d it wholly
pass away, for, although his chin sank upon his breast, yet the placid
expression remained. On raising his head they perceived that this fine
and patriarchal representative of the truthful integrity and simple
manners of a bygone class had passed into a life where neither age
nor care can oppress the spirit, and from whose enjoyment no fear of
separation can ever disturb it.

It is unnecessary to describe the sorrow which they felt. It must be
sufficient to say that seldom has grief for one so far advanced in
years been so sincere and deep. Age, joined to the knowledge of his
affectionate heart and many virtues, had encircled him with a halo of
love and pious veneration which caused his disappearance from among them
to be felt, as if a lamb of simple piety and unsullied truth had been
removed from their path for ever.

That, indeed, was a busy and a melancholy day with the M'Mahons; for,
in addition to the death of the old grandfather, they were obliged to
receive farewell visits to no end from their relations, neighbors, and
acquaintances. Indeed it would be difficult to find a family in a state
of greater distress and sorrow. The auction, of course, was postponed
for a week--that is, until after the old man's funeral--and the
consequence was that circumstances, affecting the fate of our _dramatis
personae_ had time to be developed, which would otherwise have occurred
too late to be available for the purposes of our narrative. This renders
it necessary that we should return to a period in it somewhat anterior
to that at which we have now arrived.

CHAPTEE XXVI.--Containing a Variety of Matters.

Our readers cannot have forgotten the angry dialogue which Kate Hogan
and her male relations indulged in upon the misunderstanding that had
occurred between the Cavanaghs and M'Mahons, and its imputed cause.
We stated at the time that Hycy Burke and the Hogans, together with a
strange man and woman, were embarked in some mysterious proceedings from
which both Kate Hogan and Teddy Phats had been excluded. For some time,
both before and after that night, there had been, on the other hand,
a good, deal of mysterious communication between several of our other
characters. For instance Kate Hogan and Nanny Peety had had frequent
interviews, to which, in the course of time, old Peety, Teddy Phats,
and, after him, our friend the schoolmaster had been admitted. Nanny
Peety had also called on Father Magowan, and, af