"How do you mean too late?" asked Repton.

"Why, that Ma.s.singbred stands well with the people in the borough. They think that he 'll be more their man than Martin's, and, indeed, they 're so confident of it, I half suspect he has told them so."

"But there has been no canva.s.s as yet,--his address isn't even printed."

"There has been a correspondence, however," said Scanlan, with a knowing wink. "Take my word for it, Mr. Repton, he 's a deep fellow."

"Are you quite sure of this?--can you pledge yourself to its truth?"

"I only know that Father Rafferty said the night before last he was satisfied with him, and the one difficulty was about old Nelligan, who somehow is greatly incensed against Ma.s.singbred."

"He 'd have no chance in the borough without us," said Repton, confidently.

"If old Dan would consent to spend the money, he'd be the member in spite of us," rejoined Scanlan.

"I'll not dispute local knowledge with you, sir," said Repton, peevishly. "Let us turn back at once. Where's Mr. Ma.s.singbred? I saw him standing on the hill yonder a few minutes ago; maybe, he 's strolling along the road in front." Repton moved forward to a rising spot of ground, from whence a wide view extended for a distance on every side, but no trace of Ma.s.singbred could be discovered. "What can have become of him?--has he turned towards Cro' Martin?" asked Repton.

"There he is," cried Scanlan, suddenly; "there he is, walking with Magennis. They're taking the short cut over the hills to Oughterard--that's unfortunate, too!"

"How so?"

"Why, before they're in the town they'll be as thick as two pickpockets--see how they 're talking! I think, if I was to drive on, I'd catch them before they entered the town."

"Do so, then, Scanlan. Say that a sudden message from Mr. Martin recalled me, but that you'll drive him back with you to Cro' Martin."

"Am I to allude to the contents of the note, sir?"

"I think not; I opine it's best not to speak of it. Say, however, that something of importance has occurred at Cro' Martin, and suggest to him that the sooner he returns thither the better."

There was an amount of vacillation and uncertainty about Repton's manner as he uttered these few words that showed not only how gravely he regarded the crisis, but how totally unprepared he found himself for the emergency. Not so Scanlan, who took his seat once more on his lofty "buggy," and was soon spinning along the road at a pace of full twelve miles the hour.

As Repton drove back to Cro' Martin, he thought once, and not without humiliation, of his late lessons in statecraft to young Ma.s.singbred. "To fancy that I was instilling all these precepts at the very moment that he was countermining us. The young villain is a worthy son of his father! And how he will laugh at me, and make others laugh too! It will never do to drive him into opposition to us. Martin must consent to make the best of it, now, and accept him as his member,--for the present, at least. With time and good opportunity we can manage to trip up his heels, but, for the moment, there's no help for it." And with these not very consoling reflections he entered once more the grounds of Cro'

Martin Castle.

Let us now turn to Ma.s.singbred, as, accompanied by Magennis, he walked at a rapid pace towards Oughterard. It needed but a glance at the figures, and the rate at which they moved, to see that these two men were bent upon an object.

"Don't you see the town now before you?" said Magennis. "It's not much above two miles, and by the road it is every step of six, or six and a half; and if we walk as we're doing now, we'll be there at least twenty minutes before them."

"But what will Repton think of my leaving him in this fashion?"

"That it was a bit of your usual eccentricity,--no more," said the other, laughing.

"You are quite certain of what you've just told me?" asked Jack, after a pause.

"I tell you that you shall have it from Hosey's own lips. He showed the post-mark on the back of the letter to Father Rafferty, and it was 'Cape Town, August 24.' Now, as Hosey knows young Martin's writing as well as any man, what doubt can there be about it?"

"By that calculation," said Jack, thoughtfully, "he might be here within the present month!"

"Exactly what Father Neal said."

"A shrewd fellow that same Hosey must be to put things together in this fashion," said Jack. "Such a head as he has on his shoulders might n't be a bad counsellor at this moment."

"Just come and talk to him a bit," rejoined Magennis; "say you want to be trimmed about the whiskers, and he'll be a proud man to have you under his hand."

"And the committee are satisfied with my letter?" asked Jack.

"They are, and they are not; but, on the whole, they think it's a step in the right direction to get anything out of the Martins, and, as Father Neal remarks, 'where we can pa.s.s with our head, we can put our whole body through.'"

"But what 's to be done about Nelligan? The breach with him is, I suspect, irreparable."

"Why, it was Nelligan himself moved the first resolution in the committee, that your address be accepted as embodying the views--he said the present views--of the liberal electors."

"You amaze me!" cried Ma.s.singbred; "and Joe, where was he?"

"Joe is off to Dublin; there 's some examination or other he must attend. But old Dan is your friend, rely upon that."

"This is inexplicable," muttered Jack to himself.

"We 'll go there, straight, the moment we get into the town. He 'll take it as a great compliment; and you can talk to him frankly and openly, for old Dan is a man to be trusted."

"I wish I could guess at how this reconciliation has been effected,"

muttered Jack.

"It was your letter did it, I think."

"But I never wrote one."

"Well, somebody else did, perhaps; at all events, Dan had an open letter in his hand when he addressed the committee, and said, 'After reading this, gentlemen,' said he, 'I can only say that I 'll not oppose Mr.

Ma.s.singbred; and if the free and independent men of Oughterard ask me who is the man to represent them, I'll answer, he 's your man!

And what's more, there 's my name down for two hundred pounds for the election, if it ever comes to be a contest!'"

"This is all very good, but very strange news," cried Jack.

"Well, I can explain nothing of the mystery, if there be one. I only know what I heard and saw myself."

"Let us go to his house, at all events," said Ma.s.singbred, who now suffered his companion to rattle on about the state of parties and politics in Oughterard, little heeding his remarks, and only bent on following out his own thoughts. "Give whom the slip?" asked he, suddenly catching at the last words of some observation of Magennis.

"The Martins, of course," resumed the other; "for, as Father Neal says, 'if we can secure the borough for you, you can well afford to stand by _us_; but if you were only Martin's member, he 'd drop you whenever it suited him.'"

"As to-morrow, for instance, if his son should make his appearance!"

"Just so; and that's the very reason for not losing a minute about getting the Martins in for the cost. What can they say, after choosing you and putting you forward?"

"They might make a personal appeal to me,--a distinct request to give place to the son."

"And would n't you pay great attention to it?" said Magennis, in mockery.

"I 'm not so very sure I 'd refuse," said Ma.s.singbred, slowly.