into my private room?"

M'Loughlin. himself, from a natural dread of collision between his
sons and the licentious yeomanry, and trusting to the friendship and
steadiness of Irwin, literally stood sentinel at the parlor door, and
prevented them from accompanying the others in the search.

"My darling Mary," said Phil, "it's too late now, you see, to speak in
this tone--we're caught, that's all, found out, and be cursed to these
fellows. If they had found us anywhere else but in your bed-room, I
didn't so much care; however, it can't be helped now."

As he spoke he raised his eye-brows from time to time at his companions,
and winked with an expression of triumph so cowardly and diabolical,
that it is quite beyond our ability to describe it. They, in the
meantime, winked and nodded in return, laughed heartily, and poked one
another in the ribs.

"Bravo, Mr. Phil!--success, Captain!--more power to you!"

"Come now, boys," said Phil, "let us go. Mary, my darling, I must leave
you; but we'll meet again where they can't disturb us--stand around me,
boys, for, upon my honor and soul, these hot-headed fellows of brothers
of hers will knock my brain's out, if you don't guard me well; here,
put me in the middle of you--good by, Mary, never mind this, we'll meet
again."

However anxious M'Loughlin had been to prevent the possibility of angry
words or blows between his sons and these men still the extraordinary
yell which accompanied the discovery of young M'Clutchy in his
daughter's bedroom, occasioned him to relax his vigilance, and rush to
the spot, after having warned and urged them to remain where they were.
Notwithstanding his remonstrances, they followed his footsteps, and the
whole family, in fact, reached her door as Phil uttered the last words.

"Great God, what is this," exclaimed her father, "how came M'Clutchy,
Val the Vulture's son, into my daughter's sleeping-room? How came you
here, sir?" he added sternly, "explain it."

Not even a posse of eighteen armed men, standing in a circle about him,
each with a cocked and loaded pistol in his hand, could prevent the
cowardly and craven soul of him from quailing before the eye of her
indignant father. His face became like a sheet of paper, perfectly
bloodless, and his eye sank as if it were never again to look from the
earth, or in the direction of the blessed light of heaven.

"Ah!" he proceeded, "you are, indeed, your treacherous, cowardly, and
cruel father's so