ancy had told Roseen, weeping, that Mike was gone
off wid himself. He had come in late, very near distracted, the poor
boy, an' he had said "good-bye" to his father an' mother, an' had told
them he was goin' to England to try an' make a bit o' money at the
potato-harvest, the way they wouldn't have to go to the workhouse when
Mr. Rorke turned them out.

Gone without a word of farewell to her! Roseen betook herself
homewards full of bewildered pain; but kept her own counsel.

When the whispers anent the probable cause of his disappearance
reached her ears, she felt a momentary thrill of apprehension, but her
faith in her old friend survived this temptation. "Mike never done the
like," she said to herself, with a proud little toss of her head; even
when by--and--by the lad was openly accused of having been the cause
of the disaster, she took his part against all comers, making no
secret of her own intention, frustrated by her grandfather, of meeting
him in the haggard, and announcing boldly that it was on her account
that Mike had come there.

Old Peter, who had behaved like a man distracted while his property
was being consumed before his eyes, was the first to connect the
disappearance of Mike with this act of destruction, and declared he
would leave no stone unturned in his efforts to capture and punish
him.

The police were soon on poor Mike's track, and before long he was
discovered in the act of embarking for Liverpool, and ignominiously
dragged back to the scene of his supposed exploit. In vain he denied
all knowledge of the deed, putting forward the same motive for his
absence as his mother had done; circumstances were adverse to him, and
the evidence against him sufficiently strong to justify the magistrate
in committing him for trial at the approaching assizes. In the
meantime the unfortunate fellow was despatched to the county gaol.

Peter Rorke remained in a condition of mind bordering upon frenzy;
some of his neighbours opined that he was goin' out of his wits
altogether, and there were moments when Roseen herself was in terror
of him. The old man's excitement took a most unpleasant form, his
hatred of Mike and his unfortunate parents being little less than
rabid.

Not only were the poor old couple evicted with the least possible
delay, but their few "sticks of furniture," precious to themselves and
worth absolutely nothing to anybody else, were seized and carried off
to Monavoe--there being no bidder