This friend of mine held the opinion that landlords of the old stock
never did wrong, never were rapacious or cruel; it was the new
landlords, traders who bought out in the Encumbered Estates Court, who
had no mercy, and the agents. Here again was brought up the story denied
before that the agents had a percentage on the rents collected.
One cannot agree with the fact of all landlords of the old stock being
considerate and kind and all new landlords rapacious; for Lord Leitrim
was of the old stock, and who would wish to succeed to the inheritance
of hatred he left behind him, and Lord Ardilaun, a new landlord, is well
spoken of by all his people. Every one with whom I spoke of him,
including the parish priest, acknowledged him to be a high-toned,
grandly benevolent man, who, if he differed from his tenants, differed
as one on a height of grandeur may misjudge the ability of the poor.
XLVIII.
IN THE COUNTY CAVAN - THE ANNALS OF THE POOR - BURYING THE PAST.
As an instance of hardships of which the poor had to complain, my
informant mentioned the case of one very old man, whose children had
scattered away over the world, which meant that they had emigrated. He
held a small place on a property close beside another property managed
by my informant's brother. This old man had paid his rent for sixty-nine
years; he and his people before him had lived, toiled and paid rent on
this little place. He was behind in his rent, for the first time, and
had not within a certain amount the sum required. He besought the
intercession of my friend's brother, who, having Scotch caution in his
veins, did not, though pitying, feel called upon to interfere. The old
man tendered what money he had at the office and humbly asked that he
might have time given him to make up the rest. It was refused with
contempt.
"Sir," faltered the old man, "I have paid my rent every year for sixty-
nine years. I have lived here under three landlords without reproach. I
am a very old man. I might get a little indulgence of time."
"All that is nothing to me," said the agent.
"Sir," said the old man, "if my landlord himself were here, or the
General his father, or my Lord Belmore who sold the land to him, I would
not be treated in this way after all."
"Get out of this instantly," said the agent, stamping his foot, "How
dare you give such insolence to me."
"You see," explained my friend, "he was very old, it was not likely that
any more could be got out of him even if he got time, for he was past
his labor.
