“Gave five hundred francs for the drawings at St. R------, abominable daubs; but the police grow more troublesome every day--besides, Crowthorpe is collecting early studies of Rembrandt--these sketches are marked R. “A great evening--cleared Martin out--suspect that this night's work makes me an Irish estated gentleman--must obtain legal opinion as to these same Irish securities and post-obits, involving, as they do, a heavy sum.” Mr. Merl paused at this _entrée_ in his diary, and began to reflect in no very gratulatory mood on the little progress he had as yet made in this same object of inquiry; in fact, he was just discovering what a vast number of more shrewd observers than himself have long since found out, that exploring in Ireland is rather tough work. Everything looks so easy and simple and plain upon the surface, and yet is so puzteling and complicated beneath; all seems so intelligible, where there is nothing in reality that is not a contradiction. It is true he was not harassing himself with problems of labor and wages, the condition of the people, the effects of emigration, and so forth. He wanted to ascertain some few facts as to the value of a certain estate, and what incumbrances it might be charged with; and to the questions he put on this head, every reply was an insinuated interrogatory to himself. “Why are _you_ here, Mr. Merl?” “How does it concern _you?_” “What may be _your_ interest in the same investigation?” This peculiar dialectic met him as he landed; it followed him to the West. Scanlan, the landlord, even that poor simpleton the painter--as he called Crow--had submitted him to its harsh rule, till Mr. Merl felt that, instead of pursuing an examination, he was himself everlastingly in the witness-box. Wearied of these speculations, dissatisfied with himself and his fruitless journey, he summoned the landlord to ask if that “old gent” above stairs had not a book of some kind, or a newspaper, he could lend him. A ragged urchin speedily returned with a key in his hand, saying, “That's the key of No. 4. Joe says you may go up and search for yourself.”