"I see you're so far prepared, Mr Lynch: now, I'll tell you my version of the story.--Martin Kelly, just see that the door is shut. You endeavoured to bribe Doctor Colligan to murder your own sister."

"It's a most infernal lie!" said Barry. "Where's your evidence?--where's your evidence? What's the good of your all coming here with such a story as that? Where's your evidence?"

"You'd better be quiet, Mr Lynch, or we'll adjourn at once from here to the open Court-house."

"Adjourn when you like; it's all one to me. Who'll believe such a drunken ruffian as that Colligan, I'd like to know? Such a story as that!"

"My lord," said Armstrong, "I'm afraid we must go on with this business at the Court-house. Martin, I believe I must trouble you to go down to the police barrack." And the whole party, except Barry, rose from their seats.

"What the devil are you going to drag me down to the Court-house for, gentlemen?" said he. "I'll give you any satisfaction, but you can't expect I'll own to such a lie as this about my sister. I suppose my word's as good as Colligan's, gentlemen? I suppose my character as a Protestant gentleman stands higher than his--a dirty Papist apothecary.

He tells one story; I tell another; only he's got the first word of me, that's all. I suppose, gentlemen, I'm not to be condemned on the word of such a man as that?"

"I think, Mr Lynch," said Armstrong, "if you'll listen to me, you'll save yourself and us a great deal of trouble. You asked me who my witness was: my witness is in this house. I would not charge you with so horrid, so d.a.m.nable a crime, had I not thoroughly convinced myself you were guilty--now, do hold your tongue, Mr Lynch, or I will have you down to the Court-house. We all know you are guilty, you know it yourself--"

"I'm--" began Barry.

"Stop, Mr Lynch; not one word till I've done; or what I have to say, shall be said in public. We all know you are guilty, but we probably mayn't be able to prove it--"

"No, I should think not!" shouted Barry.

"We mayn't be able to prove it in such a way as to enable a jury to hang you, or, upon my word, I wouldn't interfere to prevent it: the law should have its course. I'd hang you with as little respite as I would a dog."

Barry grinned horribly at this suggestion, but said nothing, and the parson continued:

"It is not the want of evidence that stands in the way of so desirable a proceeding, but that Doctor Colligan, thoroughly disgusted and shocked at the iniquity of your proposal--"

"Oh, go on, Mr Armstrong!--go on; I see you are determined to have it all your own way, but my turn'll come soon."

"I say that Doctor Colligan interrupted you before you fully committed yourself."

"Fully committed myself, indeed! Why, Colligan knows well enough, that when he got up in such a fl.u.s.ter, there'd not been a word at all said about Anty."

"Hadn't there, Mr Lynch?--just now you said you turned the doctor out of your house for speaking about your sister. You're only committing yourself. I say, therefore, the evidence, though quite strong enough to put you into the dock as a murderer in intention, might not be sufficient to induce a jury to find you guilty. But guilty you would be esteemed in the mind of every man, woman, and child in this county: guilty of the wilful, deliberate murder of your own sister."

"By heavens I'll not stand this!" exclaimed Barry.--"I'll not stand this! I didn't do it, Mr Armstrong. I didn't do it. He's a liar, Lord Ballindine: upon my sacred word and honour as a gentleman, he's a liar. Why do you believe him, when you won't believe me? Ain't I a Protestant, Mr Armstrong, and ain't you a Protestant clergyman? Don't you know that such men as he will tell any lie; will do any dirty job?

On my sacred word of honour as a gentleman, Lord Ballindine, he offered to poison Anty, on condition he got the farm round the house for nothing!--He knows it's true, and why should you believe him sooner than me, Mr Armstrong?"

Barry had got up from his seat, and was walking up and down the room, now standing opposite Lord Ballindine, and appealing to him, and then doing the same thing to Mr Armstrong. He was a horrid figure: he had no collar round his neck, and his handkerchief was put on in such a way as to look like a hangman's knot: his face was blotched, and red, and greasy, for he had neither shaved nor washed himself since his last night's debauch; he had neither waistcoat nor braces on, and his trousers fell on his hips; his long hair hung over his eyes, which were bleared and bloodshot; he was suffering dreadfully from terror, and an intense anxiety to shift the guilt from himself to Doctor Colligan. He was a most pitiable object--so wretched, so unmanned, so low in the scale of creation. Lord Ballindine did pity his misery, and suggested to Mr Armstrong whether by any possibility there could be any mistake in the matter--whether it was possible Doctor Colligan could have mistaken Lynch's object?--The poor wretch jumped at this loop-hole, and doubly condemned himself by doing so.

"He did, then," said Barry; "he must have done so. As I hope for heaven, Lord Ballindine, I never had the idea of getting him to--to do anything to Anty. I wouldn't have done it for worlds--indeed I wouldn't. There must be some mistake, indeed there must. He'd been drinking, Mr Armstrong--drinking a good deal that night--isn't that true, Doctor Colligan? Come, man, speak the truth--don't go and try and hang a fellow out of mistake! His lordship sees it's all a mistake, and of course he's the best able to judge of the lot here; a magistrate, and a n.o.bleman and all. I know you won't see me wronged, Lord Ballindine, I know you won't. I give you my sacred word of honour as a gentleman, it all came from mistake when we were both drunk, or nearly drunk. Come, Doctor Colligan, speak man--isn't that the truth? I tell you, Mr Armstrong, Lord Ballindine's in the right of it. There is some mistake in all this."

