Wylie, purposely occupying himself
with the letter, to avoid noticing Hemsworth's hesitation.

"You have not broken the seals, I hope," said Hemsworth, faintly.

"No, sir; I knew better than that," replied Wylie, with well-assumed
caution. "I knew your honour had a right to it, if you suspected the
correspondence was treasonable, because you're in the Commission, and
it's your duty; but I could'nt venture it, of myself."

"I'm afraid your law is not very correct, Master Wylie," said Hemsworth,
who felt by no means certain as to the sincerity of the opinion.

"It's good enough for Glenflesk, anyhow," said the fellow, boldly; for
he saw that in Hemsworth's present nervous condition, audacity might
succeed where subserviency would not.

"By which you mean that we have the case in our own hands, Wylie; well,
you're not far wrong in that; still, I cannot break open a letter.

"Well, then, I'm not so scrupulous when my master's interests are
concerned;" and so saying, he tore open each in turn, and threw them on
the bed. "There, sir, you can transport me for the offence whenever you
like."

"You are a strange fellow, Sam," said Hemsworth, whose nerves were too
much shaken by illness, to enable him to act with his ordinary decision,
and he took up one of the letters, and perused it slowly. "This is
merely an announcement of his arrival in Dublin; he has waited upon, but
not seen the Secretary---finds it difficult to obtain an audience--press
of parliamentary business for the new session--no excitement about the
United party. What tidings has the other? Ha!--. what's this?"---and
his thin and haggard face flushed scarlet. "Leave me, Sam; I must have a
little time to consider this. Come back to me in an hour."

Wylie said not a word, but moved towards the door; while in his sallow
features a savage smile of malicious triumph shone.

As Hemsworth flattened out the letter before him on the bed, his eyes
glistened and sparkled with the fire of aroused intelligence: the
faculties which, during his long illness, had lain in abeyance, as
if refreshed and invigorated by rest, were once more excited to their
accustomed exercise; and over that face, pale and haggard by sickness, a
flush of conscious power stole, lighting up every lineament and
feature, and displaying the ascendancy of mental effort over mere bodily
infirmity.

"And so this Scotchman dares to enter the list with _me_," said he, with
a smile of contemptuous mea