a hedge or digging the ground, and looking as innocent and
stupid as possible. They never saw anybody, and never heard any
firing--or they thought it was the Colonel shooting a hare. We hardly
know what to do in doubtful cases, as we know the tenants have the
support of the Government, and it is as much as our places are worth
to make any mistake under present circumstances. The tenants know that
too, so between them and Morley we feel between two fires."

The trouble has been alive for fifteen years or so, but it was not
until 1887 that Bodyke became a regularly historic place. The tenants
had paid no rent for years, and wholesale evictions were tried, but
without effect. The people walked in again the next day, and as the
gallant Colonel had not an army division at his back he was obliged to
confess himself beaten at every point. He went in for arbitration, but
before giving details let us first take a bird's eye view of his
position. I will endeavour to state the case as fairly as possible,
premising that nothing will be given beyond what is freely admitted by
both parties to the dispute.

The Colonel, who is a powerfully-built, bronzed, and active man,
seemingly over sixty years old, left the service just forty years ago.
Four years before that his father had died, heavily in debt, leaving
the estate encumbered by a mortgage, a jointure to the relict, Mrs.
O'Callaghan, now deceased (the said jointure being at that time
several years in arrear), a head rent of a hundred guineas a year to
Colonel Patterson, with taxes, tithe rent-charges, and heaven knows
what besides. In 1846 and 1847 his father had made considerable
reductions in the rents of the Bodyke holdings, but the tenants had
contrived to fall into arrears to the respectable tune of L6,000, or
thereabouts. Such was the state of things when the heir came into his
happy possessions.

A Protestant clergyman said to me--"Land in Ireland is like
self-righteousness. The more you have, the worse off you are." Thus
was it at Bodyke.

Something had to be done. To ask the tenants for the L6,000 was mere
waste of breath. The young soldier had no agent. He was determined to
be the people's friend. Although a Black Protestant, he was ambitious
of Catholic good-will. He wanted to have the tenants blessing him. He
coveted the good name which is better than rubies. He wished to make
things comfortable, to be a general benefactor of his species; if a
Protestant landlord