"As sure as the Lord's in heaven," said the doctor, now becoming a little uneasy at the idea that Lord Ballindine should think he had told so strange a story without proper foundation--"as sure as the Lord's in heaven, he offered me the farm for a reward, should I manage to prevent his sister's recovery."

"What do you think, Mr Armstrong?" said Lord Ballindine.

"Think!" said the parson--"There's no possibility of thinking at all.

The truth becomes clearer every moment. Why, you wretched creature, it's not ten minutes since you yourself accused Doctor Colligan of offering to murder your sister! According to your own showing, therefore, there was a deliberate conversation between you; and your own evasion now would prove which of you were the murderer, were any additional proof wanted. But it is not. Barry Lynch, as sure as you now stand in the presence of your Creator, whose name you so constantly blaspheme, you endeavoured to instigate that man to murder your own sister."

"Oh, Lord Ballindine!--oh, Lord Ballindine!" shrieked Barry, in his agony, "don't desert me! pray, pray don't desert me! I didn't do it--I never thought of doing it. We were at school together, weren't we?--And you won't see me put upon this way. You mayn't think much of me in other things, but you won't believe that a school-fellow of your own ever--ever--ever--" Barry couldn't bring himself to use the words with which his sentence should be finished, and so he flung himself back into his armchair and burst into tears.

"You appeal to me, Mr Lynch," said Lord Ballindine, "and I must say I most firmly believe you to be guilty. My only doubt is whether you should not at once be committed for trial at the next a.s.sizes."

"Oh, my G----!" exclaimed Barry, and for some time he continued blaspheming most horribly--swearing that there was a conspiracy against him--accusing Mr Armstrong, in the most bitter terms, of joining with Doctor Colligan and Martin Kelly to rob and murder him.

"Now, Mr Lynch," continued the parson, as soon as the unfortunate man would listen to him, "as I before told you, I am in doubt--we are all in doubt--whether or not a jury would hang you; and we think that we shall do more good to the community by getting you out of the way, than by letting you loose again after a trial which will only serve to let everyone know how great a wretch there is in the county. We will, therefore, give you your option either to stand your trial, or to leave the country at once--and for ever."

"And my property?--what's to become of my property?" said Barry.

"Your property's safe, Mr Lynch; we can't touch that. We're not prescribing any punishment to you. We fear, indeed we know, you're beyond the reach of the law, or we shouldn't make the proposal." Barry breathed freely again as he heard this avowal. "But you're not beyond the reach of public opinion--of public execration--of general hatred, and of a general curse. For your sister's sake--for the sake of Martin Kelly, who is going to marry the sister whom you wished to murder, and not for your own sake, you shall be allowed to leave the country without this public brand being put upon your name. If you remain, no one shall speak to you but as to a man who would have murdered his sister: murder shall be everlastingly muttered in your ears; nor will your going then avail you, for your character shall go with you, and the very blackguards with whom you delight to a.s.sort, shall avoid you as being too bad even for their society. Go now, Mr Lynch--go at once;--leave your sister to happiness which you cannot prevent; and she at least shall know nothing of your iniquity, and you shall enjoy the proceeds of your property anywhere you will--anywhere, that is, but in Ireland. Do you agree to this?"

"I'm an innocent man, Mr Armstrong. I am indeed."

"Very well," said the parson, "then we may as well go away, and leave you to your fate. Come, Lord Ballindine, we can have nothing further to say," and they again all rose from their seats.

"Stop, Mr Armstrong; stop," said Barry.

"Well," said the parson; for Barry repressed the words which were in his mouth, when he found that his visitors did stop as he desired them.

"Well, Mr Lynch, what have you further to say."

"Indeed I am not guilty." Mr Armstrong put on his hat and rushed to the door--"but--" continued Barry.

"I will have no 'buts,' Mr Lynch; will you at once and unconditionally agree to the terms I have proposed?"

"I don't want to live in the country," said Barry; "the country's nothing to me."

"You will go then, immediately?" said the parson.

"As soon as I have arranged about the property, I will," said Barry.

"That won't do," said the parson. "You must go at once, and leave your property to the care of others. You must leave Dunmore _to-day_, for ever."

"To-day!" shouted Barry.

"Yes, to-day. You can easily get as far as Roscommon. You have your own horse and car. And, what is more, before you go, you must write to your sister, telling her that you have made up your mind to leave the country, and expressing your consent to her marrying whom she pleases."

"I can't go to-day," said Barry, sulkily. "Who's to receive my rents?

who'll send me my money?--besides--besides. Oh, come--that's nonsense.

I ain't going to be turned out in that style."

"You ain't in earnest, are you, about his going to-day?" whispered Frank to the parson.

"I am, and you'll find he'll go, too," said Armstrong. "It must be to-day--this very day, Mr Lynch. Martin Kelly will manage for you about the property."

"Or you can send for Mr Daly, to meet you at Roscommon," suggested Martin.

"Thank you for nothing," said Barry; "you'd better wait till you're spoken to. I don't know what business you have here at all."

"The business that all honest men have to look after all rogues," said Mr Armstrong. "Come, Mr Lynch, you'd better make up your mind to prepare for your journey."