n invitation from that lady, she
would perceive that the object was to separate her from her lover,
and that she would obstinately persist in remaining at Ballycloran.

As Father John was entering Drumsna, he met his curate, Cullen, and
McGovery, who, considering that he had only been married the evening
before, and that if he had not been dancing himself, he had been kept
up by his guests' doing so till four or five in the morning, had left
his bride rather early; for, according to custom, he had slept the
first night after his wedding at his wife's house, and, though it was
only ten o'clock, he had been on a visit to Father Cullen, with whom
he was now eagerly talking.

On the previous evening, when feigning to be asleep, he had managed
to overhear a small portion of what had passed between Thady, Joe
Reynolds, and the rest; but what he had overheard had reference
solely to Keegan; for when they began to speak of Ussher, everything
had been said in so low a voice, that he had been unable to
comprehend a word. He had contrived, however, to pick up something,
in which Ballycloran, rents, Keegan, and a bog-hole were introduced
in marvellous close connection, and he was not slow in coming to the
determination that he had been wrong when he fancied that Ussher was
the object against whom plots were being formed, and that Keegan was
the doomed man; but what was worse still, he was led to imagine that
the perpetrators of Mr. Keegan's future watery grave were instigated
by young Macdermot! He was well aware that Flannelly and Keegan,
for they were all one, had the greater portion of the rents out of
Ballycloran, and he now plainly saw that the more active of this firm
was to be made away with, while collecting, or attempting to collect,
the rent.

Denis was puzzled as to what he should do; his conscience would not
allow the man to be murdered without his interference; he had no
great love for Mr. Keegan, and his sympathies were not more strongly
excited than they had been when he thought Ussher was to be the
victim. Should he tell Mr. Keegan? that would be setting the devil
in arms against his wife's brother--against his wife's brother's
master--and against his wife's brother's master's tenants; this was
too near cutting his own throat, to be a line of action agreeable to
Denis. Then it occurred to him to have recourse again to Father John:
but Father John had made light of his former warning. Besides, the
fact of his hav