dn't that be a fine schame?"

"'Deed it would, Mr Daly, av' the wife and the fortune were honestly
come by."

"And isn't it a hundred pities that I must come and upset such a pretty
schame as that? But, for all that, it's thrue. I'm sorry for you,
Martin, but you must give up Anty Lynch."

"Give her up, is it? Faith I haven't got her to give up, worse luck."

"Nor never will, Martin; and that's worse luck again."

"Well, Mr Daly, av' that's all you've come to say, you might have saved
yourself car-hire. Miss Lynch is nothing to me, mind; how should she
be? But av' she war, neither Barry Lynch--who's as big a rogue as there
is from this to hisself and back again--nor you, who, I take it, ain't
rogue enough to do Barry's work, wouldn't put me off it."

"Well, Martin; thank 'ee for the compliment. But now, you know what
I've come about, and there's no joke in it. Of course I don't want you
to tell me anything of your plans; but, as Mr Lynch's lawyer, I must
tell you so much as this of his:--that, if his sister doesn't lave
the inn, and honestly assure him that she'll give up her intention of
marrying you, he's determined to take proceedings." He then fumbled in
his pocket, and, bringing out the two notices, handed to Martin the one
addressed to him. "Read that, and it'll give you an idea what we're
afther. And when I tell you that Moylan owns, and will swear to it too,
that he was present when all the plans were made, you'll see that we're
not going to sea without wind in our sails."

"Well--I'm shot av' I know the laist in the world what all this is
about!" said Martin, as he stood in the street, reading over the
legally-worded letter--"'conspiracy!'--well that'll do, Mr Daly; go
on--'enticing away from her home!'--that's good, when the blackguard
nearly knocked the life out of her, and mother brought her
down here, from downright charity, and to prevent murdher--'wake
intellects!'--well, Mr Daly, I didn't expect this kind of thing from
you: begorra, I thought you were above this!--wake intellects! faith,
they're a dale too sthrong, and too good--and too wide awake too, for
Barry to get the betther of her that way. Not that I'm in the laist in
life surprised at anything he'd do; but I thought that you, Mr Daly,
wouldn't put your hands to such work as that."

Daly felt the rebuke, and felt it strongly, too; but now that he was
embarked in the business, he must put the best face he could upon it.
Still it was a mom