“Now, M’Clutchy,” said M’Loughlin, “I could overlook all your dishonesty and treacherous misrepresentation of me to Lord Cumber—­your attempt to oust us out of our farms, and to put your son and M’Slime in our places—­your suppressing the fact, besides that we offered a thousand pounds apiece for a renewal—­your whispering away our commercial reputation, and thereby bringing us in the end to ruin—­all that, I say, I could overlook and forgive; but for your foul and cowardly attempt to destroy the fair fame of our spotless child—­for that, sir, in which, thank heaven, you failed, I now say, I trust, with honest pride, and tell you face to face—­if you had only the manliness to look in mine—­that I feel this to be the hour of my triumph—­but not of my vengeance, for I trust I am a Christian man.”

“As for me, M’Olutchy,” said Harman, “really, on looking over your whole conduct—­into which there comes not one single virtue belonging to our better nature—­I am so filled with indignation, and a perception of the baseness and blackness of your heart and character, your revenge, your perfidy, and above all, your cowardice, that I can feel nothing for you but a loathing and abhorrence that really sicken me when I think of you.”

“What could you expect,” observed Poll Doolin, “from the son of Kate Clank and villainous ould Deaker?”

M’Clutchy never raised his eye, but taking up his hat, he and Solomon, followed soon after by Darby, took their departure in silence; Solomon occasionally shrugging his shoulders and throwing up his eyes, like a persecuted man.

“There is now no further use for preserving my incognito,” observed Mr. Topertoe, “and as you, Mr. Sheriff, have had your journey for nothing, I shall feel obliged if you will join these gentlemen at the Castle Cumber Arms to dinner, where we can have an opportunity of talking these and other matters over more at our leisure.”

“Do not expect me, sir,” said Hartley, who felt that the delicacy of his position with regard to Lord Cumber, rendered it altogether impossible that he could be the guest of a man with whose brother he was likely soon to fight a duel.

“Well,” replied Topertoe, “if you cannot come I shall regret it.”

“It is really out of my power, I assure you,” replied Hartley, as he bade him fare-Well.

The sheriff accepted the invitation; and after shaking hands with, and congratulating Messrs. M’Loughlin and Harman, also took his leave.  He had scarcely gone, when a magnificent carriage and four dashed up to the door, in which Topertoe, accompanied by Hickman, took his seat, and again drove off towards.  Castle Cumber, where the said carriage only had arrived that morning from, the metropolis.