and judges in Ireland,--the lawyers and judges that
is who were opposed to the Landleague,--could not secure a conviction
of any kind against prisoners whom the Landleague was bound to
support. It had come to be whispered about, that there were men in
the County of Galway,--and men also in other counties,--too strong
for the Government, men who could beat the Government on any point,
men whom no jury could be brought to convict by any evidence; men who
boasted of the possession of certain secret powers,--which generally
meant murder. It came to be believed that these men were possessed
of certain mysterious capabilities which the police could not handle,
nor the magistrates touch. And the danger to be feared from these
men arose chiefly from the belief in them which had become common.
It was not that they could do anything special if left to their own
devices, but that the crowds by whom they were surrounded trembled at
their existence. The man living next to you, ignorant, and a Roman
Catholic, inspired with some mysterious awe, would wish in his heart
that the country was rid of such fire-brands. He knew well that the
country, and he as part of the country, had more to get from law and
order than from murder and misrule. But murder and misrule had so
raised their heads for the present as to make themselves appear to
him more powerful than law and order. Mr. Lax, and others like him,
were keenly alive to the necessity of maintaining this belief in
their mysterious power.

The trial came on, having been delayed two days by the murder of poor
Florian Jones. His body had, in the meantime, been taken home, and
the only visitor received at Morony Castle had been Yorke Clayton. On
his coming he had been at first closeted with Mr. Jones, and had then
gone out and seen the two girls together. He had taken Ada's hand
first and then Edith's, but he had held Edith's the longer. The girls
had known that it was so, but neither of them had said a word to
rebuke him. "Who was it?" asked Ada.

Clayton shook his head and ground his teeth. "Do you know, or have
you an idea? You know so much about the country," said Edith.

"To you two, but to you only, I do know. He and I cannot exist
together. The man's name is Lax."

It may be imagined that the trial was not commenced at Galway without
the expression of much sympathy for Mr. Jones and the family at
Morony Castle. It is hard to explain the different feelings which
existed, feeling