hour of danger."

Julia made no immediate reply, but, after wiping away some bitter tears,
she at length said, "I will not believe it--it cannot be possible:
I know it is very strange and unaccountable, and I certainly cannot
understand it."

"Do you imagine it possible that M'Carthy could belong to this
confederation of blood?" asked Alick; "I at least have been told so
much: however, perhaps time will tell us more about it. For my part--"

He had nearly pronounced the words, when a heavy trampling of feet,
joined to a deep murmur of suppressed voices, was heard; a horn was then
sounded, and, in about half a minute afterwards, Purcel and his sons
were called upon to surrender and admit the assailants. From the moment
the first shots were heard, on the part of the approaching enemy, the
Purcels concealed all their lights, so that, when the former reached the
outer wall, the house seemed wrapped in obscurity--as if the family were
buried in sleep.

They now assailed the gate, but soon found that there was little
likelihood of forcing an entrance without heavier implements than
those they had in their possession. On ascertaining that this was not
practicable, they began to fire at the roof of the dwelling-house, and
at those of the out-offices, with the hope that some portion of the
wadding, when lighted, might ignite them. In this, after repeated
attempts and failures, they were ultimately successful. A cow-house that
stood detached from the other buildings, and, in point of proximity,
nearest the gate, at length caught the flame, and in a few minutes began
to burn. This, to be sure, might have been of little consequence to
the insurgents, Were it not that the wind, which was gusty and blew
sometimes with a good deal of strength, now and then swept the blaze
over to the other offices, which were, consequently, soon in flames; and
it was now obvious that the dwelling-house, from its position and the
direction of the blast, could not possibly escape.

Hitherto, there was no appearance of either light or life in the
proctor's dwelling, and the insurgents were by no means satisfied with
the progress they had made. It is true, they felt confident that none of
the Purcels had escaped since they approached the house--a circumstance
which was impossible, in consequence of the cordon of the enemy that
had been drawn around the outer wall. Another surmise, however, maddened
them almost to fury. Could it be possible that the