wn house at Headford. But as he went there he
insisted that Frank should carry a brace of pistols in his trousers'
pockets. "It's as well to do it, though you should never use them, or
a great deal better that you should never use them. You don't want to
get into all the muck of shooting a wretched, cowardly Landleaguer.
If all the leaders had but one life among them there would be
something worth going in for. But it is well that they should believe
that you have got them. They are such cowards that if they know
you've got a pistol with you they will be afraid to get near enough
to shoot you with a rifle. If you are in a room with fellows who see
that you have your hand in your trousers' pocket, they will be in
such a funk that you cow half-a-dozen of them. They look upon Hunter
and me as though we were an armed company of policemen." So Frank
carried the pistols.

"Well, Mr. Lafferty, how are things going with you to-day?"

"'Deed, then, Captain Clayton, it ain't much as I'm able to say for
myself. I've the decentry that bad in my innards as I'm all in the
twitters."

"I'm sorry for that, Mr. Lafferty. Are you well enough to tell me
where did Mr. Lax go when he left you this morning?"

"Who's Mr. Lax? I don't know no such person."

"Don't you, now? I thought that Mr. Lax was as well-known in Headford
as the parish priest. Why, he's first cousin to your second cousin,
Pat Carroll."

"'Deed and he ain't then;--not that I ever heard tell of."

"I've no doubt you know what relations he's got in these parts."

"I don't know nothin' about Terry Lax."

"Except that his name is Terry," said the Captain.

"I don't know nothin' about him, and I won't tell nothin' either."

"But he was here this morning, Mr. Lafferty?"

"Not that I know of. I won't say nothin' more about him. It's as bad
as lying you are with that d----d artful way of entrapping a fellow."

Here Terry Carroll, Pat's brother, entered the cabin, and took off
his hat, with an air of great courtesy. "More power to you, Mr.
Frank," he said, "it's I that am glad to see you back from London.
These are bad tidings they got up at the Castle. To think of Mr.
Flory having such a story to tell as that."

"It's a true story at any rate," said Frank.

"Musha thin, not one o' us rightly knows. It's a long time ago, and
if I were there at all, I disremember it. Maybe I was, though I
wasn't doing anything on me own account. If Pat was to bid me, I'd do
that or