kniting his hard brow into its most iron expression, "all that is mighty fine talk. I make every allowance for youth, but, faith, there are limits, let me tell you; I have no objection to a young fellow having his fling-we were all young ourselves, and may be we all did queer things enough-but let me tell you, that cutting people's throats is no joking matter to man or boy. And, gentlemen, when the first men of your town are marked out with a black cross stuck up behind their names, meaning thereby that a staff-pike is to be stuck up into their bodies-I do not say it out of spite because I happened to be among them myself, though I assure you, none of us would like to be killed in that manner, at any hour of the forenoon, ay, or the afternoon either,-we must consider that the young gentleman who plays with such playthings is not likely to be good egg or bird, and the quietest way is to put him out of the danger of being troublesome, by just turning him off in the cool of the morning.

"Nay," said one of the intercessors, "you are too precipitate; is there no chance of repentance? none of amendment? will you

not allow-"

"Pish! my friend," replied the sheriff, "I have lived long enough in the world to know, that when a youth begins with murder, he won't end with psalm-singing, except he may wish to indulge his vocal powers in that way under a gallows."

"But," still urged his friend, " you are putting the thing in the hardest light against this unfortunate O'Reilly.

"Unfortunate!" interrupted the sheriff, "a pretty word for such a fellow, indeed-if you called him a wicked young cutthroat, you would be nearer the mark."

"Call him what you please, but listen to me; if he is wicked, he is unfortunate too, and doubly so by being wicked; but you are putting the case, I say, in the hardest light possible against him. You assume that he knew all the murderous designs of the men with whom he associated. Now I hold that it is quite impossible; I am sure that he was a mere novice just introduced among them-knowing, I admit, that he was doing wrong, but yet not prepared for such wrong as he is charged with."

But

"The devil he wasn't! much you know about it; what a pretty little sucking conspirator you want to make of him! wait awhile, and I'll shew you what sort of an innocent this protegé is. Step in with me,-(this dialogue had taken place at the door of the sheriff's house, from which he had been called out while at supper,)-step in with me, and we'll just take one tumbler of punch, and I'll walk down with you to the guardhouse, where the lad is laid up in lavender, and out of his own mouth you shall learn how worthy he is of your interference.”

"Let us come, then, at once," proposed one of the gentlemen,

"without making any delay, for the night is wearing, and the execution is fixed for eight o'clock."

"I have

"Meat or drink never marred work," was the reply: some little papers, and other conundrums, to take with me, which I cannot find in the time you'd take to say Jack Robinson, and believe me, you'll find it snugger waiting over my jorum on my table, than on the steps of my hall-door; and as for the execution, why you know that you cannot have that neat exhibition until I think fit to show my physiognomy as prime contributorso step in, I'll not keep you five minutes.

22

They followed him, and partook of his beverage with much more haste than their landlord seemed inclined to do. Urged by them, at last he rummaged among his ill-arranged papers, and having selected one or two, and carefully examined his pistols, he led the way to the guard-house, where O'Reilly was stretched, stronglymanacled, upon a heap of straw. He had been excessively fatigued and agitated during the day, and now Nature had asserted her dominion, and plunged him into a deep slumber. It was not destined to be of long duration. The foot of the sheriff was applied to him, (no gentle salute,) and he sprang up as nimbly as his chain would let him. He had been dreaming of the events of the day. "I defy you!" said he, scarcely awake, "if I had a sword, I would"

"Stop your fine prate, my elegant fellow," said the sheriff; "If you had a sword! You may give God thanks if you get a cat-o'-nine-tails in place of a rope. So now gather your brains, and listen to me.. These two gentlemen are interested for you, and wish to get you off from what you so richly deserve. So I have come with them just to shew them, for their own satisfaction, not mine,-for my mind is made up on the subject-that you amply deserve the gallows.'

"I am obliged to you for your kindness," said the prisoner; "if that were the sole object of your mission, it would have been kinder to have let me enjoy without interruption the few hours your cruel laws have awarded me."

"Mighty neat, and particularly elegant," retorted the man of office," but although you are destined for the rope, yet, to tell you the truth, I have come to give you a chance for your life; so do not be sulky, but answer what I ask: you may as well, for worse it cannot make you, and may be it may do you good." O'Reilly gave a sullen assent.

"Well, now, you know that last night was not the first time you were at Hill Cottage. You were there last Friday week." At which answer his friends looked a little amazed. "It was then proposed that this city should be attacked by bringing an armed party down the narrow passes at the back of

"I was.

the hill, and introducing them through the lanes of the northern suburb ?"

"I do not deny that there was such a proposal." "And a very pretty sort of a one it was. You volunteered to give your aid in drawing on paper a plan of operations, which was to be followed up, and you expressed no reluctance to join in the execution of your own piece of tactics."

"It is true. I may as well confess what you have learned already."

"Well, you do see that I know something of your private and very secret meetings. I'll say nothing of your civil speeches as to myself, for there is no use in raking up such things now; but to show you that I know almost as much of your affairs as yourselves, I'll just mention one trifle. You sat at the right hand of the chair, and drank two glasses of white wine and water during your worshipful debate.”

"How you obtained your information I cannot tell, but it is true, and cursed be the traitor who told you."

"Traitor, indeed!" said the sheriff; "considering, my lad, that you are yourself in a very fair way to be hanged for treason, it well becomes you to be calling people who stop murder and disloyalty, traitors. But now we are coming to the business. Mulvany was there, of course, the two Burkes-"

Yes."

