I had to wait for for some time.  When poor Patrick was in a desperate condition,—­very ill, in a lodging of which he could not pay the rent,—­threatened with being turned into the street as soon as the thing could be done without danger to his life,—­galled with a sense of disgrace, and full of impotent wrath against an oppressor,—­and even suffering under deeper griefs than these,—­at such a time, the worn man fell asleep, and dreamed that I looked kindly upon him.  This happened three times; and on this ground, and this alone, he applied to me for comfort.

Before I learned this much, I had taken upon me to advise freely whatever occurred to me as best, finding Patrick entirely docile under my suggestions.  Among other things, I advised him not to take offence, or assume any reserve, if a gentleman should call on him, with a desire to be of use to him.  A gentleman did call, and was of eminent use to him.  I had written to a benevolent friend of mine, a chief citizen of Dublin, begging him to obtain for me, through some trusty clerk or other messenger, some information as to what Patrick was like,—­how old he was, what he was doing, and whether anything effectual could be done for him.  Mr. H. went himself.  He found Patrick sitting over a little fire in a little room, his young face thin and flushed, and his thin hands showing fever.  He had had inflammation of the lungs, and, though he talked cheerfully, he was yet very far from well.  Mr. H. was charmed with him.  He found in him no needless reserves, and not so much sensitive pride as we had feared.  Patrick had great hopes of sufficient employment, when once he could get out and go and see about it; and he pointed out two or three directions in which he believed he could obtain engagements.  Two things, however, were plain:  that there was some difficulty about getting out, and that his mind was set upon going to London at the first possible moment.  He had not only the ordinary provincial ambition to achieve an entrance into the London literary world, but he had another object:  he could serve his country best in London.  Mr. H. easily divined the nature of the obstacle to his going out into the fresh air which he needed so much; and in a few days Patrick had a good suit of clothes.  This was Mr. H.’s doing; and he also removed the danger of Patrick’s being turned out of his lodging.  The landlord had no wish to do such a thing; the young man was a gentleman,—­regular and self-denying in his habits, and giving no trouble that he could help:  but he had been very ill; and it was so desolate!  Nobody came to see him; no letters arrived for him; no money was coming in, it was clear; and he could not go on living there,—­starving, in fact.