mademoiselle, does it not give you a great
notion of our insecurity here in Ireland when you see to what we trust, law
and order.

'Never mind him, Curtis,' said Kilgobbin. 'When these fellows are not
saying sharp things, they have to be silent.'

While the conversation went briskly on, Nina contrived to glance unnoticed
at her watch, and saw that it wanted only a quarter of an hour to nine.
Nine was the hour she had named to Donogan to be in the garden, and she
already trembled at the danger to which she had exposed him. She reasoned
thus: so reckless and fearless is this man, that, if he should have come
determined to see me, and I do not go to meet him, he is quite capable of
entering the house boldly, even at the cost of being captured. The very
price he would have to pay for his rashness would be its temptation.'

A sudden cast of seriousness overcame her as she thus thought, and Kate,
perceiving it, rose at once to retire.

'You were not ill, dearest Nina? I saw you grow pale, and I fancied for a
moment you seemed faint.'

'No; a mere passing weakness. I shall lie down and be better presently.'

'And then you'll come up to aunt's room--I call godmother aunt now--and
take tea with Gorman and us all.'

'Yes, I'll do that after a little rest. I'll take half an hour or so of
quiet,' said she, in broken utterances. 'I suppose the gentlemen will sit
over their wine; there's no fear of their breaking-up.'

'Very little _fear_, indeed,' said Kate, laughing at the word. 'Papa made
me give out some of his rare old '41 wine to-day, and they're not likely to
leave it.'

'Bye-bye, then, for a little while,' said Nina dreamily, for her thoughts
had gone off on another track. 'I shall join you later on.'

Kate tripped gaily up the stairs, singing pleasantly as she went, for hers
was a happy heart and a hopeful.

Nina lingered for a moment with her hand on the banister, and then hurried
to her room.

It was a still cold night of deep winter, a very faint crescent of a new
moon was low in the sky, and a thin snowfall, slightly crisped with frost,
covered the ground. Nina opened her window and looked out. All was still
and quiet without--not a twig moved. She bent her ear to listen, thinking
that on the frozen ground a step might perhaps be heard, and it was a
relief to her anxiety when she heard nothing. The chill cold air that came
in through the window warned her to muffle herself well, and she drew the
hood of her