ow that the proposal had
been fairly made, that he had got her to discuss the plan, his usual
sternness returned; and at last he told her, somewhat roughly, that
if she would not come with him in the manner he proposed, he would
leave her now and for ever.

Poor Feemy fell with her knees on the ground and her face on the
sofa, and there she lay sobbing for many minutes, while he again
stood silent with his back against the fireplace. During this time,
old feelings, principles, religious scruples, the love of honour
and fair fame, and the fear of the world's harsh word, were sorely
fighting in her bosom; they were striving to enable her to conquer
the strong love she felt for Ussher, and make her reject the disgrace
to which he was alluring her. Then he stooped to lift her up, and
as he kissed the tears from her face, passion prevailed, and she
whispered in his ear that she would go.

He stayed there for a considerable time after that; at first Feemy
was so agitated and so miserable, that she was unable to converse
with him, or listen to his plans for her removal. She sat there
sobbing and crying, and all he could say--all his protestations of
love--all his declarations that it was his firm intention to marry
her at Cashel--all his promises of kind and good treatment, were
unable to console her. He tried to animate her by describing to her
the pleasure she would have in seeing Dublin--the delight it would be
to her to leave so dull a place as Ballycloran, and see something of
the world, from which she had hitherto been excluded. But for a long
time it was in vain; she was thinking--though she rarely thought of
them--of her father and her brother; of what the old man would feel,
when she, his only joy, had gone from him in such a manner; of what
Thady would do and say, when he found that the suspicions, which
she knew he already entertained, were too true. She could not bring
her heart to give up Ussher; but the struggles within her breast at
length made her hysterical, and Ussher was greatly frightened lest
he should have to call in assistance to bring her to herself. She
did not, however, lose her senses, and after a time she became more
tranquil, and was able to listen to his plans. She first of all told
him that she had promised Mrs. McKeon to go to her house for a short
time, during the races, and suggested that she should now send some
excuse for declining the visit; but this he negatived. He desired her
to go th