“But is there nothing else on your mind, Connor?”

“There’s no heavy guilt on my mind, Nogher, I thank my God and my dear mother for it.”

“Well, I can tell you one thing before you go, Connor—­Bartle Flanagan’s well watched.  If he has been guilty—­if—­derry downs, who doubts it’?—­well never mind; I’ll hould a trifle we get him to show the cloven foot, and condemn himself yet.”

“The villain,” said Connor, “will be too deep—­too polished for you.”

“Ten to one he’s not.  Do you know what we’ve found out since this business?”

“No.”

“Why, the divil resave the squig of punch, whiskey, or liquor of any sort or size he’ll allow to pass the lips of him.  Now, Connor, aren’t you up to the cunnin’ villainy of the thraitor in that maynewvre?”

“I am, Nogher; I see his design in it.  He is afeard if he got drunk that he wouldn’t be able to keep his own secret.”

“Ah, then, by the holy Nelly, we’ll sleep him yet, or he’ll look sharp.  Never you mind him, Connor.”

“Nogher! stop,” said Connor, almost angrily, “stop; what do you mane by them last words?”

“Divil a much; it’s about the blaggard I’m spakin’; he’ll be ped, I can tell you.  There’s a few friends of yours that intinds, some o’ these nights, to open a gusset under one of his ears only; the divil a thing more.”

“What! to take the unhappy man’s life—­to murdher him?”

“Hut, Connor; who’s spakin’ about murdher?  No, only to make him miss his breath some night afore long.  Does he desarve mercy that ’ud swear away the life of an innocent man?”

“Nogher,” replied the other, rising up and speaking with the utmost solemnity—­

“If one drop of his blood is spilt on my account, it will bring the vengeance of Heaven upon the head of every man havin’ a hand in it.  Will you, because he’s a villain, make yourself murdherers—­make yourselves blacker than he is?”

“Wiry, thin, death alive!  Connor, have you your seven sinsis about you?  Faith, that’s good; as if it was a sin to knock such a white-livered Judas upon the head!  Sin!—­oh hell resave the morsel o’ sin in that but the contrairy.  Sure its only sarvin’ honest people right, to knock such a desaiver on the head.  If he had parjured himself for sake of the truth, or to assist a brother in trouble—­or to help on the good cause—­it would be something; but to go to—­but—­arra, be me sowl, he’ll sup sarra for it, sure enough!  I thought it would make your mind aisy, or I wouldn’t mintion it till we’d let the breath out of him.”

“Nogher,” said Connor, “before you leave this unfortunate room, you must take the Almighty to witness that you’ll have no hand in this bloody business, an’ that you’ll put a stop to it altogether.  If you don’t, and that his life is taken, in the first place, I’ll be miserable for life; and in the next, take my word for it, that the judgment of God will fall heavily upon every one consarned in it.”