eared to him to come
from a spot immediately above his head; he looked up and could see
through a fissure in the wall what seemed to be a moving form. His
gaze remaining fixed and fascinated on this object, distinguished at
last a dark face with two gleaming eyes surmounted by _horns_. All
Peter Rorke's vaunted courage deserted him; conscience-stricken and
smitten by sudden agonising fears, he uttered a shrill quavering
scream and began to totter down the hill with all the speed he could
muster.

The steep path had been rendered more slippery than usual by recent
rain, and afforded very insecure footing. Peter, rushing blindly
forward, soon lost all control over his limbs, and fell at last,
rolling over and over until he dropped on the rocks below.

His men, hastening to his assistance, hardly dared to raise him from
the ground, and when they had at last mustered courage to do so, they
were under the firm belief that it was the corpse of their master
which they were carrying home. But Peter Rorke was not dead yet, and
to the surprise of all who had known him, soon demonstrated that he
was going to cheat a certain Old Gentleman--who had been considered
his intimate friend during his long life--of his company at the close
of it. His end in fact was most edifying. He made his peace with both
God and man before he departed. To the last he remained persuaded that
the horned face, which had peered at him through the ruins of
Donoughmor, was that of the devil himself.

The explanation that the McEvoys' goat, which had been tethered on the
hill, had broken loose and clambered up the ruined wall did not seem
to him to have any bearing on the case. It was his belief that the
"Ould Boy" had somewhat prematurely appeared to claim him; and his
most anxious endeavour was to cheat him of his due. So Peter
accomplished deeds which, under other circumstances, would have been
impossible to him. He made his will to begin with, leaving a good deal
of money in charity, and the bulk of his fortune to Roseen; he left
directions that the Clancys were to be reinstated in their cabin and
emphatically announced that he forgave Mike. When this last item, by
the way, was reported to Pat, the old man's indignation knew no
bounds.

Peter's last hours were not, however, disturbed by any hint as to the
Clancys' attitude, and it was with the most peaceful and resigned
disposition that he, at last, betook himself to another world, with
the full ass