“Show him in,” a voice said; and Walter entered a sitting room.  The gentleman who was with him said nothing, until the door was closed behind him.  Then he asked: 

“Has the ship come in?”

To which Walter replied: 

“She is sailing slowly, but she will come.”

“That’s right,” the merchant said, rising.  “Where do you come from?”

“I am Walter Davenant, a cornet in my father’s troop of horse, and I have come direct from Limerick.  I have a letter for you, in my collar.”

He pulled off his coat, the merchant handed him a knife, he ripped open the collar, and, taking out the papers concealed there, picked out that intended for Mr. O’Brian, which was not directed, but had only a slight mark upon it to distinguish it from the others.  The merchant read it in silence.

“I am disappointed, Mr. Davenant,” he said, as he finished it.  “I had hoped that a dash would be made at Dublin this winter; but the general says that it has been decided to fight one more campaign on the defensive, and that in the autumn, when the French arrive, there will be a general advance.  Now, I am ready to answer any question you are instructed to ask.”

“In the first place, sir, how many men do you think would be ready to join in any rising in Dublin?”

“It would all depend upon whether an Irish army was advancing in this direction.  In that case, some seven or eight thousand men would rise.  But unless, there were a hope of early assistance, I do not think that above a thousand could be relied on.  I have about that number on my list.  They, as you see, could do nothing unassisted.  There are three or four thousand troops here, and the Protestant mob who would join them would number seven or eight thousand, at the very least.  Therefore, any attempt to rise in the face of such odds, unless after a crushing defeat of William’s troops, would be out of the question.  But, as I said, if an army were marching on Dublin, the Protestants would be thinking more of taking to their ships than fighting, and all the Catholics in the city would then join the movement.”

“I think the general hoped that you could have mustered a stronger force, sir.”

“So I could, a year ago,” Mr. O’Brian said; “but the constant persecution and ill treatment of the Catholics have caused large numbers of them to leave the town.  Many of the younger and more determined men have made their way west and joined the army.  I fear that the numbers I have given are quite as many as can be relied upon.”

“The general was in hopes,” Walter said, “that a diversion might have been caused in the spring, by a rising in Dublin, which would, even if unsuccessful, compel the Dutch general to keep a large force here.”