dy; and that he, Keegan, might get more than he
bargained for, if he came to meddle with it. After that he began to
whimper piteously and cry, complaining that it was a most grievous
thing that his own son should bring such a letter to him; and he
ended by accusing Thady of leaguing with the attorney to turn him
out of his own house, and even asked him whether, when they had
effected their purpose, he and Keegan intended to live at Ballycloran
together.

All this was not comfortable. Thady, however, quietly folded up the
letter, put it in the old bureau, left his father to his pipe and his
fireside, and went out again to his occupations.

Nothing new occurred at Ballycloran for a few days, and he began to
flatter himself that Mrs. Mulready's boys and their threats would
annoy him no more, and he was even thinking of sending Pat down to
Drumleesh to notice the tenants again to come up with the rents,
if it were only to see what steps they would then take. As he was
returning home, however, on Friday evening, across the fields, a
little after dusk, he saw the figure of a man standing in a gap
through which he had to pass, and when he came close to him, he
perceived it was Joe Reynolds.

Thady had been rather surprised that he had not seen Joe before,
and had been inclined to think that that worthy gentleman had been
intimidated, when he heard of his own defection; but Joe was not a
character so easily frightened. The truth was that he had for the
last few days left his own cabin at Drumleesh, and had been engaged
with others in the mountains which lay between Loch Sheen and
Ballinamore, in making potheen in large quantities, and drinking no
small portion of what they made. The morning after the wedding, he
had been boasting to his comrades there of the success he had had in
bringing over his landlord to their ranks; and he had brought down
a large party of them from that quarter, all sworn friends, to be
present at his proposed initiation--and great was their wrath and
loud were their threatenings when they found that Thady would not
come. Joe had, however, been obliged to join them again at their
business, and though he had heard the ill success of Brady's second
attempt, he had not been able till now to try the effects of his own
eloquence.

He had now come down for that purpose, and had been for the greater
portion of the evening watching Thady, till he could get a good
opportunity of talking to him undisturbed;