e was blown down," said Reilly, "and that yours was not,
would not that be cause sufficient?"

"_My_ house!" exclaimed the man with a deep sigh; "but sure you ought to
know, sir, that it's not every _man_ has a house."

"And perhaps I do know it."

"Wasn't that a terrible act, sir--the burning of Mr. Reilly's house and
place?"

"Who is Mr. Reilly?" asked the other.

"A Catholic gintleman, sir, that the soldiers are afther," replied the
man.

"And perhaps it is right that they should be after him. What did he do?
The Catholics are too much in the habit of violating the law, especially
their priests, who persist in marrying Protestants and Papists together,
although they know it is a hanging matter. If they deliberately put
their necks into the noose, who can pity them?"

"It seems they do, then," replied the man in a subdued voice; "and what
is still more strange, it very often happens that persons of their own
creed are somewhat too ready to come down wid a harsh word upon 'em."

"Well, my friend," responded Reilly, "let them not deserve it; let them
obey the law."

"And are _you_, of opinion, sir," asked the man with a significant
emphasis upon the personal pronoun which we have put in italics; "are
_you_ of opinion, sir, that obedience to the law is _always_ a security
to either _person or property?_"

The direct force of the question could not be easily parried, at least
by Reilly, to whose circumstances it applied so powerfully, and he
consequently paused for a little to shape his thoughts into the language
he wished to adopt; the man, however, proceeded:

"I wonder what Mr. Reilly would say if such a question was put to him?"

"I suppose," replied Reilly, "he would say much as I say--that neither
innocence nor obedience is always a security under any law or any
constitution either."

His companion made no reply, and they walked on for some time in
silence. Such indeed was the precarious state of the country then that,
although the stranger, from the opening words of their conversation,
suspected his companion to be no other than Willy Reilly himself, yet
he hesitated to avow the suspicions he entertained of his identity,
although he felt anxious to repose the fullest confidence in him; and
Reilly, on the other hand, though perfectly aware of the true character
of his companion, was influenced in their conversation by a similar
feeling. Distrust it could not be termed on either side, but simply the