for
a long time declined to do more than take a little spirits and water. It
was not, in fact, until he had introduced the name of Kathleen Cavanagh
that he consented to taste punch. Between the two, however, Burke's
vanity was admirably played on; and Hogan wound up the dialogue by
hinting that Hycy, no matter how appearances might go, was by no means
indifferent to the interesting daughter of the house of Cavanagh.

At length, when the night was far advanced, Burke rose, and taking his
leave like a man who had forgotten some appointment, but with a very
pompous degree of condescension, sought his way in the direction of
home, across the mountains.

He had scarcely gone, when Hogan, as if struck by a sudden recollection,
observed as he thought it would be ungenerous to allow him, at that
hour of the night, to cross the mountains by himself. He accordingly
whispered a few words to his wife, and left them with an intention, as
he said, to see Mr. Hycy safe home.

CHAPTER V.--Who Robbed Jemmy Burke?

On the second morning after the night described in the last chapter,
Bryan M'Mahon had just returned to his father's house from his farm in
Ahadarra, for the purpose of accompanying him to an Emigration auction
in the neighborhood. The two farms of Carriglass and Ahadarra had been
in the family of the M'Mahon's for generations, and were the property
of the same landlord. About three years previous to the period of our
narrative, Toal M'Mahon, Bryan's uncle, died of an inflammatory attack,
leaving to his eldest nephew and favorite the stock farm of Ahadarra.
Toal had been a bachelor who lived wildly and extravagantly, and when he
died Bryan suceeeded to the farm, then as wild, by the way, and as much
neglected as its owner had been, with an arrear of two years' rent upon
it. In fact the house and offices had gone nearly to wreck, and when
Bryan entered into occupation he found that a large sum of money
should be expended in necessary improvements ere the place could
assume anything like a decent appearance. As a holding, however, it
was reasonable; and we may safely assert that if Toal M'Mahon had been
either industrious or careful he might have lived and died a wealthy
man upon it. As Ahadarra lay in the mountain district, it necessarily
covered a large space; in fact it constituted a townland in itself. The
greater portion of it, no doubt, was barren mountain, but then there
were about three hundred acres of str