His morning gown was quite a tasteful, and even an expensive article, and his slippers, heavily embroidered, harmonized admirably with the whole fashionable deshabille in which he often distributed justice.

He carried a gold snuff-box of very massive size, which, when dining out, he always produced after dinner for the benefit of the company, although he never took snuff himself.

This, in addition to a tolerably stiff and unreclaimable brogue, and a style of pronunciation wofully out of keeping with his elegant undress, constituted him the very beau-ideal of what is usually known as a _shoneen_ magistrate.
John, on arriving, found him reading a paper in the breakfast-parlor, and saw Hourigan waiting outside, who, by the way, gave him such a look as a cat might be supposed to bestow upon a mastiff from whom she dreaded an attack--a look which, in Hourigan's case, combined as much ferocious vengeance and sullen hang-dog cowardice as could well be brought together on the same features.
"Well, Jack," said the pompous distributor of justice, addressing young Purcel, "how do you do?
Take a seat--by the way, is it true that your father and my excellent friend, Dr.Turbot, were shot at yesterday ?" "True enough," replied John; "the bullet whistled right between them, and so close that each felt the wind of it." "The country is getting into a frightful state, friend Purcel, eh?
Upon my honor now, yes! it is so--it is so." "Why there is no question of it," replied John; "it is already in a frightful state." "It is, Mr.Purcel, and in my opinion, the _crame_ of the matter will be blood--blood--my dear John--that is what it will come to." "Certainly you speak, Mr.O'Driscol, like a man that knows the country, and can feel the pulse of the public officially--I mean, of course, as a magistrate--for it is now, and in times of such turbulence, that men--I mean magistrates--of your stamp--will prove themselves serviceable to the government of the country, and to the country itself; intelligent and determined men--I mean magistrates--who know not what fear is, and who will do their duty at the risk of their lives." "True, John, it is such men, or rather magistrates, who can render the most important services to government.

The duties of a loyal and attached magistrate are not a mere raycrayation during these times.

And yet, John," he added, sinking his voice into a confidential whisper, "I protest to my honor that the life of a man--I mane, as you say, a magistrate--who resolves firmly to perform his duty, is not extramely safe; why then should a man--I mane a magistrate--unnecessarily expose himself to the fate of Going,* when he might much more safely remain snug and quiet, without putting either himself or his neighbors to inconvanience by an over-strict discharge of his duty ?" [* The name of a magistrate and clergyman, I think, who was assassinated.] "If everything be true that I have heard," said John, "the government would scarcely expect to hear such sentiments from the intelligent and determined Mr.O'Driscol." "Ha! ha! ha!--well done, John,--I drew you out.