“Ah, that it is, sir,” put in Jerry, sympathetically. “And to think of it that he did it all in the pig-market whiles he waited for us! Egor! ’twould take me the best part of a week to conthrive as much!” O’Daly glanced at him with severity. “Maybe more yet,” he said, tersely, and resumed his long-interrupted meal. “And you’re goin’ to be around all the while, eh, ready to turn these poems out on short notice?” the O’Mahony asked. “Sir, an O’Daly’s poor talents are day and night at the command of the O’Mahony of Muirisc,” the bard replied. Then, scanning Jerry, he put a question: “Is Mr. Higgins long with you, sir?” “Oh, yes; a long while,” answered The O’Mahony, without a moment’s hesitation. “Yes--I wouldn’t know how to get along without him--he’s been one of the family so long, now.” The near-sighted poet failed to observe the wink which was exchanged across the table. “The name Higgins,” he remarked, “is properly MacEgan. It is a very honorable name. They were hereditary Brehons or judges, in both Desmond and Ormond, and, later, in Connaught, too. The name is also called O’Higgins and O’Hagan. If you would permit me to suggest, sir,” he went on, “it would be betther at Muirisc if Mr. Higgins were to resume his ancestral appellation, and consint to be known as MacEgan. The children there are that well grounded in Irish history, the name would secure for him additional respect in their eyes. And moreover, sir, saving Mr. Higgins’s feelings, I observed that you called him ‘Jerry.’ Now ‘Jerry’ is appropriate when among intimate friends or relations, or bechune master and man--and its more ceremonious form, Jeremiah, is greatly used in the less educated parts of this country. But, sir, Jeremiah is, strictly speaking, no name for an Irishman at all, but only the cognomen of a Hebrew bard who followed the Israelites into captivity, like Owen Ward did the O’Neils into exile. It’s a base and vulgar invintion of the Saxons--this new Irish Jeremiah--for why? because their thick tongues could not pronounce the beautiful old Irish name Diarmid or Dermot. Manny poor people for want of understanding, forgets this now. But in Muirisc the laste intelligent child knows betther. Therefore, I would suggest that when we arrive at your ancesthral abode, sir, Mr. Higgins’s name be given as Diarmid MacEgan.” “An’ a foine bould name it is, too!” said Jerry. “Egor! if I’m called that, and called rigular to me males as well, I’ll put whole inches to my stature.” “Well, O’Daly,” said The O’Mahony, “you just run that part of the show to suit yourself. If you hear of anything that wants changin’ any time, or whittlin’ down or bein’ spelt different, you can interfere right then an’ there without sayin’ anything to me. What I want is to have things done correct, even if we’re out o’ pocket by it. You’re the agent of the estate, ain’t you?”