r came up to the car, and began
congratulating them. He had now openly stated that he was to leave
the country altogether, and that he had been ordered to Cashel. Mrs.
McKeon was therefore no longer at a loss to account for Feemy's
melancholy; and whilst she felt a cordial dislike to the man, who she
thought had so basely deceived Feemy and was now going to desert her,
she was heartily glad for her sake he was going, and reflected that
as he was to be off to-morrow, it was useless for her now to begin to
be uncivil to him.

"I'm glad to congratulate you, Mr. McKeon--I'm glad you won, as my
friend Brown didn't; a bad thing his losing his horse, isn't it?"

"Thank ye, Captain; and I'm to congratulate you too. I hear you're
promoted, and going away from us--very glad for one, sorry for
t'other. Take a bit of cold pie; d----n it, I forgot--the pie's all
gone, but there's cold mutton and plenty of sherry. Lyddy, give
Captain Ussher a glass of sherry."

And Ussher went round to the side of the car where Feemy was sitting,
and shook hands with her and the other girls. It was the first time
through the whole long morning he had come near her; indeed, it
was the first time he had seen her since his short visit at Mrs.
McKeon's, and very cruel poor Feemy had thought such conduct. Yet
now, when he merely came to speak a few words, it was a relief to
her, and she took it actually for a kindness. She felt herself so
fallen in the world--so utterly degraded--she was so sure that soon
every one else would shun her, that she shuddered at the idea of
his ill-treating or deserting her. He soon left her, having got an
opportunity of desiring her in a whisper to dance the first quadrille
with him, as he didn't think he should remain late at the ball.

As for Ussher himself, he would now have been glad if he had been
able to have got rid of Feemy altogether. As I said before, when he
started for Ballycloran on the day that he heard he had to remove his
quarters, he had by no means made up his mind as to what he would do:
it was not at that time at all his purpose to induce Feemy to leave
her home, or go with him in the scandalous manner he had at last
proposed. It was the warmth of her own affection, and the vanity
which this had inspired, or rather strengthened in his breast, that
had at the moment induced him to do so; and now he could not avoid
it. He had told his sporting friends of his intention, and if even he
could have brought