"Briscol and M'Guire, who are now in this prison; Martin, and O'Leary of Dublin, and the worthy Mr. Flaherty, who, with the blessing of Heaven, I shall lay hands on before the morning is over."

"All whom you mention were certainly there."

"Yes, my lad, I know that, and there was a tenth man there beside-don't start, there was a tenth man there, who came late, was muffled in a cloak, sat next the chair, and spoke only in whispers. Now, Sir, we have come to the question. Who was he?"

"That question," said the young man, convulsed with the energy of his refusal, "I never will answer. I know him; but I would be hanged ten times over sooner than breathe his name." "Hanged, then, once you shall be," said the sheriff," and that you will find quite enough for you. You see," added he, turning to his companions, "that this gentleman is not quite so great a novice as you had imagined. It is no use for us to stay any longer here, for we are keeping him from his devotions.”

The intercessors did not spare any argument to induce the prisoner to change his mind, but he was inflexible. At first he replied indignantly to their entreaties, but finding them persevering, he turned away with a declaration that he would not open

his lips till on the place of execution. All their efforts to shake this resolution were fruitless, and they left the prison with a sigh, abandoning him to his fate.

Fate, however, was not so near as there was every reason to expect. The visit of the sheriff to the guard-house had not been unnoticed, and among his attendants came one whom he did not calculate upon. It was Mulvany. He had lurked about during the evening, and when the darkness of night gave him security, he had ventured into town, disguised in the dress of one of his own labourers. He had heard of the sentence passed on his friends, and lingered about the prison in the hope that some lucky chance would occur which might permit him to see them. Though the strictness of martial law prevailed, yet he had been enabled from his sort of official situation to obtain the pass-word, for there were spies on both sides; and thus, with a little management, and some presence of mind, he contrived to loiter about for a long time. While thus occupied, he perceived the arrival of the party whose proceedings I have just narrated. By great good fortune, he recognised among the twelve or fifteen civil officers who were waiting on their superior, a man who had been deeply indebted to him for various and important favours. This man, though he was an officer, had also been in no slight degree favourable to the projects of the United Irishmen, and this of course Mulvany knew. He determined to make trial of him. The fellow was among the last of the group: Mulvany waited until they had turned into a narrow lane leading to the prison, and just as the bailiff passed the angle of the street out of which it led, he caught him hastily by the skirt. The man started, and seized a pistol; it was no wonder that in such times people should feel a little nervous at being caught by an unknown hand in the dark. But before he was able to make any alarm, an anxious whisper had met his ear, and converted his fear into astonishment. He suffered himself to be detained while the rest passed

on.

When they were out of sight, "Oh the powers!" said he, "Mr. Mulvany, what bewitches you to be here, and your head worth its weight in gold? It is almost as bad, to be sure, for myself to be caught speaking to you, so in the name of God, be off like a shot."

66

"I am not afraid of you," was the reply, “for—”

"Nor need you," said the bailiff: "it would be quare indeed if Tim Daltera was to blow up the man to whom he owes the bread of his childer'-but do go. I'll be missed, and that will be a bad job for us both."

"No," said Mulvany, "I will not go; you must let me get with you into the guard-house, where I'll take care not to be seen by any body."

"Is it into the guard-house you'd want to go?'faith, man, you are as mad as a March hare. So good night, and take my advice. No, no, now. I can't upon my conscience-I dare not take it. Well if you must, you must, but lurk up close to me, and when in the guard-house shift for yourself, for I wash my hands from it clane."

The argument of five guineas had succeeded. Flesh is frail, and, unless they be belied, official people are not always incorruptible. Mulvany joined the party, and arrived unnoticed at the guard-house. The soldiers did not know the faces of the police, whom they as usual despised, and he ran no risk of detection from them; but to avoid the notice of those with whom he had come, he passed into a store-room which he knew was seldom visited, and through one of its windows into a yard containing some neglected out-houses, in one of which he concealed himself. Impatiently did he wait the departure of the sheriff, and as impatiently the return of quiet in the guard-house. At last all noises were hushed except that of the wind, which, as day-break was drawing near, had augmented to the violence of a storm. It was so much the better for his purposes.

He had ascertained in which room O'Reilly was confined, The victims of offended military law were frequently, as in this case, confined in guard-houses and barracks, which not being destined to the purpose of regular prisons, were generally unprovided with the means of security which gaols afford. O'Reilly was placed in an apartment which had been designed as the offi cers' guard-room, but the number of prisoners required the use of every room that could be spared. It was but one low story from the ground, and the windows were not secured with bars. Indeed, as its occupant was only to remain there a few hours, escape was thought to be adequately guarded against by his heavy chains. The front of the guard-house was supplied with its sufficient number of sentinels, and a large body of soldiers were on the ground-floor, ready accoutred for any emergency; but behind there was no sentry. It was thought to be quite needless, for it was sufficiently protected by a very high wall which ran along the verge of a steep precipice, at the edge of a rapid river. Mulvany therefore was enabled to reconnoitre the rear undisturbed. Availing himself then of the lower window, he climbed up till he could reach at the bottom of that on the first floor. The rugged masonry of its edge rendered this no very difficult feat to one accustomed like him to every kind of active exercise. His first effort was not prosperous. He had scarcely grasped the bottom, when his grip being insufficient, he fell. He was not much injured, but yet lay for several minutes on the ground, fearing that the noise which he had made might have been heard by the soldiers