LADY O'SHANE, extremely terrified, had scarcely power to rise. She opened the drawer of the table, and thrust her trembling hand down to the bottom of the silk bag, into which the keys had fallen. Impatient of delay, Ormond pushed open the door, snatched the keys, and disappeared. The whole passed in a few seconds. The music drowned the noise of the opening door, and of the two chairs which Ormond had thrown down: those who sat near thought a servant had pushed in and gone out; but however rapid the movement, the full view of the figure had been seen by miss Annaly, who was sitting on the opposite side of the room; sir Ulick was sitting beside her, talking earnestly. Lady Annaly had just retired. "For Heaven's sake, what's the matter?" cried he, stopping in the middle of a sentence, on seeing miss Annaly grow suddenly pale as death. Her eyes were fixed on the door of the green-house ; his followed that direction. "Yes," said he, " we can get out into the air that way-lean on me." She did so—he pushed his way through the crowd at the bottom of the country dance; and, as he passed, was met by lady O'Shane and miss Black, both with faces of horror.

"Sir Ulick, did you see," pointing to the door, "did you see Mr. Ormond?—There's blood!"

"There's mischief, certainly," said miss Black. "A quarrel-Mr. Marcus, perhaps."

"Nonsense! No such thing, you'll find," said sir Ulick, pushing on, and purposely jostling the arm of a servant who was holding a salver of ices, overturning

them all; and whilst the surrounding company were fully occupied about their clothes, and their fears and apologies, he made his way onwards to the greenhouse-lady O'Shane clinging to one arm-miss Annaly supported by the other-miss Black following, repeating, "Mischief! Mischief! you'll see, sir."

"Miss Black, open the door, and not another word."

He edged miss Annaly on the moment the door opened, dragged lady O'Shane after him, pushed miss Black back as she attempted to follow; but recollecting that she might spread the report of mischief if he left her behind, drew her into the greenhouse, locked the door, and led miss Annaly out into the air.

66

Bring salts! water! something, miss Blackfollow me, lady O'Shane."

“When I'm hardly able-your wife! Sir Ulick, you might," said lady O'Shane, as she tottered on, you might, I should have thought—

66

"No time for such thoughts, my dear," interrupted he. "Sit down on the steps-there, she is better now-now what is all this?"

"I am not to speak," said miss Black.

Lady O'Shane began to say how Mr. Ormond had burst in, covered with blood, and seized the keys of the gates.

"The keys!" But he had no time for that thought. "Which way did he go?"

"I don't know; I gave him the keys of both gates."

The two entrances were a mile asunder. Sir Ulick looked for footsteps on the grass. It was a fine moonlight night. He saw footsteps on the path leading to the gardener's house. "Stay here, ladies,

+

and I will bring you intelligence as soon as possible."

"This way, sir Ulick-they are coming," said miss Annaly, who had now recovered her presence of mind.

Several persons appeared from a turn in the shrubbery, carrying some one on a hand-barrow-a gentleman on horseback, with a servant and many persons walking. Sir Ulick hastened towards them; the gentleman on horseback spurred his horse and met him.

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Marcus!-is it you?-thank God! But Ormond -where is he, and what has happened?"

The first sound of Marcus's voice, when he attempted to answer, showed that he was not in a condition to give a rational account of any thing. His servant followed, also much intoxicated. While sir Ulick had been stopped by their ineffectual attempts to explain, the people who were carrying the man on the hand-barrow came up. Ormond appeared from the midst of them. 66 gardener's house," cried he, coming forward to sir Ulick. murderer!" cried he.

Carry him on to the pointing the way, and "If he dies, I am a

"Who is he?" said sir Ulick.

Moriarty Carroll, please your honour," answered several voices at once.

"And how happened it?" said sir Ulick.

"The long and the short of it, sir," said Marcus, as well as he could articulate, "the fellow was insolent, and we cut him down-and if it was to do again, I'd do it again with pleasure."

66

No, no! you won't say so, Marcus, when you are yourself," said Ormond. "Oh! how dreadful to come to one's senses all at once, as I did the moment

VOL. XIII.

X

after I had fired that fatal shot-the moment I saw the poor fellow stagger and fall

"It was you, then, that fired at him," interrupted sir Ulick.

"Yes, oh! yes!" said he, striking his forehead: "I did it in the fury of passion."

Then Ormond, taking all the blame upon himself, and stating what had passed in the strongest light against himself, gave this account of the matter. After having drank too much at Mr. Cornelius O'Shane's, they were returning from the Black Islands, and afraid of being late, they were galloping hard, when at a narrow part of the road they were stopped by some cars. Impatient of the delay, they abused the men who were driving them, insisting upon their getting out of the way faster than they could. Moriarty Carroll made some answer, which Marcus said was insolent; and inquiring the man's name, and hearing it was Carroll, said all the Carrolls were bad people-rebels. Moriarty defied him to prove that and added some expressions about tyranny, which enraged Ormond. This part of the provocation Ormond did not state, but merely said he was thrown into a passion by some observation of Moriarty's; and first he lifted his whip to give the fellow a horsewhipping. Moriarty seized hold of the whip, and struggled to wrest it from his hand; Ormond then snatched a pistol from his holster, telling Moriarty he would shoot him, if he did not let the whip go. Moriarty, who was in a passion himself, struggled, still holding the whip. Ormond cecked the pistol, and before he was aware he had done so, the pistol accidentally went off the ball entered Moriarty's breast. This happened within a quarter of a mile of Castle Hermitage. The poor fellow bled profusely;

and, in assisting to lift him upon the hand-barrow, Ormond was covered with blood, as has been already described.

"Have you sent for a surgeon?" said sir Ulick, coolly.

"Certainly-sent off a fellow on my own horse directly. Sir, will you come on to the gardener's house; I want you to see him, to know what you'll think. If he die, I am a murderer," repeated Ormond.

This horrible idea so possessed his imagination, that he could not answer or hear any of the further questions that were asked by lady O'Shane and miss Black; but after gazing upon them with unmeaning eyes for a moment in silence, walked rapidly on: as he was passing by the steps of the green-house, he stopped short at the sight of miss Annaly, who was still sitting there. "What's the matter?" said he, in a tone of great compassion, going close up to her. Then, recollecting himself, he hurried forward again. "As I can be of no usee-unless I can be of any use," said miss Annaly, "I will, now that I am well enough, return-my mother will wonder what has become of me."

"Sir Ulick, give me the key of the conservatory, to let miss Annaly into the ball-room.”

"Miss Annaly does not wish to dance any more to-night, I believe," said sir Ulick.

"Dance-oh! no."

Then, without exciting observation, you can all get in better at the back door of the house, and miss Annaly can go up the back stairs to lady Annaly's room, without meeting any one; and you, lady O'Shane," added he, in a low voice, "order up sup