It is profanation to touch on such meetings in print, so here again you must exercise your imaginations, my good people. We were all most happy; when, two mornings after we arrived, while sitting at breakfast, the door opened, and a stout vulgar-looking little man was ushered in, dressed in plush small-clothes, top boots especially dirty, an old swansdown vest, grey upper coat, tow wig, and green spectacles. He made himself known as _Mr Treacle_. This was the Cork grocer who had purchased the Ballywindle estate when my grandfather was reduced in his circumstances, and obliged to sell it. My uncle and mother, the instant they heard his name, drew up with probably an excusable feeling of pride, as if they apprehended that the honour of Mr Treacle's visit had been conferred from a desire on his part to appear _patronising_ to an old, although reduced family. So the meeting at first was somewhat stiff. "Pray, Mr Treacle, be seated," said my uncle. "Thank you kindly," said the honest tradesman, feeling very awkward, in his turn. "Thank you kindly, Mr Frenche, and, Mrs Brail, your most obedient. Welcome back to ould Ireland again, Mr Frenche." Then, as if speaking aside,--"I am sure I wish you had never left it." "Thank you, Treacle," said my uncle; "that's kindly _said_, anyhow--and"--here he looked the grocer steadily in the face--"kindly _meant_ too, I do believe--but talking of that _now_ does not signify, you know--so will you have the kindness to make known to me your wishes, Mr Treacle, and the occasion of the honour of this visit?" "Arrah," quoth Treacle, "but it _does_ signify, and a great deal too, Mr Frenche, for to tell you the honest thrute, I am tired of this neighbourhood; and what most people might think equally unpleasant,--the neighbourhood is tired of me." My uncle looked hard at him, as if he had said, "well, it may be so; but what is all this to me?" "I don't rightly understand you, Mr Treacle. You have got a fine estate, for Ballywindle is an improving property, if one had plenty of money to lay out on it, and that I know _you_ have; besides, you have a great advantage over the former possessors, in being, as I believe, a Catholic, whereas all the Frenches were Protestants, so I cannot understand why you should not make yourself popular here."