d to the curate's breast.

"Now," said he, "let your whip fall if you like; but if you do, I'll
lodge this bullet," touching the pistol with his left forefinger, "in
your heart, and your last mass is said. You blame Lucre and M'Slime for
making convarts; but ai'en't you every bit as anxious to bring over
the Protestants as they are to bring over us? Aren't you paradin' them
Sunday af'ther Sunday, and boastin' that you are takin' more from the
heretics than they are takin' from you? Wasn't your last convart Bob
Beatty, that you brought over because he had the fallin' sickness, and
you left it upon him never to enter a church door, or taste bacon; and
now you have him that was a rank Orangeman and a blood-hound six weeks
ago, a sound Catholic to-day? Why, your reverence, with regard to
convart makin' divil the laist taste o' differ I see between you on
either side, only that they are able to give betther value in this world
for the change than you are--that's all. You're surprised at seeing my
pistols, but of late I don't go any where unprovided; for, to tell you
the thruth, either as a bailiff or a convart, it's not likely I'd be
safe widout them; and I think that yourself are a very good proof of
it."

"Very well, my good, fine, pious convart; I'll keep my eye on you. I
understand your piety."

"And I can tell you, my good, meek, pious priest, I'll keep mine on you;
and now pass on, if you're wise--and so _bannath lath_."

Each then passed on, pursuing his respective destination. They had
not gone far, however, when both chanced to look back at the same
moment--M'Cabe shook his whip, with a frown, at Darby, who, on the
other side, significantly touched the pocket in which he carried his
fire-arms, and nodded his head in return.

Now, it is an undeniable fact, that characters similar to that of Darby,
were too common in the country; and, indeed, it is to be regretted that
they were employed at all, inasmuch as the insolence of their conduct,
on the one hand, did nearly as much harm as the neglect of the
hard-hearted landlord himself, on the other. Be this as it may, however,
we are bound to say that Darby deserved much more at M'Cabe's hands than
either that Rev. gentleman was aware of then, or our readers now. The
truth was, that no sooner had M'Slime's paragraph touching Darby's
conversion gone abroad, than he became highly unpopular among the
Catholics of the parish. Father M'Cabe, in consequence of Darby's
cond