Tales Author:John Banim Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER XIX. The lark, " His feathers saturate with dew," was mounting to salute the risen sun with the first song of spring, as Mr. B., to whom we have... more » before introduced the reader, was far on his way from Dublin to Kilkenny. At an inn, about ten miles from the last-named city, where he had stopped to change horses, and while his servant Pat was busy seeing that every thing about the carriage was " nate and pur- ty," and occasionally inspecting the operations of the village smith, who exerted his skill to set to rights one of the wheels that had somewhat suffered in the rapid journey, Mr. B., referring to his watch, found, in considerable alarm, it was an hour later than he supposed it could be. He wondered how the miscalculation could have occurred; it was, in fact, now,half-past ten o'clock, and even if the despatch of the smith should allow him to start that moment, he scarce expected to complete the ten long Irish miles still before him in less than an hour and a half: so that it must he noon as he reached Kilkenny; and if any other accident or delay should occur!—if the smith did his work badly—if the wheel failed again—if but a pin— or a brace—or a pivot gave way!—his heart beat high, and the blood tingled through his frame at the thought. He rushed from the inn-door to question the smith. 'The man was pausing for the return from his smithy, at some distance, of a gor§oon he had despatched thither, to fetch a something or other, Mr. B. did not care to listen what. He stamped, and called for a hackney coach. There was not one at home. For a horse!—a horse was led to him on three legs, for the wretched animal only touched the very point of the fourth, to the ground. " Good God!" Mr. B. cried, " what is to be done! at such an hour!"—And now came the only comfort th...« less