"Faith, then, you 'd better be candid enough to tell the electors so 'at once.' Look now, Mr. Ma.s.singbred," said he, coming to a dead halt, and standing directly in front of him; "we don't go the same road, not one step, till I hear from you, distinctly and plainly, what you mean to do."

"This is somewhat of a peremptory proceeding," replied Jack. "I think it would not be very unreasonable to allow a man in my situation a little time for reflection."

"Reflect upon what?" cried Magennis. "Is it what politics you 'd be? If that's what you mean, I think you 'd better say nothing about it."

"Come, come, Mac, you are not quite fair in this business; there _are_ difficulties,--there are embarra.s.sments very often in the way of doing things which we have made up our minds to do. Now, if I were perfectly certain that the liberal interest here could succeed in spite of Martin--"

"So it will."

"You're sure of that?"

"I 'll show it to you on paper. We 'd rather have Martin with us and no contest, because it's cheaper; but if it must come to money, we 'll do it."

"Satisfy me on that point, and I'm with you; there's my hand on't!"

And Magennis grasped him in his own strong fingers to ratify the contract.

While "Mac" went on to give some insight into the views and wishes of his party, they reached the town and entered the main street, and held their way towards old Nelligan's shop.

"That's Father Neal's pony at the door," said Mac, as they approached the shop; "so we'll find them both together."

"I scarcely think I can enter here," said Ma.s.singbred, "after what pa.s.sed last between us. We surely did not part as friends."

"How little you know about us at all!" said Mac. "Old Dan bears you no malice, I 'd lay fifty pounds on it! But, if you like, I 'll just step in and take soundings."

"Do so, then," said Ma.s.singbred, not sorry to have even a few moments to himself for quiet thought and consideration. He was still standing, and deeply engrossed by his reflections, when he was aroused by hearing his name called aloud, and, on looking up, perceived Magennis beckoning to him from a window overhead. In obedience to the signal, Jack turned and entered the shop, where his friend quickly joined him. "Old Dan is in his bed, with a heavy cold and a rheumatism, but he 'll see you; and Father Neal's with him, and Hayes, besides." And with this information he hurried Jack up the stairs, and led him into a darkened room, where the figures of the priest and old Hayes were dimly discernible. Before Ma.s.singbred had well crossed the door-sill, Nelligan called out, "Your servant, Mr. Ma.s.singbred. I 'm more than pleased with your explanation.

Let me shake your hand once more."

"I'm not quite sure that I understand you," said Jack, in a low voice; but before he could continue, the priest advanced to greet him, followed by old Peter.

"Wasn't I in luck to catch him on the road this morning?" said Magennis; "he was coming in with the old Counsellor, and just got out to walk up a hill--"

"Remember," said Jack, "that I have few minutes to spare, for I must be in waiting about the market-place when he drives in."

"We must have a conference, though," said Father Neal; "there 's much to be settled. First of all, are we to coalesce for the representation?"

"No, no, no!" cried Nelligan. "We 'll have it our own way. If Mr.

Ma.s.singbred will be our Member, we want no help from the Martins."

"There 's five pounds, and I 'll make it guineas if you like," said old Hayes, putting a note upon the table; "but the devil a Whig or Tory will ever get more out of Peter Hayes!"

A very good-natured laugh from the others showed how little umbrage the frank avowal excited.

"We 'll not want for money, Peter, make your mind easy about that," said Dan. "When can you meet the committee, Mr. Ma.s.singbred? Could you say to-night?"

"Better to-morrow morning. I must return to Cro' Martin this evening."

"Certainly,--of course," said Father Neal, blandly. "You 'll have to come to an understanding with Mr. Martin about the borough, declare what your principles are, and how, upon very mature consideration, you find you can't agree with the opinions of himself and his party."

Magennis winked significantly at Jack, as though to say, "Listen to _him; he 's_ the man to instruct and direct you;" and the priest resumed:--

"Go on to explain that your only utility in the House could arise from your being the exponent of what you feel to be the truth about Ireland, the crying evils of the Established Church, and the present tenure of land! When you throw these two sh.e.l.ls in, sir, the town will be on fire.

He 'll reply that under these circ.u.mstances there 's no more question about your standing for the borough; you'll say nothing,--not a word, not a syllable; you only smile. If Repton 's by--and he 's likely to be--he 'll get hot, and ask you what you mean by that--"

"There 's Scanlan just driving round the corner," said Magennis, in a whisper; and Ma.s.singbred arose at once and drew nigh to the bedside.

