Until the hour of half-past twelve that night Ginty most religiously kept her watch convenient to the door.  Just then it opened very quietly, and a man staggered down the hall steps, and bent his course toward the northern part of the city suburbs.  A female might be observed to follow him at a distance, and ever as he began to mutter his drunken meditations to himself, she approached him more closely behind, in order, if possible, to lose nothing of what he said.

“An ould fool,” he hiccupped, “to throw them back to me—­hie—­an’ the other a kna-a-ve to want to—­to look at them; but I was up—­up; if the young-oung L-lor-ord will buy them, he mu-must-ust pay for them, for I hav-ave them safe.  Hang it, my head’s turn-turn-turnin’ about like the—­”

At this portion of his reflections he turned into a low, dark line of cabins, some inhabited, and others ruined and waste, followed by the female in question; and if the reader cannot ascertain her object in dogging him, he must expect no assistance in guessing it from us.

CHAPTER XXXV.  Lucy’s Vain but Affecting Expostulation with her Father

—­Her Terrible Denunciation of Ambrose Gray.

The next morning, after breakfast, Lord Dunroe found Norton and M’Bride in the stable yard, when the following conversation took place.

“Norton,” said his lordship, “I can’t understand what they mean by the postponement of this trial about the mare.  I fear they will beat us, and in that case it is better, perhaps, to compromise it.  You know that that attorney fellow Birney is engaged against us, and by all accounts he has his wits about him.”

“Yes, my lord; but Birney is leaving home, going to France, and they have succeeded in getting it postponed until the next term.  My lord, this is the man, M’Bride, that I told you of this morning.  M’Bride, have you brought those documents with you?  I wish to show them to his lordship, who, I think, you will find a more liberal purchaser than his father.”

“What’s that you said, sir,” asked M’Bride, with an appearance of deep interest, “about Mr. Birney going to France?”

“This is no place to talk about these matters,” said his lordship; “bring the man up to your own room, Norton, and I will join you there.  The thing, however, is a mere farce, and my father a fool, or he would not give himself any concern about it.  Bring him to your room, where I will join you presently.  But, observe me, Norton, none of these tricks upon me in future.  You said you got only twenty-five for the mare, and now it appears you got exactly double the sum.  Now, upon my honor, I won’t stand any more of this.”

“But, my lord,” replied Norton, laughing, “don’t you see how badly you reason?  I got fifty for the mare; of this I gave your lordship twenty-five—­the balance I kept myself.  Of course, then, you can fairly say, or swear, if you like, that she brought you in nothing but the fair value.  In fact, I kept you completely out of the transaction; but, after all, I only paid myself for the twenty-five I won off you.”