e a
friend of our good priest's--and that you are well spoken of by every
one."

Now, it fortunately happened that the stranger had, on leaving the inn,
put thirty shillings of silver in his pocket, not only that he
might distribute through the hands of Father M'Mahon some portion of
assistance to the poor whom that good man had on his list of distress,
but visit some of the hovels on his way back, in order personally to
witness their condition, and, if necessary, relieve them. The priest,
however, was from home, and he had not an opportunity of carrying the
other portion of his intentions into effect, as he was only a quarter of
a mile from the good man's residence, and no hovels of the description
he wished to visit had yet presented themselves.

"Change for a pound!" he exclaimed, with a good deal of surprise. "Why,
from your appearance, poor fellow, I should scarcely suspect to find
such a sum in your possession. Did you expect to meet me here?"

"No, sir, I was on my way to the priest, to open my heart to him, for if
I don't, I know I'll be ragin' mad before forty-eight hours. Oh, sir, if
you have it, make haste; every minute may cost me a life that's dearer
to me a thousand times than my own. Here's the note, sir."

The stranger took the note out of his hand, and on looking at the face
of it made no observation, but, upon mechanically turning up the back,
apparently without any purpose of examining it, he started, looked
keenly at the man, and seemed sunk in the deepest possible amazement,
not unrelieved, however, by an air of satisfaction. The sudden and
mysterious disappearance of Fenton, taken in connection with the
discovery of the note which he himself had given him, and now in the
possession of a man whose appearance was both desperate and suspicious,
filled him with instant apprehensions for the safety of Fenton.

His brow instantly became stern, and in a voice full of the most
unequivocal determination, he said,

"Pray, sir, how did you come by this note?"

"By the temptation of the devil; for although it was in my possession,
it didn't save my two other darlins from dying. A piece of a slate would
be as useful as it was, for I couldn't change it--I durstn't."

"You committed a robbery for this note, sir?"

The man glared at him with something like incipient fury, but paused,
and looking on him with a more sorrowful aspect, replied,

"That is what the world will call it, I suppose; but if you wi