f safe, and tread in his black
father's steps afterwards."

"And you must assist us, father," said Ginty, rising up, and pacing to
and fro the room in a state of great agitation. "You, the first cause,
the original author of my shame; you, to whose iniquitous avarice and
vulgar ambition I fell a sacrifice, as much as I did to the profligacy
and villany of Thomas Gourlay. But I care not--I have my ambition; it is
a mother's, and more natural on that account. I have also my vengeance
to gratify; for, father, we are your children, and vengeance is the
family principle. Father, you must assist us--you must join us--you
must lend us your perjury--supply us with false oaths, with deceitful
accounts, with all that is necessary; for, father, it is to work out
your own principles--that I may be able to die smiling--smiling that
I have overreached and punished him at last. That, you know, will be a
receipt in full for my shame and madness. Now, I say, father, you must
do this, or I will kneel down and curse you."

The old man, as she proceeded, kept his eyes fixed upon her, first with
a look of indifference; this, however, became agreeable and complacent;
gradually his eye kindled as he caught her spirit, and when she had
concluded, he ground his black old stumps of teeth together with a
vindictive energy that was revolting, or at least would have been so to
any others unless those that were present.

"Well, Ginty," he replied, "I have turned it over in my mind, and as
helpin' you now will be givin' the black fellow an additional stab, I'll
do it. Yes, my lad," he added, grinning rather maliciously, by the way,
at the object of his promised support, "I will make a present of you to
your father; and a thankful man he ought to be to have the like of you.
I was sometimes for you, and sometimes against you; but, at all events,
the old fellow must have you--for the present at least."

This was accompanied by another grin, which was, as usual, perfectly
inexplicable to the others. But as he had expressed his assent and
promised his assistance, they were glad to accept it on his own terms
and in his own way.

"Well, then," he proceeded, "now that we've made up our minds to go
through with it, I'll think over what's to be done--what's the best
steps to take, and the best time and place to break it to him. This will
require some time to think of it, and to put things together properly;
so let us have a drop of something to drink, and