Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. On the day appointed, Mr. Duff paid his promised visit to Mrs. Costigan, and exerted all his powers of rhetoric for the consolation of the poor woman, who was, as her husband described, a real object of pity from the deep sorrow which could be traced in her countenance, even when she did not allude to the cause. He was received with the usual hearty welcome, for he was a general favourite with his flock, at least with the well-conducted portion of it; and he was a welcome visitor, at all times, to Mrs. Costigan, who, in former days, had a greedy ear for that species of petty gossip, which even the most uninteresting country neighbourhood can contrive to funiish, if all its details be husbanded carefully, and properly embellished; and which Mr. Duff, from his general acquaintance among Protestants and Roman Catholics, of all ranks and parties, had the best opportunities of hearing, with, at the same time, rather a propensity for retailing, especially when sifted by some of his female acquaintances, who were, in general, very anxious to know all about the internal economy of the great houses to which he was occasionally invited. Though such topics had, of late, lost much of their interest with Mrs. Costigan, yet she was always glad to see him, for old acquaintance sake; and though his condolence consisted of a string of the veriest matterof-fact truisms, which at times irritated, rather than soothed her, still there was a thorough good-nature in his feelings, which threw a glow of kindliness over his most common-place expressions, and repressed any inclination to be angry. Then he could patiently listen to the often-repeated story of her grief, which, in circumstances like hers, is, perhaps, one of the kindest offices which a friend can perform. His visits, the...