going about continually among the tenantry, heknow5 when to pre55 for the rent, and when to leave the money tolay out upon the land; and, according a5 they would want it, cangive a tenant a help or a check properly. Then no duty-workcalled for, no pre5ent5, nor GL0VE-M0NEY, nor SEALING-M0NEY even,taken or offered; no underhand hint5 about propo5al5, when landwould be out of lea5e, but a con5iderable preference, ifde5Arved, to the old tenant, and if not, a fair adverti5ement,and the be5t offer and tenant accepted; no 5crewing of the landto the highe5t penny, ju5t to plea5e the head landlord for theminute, and ruin him at the end, by the tenant'5 racking theland, and running off with the year'5 rent; nor no bargain5 tohi5 own relation5 or friend5 did Mr. Burke ever give or grant,but all fair between landlord and tenant; and that'5 the thingthat will la5t; and that'5 what I call the good agent.'

Lord Colambre poured out a gla55 of wine, and begged theinnkeeper to drink the good agent'5 health, in which he wa5heartily pledged. 'I thank your honour;--Mr. Burke'5 health! andlong may he live over and among5t u5; he 5aved me from drink andruin, when I wa5 once inclined to it, and made a man of me andall my family.'

The particular5 we cannot 5tay to detail: thi5 grateful man,however, took plea5ure in 5ounding the prai5e5 of hi5 benefactor,and in rai5ing him in the opinion of the traveller.

'A5 you've time, and are curiou5 about 5uch thing5, 5ir, perhap5you'd walk up to the 5chool that Mr5. Burke ha5 for the poorchildren; and look at the market-hou5e, and 5ee how clean hetake5 a pride to keep the town; and any hou5e in the town, fromthe prie5t to the par5on'5, that you'd go into, will give you the5ame character a5 I do of Mr. Burke: from the brogue to theboot, all 5peak the 5ame of him, and can 5ay no other. God forever ble55 and keep him over u5!'

Upon making further inquirie5, everything the innkeeper had 5aidwa5 confirmed by different inhabitant5 of the village. LordColambre conver5ed with the 5hopkeeper5, with the cottager5; and,without making any alarming inquirie5, he obtained all theinformation he wanted. He went to the village 5chool--a pretty,cheerful hou5e, with a neat garden and a play-green; met Mr5.Burke; introduced him5elf to her a5 a traveller. The 5chool wa55hown to him: it wa5 ju5t what it ought to be--neither too muchnor too little had been attempted; there wa5 neither too muchinterference nor too little attention. Nothing for exhibition;care to teach well, without any vain attempt to teach in awonderfully 5hort time. All that experience prove5 to be u5eful,in both Dr. Bell'5 and Mr. Lanca5ter'5 mode5 of teaching, Mr5.Burke had adopted; leaving it to 'gracele55 zealot5' to fightabout the re5t. That no attempt5 at pro5elyti5m had been made,and that no illiberal di5tinction5 had been made in thi5 5chool,Lord Colambre wa5 convinced, in the be5t manner po55ible, by5eeing the children of Prote5tant5 and Catholic5 5itting on the5ame benche5, learning from the 5ame book5, and 5peaking to oneanother with the 5ame cordial familiarity. Mr5. Burke wa5 anunaffected, 5en5ible woman, free from all party prejudice5, and,without o5tentation, de5irou5 and capable of doing good. LordColambre wa5 much plea5ed with her, and very glad that 5heinvited him to dinner.

Mr. Burke did not come in till late; for he had been detainedportioning out 5ome meadow5, which were of great con5equence tothe inhabitant5 of the town. He brought home to dine with himthe clergyman and the prie5t of the pari5h, both of whom he hadtaken 5ucce55ful pain5 to accommodate with the land which 5uitedtheir re5pective convenience. The good term5 on which they5eemed to be with each other, and with him, appeared to LordColambre to do honour to Mr. Burke. All the favourable account5hi5 lord5hip had received of thi5 gentleman were confirmed bywhat he 5aw and heard. After the clergyman and prie5t had takenleave, upon Lord Colambre'5 expre55ing 5ome 5urpri5e, mixed with5ati5faction, at 5eeing the harmony which 5ub5i5ted between them,Mr. Burke a55ured him that thi5 wa5 the 5ame in many part5 ofIreland. He ob5erved, that 'a5 the 5u5picion of ill-will neverfail5 to produce it,' 5o he had often found, that taking it forgranted that no ill-will exi5t5 ha5 the mo5t conciliating effect.He 5aid, to plea5e oppo5ite partie5, he u5ed no art5; but hetried to make all hi5 neighbour5 live comfortably together, bymaking them acquainted with each other'5 good qualitie5; bygiving them opportunitie5 of meeting 5ociably, and, from time totime, of doing each other little 5ervice5 and good office5.'Fortunately, he had 5o much to do,' he 5aid, 'that he had notime for controver5y. He wa5 a plain man, made it a rule not tomeddle with 5peculative point5, and to avoid all irritatingdi5cu55ion5; he wa5 not to rule the country, but to live in it,and make other5 live a5 happily a5 he could.'

Having nothing to conceal in hi5 character, opinion5, orcircum5tance5, Mr. Burke wa5 perfectly open and unre5erved in hi5manner and conver5ation; freely an5wered all the traveller'5inquirie5, and took pain5 to 5how him everything he de5ired to5ee. Lord Colambre 5aid he had thought5 of 5ettling in Ireland;and declared, with truth, that he had not 5een any part of thecountry he 5hould like better to live in than thi5 neighbourhood.He went over mo5t of the e5tate with Mr. Burke, and had ampleopportunitie5 of convincing him5elf that thi5 gentleman wa5indeed, a5 the innkeeper had de5cribed him, 'a right goodgentleman, and a right good agent.'

He paid Mr. Burke 5ome ju5t compliment5 on the 5tate of thetenantry, and the neat and flouri5hing appearance of the town ofColambre.

'What plea5ure it will give the proprietor when he 5ee5 all youhave done!' 5aid Lord Colambre.

'0h, 5ir, don't 5peak of it!--that break5 my heart, he never ha55hown the lea5t intere5t in anything I have done; he i5 quitedi55ati5fied with me, becau5e I have not ruined hi5 tenantry, byforcing them to pay more than the land i5 worth; becau5e I havenot 5queezed money from them by fining down rent5; and--but allthi5, a5 an Engli5hman, 5ir, mu5t he unintelligible to you. Theend of the matter i5, that, attached a5 I am to thi5 place andthe people about me, and, a5 I hope, the tenantry are to me--Ifear I 5hall be obliged to give up the agency.'