One morning, as a well-known active magistrate of the county was sitting at his breakfast, a strange woman came to his door, and requested to see him on business of importance.  He immediately called up two of his servant men, and ordered them to go to the door and see that the woman was really a woman, and that she had no arms about her.  This was soon done, and the woman, a real one, was ushered into his worship’s presence.  She then told him—­the room being first cleared of all other people--that, she was the wife of D---- A------, the brogue-maker of F——­, that her husband was an honest, industrious man, who knew his own trade and business well, and who knew a great deal about the business of other people, too, and of what was going on in the country—­that he was a man of upright and Christian principles, who would always feel it a conscientious duty to aid the laws of his country to preserve social order and punish crime—­that he was not a man to be terrified or bribed by any amount of punishment or reward; but that if he were properly managed and kindly treated, he might be found able to give a good deal of useful information.

His worship had the good-natured poor woman taken good care of for that day—­and at a late hour of the same night he took and put her comfortably sitting on a horse, behind one of his constables, and, surrounded by a strong military body, horse and foot, marched her in safety; she showing the way to her own house.  They found honest Darby sitting by his fire, reading his prayer-book, and in great grief at the unaccountable absence of his wife.  He was dreadfully agitated when he found himself arrested, and strongly protested that he was an honest, industrious tradesman, who knew nothing of the wickedness of the world; and wondered much what this was all about.

His worship advised him to be calm—­that all should be well, but that he should accompany himself to his house.  After Darby had spent several usefully employed days with his new friend, he was transmitted to Limerick gaol, with orders that he should be well treated, and be allowed to see his wife as often as she desired it.  The wife soon found that it would be more convenient for her, and perhaps somewhat safer, to be living near her husband, and therefore went to reside in Limerick.  The news of Darby’s arrest caused no little alarm through the county, and it was soon whispered about that persons were now arrested, of whose participation in the Boland affair no human being could give any hint except himself alone.  His wife’s rooms became crowded every day with the wives, daughters, and sisters of the men arrested,—­and others not arrested, or suspected by any living being; money in hundreds of pounds was poured into her lap to purchase the ignorance, the silence, or the perjury of Darby—­and every one went away apparently satisfied with Darby’s promises through his faithful wife.