have you? And was Thady here at the time?"

"He was in it all the time; and divil a word he'd say for himself,
or Feemy, or his father, or the owld place either; but just wanted
me, Captain, to give it all up to them at once, the ruffians! and
when I wouldn't, he went off with Keegan to Carrick. There's my own
son joined with 'em agin me; and he'll help to dhrive me out, he
will,--and Feemy too, poor girl!"

In vain Ussher endeavoured to make him believe that his son had not
conspired against him, to deprive him of his property. The old man
had taken it into his head that Thady had gone off to Carrick with
Keegan, and was determined to make the most of this new grievance,
and would not be comforted. He seemed cunning enough in his
determination to thwart the attorney in his plan of buying the
estate, and explained to Ussher that he had made up his mind not to
be taken personally; assuring him, that from that time nothing should
induce him to leave his own fireside, or so much as show himself at
the hall-door; that he would have the hall-door barricadoed; and, in
short, that he would himself take all those precautions which Brady
had enumerated to his son, as proper to be put in practice on such
an occasion. And from that time, with one sad exception, it was many
months before Larry Macdermot was seen to cross his threshold; he
strictly adhered to his resolution; and although during that time
many attempts to arrest him were made, he eluded them all. He could
not, however, be brought to understand that, for the present, this
was useless--that no one could arrest him till after Christmas.
The dread of losing his property had come upon him, and he would
not allow himself even to be seen by any one but those of his own
household, and by Ussher.

After listening to his grievances as long as he thought necessary,
Ussher followed Feemy into her own room, and here we will leave
them, till we meet them again at Denis McGovery's wedding; merely
remarking, that poor Feemy, though more than once she prepared
to make her dreaded speech to her lover, each time hesitated and
stopped, and at last made up her mind that it would be just as well
to put off the evil hour till her pleasure was over; and finally
determined to have the conversation on the return home, for she well
knew that Ussher would walk back with her to Ballycloran, where his
horse would be left.

CHAPTER XII.

THE WEDDING.

When Ussher first came into