forget that memorable
apothegm to the Irish people on the subject? "Let your hatred of
tithes," he said, "be as lasting as your sense of justice."

Unfortunately it is an easy task to instruct or tempt the Irish peasant
to violate the law, especially when sanctioned, in that violation, by
those whose opinion and advice he takes as the standard of his conduct.
Be this as it may, the state of the country was now becoming frightful
and portentous; and although there had not, as yet, been much blood
shed, still there was no person acquainted with the extraordinary pains
which were taken to excite the people against the payment of tithe,
who was not able to anticipate the terrible outburst and sanguinary
slaughters which soon followed.

We have already detailed a midnight meeting of the anti-tithe
confederacy; but so confident had the people soon become in the
principle of general unanimity against the payment of this impost, that
they did not hesitate to traverse the country in open day by thousands;
thus setting not only law, but all the powers of the country by which it
is usually carried out and supported, at complete defiance.

Threatening letters, and notices of violent death, signed with blood,
and containing the form of a coffin, were sent to all such as were in
any way obnoxious, or, what was the same thing, who were in any way
disposed either to pay tithes or exact them.

In this state matters were, when, one morning about a week after the
scene we have just described in O'Driscol's office, a dialogue to the
following effect took place in the proctor's immense farm-yard, between
our friend Mogue Moylan and his quondam sweetheart, Letty Lenehan.
Letty, of late, that is since the morning of the peddler's conversation
with Mogue, had observed that some unaccountable change had taken place
in his whole manner, not only towards herself, but in his intercourse
with the rest of his fellow-servants. He was for instance, much more
silent that he had ever been: but although he spoke less, he appeared to
think more; yet it might be observed, that whatever the subject of his
thoughts was, it evidently had diffused a singular degree of serenity,
and a peculiarly striking complacency through his whole manner. With
respect to herself he had ascended from the lover into the patron; and
although she had been amusing herself at his expense throughout their
previous courtship, if it could be termed such, yet she felt no less
puz