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300 visits that their brother’s house was becoming more and more that of an old bachelor—an accumulation of books; rooms not in spruce order; furniture rather in the rear of the fashion of the age. One rallies him on the unthriftiness of not paying off debts instead of investing money in the funds. The other, for not spending savings in refurnishing and beautifying Foley Place. He makes the best defence he can—the want of female superintendence. Catherine on her way to England, returns to the charge in writing from Dublin—

Mr. Forth told me he had sent you a pretty round sum of one thousand pounds. My answer to him was that I wished he had not sent you so much at a time; for that you would only be more profuse in buying old books, and think it would never be out. Is not this true enough? Well, if money ever did you good, this will certainly. He has paid us a hundred and twenty pounds on your account; so you have got out of your estate this moment eleven hundred and twenty pounds.

Again she writes, that having been on a visit to the Bishop of Meath (O’Beirne), they heard so much of Kilkenny theatricals from visitors in the house as to produce general desire for an excursion thither. A party for the occasion had been therefore formed by Lord Sunderlin and some of the family, which, with one of the Jephsons, she meant to accompany. The Bishop stayed at home. But in a long letter to Malone soon afterwards, his lordship concludes with an allusion to the most celebrated member of the Kilkenny amateur group.