many aggravating reflections upon the disrespectful conduct of the young gentlemen, grew restless on another count. The gates were left open for themthe gates ought to be locked! There were disturbances in the country. "Pshaw!" sir Ulick said. Opposite directions were given at opposite doors to two

servants.

"Dempsey, tell them they need not lock the gates till the young gentlemen come home, or at least till one o'clock," said sir Ulick.

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Stone," said lady O'Shane to her own man in a very low voice, "go down directly, and see that the gates are locked, and bring me the keys."

Dempsey, an Irishman, who was half drunk, forgot to see or say any thing about it. Stone, an Englishman, went directly to obey his lady's commands, and the gates were locked, and the keys brought to her ladyship, who put them immediately into her work

table.

Half an hour afterwards, as lady O'Shane was sitting with her back to the glass door of the green-house, which opened into the ball-room, she was startled by a peremptory tap on the glass behind her; she turned, and saw young Ormond, pale as death, and stained with blood.

"The keys of the gate instantly," cried he, "for mercy's sake!"

CHAPTER II.

LADY O'SHANE, extremely terrified, had scarcely power to rise. She opened the drawer of the table, and thrust her trembling hand down to the bottom of the silk bag, into which the keys had fallen. Impatient of delay, Ormond pushed open the door, snatched the keys, and disappeared. The whole passed in a few seconds. The music drowned the noise of the opening door, and of the two chairs which Ormond had thrown down: those who sat near thought a servant had pushed in and gone out; but however rapid the movement, the full view of the figure had been seen by miss Annaly, who was sitting on the opposite side of the room; sir Ulick was sitting beside her, talking earnestly. Lady Annaly had just retired. "For Heaven's sake, what's the matter?" cried he, stopping in the middle of a sentence, on seeing miss Annaly grow suddenly pale as death. Her eyes were fixed on the door of the green-house; his followed that direction. 66 Yes," said he, we can get out into the air that way-lean on me." She did so he pushed his way through the crowd at the bottom of the country dance; and, as he passed, was met by lady O'Shane and miss Black, both with faces of horror.

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"Sir Ulick, did you see," pointing to the door, "did you see Mr. Ormond?-There's blood!"

There's mischief, certainly," said miss Black. "A quarrel-Mr. Marcus, perhaps."

"Nonsense! No such thing, you'll find," said sir Ulick, pushing on, and purposely jostling the arm of a servant who was holding a salver of ices, overturning

them all; and whilst the surrounding company were fully occupied about their clothes, and their fears and apologies, he made his way onwards to the greenhouse-lady O'Shane clinging to one arm-miss Annaly supported by the other-miss Black following, repeating, "Mischief! Mischief! you'll see, sir.”

"Miss Black, open the door, and not another word."

He edged miss Annaly on the moment the door opened, dragged lady O'Shane after him, pushed miss Black back as she attempted to follow; but recollecting that she might spread the report of mischief if he left her behind, drew her into the greenhouse, locked the door, and led miss Annaly out into the air.

Bring salts water! something, miss Blackfollow me, lady O'Shane."

"When I'm hardly able—your wife! Sir Ulick, you might," said lady O'Shane, as she tottered on, "you might, I should have thought"

"No time for such thoughts, my dear," interrupted he. "Sit down on the steps-there, she is better now-now what is all this?"

I am not to speak," said miss Black.

Lady O'Shane began to say how Mr. Ormond had burst in, covered with blood, and seized the keys of the gates.

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The keys!" But he had no time for that thought. Which way did he go?"

"I don't know; I gave him the keys of both gates."

The two entrances were a mile asunder. Sir Ulick looked for footsteps on the grass. It was a fine moonlight night. He saw footsteps on the path leading to the gardener's house. "Stay here, ladies, ተ

and I will bring you intelligence as soon as possible."

"This way, sir Ulick-they are coming," said miss Annaly, who had now recovered her presence mind.

of

Several persons appeared from a turn in the shrubbery, carrying some one on a hand-barrow-a gentleman on horseback, with a servant and many persons walking. Sir Ulick hastened towards them; the gentleman on horseback spurred his horse and met

him.

"Marcus!-is it you?-thank God! But Ormond —where is he, and what has happened?”

The first sound of Marcus's voice, when he attempted to answer, showed that he was not in a condition to give a rational account of any thing. His servant followed, also much intoxicated. While sir Ulick had been stopped by their ineffectual attempts to explain, the people who were carrying the man on the hand-barrow came up. Ormond appeared from the midst of them. Carry him on to the gardener's house," cried he, pointing the way, and coming forward to sir Ulick. "If he dies, I am a murderer!" cried he.

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"Who is he?" said sir Ulick.

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Moriarty Carroll, please your honour," answered several voices at once.

"And how happened it?" said sir Ulick.

“The long and the short of it, sir," said Marcus, as well as he could articulate, "the fellow was insolent, and we cut him down-and if it was to do again, I'd do it again with pleasure."

"No, no! you won't say so, Marcus, when you are yourself," said Ormond. "Oh! how dreadful to come to one's senses all at once, as I did the moment

VOL. XIII.

X

after I had fired that fatal shot-the moment I saw the poor fellow stagger and fall

"It was you, then, that fired at him," interrupted sir Ulick.

"Yes, oh! yes!" said he, striking his forehead: "I did it in the fury of passion."

Then Ormond, taking all the blame upon himself, and stating what had passed in the strongest light against himself, gave this account of the matter. After having drank too much at Mr. Cornelius O'Shane's, they were returning from the Black Islands, and afraid of being late, they were galloping hard, when at a narrow part of the road they were stopped by some cars. Impatient of the delay, they abused the men who were driving them, insisting upon their getting out of the way faster than they could. Moriarty Carroll made some answer, which Marcus said was insolent; and inquiring the man's name, and hearing it was Carroll, said all the Carrolls were bad people-rebels. Moriarty defied him to prove that and added some expressions about tyranny, which enraged Ormond. This part of the provocation Ormond did not state, but merely said he was thrown into a passion by some observation of Moriarty's; and first he lifted his whip to give the fellow a horsewhipping. Moriarty seized hold of the whip, and struggled to wrest it from his hand; Ormond then snatched a pistol from his holster, telling Moriarty he would shoot him, if he did not let the whip go. Moriarty, who was in a passion himself, struggled, still holding the whip. Ormond cocked the pistol, and before he was aware he had done so, the pistol accidentally went off-the ball entered Moriarty's breast. This happened within a quarter of a mile of Castle Hermitage. The poor fellow bled profusely;