oint about him, he had the infamous ingenuity, whenever he had a
point to gain--such as belying a boy and taking away his characther--of
making truth discharge all the blackguard duties of falsehoood. Oh! I
know them both well! But who among all I ever enlightened wid
instruction was the boy that always tould the truth, even when it went
against himself?--why, Bryan M'Mahon. Who ever defended the
absent?--why, Bryan M'Mahon. Who ever and always took the part of the
weak and defenceless against the strong and tyrannical?--why, Bryan
M'Mahon. Who fought for his religion, too, when the young heretics used
to turn it, or try to turn it, into ridicule--ay, and when cowardly and
traicherous Hycy used to sit quietly by, and either put the insult in
his pocket, or curry favor wid the young sneering vagabonds that abused
it? And yet, at the time Hycy was a thousand times a greater little
bigot than Bryan. The one, wid a juvenile rabble at his back, three to
one, was a tyrant over the young schismatics; whilst Bryan, like a brave
youth as he was, ever and always protected them against the disadvantage
of numbers, and insisted on showing them fair play. I am warm, Mrs.
Cavanagh," he continued, "and heat, you know, generates thirst. I know
that a drop o' the right sort used to be somewhere undher this same
roof; but I'm afraid if the _fama clamosa_ be thrue, that the side of
the argument I have taken isn't exactly such as to guarantee me a touch
at the native--that is, taking it for granted that there's any in the
house."

This request was followed by a short silence. The Cavanagh's all, with
the exception of Kathleen, looked at each other, but every eye was
marked either by indecision or indifference. At length Hanna looked at
her sister, and simply said, "dear Kathleen!"

"He has done," replied the latter, in a low voice, "what I had not the
generosity to do--he has defended the absent."

"Darling Kathleen," Hanna whispered, and then pressed her once more to
her heart. "You must have it, Mr. O'Finigan," said she--"you must have
it, and that immediately;" and as she spoke, she proceeded to a cupboard
from which she produced a large black bottle, filled with that peculiar
liquid to which our worthy pedagogue was so devotedly addicted.

"Ah," said he, on receiving a bumper from the fair hand of Hanna,
"let the M'Mahons alone for the old original--indeed I ought to
say--aboriginal hospitality. Thanks, Miss Hanna; in the meantime I