After mature consideration he made up his mind that the parson should be his ambassador.  He would sooner have confided in Bingham Blake, but an unmarried man would not do.  No; the parson must be the man.  Frank was, unfortunately, but little disposed to act in any case without advice, and in his anxiety to consult some one as to consulting the parson, returned into the house, to make a clear breast of it to his mother.  He found her in the breakfast-room with the two girls, and the three were holding council deep.

“Oh, here’s Frank,” said Sophy; “we’d better tell him all about it at once—­and he’ll tell us which she’d like best.”

“We didn’t mean to tell you,” said Guss; “but I and Sophy are going to work two sofas for the drawing-room—­in Berlin wool, you know:  they’ll be very handsome—­everybody has them now, you know; they have a splendid pair at Ballyhaunis which Nora and her cousin worked.”

“But we want to know what pattern would suit Fanny’s taste,” said Sophy.

“Well; you can’t know that,” said Frank rather pettishly, “so you’d better please yourselves.”

“Oh, but you must know what she likes,” continued Guss; “I’m for this,” and she, displayed a pattern showing forth two gorgeous macaws—­each with plumage of the brightest colours.  “The colours are so bright, and the feathers will work in so well.”

“I don’t like anything in worsted-work but flowers,” said Sophy; “Nora Dillon says she saw two most beautiful wreaths at that shop in Grafton Street, both hanging from bars, you know; and that would be so much prettier.  I’m sure Fanny would like flowers best; wouldn’t she now, Frank?—­Mamma thinks the common cross-bar patterns are nicer for furniture.”

“Indeed I do, my dear,” said Mrs O’Kelly; “and you see them much more common now in well-furnished drawing-rooms.  But still I’d much sooner have them just what Fanny would like best.  Surely, Frank, you must have heard her speak about worsted-work?”

All this completely disconcerted Frank, and made him very much out of love with his own plan of consulting his mother.  He gave the trio some not very encouraging answer as to their good-natured intentions towards his drawing-room, and again left them alone.  “Well; there’s nothing for it but to send the parson; I don’t think he’ll make a fool of himself, but then I know he’ll look so shabby.  However, here goes,” and he mounted his nag, and rode off to Ballindine glebe.

The glebe-house was about a couple of miles from Kelly’s Court, and it was about half-past four when Lord Ballindine got there.  He knocked at the door, which was wide open, though it was yet only the last day of March, and was told by a remarkably slatternly maid-servant, that her master was “jist afther dinner;” that he was stepped out, but was about the place, and could be “fetched in at oncet;”—­and would his honour walk in?  And so Lord Ballindine was shown into the rectory drawing-room on one side