and O'Hanlon!--the
redoubtable pocket-book of Sir Thomas Gourlay, each and all marked not
only with his crest, but his name and title at full length.

The priest was not at a moment's loss how to act. Perceiving their
mistake as to his identity, and feeling the force of appearances against
him, he desired to be conducted at once to the office. There he knew he
could think more calmly upon the steps necessary to his liberation
than he could in a crowd which was enlarging every moment, on its being
understood that Finnerty, the celebrated highwayman, had been at length
taken. Not that the crowd gave expression to any feeling or ebullition
that was at all unfriendly to him. So far from that, it gathered round
him with strong expressions of sympathy and compassion for his unhappy
fate. Many were the anecdotes reported to each other by the spectators
of his humanity--his charity--his benevolence to the poor; and, above
all, of his intrepidity and courage; for it may be observed here--and
we leave moralists, metaphysicians, and political economists to draw
whatever inferences they please from the fact--but fact it is--that in
no instance is any man who has violated the law taken up publicly,
on Irish ground, whether in town or country, that the people do
not uniformly express the warmest sympathy for him, and a strong
manifestation of enmity against his captors. Whether this may be
interpreted favorably or otherwise of our countrymen, we shall not
undertake to determine. As Sir Roger de Coverly said, perhaps much might
be advanced on both sides.

On entering the watch-house, the heart of the humane priest was
painfully oppressed at the scenes of uproar, confusion, debauchery, and
shameless profligacy, of which he saw either the present exhibition or
the unquestionable evidences. There was the lost and hardened female,
uttering the wild screams of intoxication, or pouring forth from her
dark, filthy place of confinement torrents of polluted mirth; the
juvenile pickpocket, ripe in all the ribald wit and traditional slang
of his profession; the ruffian burglar, with strong animal frame, dark
eyebrows, low forehead, and face full of coarseness and brutality; the
open robber, reckless and jocular, indifferent to consequences, and
holding his life only in trust for the hangman, or for some determined
opponent who may treat him to cold lead instead of pure gold; the
sneaking thief, cool and cowardly, ready-witted at the extricating