“During the perusal of this all eyes were turned upon Solomon, whose face was now perfectly seraphic, and his soul wrapped up into the ninth heaven. Of those around him it was quite clear that he was altogether incognizant. His eyelids were down as before, but the smile on his face now was a perfect glory; it was unbroken, and the upturning of the eyes proceeded from, and could be, nothing less than a glimpse of that happiness which no other eye ever had seen but that of Solomon's at that moment, and which, it was equally certain, no heart but his could conceive. When it was concluded the psalm commenced, and if there had been any doubt before, there could be none now that his triumph was great, and the victory over the world and his enemies obtained, whilst a fresh accession of grace was added to that which had been vouchsafed him before. He led the psalm now with a fervor of spirit and fulness of lung which had never been heard in the chapel before; nay, he moved both head and foot to the time, as if he had only to wish it, and he could ascend at once to heaven. This, indeed, was a victory, this was a moment of rejoicing—here was the Christian soldier rattling home in his triumphal chariot, to the sound of the trumpet, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer.
“When the service was over he shook hands with as many of his friends as he could, exclaiming, 'oh, what a blessed day has this been to me! what a time of rejoicing; indeed it is good to be tried. Truly the sources of comfort were opened to my soul on this day more abundantly than I dared to hope for—I feel my privileges more strongly, and more of the new man within me—I am sustained and comforted, and feel that it was good for me to be here this day—I did not hope for this, but it was graciously granted to me, notwithstanding. How good, how heavenly a thing it is to be called upon to suffer, especially when we are able to do so in faith and obedience. May He be praised for all. Amen! Amen!'
“Now, my dear friend, who will say, after all this, that the stage is the great school for actors? who ever saw on the boards of a theatre a more finished performance than that of Solomon M'Slime? It so happens that I am acquainted with the whole circumstances, and, consequently, can fully appreciate his talents. In the mean time I am paying a visit of business to M'Clutchy to-morrow, that I may have an opportunity of a nearer inspection into his character. He is said to be an able, deep, vindictive, and rapacious man—cowardly, but cruel—treacherous, but plausible; and without the slightest remorse of conscience to restrain him from the accomplishment of any purpose, no matter how flagitious. And, yet, the cure for all this, in the eyes of his own party, is his boundless loyalty, and his thorough Protestantism. No wonder the church should be no longer useful or respected when she is supported only by such Protestants as Valentine M'Clutchy, and his class.”
“Thursday.—At a little after ten, I waited upon this, famous agent to the Castle Cumber property, and found him in his office, looking over an account-book with his son. He had a bad face—black, heavy, over-hanging eyebrows, and an upper lip that quivers and gets pale when engaged even in earnest conversation—his forehead is low, but broad and massive, indicating the minor accessories of intellect, together with great acuteness and cunning; altogether he had the head and face of a felon. For purposes which you shall know hereafter, I declined presenting Lord Cumber's letter of introduction, which I calculated would put the fellow on his guard, deeming it, more prudent to introduce myself as a stranger, anxious, if I could do so conveniently, to settle somewhere in the neighborhood. The son's back was towards me when I entered, and until he had finished the account at which he had been engaged, which he did by a good deal of altering and erasing, he did not deem, it worth while to look about him even at the entrance of a stranger. Having heard me express my intention of looking for a residence in the vicinity, he did me the honor of one of the most comical stares I ever saw. He is a tall fellow, about six feet, his shoulders are narrow, but round as the curve of a pot—his neck is, at least, eighteen inches in length, on the top of which stands a head, somewhat of a three-cornered shape, like a country barber's wig block, only not so intelligent looking. His nose is short, and turned up a little at the top—his squint is awful, but then, it is peculiar to himself; for his eyes, instead of looking around them as such eyes do, appear to keep a jealous and vigilant watch of each other across his nose—his chin is short and retreating, and from, his wide mouth project two immeasurable buck teeth, that lie together like a'pair of tiles upon a dog kennel. Heavens! that a beautiful girl—as it is said everywhere Miss M'Loughlin is, and until now proverbially correct in her conduct and deportment—should admit such a misshapen kraken as this into her apartment, and at night, too! After having stared at me for some time with a great deal of cunning and a great deal of folly in his countenance, he again began to pore over the blank pages of his book, as if he had been working out some difficult calculation.
“'And,' said the father, after we had been chatting for some time, 'have you seen anything in the neighborhood that you think would suit you?'
“'I am too much of a stranger, sir,' I replied, 'to be able to answer in the affirmative—but I admire the country and the scenery, both of which in this immediate neighborhood, are extremely beautiful and interesting.'
“'They are so,' he replied, 'and the country is a fine one, certainly.'
“'Ay,' said Phil, 'only for these cursed Papists.'
“As he spoke he looked at me very significantly, and drew three of his yellow fingers across his chin, but added nothing more. This, by the way, he did half a dozen times, and, on mentioning the circumstance, it has been suggested to me that it must have been the sign by which one Orangeman makes himself known to another.
“'The Papists,' I replied, 'do not enter into any objection of mine against a residence in the neighborhood; but, as you, Mr. M'Clutchy, as agent of this fine property, must be well acquainted with the state and circumstances of the country, you would really confer a favor by enabling me, as a stranger, to form correct impressions of the place and people.'