the man, who had come on some other message, had brought with him, he
looked around him on every side for a considerable time. At length he
said, "Dora, is not this a fine country?"

"It is," she replied, looking at him with surprise.

"Would you like," he added, "to lave it?"

"To lave it, Bryan!" she replied. "Oh, no, not to lave it;" and as she
spoke, a deadly paleness settled upon her face.

"Poor Dora," he said, after surveying her for a time with an expression
of love and compassion, "I know your saicret, and have done so this long
time; but don't be cast down. You have been a warm and faithful little
friend to me, and it will go hard or I'll befriend you yet."

Dora looked up into his face, and as she did, her eyes filled with
tears. "I won't deny what you know, Bryan," she replied; "and unless
he----"

"Well, dear, don't fret; he and I will have a talk about it; but, come
what may, Dora, in this neglected and unfortunate country I will not
stay. Here, now, is a notice to quit my farm, that I have improved at an
expense of seven or eight hundred pounds, an' its now goin' to be taken
out of my hands, and every penny I expended on it goes into the pocket
of the landlord or agent, or both, and I'm to be driven out of house
and home without a single farthing of compensation for the buildings and
other improvements that I made on that farm."

"It's a hard and cruel case," said Dora; "an there can be no doubt but
that the landlord and Fethertonge are both a pair of great rogues. Can't
you challenge them, an' fight them?"

"Why, what a soldier you are, Dora!" replied her brother, smiling; "but
you don't know that their situation in life and mine puts that entirely
out o' the question. If a landlord was to be called upon to fight every
tenant he neglects, or is unjust to, he would have a busy time of it.
No, no, Dora dear, my mind's made up. We will lave the country. We will
go to America; but, in the mean time, I'll see what I can do for you."

"Bryan, dear," she said in a voice of entreaty, "don't think of it.
Oh, stay in your own country. Sure what other country could you like as
well?"

"I grant you that, Dora; but the truth is, there seems to be a curse
over it; whatever's the raison of it, nothing goes right in it. The
landlords in general care little about the state and condition of their
tenantry. All they trouble themselves about is their rents. Look at my
own case, an' that's but one out of thousand