"Could I say one word to you alone, Mr. Nelligan?" said he, in a low voice.

"Of course," said he. And whispering the priest to take the others into an adjoining room, old Nelligan motioned Jack to sit down beside him.

"You said, as I came in," said Jack, "that you were satisfied with my explanation--"

"To be sure I was," broke in Dan. "All I wanted to know was, that you acted under a misconception. That being once explained, there was no offence on either side. Now, Catty Henderson's letter to my wife put the thing straight at once; she showed that _your_ conduct at Cro' Martin arose out of a notion that Joe had slighted you."

[Ill.u.s.tration: 302]

"Have you got this letter?" asked Jack, eagerly.

"Indeed, then, I have not; his mother forwarded it to Joe by the same post; but, as I tell you I 'm satisfied, there 's an end of it."

"Scanlan 's asking for you below stairs," said Magennis, putting in his head; "and I hear them saying that they didn't see you in town."

"All right," said Jack; "so I'll just slip out by the garden gate and meet him in the market-square." And with a hurried leave-taking Jack withdrew, his mind very far from that state of tranquil composure in which it was his pride to affect that he invariably revelled.

"There they go!" cried Father Neal, shortly after, as Scanlan drove rapidly by, with Ma.s.singbred beside him. "Maybe Master Maurice won't abuse us all round before he turns in at the gate of Cro' Martin!"

"Ma.s.singbred is too cute to mind him," said Magennis.

"Ah, Tom, there 's one appeal men of his stamp are never deaf to. You may say fifty things that won't shock them in religion or morals or good taste; but only utter the one word 'vulgar,' and their indignation rises at once. That's what Scanlan will do, take my word for it He 'll call us a low set of fellows, that have no position in society,--no acceptance anywhere."

"But Ma.s.singbred is a gentleman born, and he won't be led astray by such a consideration."

"It is exactly for that very reason that he will," said the priest, stoutly. "It's a strange fact, but there 's no manner of man rates social advantages so high as he that has them by right, and without any struggle for them."

"Well," said old Hayes, slowly, "if I once thought that of him, the devil a vote of mine he 'd get, no matter what his principles were."

"And there you 're wrong, Peter," said Nelligan. "Matters of good manners and breeding need never be discussed between us. Mr. Ma.s.singbred will have _his_ station; we'll have _ours_. There 's a long and weary road before us ere we come to think of our social condition. There 's many a cruel statute to be abolished, many a hard grievance to be redressed."

"And besides that," said Father Neal, with a shrewd twinkle in his eye, "while we 're doing the one we 'll be helping on the other. Political influence always did, and always will, include rank and station in the world. When English Ministers find their best ally in the Irish Priest, there will be no more sneers at his brogue nor his boots. Men of family and fortune won't shrink from their contact, and maybe you 'll see the day yet when coaches and chariots will drive up to the chapel, and ladies in satin and velvet step out to hear Ma.s.s."

A prophetic view of the Millennium itself could not have astonished old Peter Hayes more completely than did this marvellous suggestion of Father Neal; and he moved away muttering a "Heaven grant it!" between his teeth.

"Where's the next meeting of the committee to be?" asked Nelligan.

"In the Chapel House, to-morrow, at eleven. And that reminds me I 've not sent out the summonses." And so saying, Father Neal hastily took leave of his friends and left the room.

Let us take a glance at Mr. Maurice Scanlan, as, with an extra box-coat ingeniously wrapped around his lower man, he discoursed pleasantly to his companion while he "tooled" along towards Cro' Martin. Not a word of politics, not a syllable on the subject of party, escaped him as he talked. His conversation was entirely of sporting matters: the odds against Leander, the last bettings on "Firebrand," whether Spicy Bill was really in bad training, as the knowing ones said, and if the course wouldn't "puzzle the young ones" if the wet weather were to continue.

Ma.s.singbred was sufficiently well versed in these cla.s.sic themes to be an amusing and even instructive companion, and communicated many a sly piece of intelligence that would have been deemed priceless in "Bell's Life;" and Scanlan quickly conceived a high estimate for one who had graduated at Newmarket, and taken honors at Goodwood.