"What! are you preaching, D'Esmonde?" cried his friend, waking up at
the energetic tone of the Abbe's voice. "Do you fancy yourself in the
pulpit? But here we are, close to the town. We had better dismount now,
and proceed on foot."

Having dismissed their humble equipage, the two friends walked briskly
along, and entered the city, which, even at this early hour, was filling
for its weekly market.

D'Esmonde took up his quarters at once at a small inn close by the
castle gate, and the priest Cahill immediately proceeded to the jail.
He found no difficulty in obtaining access to his acquaintance the
under-turnkey, but, to his disappointment, all approach to Meekins was
strictly interdicted. "The magistrates were here," said the
turnkey, "till past midnight with him, and that English agent of the
Corrig-O'Neal estate was along with them. What took place, I cannot even
guess, for it was done in secret. I only overheard one of the gentlemen
remark, as he passed out, 'That fellow is too deep for us all; we 'll
make nothing of him.'"

Cahill questioned the man closely as to what the arrest related, and
whether he had heard of any allegation against Meekins; but he knew
nothing whatever, save that he had broken his bail some years before.
The strictest watch was enjoined over the prisoner, and all intercourse
from without rigidly denied. To the priest's inquiries about Meekins
himself, the turnkey replied by saying that he had never seen any man
with fewer signs of fear or trepidation. "Whatever they have against
him," added he, "he's either innocent, or he defies them to prove him
guilty."

Cahill's entreaties were all insufficient to make the turnkey disobey
his orders. Indeed, he showed that the matter was one of as much
difficulty as danger, the chief jailer being specially interested in the
case by some observation of one of the justices.

"You can at least carry a message for me?" said the priest, at last.

"It's just as much as I dare do," replied the other.

"You incur no risk whatever so far," continued Cahill "The poor man is
my sacristan, and I am deeply interested for him. I only heard of his
being arrested last night, and you see I 've lost no time in coming to
see after him. Tell him this. Tell him that I was here at daybreak, and
that I 'll do my best to get leave to speak with him daring the day.
Tell him, moreover, that, if I shouldn't succeed in this, not to be
down-hearted, for that we--a friend of