seems to me
that it's just as natural for us to be Repealers, as it is for you to
be the contrary."

"I won't say they don't dare to put them in prison," continued Mat;
"but I will say they'll be great fools to do it. The Government have
so good an excuse for not doing so: they have such an easy path out
of the hobble. There was just enough difference of opinion among the
judges--just enough irregularity in the trial, such as the omissions of
the names from the long panel--to enable them to pardon the whole set
with a good grace."

"If they did," said Blake, "the whole high Tory party in this
country--peers and parsons--would be furious. They'd lose one set of
supporters, and wouldn't gain another. My opinion is, they'll lock the
whole party up in the stone jug--for some time, at least."

"Why," said Tierney, "their own party could not quarrel with them for
not taking an advantage of a verdict, as to the legality of which there
is so much difference of opinion even among the judges. I don't know
much about these things, myself; but, as far as I can understand, they
would have all been found guilty of high treason a few years back, and
probably have been hung or beheaded; and if they could do that now, the
country would be all the quieter. But they can't: the people will have
their own way; and if they want the people to go easy, they shouldn't
put O'Connell into prison. Rob them all of the glories of martyrdom,
and you'd find you'll cut their combs and stop their crowing."

"It's not so easy to do that now, Mat," said Morris. "You'll find that
the country will stick to O'Connell, whether he's in prison or out
of it;--but Peel will never dare to put him there. They talk of the
Penitentiary; but I'll tell you what, if they put him there, the people
of Dublin won't leave one stone upon another; they'd have it all down
in a night."

"You forget, Morris, how near Richmond barracks are to the
Penitentiary."

"No, I don't. Not that I think there'll be any row of the kind, for
I'll bet a hundred guineas they're never put in prison at all."

"Done," said Dot, and his little book was out--"put that down, Morris,
and I'll initial it: a hundred guineas, even, that O'Connell is not in
prison within twelve months of this time."

"Very well: that is, that he's not put there and kept there for six
months, in consequence of the verdict just given at the State trials."

"No, my boy; that's not it. I said nothing about being ke