have no more time to lose with you."

In this manner almost every interview terminated. Purcel was a warm and
impetuous young fellow, who certainly detested everything in the shape
of dishonesty or deceit and here he had too many instances of both to be
able to keep his temper, especially when he felt that he and his family
were the sufferers. Other cases, however, were certainly very dissimilar
to this; we allude especially to those of real distress, where the means
of meeting the demand were not to be had. With such individuals the
proctor's sons were disposed to be lenient, which is certainly more than
could be said if he himself had to deal with them.

"Jemmy Mulligan," he said, to a poor-looking man, "go home to your
family. We don't intend to take harsh measures with you, Jemmy; and you
needn't come here again till we send for you."

"God bless you, sir; troth I don't know why the people say that you're
all hard and unfeelin'--I can say for myself that I never found you so.
Good morning, sir, and thank you, Misther John; and God forgive them
that blackens you as they do!"

"Yes, Jemmy, I know they hate us, because we compel them to act
honestly; but they will soon find that honesty, after all, is the
cheapest course,--for we shall take d--d good care to make them
pay through the nose for their knavery. We know they have a gang of
firebrand agitators and hungry lawyers at their back; but we shall make
them feel that the law is stronger than any treasonable combination that
can be got up against it."

A third man came in. "Well, Tom, you're not coming to plead poverty, I
hope?"

The man looked around him with peculiar intelligence. "Are we safe?" he
asked; "and may I spake widout danger?"

"You may, Duggan."

"Well, then, I came to say that I'll call over to-morrow evenin' and pay
it, but I daren't now."

"Why so, Tom?"

"Bekaise the most of us all have the tithe in our pockets, but as a
proof that we did not pay it, we will, every man of us, be obliged to
show it before we go home. I might pay it now, Mr. Purcel; but then, if
I did, it' very likely I'd be a corpse before this day week. Sich is the
state that things ha' come to; and how it'll end, God only knows. At any
rate, I'll slip over afther dusk to-morrow evenin' and pay; but as
you hope for mercy, and don't wish to see me taken from my wife and
childre', don't breathe a syllable of it to man or mortual."

"I shall not, indeed, Tom," replied Pur