marmalade sandwiches whenever we go to the Castle; for I apologised
for our appetites, one day, by confessing that we had lunched
somewhat frugally, the meal being sweetened, however, by Molly's
explanation that there was a fresh sole in the house, but she
thought she would not inthrude on it before dinner!

We asked, on our arrival at Knockarney House, if we might breakfast
at a regular hour,--say eight thirty. Mrs. Mullarkey agreed, with
that suavity which is, after her untidiness, her distinguishing
characteristic; but notwithstanding this arrangement we break our
fast sometimes at nine forty, sometimes at nine twenty, sometimes at
nine, but never earlier. In order to achieve this much, we are
obliged to rise early and make a combined attack on the executive
and culinary departments. One morning I opened the door leading
from the hall into the back part of the establishment, but closed it
hastily, having interrupted the toilets of three young children,
whose existence I had never suspected, and of Mr. Mullarkey, whom I
had thought dead for many years. Each child had donned one article
of clothing, and was apparently searching for the mate to it,
whatever it chanced to be. Mrs. Mullarkey was fully clothed, and
was about to administer correction to one of the children who,
unhappily for him, was not. I retired to my apartment to report
progress, but did not describe the scene minutely, nor mention the
fact that I had seen Salemina's ivory-backed hairbrush put to
excellent if somewhat unusual and unaccustomed service.

Each party in the house eats in solitary splendour, like the
MacDermott, Prince of Coolavin. That royal personage of County
Sligo did not, I believe, allow his wife or his children (who must
have had the MacDermott blood in their veins, even if somewhat