o hold your tongue, Mr Lynch, or I will have you
down to the Court-house. We all know you are guilty, you know it
yourself--"

"I'm--" began Barry.

"Stop, Mr Lynch; not one word till I've done; or what I have to say,
shall be said in public. We all know you are guilty, but we probably
mayn't be able to prove it--"

"No, I should think not!" shouted Barry.

"We mayn't be able to prove it in such a way as to enable a jury to
hang you, or, upon my word, I wouldn't interfere to prevent it: the law
should have its course. I'd hang you with as little respite as I would
a dog."

Barry grinned horribly at this suggestion, but said nothing, and the
parson continued:

"It is not the want of evidence that stands in the way of so desirable
a proceeding, but that Doctor Colligan, thoroughly disgusted and
shocked at the iniquity of your proposal--"

"Oh, go on, Mr Armstrong!--go on; I see you are determined to have it
all your own way, but my turn'll come soon."

"I say that Doctor Colligan interrupted you before you fully committed
yourself."

"Fully committed myself, indeed! Why, Colligan knows well enough, that
when he got up in such a fluster, there'd not been a word at all said
about Anty."

"Hadn't there, Mr Lynch?--just now you said you turned the doctor out
of your house for speaking about your sister. You're only committing
yourself. I say, therefore, the evidence, though quite strong enough
to put you into the dock as a murderer in intention, might not be
sufficient to induce a jury to find you guilty. But guilty you would
be esteemed in the mind of every man, woman, and child in this county:
guilty of the wilful, deliberate murder of your own sister."

"By heavens I'll not stand this!" exclaimed Barry.--"I'll not stand
this! I didn't do it, Mr Armstrong. I didn't do it. He's a liar, Lord
Ballindine: upon my sacred word and honour as a gentleman, he's a
liar. Why do you believe him, when you won't believe me? Ain't I a
Protestant, Mr Armstrong, and ain't you a Protestant clergyman? Don't
you know that such men as he will tell any lie; will do any dirty job?
On my sacred word of honour as a gentleman, Lord Ballindine, he offered
to poison Anty, on condition he got the farm round the house for
nothing!--He knows it's true, and why should you believe him sooner
than me, Mr Armstrong?"

Barry had got up from his seat, and was walking up and down the room,
now standing opposite Lord Ballindine, and appealing to