lled in his
horse and hallooed out "Kelly!"--and, as Martin stopped, he added,
"Come here a moment--I want to speak to you."

"Well, Mr Barry, what is it?" said the other, returning. Lynch paused,
and evidently did not know whether to speak or let it alone. At last he
said, "Never mind--I'll get somebody else to say what I was going to
say. But you'd better look sharp what you're about, my lad, or you'll
find yourself in a scrape that you don't dream of."

"And is that all you called me back for?" said Martin.

"That's all I mean to say to you at present."

"Well then, Mr Lynch, I must say you're very good, and I'm shure I will
look sharp enough. But, to my thinking, d'you know, you want looking
afther yourself a precious dale more than I do," and then he turned to
proceed homewards, but said, as he was going--"Have you any message for
your sisther, Mr Lynch?"

"By--! my young man, I'll make you pay for what you're doing," answered
Barry.

"I know you'll be glad to hear she's pretty well: she's coming round
from the thratement she got the other night; though, by all accounts,
it's a wondher she's alive this moment to tell of it."

Barry did not attempt any further reply, but rode on, sorry enough that
he had commenced the conversation. Martin got home in time for a snug
tea with Anty and his sisters, and succeeded in prevailing on the three
to take each a glass of punch; and, before Anty went to bed he began
to find himself more at his ease with her, and able to call her by her
Christian name without any disagreeable emotion. He certainly had a
most able coadjutor in Meg. She made room on the sofa for him between
herself and his mistress, and then contrived that the room should be
barely sufficient, so that Anty was rather closely hemmed up in one
corner: moreover, she made Anty give her opinion as to Martin's looks
after his metropolitan excursion, and tried hard to make Martin pay
some compliments to Anty's appearance. But in this she failed, although
she gave him numerous opportunities.

However, they passed the evening very comfortably,--quite sufficiently
so to make Anty feel that the kindly, humble friendship of the inn was
infinitely preferable to the miserable grandeur of Dunmore House; and
it is probable that all the lovemaking in the world would not have
operated so strongly in Martin's favour as this feeling. Meg, however,
was not satisfied, for as soon as she had seen Jane and Anty into the
bed-roo