The movement was not favoured by "the boys," as it indicated a tedious reference to facts by no means to their taste, and the same voice that suggested the three cheers, now sung out-- "Never mind, Major--sure we'll take your word for it!" Cries of "Order!" and "Silence!" ensued; and were followed by murmurs, coughs, and sneezes, in the crowd, with a considerable shuffling of hobnailed shoes on the pavement. "Order!" cried a voice in authority. "Order anything you plaze, sir!" said the voice in the crowd. "Whisky!" cried one. "Porther!" cried another. "Tabakky!" roared a third. "I must insist on silence!" cried the sheriff, in a very husky voice. "Silence!--or I'll have the court-house cleared." "'Faith, if you cleared your own throat it would be better," said the wag in the crowd. A laugh followed. The sheriff felt the hit, and was silent. The Major all this time had been adjusting his spectacles on his nose, unconscious, poor old gentleman, that Dick, according to promise, had abstracted the glasses from them that morning. He took up his documents to read, made sundry wry faces, turned the papers up to the light,--now on this side, and now on that,--but could make out nothing; while Dick gave a knowing wink at Murphy. The old gentleman took off his spectacles to wipe the glasses. The voice in the crowd cried, "Thank you, Major." The Major pulled out his handkerchief, and his fingers met where he expected to find a lens:--he looked very angry, cast a suspicious glance at Dick, who met it with the composure of an anchorite, and quietly asked what was the matter. "I shall not trouble you, gentlemen, with the extracts," said the Major. "Hear, hear," responded the genteel part of the auditory. "I tould you we'd take your word, Major," cried the voice in the crowd. Egan's seconder followed the Major, and the crowd shouted again. O'Grady now came forward to propose the Honourable Sackville Scatterbrain, as a fit and proper person to represent the county in parliament. He was received by his own set of vagabonds with uproarious cheers, and "O'Grady for ever!" made the walls ring. "Egan for ever!" and hurras, were returned from the Merryvalians. O'Grady thus commenced his address:-- "In coming forward to support my honourable friend, the Honourable Sackville Scatterbrain, it is from the conviction--the conviction----" "Who got the conviction agen the potteen last sishin?" said the voice in the crowd. Loud groans followed this allusion to the prosecution of a few little private stills, in which O'Grady had shown some unnecessary severity that made him unpopular. Cries of "Order!" and "Silence!" ensued.