grief, "Kathleen,
my darling sister, what will become of you! It's all true. Bryan has
proved false and a traitor; he voted for Vanston yesterday, and that
vote has put the bitter enemy of our faith into Parliament."

"Bryan M'Mahon a traitor!" exclaimed Kathleen; "no, Hanna--no, I
say--a thousand times no. It could not be--the thing is
impossible--impossible!"

"It is as true as God's in heaven, that he voted yesterday for Vanston,"
said her father; "I both seen him and heard him, an' that vote it was
that gained Vanston the election."

Hanna, whose arms were still around her sister's neck, felt her stagger
beneath her on hearing those words from her father.

"You say you saw him, father, and h'ard him vote for Vanston. You say
you did?"

"I both seen the traitor an' h'ard him," replied the old man.

"Hanna, dear, let me sit down," said Kathleen, and Hanna, encircling her
with one hand, drew a chair over with the other, on which, with a cheek
pale as death, her sister sat, whilst Hanna still wept with her arms
about her. After a long silence, she at last simply said:--

"I must bear it; but in this world my happiness is gone."

"Don't take it so much to heart avourneen," said her mother; "but, any
way, hadn't you betther see himself, an' hear what he has to say for
himself. Maybe, afther all, it's not so bad as it looks. See him,
Kathleen; maybe there's not so much harm in it yet."

"No, mother, see him I will not, in that sense--Bryan M'Mahon a traitor!
Am I a dreamer? I am not asleep, and Bryan M'Mahon is false to God and
his country! I did think that he would give his life for both, if he was
called upon to do so; but not that he would prove false to them as he
has done."

"He has, indeed," said her father, "and the very person you hate so
much, bad as you think him, did all in his power to prevent him from
doin' the black deed. I seen that, too, and h'ard it. Hycy persuaded him
as much as he could against it; but he wouldn't listen to him, nor pay
him any attention."

"Kathleen," said her sister, "the angels in heaven fell, and surely it
isn't wonderful that even a good man should be tempted and fall from the
truth as they did?"

Kathleen seemed too much abstracted by her distress to hear this.
She looked around at them all, one after another, and said in a low,
composed, and solemn voice, "All is over now between that young man and
me--and here is one request which I earnestly entreat you--every on