asant friend, the _Cannie
Soogah_. Upon my troth, I'm glad to see him. Hallo! _Cannie!--Cannie
Soogah_, my hearty,--Jolly Pedlar, I say--this way! How are you,
man?--have you breakfasted? Of course not. Well, go to the kitchen and,
if you don't show good eating, it won't be for want of materials."

"God save you, Misther Purcel," replied the pedlar, in a rich, round
brogue; "God save you, young gintlemen. Oh, thin, Misther Purcel, by
my sowl it's your four quarthers that has a right to be proud of your;
family! And the ladies--not forgettin' the misthress herself--devil the
likes of the same two young ladies I see on my whole bait, an' that's
the country at large, barrin' the barony of Bedhehusth, where these
cruel murdhers is committed; an' devil a foot I'll ever set into it till
it's changed for the betther."

"Well, be off," said the proctor, "to the kitchen; get your breakfast
first, and then we'll chat to you."

"I will; but oh, Misther Purcel darlin', did you hear what happened last
night?"

"Is it Murray's business?"

"What do you call Murray's business, Misther Purcel? 'Tis Murray's
murdher, you mane?"

"Certainly, I have heard it all this morning in C------m."

The pedlar only shook his head, looked upwards, and raising his two
hands so as to express amazement, exclaimed--"Well, well, what is the
world goin' to! troth, I'll not ate half my breakwist in regard of it!"
So saying he slung his huge pack upon his shoulder as if it had been a
mere bag of feathers, and took his way round to the kitchen as he had
been desired.

The _Connie Soogah_, for so the people universally termed him, was in
person and figure a fine burly specimen of manhood. His hair was black,
as were a pair of large whiskers, that covered the greater portion of
his face, and nearly met at his chin. His arms and limbs were powerfully
made, and what is not always the case in muscular men, they betokened
great activity as well as unusual strength. Nobody, for instance, would
look without astonishment at the ease with which he swung a pack, that
was weighty enough to load an ass, over his shoulder, or the lightness
and agility with which he trotted on under it from morning till night,
and this during the very severest heat of summer.

M'Carthy, on reaching O'Driscol's the night before, had come to the
conclusion of not making any allusion whatsoever to the incident which
had just occurred to him. O'Driscol, who was only a newly-fledged