ty of that
gentlemanly act,--treason, having united himself with some of those
unhappy people, who hoped to overthrow the authority of the Government.
He became a United Irishman, and took part in the rebellion of that
time. He was at length committed to prison, and to my great dismay I
found that he had been condemned to death."

"Did he retain his own name, or had he assumed another?" asked the Earl.

"He had some time before dropped his family name, and wisely too,
considering the position in which he was placed," answered the lawyer.
"He had contrived, however, to make friends both within and outside the
walls of the prison, and by their means he managed to escape. A price
was of course set upon his head, and it was generally supposed that he
had left the country. I thought so likewise for some time; but his
father, who was then alive, had placed some sums of money in my hands,
and empowered me to devote them to his assistance. I suppose he
discovered this, for after a short time I received a letter from him, by
which he led me to understand that he was still in the country, but in a
position where it was not at all likely he would be discovered. He told
me, moreover, that he had no intention of leaving Ireland; that he had
lately married a young country girl, and was very happy in his present
position. He praised his wife as a most beautiful creature, and said
that in her society he hoped in future to remain quiet, and refrain from
any of the acts which had hitherto brought him into trouble. He had
taken so many precautions that, notwithstanding all my exertions, I
could not find out where he was. Still he enabled me to remit the money
he required. I should have told you that when your father had made the
arrangement which I have been describing, he bound over his nephew and
his son not to make any claim to the title, as long as an heir of his
own line existed. But should he have no male heir, then the eldest of
his descendants was allowed to put in a claim for the title. This
document, and other legal proofs of his identity, your cousin had
obtained possession of. He told me, I remember, in his letter, that he
considered himself strictly bound to adhere to the agreement, and that
as for himself, he had no wish ever to claim the title which had
belonged to his ancestors; that he had sufficient to satisfy his wants;
that he was tired of ambition; and that he was perfectly content to let
his country go o