n goin' out at night wid a white shirt
and a black face on him is a murdherer."

"God forbid!" said M'Carthy, "I've been disguised by both myself, as it
happens. It is difficult, however, for any country to be happy, or any
people either industrious or moral, when such secret confederacies are
made the standard of both law and morality."

"That's thruth, Mr. M'Carthy, and no man knows it betther than I do;
I and my brother--not him that's gone to his account to night, but the
other--were forced to join them for our own safety, but, as long as we
wor of them, we endeavored to do as much good--that is, to prevent as
much evil--as we could. It was I that sent you, Mr. M'Carthy, the letter
to Dublin, and it was I that sent the messenger for you this evenin'; I
took it for granted that if you had remained in Mr. Purcel's you'd been
shot, and, besides, I wanted you to watch Mogue Moylan, for I had raison
to know that he intended to play a trick on me to night in regard to
Miss Julia. I had my doubts all along whether I could come in time to
save the whole family and defate my brother, and I could not, for I had
an immense number of my own men to get together; however, God's will be
done; I did all that lay in my power."

On reaching Nassau Lodge, the party anticipated some danger from Fergus
O'Driscol's fire-arms. Alick, however, knocked, and on hearing the
window open, exclaimed:--

"Don't be alarmed, Fergus, we are friends. My mother and sisters are
here, and wish to get in. This has been a dreadful night!--a night of
bloodshed and murder!"

"My God!" exclaimed Fergus, "what is this you tell me? But why, Alick,
are you surrounded by such a number of Whiteboys. I can see distinctly
that they are such by the light of the moon."

"Boys," said the Cannie Soogah, "disperse now--and thank you; I feel
your kindness, and I won't forget it--you see the people of the house
are alarmed--but that's not the worst of it--what," he added, with a
peculiar smile, "if you bring that terrible dare-divil, O'Driscol, upon
you!"

The crowd immediately dispersed, and in a few minutes the melancholy
group were admitted to the welcome shelter of the magistrate's
hospitable roof; for such, in fact, it was.

We do not intend to dwell upon this melancholy meeting of the
neighboring families, nor upon the heart-rending details which were
given of the dreadful circumstances that made that night so hideous. All
the O'Driscols were present, and