The Confessions of Harry Lorrequer | Page 2

these pages; I do not think it necessary to appeal to concurrent testimony and credible witnesses for their proof, but I pledge myself to the fact that every tittle I have related is as true as that my name is Lorrequer--need I say more?
Another objection has been made to my narrative, and I cannot pass it by without a word of remark;--"these Confessions are wanting in scenes of touching and pathetic interest" (FOOTNOTE: We have the author's permission to state, that all the pathetic and moving incidents of his career he has reserved for a second series of "Confessions," to be entitled "Lorrequer Married?"--Publisher's Note.)--true, quite true; but I console myself on this head, for I remember hearing of an author whose paraphrase of the book of Job was refused by a publisher, if he could not throw a little more humour into it; and if I have not been more miserable and more unhappy, I am very sorry for it on your account, but you must excuse my regretting it on my own. Another story and I have done;--the Newgate Calendar makes mention of a notorious housebreaker, who closed his career of outrage and violence by the murder of a whole family, whose house he robbed; on the scaffold he entreated permission to speak a few words to the crowd beneath, and thus addressed them:--"My friends, it is quite true I murdered this family; in cold blood I did it--one by one they fell beneath my hand, while I rifled their coffers, and took forth their effects; but one thing is imputed to me, which I cannot die without denying--it is asserted that I stole an extinguisher; the contemptible character of this petty theft is a stain upon my reputation, that I cannot suffer to disgrace my memory." So would I now address you for all the graver offences of my book; I stand forth guilty--miserably, palpably guilty--they are mine every one of them; and I dare not, I cannot deny them; but if you think that the blunders in French and the hash of spelling so widely spread through these pages, are attributable to me; on the faith of a gentleman I pledge myself you are wrong, and that I had nothing to do with them. If my thanks for the kindness and indulgence with which these hastily written and rashly conceived sketches have been received by the press and the public, are of any avail, let me add, in conclusion, that a more grateful author does not exist than
HARRY LORREQUER

CONTENTS:
Volume 1.
CHAPTER I
Arrival in Cork--Civic Festivities--Private Theatricals
CHAPTER II
Detachment Duty--The Burton Arms--Callonby
CHAPTER III
Life at Callonby--Love-making--Miss O'Dowd's Adventure
CHAPTER IV
Botanical Studies--The Natural System preferable to the Linnaean
CHAPTER V
Puzzled--Explanation--Makes bad worse--The Duel
CHAPTER VI
The Priest's Supper--Father Malachi and the Coadjutor--Major Jones and the Abbe
CHAPTER VII
The Lady's Letter--Peter and his Acquaintances--Too late
CHAPTER VIII
Congratulations--Sick Leave--How to pass the Board
CHAPTER IX
The Road--Travelling Acquaintances--A Packet Adventure
CHAPTER X
Upset--Mind and Body
Volume 2.
CHAPTER XI
Cheltenham--Matrimonial Adventure--Showing how to make love for a friend
CHAPTER XII
Dublin--Tom O'Flaherty--A Reminiscence of the Peninsula
CHAPTER XIII
Dublin--The Boarding-house--Select Society
CHAPTER XIV
The Chase
CHAPTER XV
Mems Of the North Cork
CHAPTER XVI
Theatricals
CHAPTER XVI
* (The chapter # is a repeat) The Wager
CHAPTER XVII
The Elopement
Volume 3.
CHAPTER XVIII
Detachment Duty--An Assize Town
CHAPTER XIX
The Assize Town
CHAPTER XX
A Day in Dublin
CHAPTER XXI
A Night at Howth
CHAPTER XXII
The Journey
CHAPTER XXIII
Calais
Volume 4.
CHAPTER XXIV
The Gen d'Arme
CHAPTER XXV
The Inn at Chantraine
CHAPTER XXVI
Mr O'Leary
CHAPTER XXVII
Paris
CHAPTER XXVIII
Paris
Volume 5.
CHAPTER XXIX
Captain Trevanion's Adventure
CHAPTER XXX
Difficulties
CHAPTER XXXI
Explanation
CHAPTER XXXII
Mr O'Leary's First Love
CHAPTER XXXIII
Mr O'Leary's Second Love
CHAPTER XXXIV
The Duel
CHAPTER XXXV
Early Recollections--A First Love
CHAPTER XXXVI
Wise Resolves
CHAPTER XXXVII
The Proposal
CHAPTER XXXVIII
Thoughts upon Matrimony in general, and in the Army in particular--The Knight of Kerry and Billy M'Cabe
CHAPTER XXXIX
A Reminiscence
CHAPTER XL
The Two Letters
CHAPTER XLI
Mr O'Leary's Capture

Volume 6.
CHAPTER XLII.
The Journey
CHAPTER XLIII.
The Journey
CHAPTER XLIV.
A Reminscence of the East
CHAPTER XLV.
A Day in the Phoenix
CHAPTER XLVI.
An Adventure in Canada
CHAPTER XLVII.
The Courier's Passport
CHAPTER XLVIII.
A Night in Strasbourg
CHAPTER XLIX.
A Surprise
CHAPTER L.
Jack Waller's Story
CHAPTER LI.
Munich
CHAPTER LII.
Inn at Munich
CHAPTER LIII.
The Ball
CHAPTER LIV.
A Discovery
CHAPTER LV.
Conclusion

A WORD OF INTRODUCTION.
"Story! God bless you; I have none to tell, sir."
It is now many--do not ask me to say how many--years since I received from the Horse Guards the welcome intelligence that I was gazetted to an insigncy in his Majesty's _th Foot, and that my name, which had figured so long in the "Duke's" list, with the words "a very hard case" appended, should at length appear in the monthly record of promotions and appointments.
Since then my life has been passed in all the vicissitudes of war and peace. The camp and the bivouac--the reckless gaiety of the mess-table --the comfortless solitude of a French prison--the exciting turmoils of active service--the wearisome monotony of garrison duty, I have alike partaken of, and experienced. A career of this kind, with a temperament ever ready to go with the humour of those about him will always be sure of its meed of adventure. Such has mine been; and with no